I work at Boeing.
My gig was one of the reasons this bird was no longer viable.
I was on the 787 program from the start.
The 747 was still in production, still is, but as a frighter, not passengers.
I use to walk under her wing/body join, to get to my aircraft....
Her immense size always felt overwhelming.
To stand next to her landing gear, looking up into the cavernous void where they stored, was like looking into a nice size living room.
Her motors looked like they could take it to the moon, huge.
Even her APU is bigger than what some of the current aircraft use as mains.
She makes the current aircraft I’m building now seem like a toy, size wise.
They have a modified 747, I believe 3, maybe 4, that they use to pick up
parts, from around the world, to build the 787.
They fit the whole tube, fuselage, into it, in sections, as well as the wings, with only a small section of wingtips, that need to be added once they off load them into the factory.
It’s called a Dreamlifter, a double-decked 747, huge...
Sometimes she looks like she isn’t even flying, more like just hanging in thin air.
Anyway, thought I would share this link/story.
I remember flying her to Hawaii, years ago, what a thrill.
I was sitting way in the back, and to see this bird lift off and nose up, all I could think of is if folks undid their seat belts, I would be crushed by 100’s of people above me
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/delta-boeing-747-retirement-flight/index.html
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