Boeing says farewell to 'Queen of the Skies' with last 747 delivery

[marmar]

(CNN) — More than half a century since the original jumbo jet ushered in a glamorous new jet age, helping bringing affordable air travel to millions of passengers, the last-ever Boeing 747 was scheduled to be delivered on Tuesday, marking the start of the final chapter for the much-loved airplane.

In a ceremony that will be broadcast live online at 4 p.m. Eastern Time, the aircraft will be handed over at a ceremony at Boeing's plant in Everett, Washington, to its new owner, US air cargo operator Atlas Air.

While the final 747 won't be carrying paying passengers, its delivery is another milestone for the distinctive double-decker "Queen of the Skies," which revolutionized intercontinental travel while also appearing in James Bond films and even giving piggyback rides to the Space Shuttle.

With the last passenger 747 having entered service more than five years ago, the end of the 747's enduring career now moves even closer, hastened by airlines switching their preferences to smaller and more economical aircraft. ...............(more)

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/last-boeing-747-leaves-everett-washington/index.html

[genxlib]

1. I always liked the image of the 747

But the reality is that it just triples the chances you will end up in a middle seat.

End of an era

[Aristus]

2. Looks like the Pan Am 747 that flew me and my unit down to Saudi Arabia in 1991.

Man, was that an experience!

[ProfessorGAC]

3. My Jumbo Jet Story

I had a return flight from LAX to Chicago back in the late 90s. Early flight. Might have been 6:30am.
The plane had come in from Sydney. The purpose of the flight was more to get it and tge crew back to O'Hare than for passengers. (And, probably some cargo.)
Anyway, we board and >>>>>>>>>>>>>the number of crew members & the number of passengers was the same!
This gigantic plane & there are 10 passengers on the whole plane!
The attendants just told everyone to sit in first class.
It was weird to be on a plane that big with hardly anybody on it.

[Paladin]

4. Way too big and comfortable for today's air travel market.

Sorry to see the passing of the 747. I cherish the memories of trips on that model.

[sir pball]

8. Oh, they can cram you in like sardines on those babies.

The old Japanese domestic versions, for carrying a whole lot of people on short flights, topped out at over 600 in a single-class; with newer decreased seat pitch it could probably fit 700. That sounds like Hell on wings!

[jeffreyi]

5. My stepdad (alas, no longer with us) was a pilot for AA,

And piloted those. He had a large poster depicting the cockpit, the instrumentation was rather kind boggling.

[ChazII]

6. I remember Weekly Reader

sharing a story about this plane a few years before it came out and now 747 career is ending.

[Tommy Carcetti]

7. I always wanted to fly in one.

Never did.

How they were so much larger than the normal airliners and had that distinctive second level hump. As a kid, I got excited whenever I saw them.

My only widebody transatlantic flight experience was in a Boeing 787 which just looks like an oversized 737. Boring.

[Kennah]

9. Peak oil will make huge airliners a thing of the past