This week, on Tuesday, Dec. 06, without much fanfare, Boeing has marked the end of an era as its very last 747 rolled out of the factory in Everett, Washington. The a/c will be flown to another facility where it will be painted in the color of Atlas Air livery in preparation for final delivery in early 2023, becoming the freight operator's 53rd 747. The 747’s operational history is most remarkable, having entered commercial service, in January 1970, with Pan Am (airline) led by visionary Juan Trippe, who had approached Boeing with a (seemingly) preposterous proposition to build him a passenger (jet) aircraft two-and-a half times the size of the 707...! Since then, a total of 1,574 of the ‘jumbo jets’ have been manufactured. 

“It’s kind of a sad occasion,” said Jon Sutter, the grandson of legendary Boeing aircraft designer Joe Sutter, the father of the 747. Jon Sutter, who now works at Boeing in the same Boeing Field building where his grandfather designed the Queen of the Skies, hadn’t been born when the first 747 flew.

So, for the first time, in over half-century, there will not be a (graceful) 747 present inside the famous Everett building. It will surely leave a void in the hearts of those who were involved with it during the last 50+ years, in one capacity or another...and, of course, aviation enthusiasts like us will probably recall this plane as the one that allowed us to see the world for the first time.... we'll miss the fact that there will be no 1,575th 747...this is the end of line...

Please find this collection of pictures of the "Queen of the Skies" in the color of Atlas Air...as a symbolic gesture of respect to the storied history of the 747...the first and also the last Jumbo airplane to be ever built...!

Thanks for viewing...!!

How so very sad P.  I've flown on many of these in my life and have always marveled at how something so large and heavy can lift off and fly gracefully.  And seeing the Space Shuttle on top of one was also amazing. The shuttle weighed 101 tons yet the 747 handled it with ease.  I'm gonna miss these as they slowly get phased out.  

Very nice pics, P_7878! If I'm not mistaken there will be two more to come, but probably not before 2026. Both are for your President 😉

Edited December 10, 20223 yr by bernd1151

Great set of shots as always! 😉 

Very nice set !

Too bad, it was and still is definitely a special airplane.

cheers 😉

Edited December 10, 20223 yr by pmplayer

6 hours ago, Jack_Sawyer said:

How so very sad P.  I've flown on many of these in my life and have always marveled at how something so large and heavy can lift off and fly gracefully.  And seeing the Space Shuttle on top of one was also amazing. The shuttle weighed 101 tons yet the 747 handled it with ease.  I'm gonna miss these as they slowly get phased out.  

Genuine sentiments...Jack...coming from someone who has worked on the innards of the Boeing machinery...🙂...I will always distinctly recall my first oceanic flight in a 747...starting with the close encounter of that huge and bulbous nose right across the waiting lobby glass...and then later, in the middle of the night when I woke up to the peaceful and dark cabin, up at cruise altitude...with just a barely audible humming of the engines and that common TV screen (long before they started placing individual seatback screens) up above showing the a/c position and other flight details...for a moment, I thought I was in my own living room...🙂...the airplane was a true miracle of its time indeed...it will be missed...!

 

4 hours ago, bernd1151 said:

Very nice pics, P_7878! If I'm not mistaken there will be two more to come, but probably not before 2026. Both are for your President 😉

Hi Bernd...thanks much for your comment...🙂...! Unfortunately, this is it for the 747 line ...

Bits of details: Atlas Air already received the 747-8F (N862GT), which was the second to last 747 aircraft to be manufactured. And the (Final) Atlas Air 747-8F, also the very last 747 to be built in Everett, exited the factory this week, for final clearance and delivery, it will receive the registration N863GT...

You might be thinking about the two earlier-built 747-8 airframes (with tail numbers of N894BA and N895BA), which were originally built for Transaero, the now-defunct Russian airline. These two have been in storage at the (SCLA) airport in Victorville, California since February of 2017. It appears USAF, a year or so ago, has taken ownership of these two 747-8 airframes, and wants to convert these two to the Presidential standards...as you correctly say...

Here is the bulletin from the Boeing Media Room about this week's Atlas 747-8F being indeed the last 747 to be built in the company's widebody factory..."Final Boeing 747 Airplane Leaves Everett Factory"...

Cheers...!!

 

4 hours ago, Alaska738 said:

Great set of shots as always! 😉 

Appreciated, Will...Being a Boeing fan yourself...🙂...I knew you might like these shots...Anyway thanks as always..for chiming in...!!

 

1 hour ago, pmplayer said:

Very nice set !

Too bad, it was and still is definitely a special airplane.

cheers 😉

Agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments, pmplayer.... Thank you...!!