BOEING 747 : Queen of the skies!

The Queen of the Skies. The jumbo jet. The whale. All are nicknames for the Boeing 747, the most famous jet airliner ever to ply the sky. Fifty years ago, on February 09, 1969, in Everett, Washington, the first 747 took off on its first flight. Bigger than any other commercial airplane at the time, it was an equally big gamble for Boeing that went on to pay off immensely, not just for Boeing but also airlines and passengers. Though its numbers are dwindling fast, today you can still catch a glimpse of its easily recognizable profile at airports around the world. But as history-making as the plane has been, Boeing's win all came out of a loss.

The idea for a giant airliner came in 1965 after Boeing lost a competition to build a large military transport for the US Air Force. With encouragement from Pan Am, which wanted larger aircraft for its many overseas routes, Boeing adopted its military plans to carry people instead of troops and equipment. Design work began in 1966, Pan Am ordered 25 aircraft. The 747 was born. Joe Sutter, a Boeing veteran who'd worked on all of the company's previous commercial jets, became lead engineer (later called "the father of the 747," Sutter died in 2016). His team faced a number of challenges, from finding a suitable engine (one didn't exist at the time) to keeping the aircraft's weight down. Even before it could start building the 747 there was a critical hurdle: Boeing had no factory large enough to do the job. Construction on the Everett site began later in 1966 and proceeded rapidly despite being an immense job on its own. Time was so short that the company finished the factory even as it was building the airplane's first mockup on the floor. Flight into history

After a development and construction period of just 29 months, the first 747 rolled out of the factory on Sept. 30, 1968. Four months later on a soggy Pacific Northwest day that first jumbo, called "The City of Everett," took off from a newly built runway next to the factory. Then, after almost a year of more testing, the first passenger flight came on Jan. 30, 1970, between New York and London on Pan Am. Though its introduction initially caused problems for airports -- baggage systems were overwhelmed, taxiways were too narrow, and some ground equipment couldn't reach the passenger doors -- they were eventually solved. Besides, passengers and airlines loved the spacious aircraft. Beyond being just a more comfortable aircraft, the 747 changed air travel forever. Its ability to carry hundreds of people made air travel cheaper and mass tourism possible, it bore the Space Shuttle on its back and its cargo version brought us the age of speedy air freight. By the end of 2018, Boeing has built more than 1,500 747s of all types. The most widely used version, B747-800 (8I and 8F) is powered by GEnx-2B67 and has cruise speed of Mach 0.855 (~ 933Kmphr). It can cover upto 14,000 kms on single stretch.

She's been the Queen of the skies and will always be the Queen. Many nations uses B747 variants for their presidential transport purposes and currently Boeing has its military variants and the most notable and highlighted one is the AirForce One ! Military Versions :

★Boeing VC-25★

US Airforce uses the military variant of Boeing 747, known by the name Boeing VC-25, for presidential transport. Once the President of the United States is Onboard, it gets the famous call sign "AirForce One" ! VC-25 is widely praised and known as the "safest" aircraft in the world. The VC-25 versions are modified as per US AirForce Standards and has many safety and security features that keeps AF1 safer in the air and om ground. There are two variants, VC-25A , developed from B747-200Bs with tail numbers 28000 and 29000 are currently in service. VC-25B are based on 747-8I, have been ordered by USAF and are to be delivered by 2024

★ Boeing E4 ★

The Boeing E-4 Advanced Airborne Command Post (AACP), the current "Nightwatch" aircraft,is a strategic command and control military aircraftoperated by the United States Air Force (USAF). The E-4 series are specially modified from the Boeing 747-200B for the National Emergency Airborne Command Post (NEACP) program. The E-4 serves as a survivable mobile command post for the National Command Authority, namely the President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, and successors. The four E-4Bs are operated by the 1st Airborne Command and Control Squadron of the 595th Command and Control Group located at Offutt Air Force Base, near Omaha, Nebraska. An E-4B when in action is denoted a "National Airborne Operations Center". These aircrafts are also known by the nick name " The Doomsday plane".

📝- Kent German & Social Media research Images : Google