Boeing bids farewell to an icon, delivers last 747 jumbo jet

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: AP


The final Boeing 747 lands at Paine Field following a test flight, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, in Everett, Wash. Boeing bids farewell to an icon on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, when it delivers the jumbo jet to cargo carrier Atlas Air. Since it debuted in 1969, the 747 has served as a cargo plane, a commercial aircraft capable of carrying nearly 500 passengers, and the Air Force One presidential aircraft, but it has been rendered obsolete by more profitable and fuel-efficient models. (Jennifer Buchanan/The Seattle Times via AP)


SEATTLE (AP) — Boeing bids farewell to an icon on Tuesday: It’s delivering its final 747 jumbo jet. Since its first flight in 1969, the giant yet graceful 747 has served as a cargo plane, a commercial aircraft capable of carrying nearly 500 passengers, a transport for NASA’s space shuttles, and the Air Force One presidential aircraft. It revolutionized travel, connecting international cities that had never before had direct routes and helping democratize passenger flight.

But over about the past 15 years, Boeing and its European rival Airbus have introduced more profitable and fuel efficient wide-body planes, with only two engines to maintain instead of the 747?s four. The final plane is the 1,574th built by Boeing in the Puget Sound region of Washington state.

A big crowd of current and former Boeing workers is expected for the final send-off. The last one is being delivered to cargo carrier Atlas Air.

“If you love this business, you’ve been dreading this moment,” said longtime aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia. “Nobody wants a four-engine airliner anymore, but that doesn’t erase the tremendous contribution the aircraft made to the development of the industry or its remarkable legacy.”

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/boeing-delivering-the-last-747-018b4b60e8d8a40aa5bf039c47d81a9a

---

I remember my first and only times on a 747 was on an EgyptAir flight to/from Cairo flying out of and back into JFK. I had been on L-1011s and 767s and DC-10s (wide-bodies) but not the iconic 747 until then (1992). While there was also on my first Airbus (I think one of the 300s).

I was shocked at how long it was (couldn't "see" the end of it while inside and at the front of the plane) and tried the "2nd floor lounge" a couple times (the flight was 11 hours non-stop going over although coming back home, we had a stopover in Paris).

Bid adieu (but hope they have finally resolved their 737 max issues).

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. My first time was in 1971 flying from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany.

Then onto Luxembourg (much smaller plane!) to visit relatives there. On the flight over, I had three seats to myself because the plane was half empty. I tried to sleep but was way too excited.

On the trip back to Chicago, the plane was a 707. That will always be my favorite.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. The 707 was what I was on going to London back in 1970

The 747 was just a fantasy plane to me back then!

That trip was back during the days when they gave you free "flight bags" and other goodies - still have mine in a closet (looks like this - we were on the then Caledonian Airways that was merging/merged with BUA right around the time we went) -

[greatauntoftriplets]

12. Harumph.

Lufthansa didn't give me a travel bag. That's quite keepsake, given that it's more than 50 years old and the airline no longer exists.

The plane I took from Frankfurt to Luxair was another first -- my first propeller plane. That was on Luxair, Luxembourg's national airline. It still exists, too.

[BumRushDaShow]

15. Thank goodness I have so far avoided props

I have been on what I call the "little jets" (regional style) Fokker 100s (e.g., going from here in Philly to Pittsburgh). They have apparently been phasing whatever is left of those out (no longer building them since the late '90s).

[greatauntoftriplets]

17. Also years ago, I used to go to Springfield for work.

Flew out of Meigs Field on the Chicago lakefront on Air Illinois. Those prop planes were so low inside that I couldn't stand up straight to get to a seat -- I was 5' 10".

Later, I had to fly on prop planes in the Caribbean to get to smaller islands. They weighed you so they could balance the plane by weight.

[BumRushDaShow]

19. See... there is just no way!

Even when I was in Hawai'i and took a little day trip from Oahu to Kauai, thankfully no prop. Again one of the little jets - another Fokker.

One of my sisters had told me stories about the "puddle jumpers" - I think when a trip planner had booked her on one going from Copenhagen to Malmo for a work trip and I believe it was actually one of the sea planes. I guess it was faster than the couple hour drive across the strait.

[greatauntoftriplets]

22. Years ago, I took a ferry from Copenhagen to Malmo.

I believe there's been rail service between the two cities since the bridge opened 20-odd years ago.

Going through a Caribbean storm in a DeHavilland Twin Otter was an experience I'll never forget. It was scary.

[BumRushDaShow]

24. Yikes @ the ferry although for tour purposes, that would be cool

I can imagine it would be dicey at certain times of the year too. My sis was there before the rail I think - back in the '90s.

And I have been lucky dodging tropical systems in the Caribbean (the last in 2015 - Hurricane Danny that fortunately fizzled before getting near the Bahamas).

The worst was just a trip from Philly to Boston which was again - a small regional jet but flying relatively low altitude since it was a short trip.... and hitting massive turbulence coming into Boston. Trays, carts, stuff on carts, and flight attendants all rolling down the aisle. All those years before either driving or on the train going there and my figuring why not fly? After that, I promised I would never fly into Logan ever again!

[greatauntoftriplets]

25. I've always liked ferry rides.

It wasn't a long trip, maybe one hour.

My most memorable ferry ride was the first time I crossed the English Channel. This was from Ostend , Belgium to Dover. It was a stormy day in November.

I've never seen so many people vomiting in my life; yet I was fine. Sadly, I couldn't have the second beer that I wanted because the bathrooms were unusable. Later, I crossed the Channel two more times (and both ways). Never ran into a storm again. Good times.

[BumRushDaShow]

27. LOL

What a memory. Going through the "Chunnel" might be a bucket list thing for me.

My first "ferry ride" was the "Good Ship Lollipop" that was here in Philly going up and down the Delaware river in the early-mid '60s. I actually found someone who posted footage of it back then (starting about 1:00) -

I was on that as a wee one a couple years after the above.

(apparently there was a smaller version of that ferry that was used in the '70s)

[greatauntoftriplets]

29. That looks like fun.

Chicago had the Wendella that had tours up and down the river. My mother hated being on the water, so we never did it as kids. I did one of the tours as an adult. Also, the Wendella doubled as a commuter boat from North Michigan Avenue to the train stations in summer. I used it in the afternoons, walked to work in the morning. It was so much nicer than a packed bus.

This is the one in service back then before I got a job in the suburbs. I think this one is no longer in service. It's the third photo down. Great way to end the work day.

https://www.wendellaboats.com/our-story/

[BumRushDaShow]

30. Always thought the canals going through Chicago along with the river were pretty cool

and wish they would run more watercraft like that here on the Schuylkill River that cuts through the city (most of the ferries are on the Delaware River competing for space with the barges ). They are slowly developing walkways and bike paths along it though (there is a bike trail for people to actually commute by bike from the suburbs into town that has been completed). Could be they are waiting until they finish dredging parts and replacing the bridges going over it.

[greatauntoftriplets]

31. There are more river boat tour companies than just the Wendella.

They're the one I'm most familiar with. They've built and are expanding a riverwalk downtown, and it includes water taxi stops. Additionally, there are parks and walking/bike paths on both the north and south branches. The river has been cleaned up to the point where people actually fish in it -- and presumably eat what they catch.

Plus, there are lots of lake boat tours.

[BumRushDaShow]

32. Yeah see Chicago has built that up over the years

so it is ready for it. Even NYC has the commuter taxis on the East River, etc. I think here, they focused more on the northern part of the Schuylkill just outside of the downtown area before the river gets to a dam and the Waterworks dam so they could host the sculling regattas and left the water taxis and ferries to the Delaware.



They had been dredging there too but then after getting hit with the remnants of back to back Hurricanes Ida and Ian (year over year), they had to start all over. We even briefly looked like downtown Chicago when I-676 (which runs below main street level) was flooded and became "canal-like". Maybe they should consider leaving it like that one day (although that is how I used to get into work every morning).

[greatauntoftriplets]

33. So the brown stuff in the bottom photo is a flooded roadway?

At first, I wondered about the color of the river water. Looked at the photos before I read the post. We have a few expressways that get flooded, though not downtown.

[BumRushDaShow]

35. Yup. The expressway is right near where the river is

and between the excessive rain, the river coming out of its banks nearby, and a bunch of failed pumps due to power failures of both the primary and backup electric that run the pumps, the whole thing flooded!

This is what it normally looks like -



There were a few out there floating or diving into it -





It's a Philly thing®.

[greatauntoftriplets]

36. What a mess.

I know of one expressway underpass on Chicago's north side that floods, yet people drive into it when they underestimate the depth.

Hopefully the swimmers/floaters got shots after being in that. Ugh.

[Tommy Carcetti]

2. 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.

[Historic NY]

3. I always wished to travel on one..

but never had the opportunity, long flights would have probably been a lot better. All those flights NY to England, Paris, Dublin, Brussels non-stop NY to Honolulu. Nope, almost got to once when navigation went out on a British Air at JFK they sent the Concorde for parts.

Well maybe someday.

[zipplewrath]

7. They're still in service

There are still airlines using them for passenger service. It won't be forever but you'll have chances in the future.

[pfitz59]

4. My family of 5 was upgraded to First Class on a British Airways 747.

Seattle to London. Was a sweet ride! I used to work a mile from the Boeing Everett factory. Saw all the roll outs and test flights.

[KS Toronado]

6. That's an old photo, there's no "wing tips"

on the end of the wings.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. That's the image that AP had on its page with that caption

This looks to be the (un-branded/un-painted) finished version - https://www.geekwire.com/2022/boeing-rollout-last-747/



https://www.geekwire.com/2022/boeing-rollout-last-747/



And with the paint -

Link to tweet

Breaking Aviation News & Videos
@aviationbrk
·
Follow
Boeing’s final 747 has emerged from the paint shop in Portland, Oregon. The aircraft will now head back to Seattle before delivery in the next few weeks to Atlas Air.

📷 KeithPDXAir
Image
Image
3:25 AM · Jan 10, 2023

[KS Toronado]

9. Appears the engineers flatten them out a little.

[BumRushDaShow]

11. Could either be an artifact of the photo angle

or some little moveable flap on the ends - I know those plane wings have all kinds of flaps along it that go into all kinds of positions - especially when the plane is landing and braking!!!

[KS Toronado]

14. Flaps are always below the wing to increase lift and help in braking.

All early wingtips almost went straight up, usually leaning outboard around 3%. And as the years passed
and engineers received feedback from pilots they started to lean further outboard, latest 747 appears to
be barely up-swept with a little twist.

After increasing the cabin height on the Beechcraft King-Air, the plane got so unstable we had a rush order
to put wingtips on the horizontal stabilizer, which cured the problem. Only one with wingtips there I believe.
Do you remember I spent 40 years in aircraft tooling?

[BumRushDaShow]

18. I have sat in seats next to the wings a many a time

and have seen the ends/tips and all sorts of other parts of the wing shoot up when the plane is slowing and then landing/braking. I think it's my own "nomenclature" issue based on the below -



The parts along the top of the wing that lift up are apparently called "spoilers" (like on race cars), which is what I am apparently thinking of (I just call them all "flaps" because they move up and down through controls).

A family of kids I grew up with a few doors down had a father who used to work for one of the regional airlines back in the '60s - Altair (I think as a mechanic/engineer). Used to go over their house to play in the basement where their dad had a ton of plane models and also had an electric train set and erector set.

Plus one of my uncles (father's sister's husband) used to work for GE in Delaware doing engines. Never got chance as an adult to really chat about his work before he passed away (don't remember if it was the Aerospace or Aviation plant).

[KS Toronado]

26. In house we called them "air brakes"

had nicknames for a lot of things.

[BumRushDaShow]

28. PERFECT!!!

I was cheering those things on with every landing.

[beaglelover]

13. The 747-8s don't have wing tips like the 747-400. The wings swoop upwards like the

787.

[KS Toronado]

16. When I worked Boeing Wichita

The only new wings I was around is when we built & installed new wings on the B-52 and A-6. All Boeing wings
are built in their Washington plants. Have a better understanding of wingtips on smaller Wichita products.
Sounds like you know your jumbo jets.

[beaglelover]

20. Not really. I have always loved the 747 though and have taken an interest in the

variants over the years.

[Bengus81]

10. On live right now.........

https://vimeo.com/event/2815427

[BumRushDaShow]

23. BTW - thank you for that link

I ended up watching the whole thing, including the John Travolta appearance.

[beaglelover]

38. Me too. I got a bit teared up at times. End of an era.

But at least we'll still get to see some of them flying over the next few decades. I'm not sure which passenger carriers still use them for passengers. I know Lufthansa does and some of the Asian airlines. I'm not sure if British Airways still uses them. That was the last 747 I was on in 2011 to and from LAX/LHR. We were in coach and it felt a little cramped for an 11 hour flight. But my husband had never flown on one so he was able to check that off of his bucket list. Still want to fly on the A380 some day.

[BumRushDaShow]

39. I expected Northwest Airlines had them but then they were absorbed by Delta

So I just checked, assuming they inherited the NWA 747s and found this - https://simpleflying.com/delta-747-operations/

So looks like Delta has phased theirs out. Quantas has as well - https://simpleflying.com/qantas-747s-now/ although that article mentions United picked some up. BUT as of December, even United retired theirs - https://simpleflying.com/us-airlines-stop-flying-747s/

British Aiways got rid of theirs during the pandemic - https://simpleflying.com/el-al-boeing-747s/ and Air France 5 years earlier - https://simpleflying.com/air-france-boeing-747/

The one and only ones I was on was EgyptAir's and apparently they have slowly discontinued use of them - https://simpleflying.com/egyptair-boeing-747/ Similarly El-Al eventually ditched theirs - https://simpleflying.com/el-al-boeing-747s/

I expect most of what is left are being used for cargo (e.g. UPS has used them) or even as "exhibits".

[paleotn]

21. She's a beauty!

747 is one of the most beautiful air frames ever built. No offense to Airbus, but the A380 looks like a pregnant whale.

[bluesbassman]

34. My first ride in a 747 was a MAC flight to Germany.

Boarded in Charleston in August of ‘76. 500 GIs and dependents on board and a mechanical problem kept on the tarmac for 3 hours. Fun times! 😄

[tonekat]

37. My first flight was on a 747

1980, to L.A. to visit a friend, and again on the way back to JFK.

I love those planes. Too bad comfort is being sacrificed for profits.