End of an era as the last 747 rolls off the production line
- Reference: 1670484606
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/12/08/boeing_747_end/
- Source link:
The final craft, a 747-8 freighter, will be delivered to airplane-cargo biz Atlas Air after final tests in early 2023, Boeing [1]revealed . While the 1,574th 747 will be the last one assembled, the familiar bulbous silhouette is hardly going to disappear from the skies overnight, according to Boeing VP and GM for the 747 and 767 programs, Kim Smith. "We are proud that this plane will continue to fly across the globe for years to come," she said.
While there are not many [2]still in service as passenger planes, 747s will likely be flown for at least another decade or two.
[3]
The jumbo is a four-engine behemoth that began production in 1967 and, at 250 feet (76.2m) from tail to tip, is the longest commercial airframe in service. Boeing's Everett Production Facility, which the flying machine maker [4]claims is the largest manufacturing building in the world, was specifically built to manufacture the 747. It will now be used to assemble Boeing 767, 777, and 787 aircraft.
Folks just don't want big jets nowadays
The 747 is most famous for its famous hump-back design which accommodates a partial second deck. With four engines and a huge cargo capacity, the 747 was great for its era – but now it's simply an anachronism. These days airlines are trying to [5]find [6]ways [7]to [8]fly [9]green .
Big gas-guzzling jets like the 747 aren't appealing to commercial airlines, which have largely shifted to twin-engine aircraft. Case in point: the Airbus A380, the [10]last of which was built late last year after less than 20 years in service because it was too large and too expensive to operate.
[11]
[12]
Even bigger than the 747, the A380 had a second deck that ran the full length of the plane, giving it a larger passenger capacity, but made it far heavier than its Boeing competitor. Only 254 A380s were built – Airbus cited [13]lack of demand when it announced the end of production in 2019.
[14]Beardy Branson's 747-assisted sat-launcher can't get it up
[15]Sun sets on superjumbo: Last Airbus A380 rolls off the production line
[16]SOFIA observatory's last hurrah set back by damage from high winds
[17]Boeing 737 Max chief technical pilot charged with deceiving US aviation regulators over MCAS
Boeing's past few years have been turbulent, with problems such as [18]battery fires with the 787 and damning safety allegations after [19]a pair of 737 crashes killed over five hundred people.
The biz recently [20]settled with the Securities and Exchange Commission for $200 million over allegations it misled investors about the safety of the 737 MAX, and was previously ordered to forfeit more than [21]$2.5 billion to settle fraud charges surrounding the plane's safety.
More recently, Boeing has [22]also had manufacturing problems with its 787 Dreamliner, deliveries of which have been delayed by "production problems."
[23]
The jet builder is also behind schedule and over budget on servicing two 747s designed to serve as Air Force One, flying the POTUS about – a high-profile job that has generated months of bad press. Boeing's next big passenger jet, the 777X, won't be ready for service until 2025. ®
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[1] https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/final-boeing-747-airplane-leaves-everett-factory-301696727.html
[2] https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-seattle-washington-e096cbcf268a1b9e10c11950a3825144
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Y5HDz95CO-AWh3xtoA92xAAAANE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://www.boeing.com/company/about-bca/everett-production-facility.page
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/16/electric_commercial_plane_2028/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2021/07/15/united_mesa_electric_aircraft/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/18/american_airlines_vx4/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/30/airline_funding_ecology/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/29/rollsroyce_easyjet_hydogen_engine/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/17/last_airbus_a380_rolls_off/
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y5HDz95CO-AWh3xtoA92xAAAANE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Y5HDz95CO-AWh3xtoA92xAAAANE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2019/02/14/a380_production_deadline_set_2021/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2020/05/25/virgin_orbit_test_flight/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/17/last_airbus_a380_rolls_off/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/17/sofia_damage/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2021/10/15/boeing_737_max_tech_pilot_charged_mcas/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2013/07/12/boeing_batteries_back_under_spotlight_as_787_burns_at_heathrow/
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/15/boeing_737_max_senate_report/
[20] https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/23/boeing_sec_200m/
[21] https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/08/boeing_737_charges/
[22] https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/06/boeing-747-production-is-ending-with-shift-to-twin-engine-jets.html
[23] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y5HDz95CO-AWh3xtoA92xAAAANE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[24] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: It's always over budget
...Boeing would have a better idea of how to plan a budget.
But they know how to do it. They have perfected going over budget planning. Just like many other big boys.
Re: It's always over budget
Bean counters... What a strange and warped dimension they live in, toss in the right manager, and we have a recipe for Twitter.
Re: It's always over budget
But they know how to do it. They have perfected going over budget planning. Just like many other big boys. .... b0llchit
And there you have it, in all of its naked glory ....... another one of those American Dream Century Projects to program and decimate populations with? ..... [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_for_the_New_American_Century
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_for_the_New_American_Century
My first flight
In March of '71 I had a flight on a TWA 747 from O'Hare to LAX. What a different time and place it was for passenger aviation. That's when they had gift bags! Playing cards, Captains Wings, coloring book etc, etc... I didn't get to visit the cockpit, grown men naked make me nervous, always have...
Re: My first flight
They still have gift bags for kids, at least on Air France. Even give them "diplomas" on their first flight.
I'm genuinely surprised that they were still producing the 747.
Queen Of The Skies
Always has been, and always will be.
Have a pint in celebration! ---->
First time I went on a long haul flight was on a Boeing 747 to Canada in 2013. It's the only time I've been on one, with the other times being on a Airbus 380, Boeing 777, and another new Airbus thing that while it was nice inside just didn't really interest me that much.
The 747, as a kid, was a jumbo jet. And when you finally get to do something you've thought about since you were a child, it's like a religious experience going on one.
But nothing lasts forever, the memories will.
Growing up with an IBM parent who got sent to the US on a regular basis I've flown on a LOT of 747s and there is something very cool about the 4 engines spooling up at takeoff but the 777 and A380 are just so much more refined. I last flew on a 747 in 2017 and it sounded like a bucket of spare nuts and bolts.
I do not miss the days of smoking sections. One trip we ended up second row from the back :(
I've been on a few 747s over the years, better than a DC10 but not as good as the later Boeing and Airbus planes!
I even got to sit upstairs crossing the pond as BA had a few with cattle class up there in a 3 - 3 pattern, Due to the cramped space they only used the window and aisle seats, and we had a member of the cabin crew to ourselves so service was good. The only downside was you had to brush past the projector screen (Titanic was on) to use the toilet.
It's always over budget
You'd think that, after more than a century of designing and building airplanes, Boeing would have a better idea of how to plan a budget.