The half century production run of the iconic 747 has come to an end.
On December 6, 2022 the last 747s that will be built rolled off the bone production line in Everett, Washington.
Number 1,574 in the production run is finished. It will be test flown by Boeing pilots, painted, then delivered to the customer, a cargo and charter carrier – not a major airline.
More details on 12/6/20 at The Warzone: The Last 747 Ever Build Has Rolled Off Boeing’s Production Line (updated).
After Boeing lost the competition which resulted in the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, Boeing turned its large airframe four-engine design capabilities towards a commercial plane t and with cargo haulers he heavy lift category. Article points out the number of cutting-edge developments in the 747: high-capacity large engines, advanced navigation, and that iconic upper deck.
Increased range of aircraft has meant reduced amount of hope-to-Hobe travel which has moved to the market away from very high-capacity aircraft. Thus the 747 fell out of favor for the major airlines.
All those planes will continue in operation for dozens of years with smaller airlines and cargo haulers.
Previous posts on the 747:
- 11/2/20 –747s, B-52s, and F-35Cs
- 9/29/17 –Technology changes overtake the iconic Boeing 747