Boeing Completes Last 747 Jet Airplane
2023-02-01
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Boeing has manufactured its last 747 jet airplane.
2The move ends the long production history of one of the company's most popular aircraft.
3The aerospace company built the last 747 for American-based airline Atlas Air.
4The plane was delivered to the company on Tuesday.
5The final 747 was the 1,574th one manufactured by Boeing at its production center in the state of Washington.
6Thousands of employees were expected to take part in a ceremony for the airplane.
7Boeing completed the first 747 in 1969.
8The aircraft has served as a supply plane, an airliner with the ability to carry nearly 500 passengers and a transport plane for space shuttles.
9The 747 also serves as Air Force One, the official aircraft for the president of the United States.
10The plane revolutionized travel by connecting international cities that had never been directly linked before.
11Its ability to carry many passengers meant more people could travel by air.
12But over the past 15 years, Boeing and its European competitors have launched their own versions of large planes that are more profitable and use less fuel.
13The newer aircraft also have just two engines instead of the 747's four.
14"If you love this business, you've been dreading this moment," said longtime airline expert Richard Aboulafia.
15He added that the end of 747 production clearly demonstrates that "nobody wants a four-engine airliner anymore."
16However, Aboulafia said it should not be forgotten that for many years, the 747 had a major influence on the development of the airline industry.
17Boeing approved production for the 747 after losing a contract for a huge military transport plane, the C-5A.
18The idea was to put new, powerful engines designed for transport aircraft into planes designed to carry passengers.
19It took Boeing workers less than 16 months to complete the first 747.
20The major effort ended up earning the manufacturing team a nickname called "The Incredibles."
21The plane's production required a huge factory in Everett, Washington.
22It is still the world's biggest building by volume.
23The body of the aircraft, known as the fuselage, measured about 69 meters long.
24The tail was as tall as a six-story building.
25The design included a second level that extended upward over the first third of the plane.
26Some airline companies turned the second level into a first-class sitting area.
27The large, new plane model became known as the "Queen of the Skies."
28"It was the first big carrier, the first wide-body.
29 So, it set a new standard for airlines to figure out what to do with it, and how to fill it," said Guillaume de Syon.
30 He is a history professor and airline expert at Pennsylvania's Albright College.
31Delta was the last U.S. airline to use the 747 for passenger flights, which ended in 2017.
32Some international carriers continue to use the plane to transport passengers, including Germany's Lufthansa.
33Atlas Air ordered four 747-8 models early last year and the final one left Boeing's factory on Tuesday.
34Boeing's relationship with the Federal Aviation Administration has been strained since deadly crashes of its best-selling plane, the 737 Max, happened in 2018 and 2019.
35The FAA took nearly two years - far longer than Boeing expected - to approve design changes and permit that plane back in the air.
36I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Boeing has manufactured its last 747 jet airplane. The move ends the long production history of one of the company's most popular aircraft. 2The aerospace company built the last 747 for American-based airline Atlas Air. The plane was delivered to the company on Tuesday. The final 747 was the 1,574th one manufactured by Boeing at its production center in the state of Washington. Thousands of employees were expected to take part in a ceremony for the airplane. 3Boeing completed the first 747 in 1969. The aircraft has served as a supply plane, an airliner with the ability to carry nearly 500 passengers and a transport plane for space shuttles. The 747 also serves as Air Force One, the official aircraft for the president of the United States. 4The plane revolutionized travel by connecting international cities that had never been directly linked before. Its ability to carry many passengers meant more people could travel by air. 5But over the past 15 years, Boeing and its European competitors have launched their own versions of large planes that are more profitable and use less fuel. The newer aircraft also have just two engines instead of the 747's four. 6"If you love this business, you've been dreading this moment," said longtime airline expert Richard Aboulafia. He added that the end of 747 production clearly demonstrates that "nobody wants a four-engine airliner anymore." However, Aboulafia said it should not be forgotten that for many years, the 747 had a major influence on the development of the airline industry. 7Boeing approved production for the 747 after losing a contract for a huge military transport plane, the C-5A. The idea was to put new, powerful engines designed for transport aircraft into planes designed to carry passengers. 8It took Boeing workers less than 16 months to complete the first 747. The major effort ended up earning the manufacturing team a nickname called "The Incredibles." The plane's production required a huge factory in Everett, Washington. It is still the world's biggest building by volume. 9The body of the aircraft, known as the fuselage, measured about 69 meters long. The tail was as tall as a six-story building. The design included a second level that extended upward over the first third of the plane. Some airline companies turned the second level into a first-class sitting area. 10The large, new plane model became known as the "Queen of the Skies." 11"It was the first big carrier, the first wide-body. So, it set a new standard for airlines to figure out what to do with it, and how to fill it," said Guillaume de Syon. He is a history professor and airline expert at Pennsylvania's Albright College. 12Delta was the last U.S. airline to use the 747 for passenger flights, which ended in 2017. Some international carriers continue to use the plane to transport passengers, including Germany's Lufthansa. 13Atlas Air ordered four 747-8 models early last year and the final one left Boeing's factory on Tuesday. 14Boeing's relationship with the Federal Aviation Administration has been strained since deadly crashes of its best-selling plane, the 737 Max, happened in 2018 and 2019. 15The FAA took nearly two years - far longer than Boeing expected - to approve design changes and permit that plane back in the air. 16I'm Bryan Lynn. 17The Associated Press and Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. 18____________________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20deliver -v. to bring something to a person or place 21dread - v. to feel worried or frightened about something that has not yet happened 22nickname - n. a name used informally instead of a person's real name 23standard - n. a level of quality, especially a level that is acceptable 24first-class -adj. the best or highest level of something 25strain - v. to cause problems for a situation or relationship 26_______________________________________________________________ 27What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 28Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.