Boeing Is Currently Assembling The Last Ever 747 Jumbo Jet

The end of an amazing era. What a great aircraft!

Will there ever again be anything of commercial aviation as impressive as witnessing the super modern and futuristic B-747 of 1970?. . Back then the airplane seemed almost larger than god, especially when boarding with airstairs and no jetway.

Saw my first real 747 in 1970.
Little did I know that 20 years later I would make Captain on the 747 and fly it for 17 years after that.

It is an amazing airplane to fly and even “driving it around on the ground” is a blast.

Saw my first one, a United 100, at O'Hare in 1970. It was parked at a gate and connected with a couple jet bridges, but no one was in the boarding area. I walked on and explored, including the flight deck. Imagine if a 15 year old did that today!

Sounds snobby, but there is no first class like 747 first class in the nose (in front of the flight deck). It is quiet, isolated, and intimate. On British Airways they used to call Seats 1A and 1K the Mick Jagger and Mick Jagger's girlfriend seat.

I remember seeing the 747 at ten years of age, and was immediately overwhelmed. I still am to this day. Joe Sutter and the "Incredibles" pulled off a huge feat of engineering, and steadily improved the initial product over the years. A tip of the hat to all past and present who still support this magnificent lady!

The end of an era :( I still haven't gotten to fly on one and hopefully I'll have that chance with Lufthansa

I well remember my flights on 747s. Started with a PanAm flight (on a -100, I believe) JFK to BCN way back in '71. Last was a Virgin Atlantic flight (on a -400) LHR to IAD back in 2000.
Great airplane.

I saw my first one when in San Juan Puerto Rico in 1969. Flew on one from Honolulu, Hi. to San Francisco when I was about to be discharged from the Marine Corps in 1972. Really a great aircraft. Sad to hear of the line being closed.

The Queen is dead. Long live the Queen!

Karma on the Queen of the Skies: My wife and I were among the first to board a late 747 flight from HNL to SEA. Our baby daughter, then 9 months old, had just recently been adopted from Korea. We crossed the sky bridge, turned right into the enormous main cabin, and settled into seats A and B, just behind the bulkhead. As the rest of the passengers filed aboard, we wondered who would sit right next to me, in seat C on the aisle.

Finally a tired and cranky businessman in a rumpled suit came around the corner, took one look at the baby happily bouncing on my knee, and immediately called the stewardess (they were called that, long ago), and whined bitterly about how he could not possibly sit there for the 6 hour flight. The cabin crew eventually calmed him enough to convince him to sit down, and promised they would see what they could do, after everyone was aboard and accounted for. Meanwhile, he would look our way, see the baby cooing quietly, and then turn his head away and whimper pathetically under his breath.

As soon as the big cabin door clunked shut, he was on his feet again, grabbing his carry-ons, and looking for any alternative. Once again, the patient cabin crew calmed him down and told him to return to his seat so we could finally get underway, and promised they would resolve the situation after takeoff.

Finally airborne, the seat belt sign was turned off, and he leaped up again, digging through the overhead bin getting ready to move. The kind and patient stewardess was immediately there, and told him to leave his luggage where it was.

Then she looked over at us, smiled, and said, "You three, come with me." She lead us straight forward to the very first row in the business class section, where the narrowing fuselage only allowed for four large seats across. I sat on the left, my wife sat on the far right, and our little baby girl stretched luxuriously across the two middle seats where she slept in comfort for the remainder of the flight.

The story must have spread throughout the rest of the crew, because everyone came by to see the cute little "Korea Kid" sleeping in luxury up forward. Meanwhile, my wife and I were treated like royalty, with all the attention and benefits of first class. And the disgruntled businessman? Every so often I would look back down the aisle and see him jammed into his tiny seat, knees against the bulkhead, picking at his plastic tray of food, still fuming at the injustice.

In conclusion, I am sure no one appreciated this whole resolution more than the eternally friendly and patient crew, who so often have to put up with thoughtless and even abusive passengers. Sometimes, all the little bits of Karma just seem to fall into place - this time, on a 747.

So sad, a really great plane

Juan Tripp.

What a trip!

I remember a 747SP custom built for the then King of Saudi Arabia while it was being finished Boeing Everett. That nose first class was his bedroom. That plane had a real fully functional operating room, and he flew with a heart surgeon, but as I recall, he died of a heart attack anyway. His bathroom was spec'd to be all marble. When the engineers saw that they about ****! It had to be micro shaved and laminated onto honeycomb. I guess even for a 747 that much marble on one side would have presented some real flight control issues. The bathroom had a ships watertight door with a porthole window. I think that was the last custom (at least 747) that Boeing built. It had some expensive problems to overcome.

Glad to see that Lufthansa is still operating the 747-400. Saw one on approach into EWR just a few days ago. She is still a majestic airliner in the sky to view.

Flew on a NWA 74 during a High School trip to LAX in the early 70's. Loved flying U/C model planes never thought I could afford to become a pilot. But, I did. I even came out of early retirement to fly freighters and yes, I got to fly the 74. A 200, but I like steam anyway. Wish I had the serial # of that first trip aircraft, as I think I may have flown the freighter converted plane purchased from Delta so many years later. I retired a second time for good as age finally caught up with me, but I was still able to say on my last 747 flight... I still can't believe I am being paid to do this.

A friend who flies a 747 freighter calls their 767s “light twins”.

...it must have pretty cool for those who spent an entire career dedicated to building one world class aircraft...

Enjoyed working on the 47[B747] since the early 80s untill i retired in 2001,what a plane ,she was a beauty to just look at her.She will grace the skies for many more years.

My first ride in a 747 was in 1970. I was on my way to my Air Force 'hardship overseas' tour in Honolulu. Back then it had a cocktail lounge upstairs.

We still have at least one cargo per day into & out of Nashville. If I get lucky and time it right, I can get to the park to watch them roar over at ~1,000' coming into runway 13. Gives me goosebumps everytime.

My first flight on any plane was a 747 50 years ago
Sine then I have had about 350 more flights on the 747.
It will be missed. Those were the good old days

It's all about economics. Atlas, Kaliita etc. can have dedicated 747 mechanics. Optimized freight handling. They'll be around 'forever', like the B-52 - the right tool for the right job - and a visible seal of approval. Works for me, even if I only got to fly on a Queen only once.

I flew the seventh one ever built. A few years later I was on a web sight and got to watch them chop it up for scrap. Snifff!! The original 747-100 was probably the nicest handling airplane I have ever flown. Kind like a big giant Beechcraft.

A sad day.

As an aside, what idiot wrote that article? "Humbling down?" Juan Tripped? Using "til" instead of until (and without even the courtesy of an apostrophe)? That's just in the first part. It was painful to read.

I used to travel about 130 days a year, almost all international long haul. Spent many early mornings at LHR waiting for a connection and counting planes while in the lounge, especially how many 747 were on the ground. When T5 opened up it got much easier to see the entire extent of the fleet on the ground, and I think I got up to 27 at gates, stands and hangers one morning. Cant be sure, but I think they must have had the biggest operational fleet at the time - it was always great to see those enormous tails sticking up over everything!

. . . and with it, the last of the 4-engined commercial airliners (arguably beginning after WWII with the DC-4)

Sad day when they are gone, but they were the past. Twins are now and for the future.

I remember standing on the observation deck in 1971 in Atlanta when I was 12 and marveling at a Northwest Orient 747. And wondering why the airplane had a butthole? (APU exhaust I later learned LOL)

Aren't they currently building a state of the art Air Force 1 utilizing the 747 airframe?

Flying into Kai Tak in the 70s was a real thrill. Also flew 001 and 002 round the world on business trips. Have since done 2 more rtw trips for pleasure, but more difficult now. Schedules are more restrictive and multiple airlines are required. Still, rtw fares are cheaper than point-to-point.

I came from Military manufacturing and went to commercial. I was amazed the first time I ever got to walk around a 747-400. Amazing and very sorry to see the production end. I know a few who still work on that line. Hopefully they can retire or move to another program. A sad day.

Doesn't the Air Force still have a contract with Boeeing to build new "Air Force Ones" based on the 747?

I have much love for the 747 & the significance of the last one to be produced. However, the writer, Charlotte Seet & her editor are terrible. All kinds of grammar & punctuations mistakes. I guess I should expect that since journalism doesn't exist anymore. Media is not unbiased anymore & they are more interested in pushing woke agendas, MSN being one of the worst offenders.

I feel like they keep saying that this is the last one, but then sayin they’re gonna build another.

Is October or December the final delivery month?

Still see them on occasion ay YYZ. Again, Lufthansa for pax and of course cargo.

Will always be The Queen !

My father was at Boeing for 6 months helping design cockpit controls and systems for the 747 as Pan Am Tech Engineer. A lot of history. I remember walking through the first one at a Pan Am Christmas party in Hanger 14.

Remember coming into Kai Tak on a Thai International 747, sitting in a right hand window seat. Looked out on short final into a Hong Kong residence seeing the tv going. Amazing sight both from the air & from the ground, & there were virtually almost no 747 incidents; except for 2-3.

Worked at Pratt & Whitney and made blades and vanes in the North Haven, CT plant for the 1st production engines for the 747; JT9D as I remember with 43000 lbs of thrust. Must have been ‘69 when my boss went to JFK to see the plane - he came back with a framed picture from Boeing. I still have it😊

=[ Sad day of aviation history

In 1971 UAL seating in the 747 Friendship was in coach 3-4-2 with 36" seat pitch 40" for first class

https://samchui.com/2019/10/13/flying-on-a-vip-boeing-747-sp/

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loved the 747 from the 1st one I saw at KGEG doing touch and goes. I think 1/2 the town of Spokane was out watching it.

My first flight on one was from KSFO to Guam via Hawaii on Pan Am. I was kicked off a MAC flight out of Travis for a senior officer that needed on the plane. They gave me a bus ticket to SFO and a ticket on the flight. Best flight ever.

My last was a 747-8F flight test from KPAE to KPAE but was 12 hours. We flew from Washington State To Pennsylvania (to do a touch and go) via New York, after departing PA we went south to Florida across to San Diego and up back to KPAE. was even fun then.

First saw these wonderful aircraft at MEL in the mid 1970's with Pan Am livery. I think they were the 100 series. Didn't get to fly on one until September 1978 with Canadian Pacific. Toronto to Amsterdam. One thing that stood out were the massive wings. I had a window seat and could observe flap movement. Absolutely awesome. Last flight was on a BA 747 400, LHR to Singapore 2014. Great memories.

flew KLM 747 from NYC to AMS in fall '99. Heard a crash sounding like an automobile collision when deploying landing gear - shook the entire airframe. when we landed the plane stopped dead on the runway - all power ceased.

towed to gate, when we deplaned we saw hydraulic fluid gushing like a waterfall underneath the plane

on return, KLM botched my connection and upgraded me to 747 1st class - probably the nicest flight experience ever.

I vividly remember the day that my dad who worked for Pan Am took me aboard the inaugural flight from JFK to KIN (Jamaica) What an amazing aircraft and experience.

Wonderful aircraft to watch. I was at ANC at a take off vantage point a month ago and was surprised at the number of 747 freighters flying in and out (until I googled the reason!). I was in heaven. Even saw a Dreamlifter depart. Truly queen of the skies. (Enjojoyed flying in BA’s and LH’s 747-400s and LH’ 747-8 when I got the chance)

There’s a great documentary on paramount+ about the 747 history. They have interviews with Joe Sutter. The Jumbo Revolution. Check it out if you have Paramount + if you are a subscriber.

Inly the white house would buy a 747 at this point