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The world had for the first time a glimpse of Boeing's 747 Jumbo Jet in flight half a century ago, on February 9, 1969, while it was rising above a crowd of spectators and the factory Everett (Washington), created to give it life.
Since then, no one has stopped to observe this iconic humpback plane, whose majestic lines resemble those of a cruise ship.
The first test flight aircraft, RA001, was more than twice the size of Boeing's second largest jet aircraft at the time.
The pilots of the plane sat in a badpit three floors above the ground. A team led by Joe Sutter, a fiery-spirited Boeing chief engineer, brought his drawings to life in just two-and-a-half years.
The design defies the wishes of the PanAm launch client and the nearly bankrupt cost of Boeing.
Still, the 747 has shrunk the world, introducing concepts and technologies that have forever changed long-distance travel, from double aisles to in-flight entertainment.
Boeing then sold 1,572 aircraft, the jumbo being redesigned and updated over the decades. While twin-engine aircraft like the Boeing 777 and later, the Airbus A350 have mainly replaced jumbos on long-haul routes, air cargo carriers still buy a cargo version of the 747,
thanks to a freight boom fueled by online shopping.
"It's an efficient machine for us," said Jim Mayer, spokesperson for United Parcel Service, the world's largest parcel service provider.
In 2018, UPS ordered another 14 747-8 transport aircraft, a lifeline that would dispel doubts about the future of the jumbo, which is expected to survive its European competitor, the Airbus SE Airbus A380.
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Airbus is "seriously considering" to close its A380 superjumbo plants ahead of schedule, Reuters announced in January after Emirates announced it could move its A380 orders to smaller A350s.
Unlike the 747, the European superjumbo does not have a cargo version to help absorb the demand.
Boeing had said in 2016 that it could end production of 747 aircraft due to lower orders and price pressure.
Major American carriers like United Continental and Delta Air Lines have already said goodbye to 747. Cathay Pacific has done so in 2016.
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By keeping the 747 alive, Boeing avoids accusations and layoffs for stopping production in the gigantic gigantic plant near Seattle.
It also protects new programs such as the 787 Dreamliner and the latest model of 777, which are expected to bear more of the plant's huge overhead if line 747 goes out.
Nevertheless, the 747's extended service life may be tempered by trade tensions between the United States and China and concerns over a broader economic downturn threatening cargo demand.
Global air freight rose 3.5% in 2018, up from 9.7% in 2017, according to the latest data from the International Air Transport Association.
The 747 still carries pbadengers for Lufthansa, Korean Air and Air China and plays another role.
In 2017, the US government asked Boeing to change the use of two 747-8 airliners to use them as Air Force One by the US president.
Both aircraft are expected to be delivered by December 2024, in red, white and blue.
The US $ 3.9 billion contract followed US President Donald Trump's objection to the US $ 4 billion price from a previous agreement with Air Force One.
He tweeted that "the costs are out of control" and added "Cancel the order!"
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As for the 747 retirees who do not have the chance to be reborn as freight carriers, the cemetery invites. In a vast warehouse located in the Sonoran Desert in California, the remains of once majestic hauliers litter the landscape.
Here, the fate of retired civilian airliners in the world is decided by age or by a cooling economy. They will either be cannibalized for the parts to be machined, or cut by giant guillotines and recycled for scrap.
The total number of Boeing jumbos permanently retired or scrapped has more than doubled, from 442 in 2010 to 890 in 2018, according to an badysis of Flight Ascend data by Bloomberg Intelligence.
Bloomberg, Reuters
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