The end of the Boeing 747?

Good day all. This is the Angry Systems Administrator. I just read a story in the Financial Times that makes me very sad. It looks like Boeing might close down the 747 line of aircraft in the near future.

The 747 is the first Jumbo jet and has been flying since the late 1960’s. It has been remarkably successful and is probably the easiest commercial aircraft to identify, thanks to its unique double decker fuselage. However, it is a 50 year old design, even with upgrades, and it is being outpaced by more modern designs. According to the Financial Times, if they do close down the line, Boeing plans on going out on a high note.

One of the world’s most exclusive customers could be the last buyer of the aircraft that democratised long-haul air travel after the US defence department selected Boeing’s 747-8 to be the US president’s new Air Force One.

The fleet of presidential aircraft, due to enter service later this decade, could be among the very last passenger versions of the long-haul aircraft to be built because airlines increasingly favour two-engine long-haul aircraft over four-engine craft.

The new aircraft will replace a pair of 747-200s that came into service as the presidential aircraft in 1990, during the presidency of George HW Bush. The type became an all but inevitable choice after the Pentagon decided that the presidential aircraft needed to have four engines. The only other currently manufactured four-engine long-haul jet is Airbus’s A380, manufactured in France.

The United States Air Force has two 747’s that are used by the President to travel. When the President is not on board, they are referred to as Boeing VC-25’s, only becoming Air Force One when the president is on board. While they are meticulously maintained, they do have a lot of miles on the airframe and are coming up on the end of their useful lives. It makes sense to seek a replacement and put the old planes into mothballs.

Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the Virginia-based Teal Group, said there was a possibility that Boeing would close the 747 production lines — which have been rolling since the late 1960s — after the presidential aircraft rolled off.

“There is the risk now that this order provides the opportunity for a graceful exit — unless cargo demand comes roaring back,” Mr Aboulafia said.

It makes sense that airlines are moving to the 2 engine configuration. Those planes are of a more modern design and the engines today are far more reliable then they were 50 years ago. One of the reason planes had four engines was safety. They needed to be able to reach land in case they lost one or more engines while over the ocean. If I recall Correctly, the 747 could fly across the ocean on 2 engines if it had to, and could even make a crossing from the halfway point on one engine. (Basically a long powered glide) I’ll let those more familiar with that aircraft correct me if needed.

It will be a sad day when the last plane rolls off the assembly line, but if they have to go out, having the last two planes painted in the Presidential colors will be a good sendoff.

Thank you

~The Angry Systems Administrator~

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