Flying in Style

This article is courtesy of History Link, the free online encyclopedia of Washington state history


Last month, Boeing delivered the last-ever 747 Jumbo Jet, and HistoryLink looks back at the history of the plane that changed the airline industry and revolutionized air travel.

The final 747 will be used to carry cargo, many airlines have already phased out the passenger 747s in their fleets, and the number of Jumbo Jets in the air is nowhere near what it was during the plane's heyday.

In 1958 the Boeing Company soared into the Jet Age with the launch of the Boeing 707, and reached greater success with the 727 and 737 aircraft. In 1965 Juan Trippe, founder of Pan American Airlines and one of Boeing's most influential customers, asked the company if they could build a jet more than twice the size of a 707 that could carry more than 400 passengers. It was a bold suggestion, and Boeing took up the challenge.

The first Boeing 747 rolled out in 1968 and was christened by 26 flight attendants, then called stewardesses, one each from the airlines that had already placed orders. Six months later, the 747 flew for the first time, from Paine Field in Everett, and all the tests went smoothly. Once the new planes entered service, the 747 became one of the most recognizable jet aircraft in the world.

Production dropped off slightly during the Boeing Bust, but many 747 passengers enjoyed the luxury of flying aboard the "Queen of the Skies." Over the years, Boeing created variants of the plane, including the two aircraft that replaced the aging 707s that served as Air Force One -- the "flying White House." Those planes, and others still in service, will continue to fly for years to come, but the last chapter in the story of this historic aircraft has now begun.

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