AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2022
Exclusive News From Boeing
50 Years of
Widebody Freighters ( and Their Foremother )
Darren Hulst Watch U . S . Fly www . watchusfly . com
Darren Hulst is the Boeing Vice President of Commercial Marketing
In 1967 , Boeing mechanics just north of Seattle started riveting together an airplane into an iconic form that many now refer to as the ” Queen of the Skies ” and a “ true lady .” This true lady — the Boeing 747 — celebrated its first flight on February 9 , 1969 . The team who worked to make the Queen of the Skies a reality was dubbed “ The Incredibles .” But I would imagine none of them could have known how truly incredible their achievement would turn out to be . As history unfolded , we learned the 747 contained the power to shrink our world exponentially .
The 747 was the first commercial airplane capable of long-range travel , and she could reach points anywhere in the world . Not only that , the 747 was the first twin-aisle airplane . As a result , she had double the capacity of any commercial airplane at the time . That fact opened the skies to many , instead of what had previously been reserved for a precious few .
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