The Boeing 747 was the world’s first wide-body airliner and was two and a half times the size of Boeing’s first jet airliner.
22:01•Updated 22:06
The last “Queen of the Skies”, the Boeing 747, will be delivered to its customer tomorrow, Tuesday. Five decades ago, the Boeing 747 revolutionized air travel.
It was the world’s first wide-body plane. It was partly two-story, and the top floor of the jumbo jet became the world’s most luxurious club above the clouds.
The Boeing 747 was intended for long, intercontinental journeys and has been said to have brought long-distance travel within reach of ordinary people. The first 747 was produced for the US airline Pan Am.
– This was the plane through which the American middle class got in touch with flying, CEO of Air France-KLM Ben Smith says the Reuters news agency.
– Before the 747, the average family could not travel from the United States to Europe.
Passengers from popes to presidents
Over the decades, the Boeing 747 has transported popes, rock stars and presidents as well. Two 747s are currently being converted into Air Force Ones, i.e. for use by the President of the United States.
Pan Am flight attendant Linda Freier served customers About Michael Jackson To Mother Teresa.
– The range of passengers was huge. We transported people who were very well dressed and those who had less money and had spent all their savings on the trip, Freier told Reuters.
The Boeing 747 originated with the founder of Pan Am Juan Trippen and a Boeing executive of William Allen on a fishing trip. Trippe wanted to save costs by increasing the number of seats on the plane. He challenged Allen to do something about it.
Dickinson: “Surprisingly agile in the air”
Allen accepted the challenge and turned engineer Joe Sutter’s half. It took Sutter a team of 28 months to develop the 747.
– In the country, it’s the handsome, impressive singer of the British band Iron Maiden Bruce Dickinson has described. He flew a 747 nicknamed Ed Force One during Iron Maiden’s 2016 tour.
– It is surprisingly agile in the air. Being a huge machine, it can be rolled around if necessary.
– When landing, it is the most beautiful and easiest of all machines. It’s like landing in an armchair, says Dickinson.
The Boeing 747 flew its maiden flight on February 9, 1969, but its real heyday came in 1989. That’s when Boeing introduced the 747-400 model, which had new jet engines and lighter materials.
Now the 747 is being replaced by planes with the same capacity but lower operating costs. The last commercial Boeing 747, a freighter version, will be delivered to US cargo airline Atlas Air on Tuesday.
Have you traveled on a Boeing 747? Tell me what kind of memories you have of the machine. You can discuss the topic until Tuesday at 11 p.m.