Boeing 747 Factory
A dramatic view of a Boeing 747 airliner rolling out of Boeing’s Everett, Washington factory takes on a new depth when framed by the reflections of a rain-covered ramp.
First flown in 1969, some 1,574 examples were manufactured over a span of 55 years. Comprised of some six million individual parts, the massive airliner required correspondingly large manufacturing facilities. To meet the need, Boeing constructed the record-breaking plant seen here, which would become the world’s largest building by volume. The 747 remained the largest passenger airliner until the Airbus A380 began airline service in 2007.
Topics Related To: AVIATION HISTORY
Helicopter Rescue Operations Without a Tail Rotor
An McDonnell-Douglas MD-900 Explorer EMS helicopter conducts rescue operations in Lofer, Austria. While the word “Notarzt” on the side directly translates to “emergency doctor,” it unintentionally also identifies a key feature of the MD-900 – the “NOTAR” system that replaces the tail rotor.
NASA’s Shuttle Training Aircraft – A Gulfstream Business Jet, Repurposed
The Bell-Boeing CMV-22B Osprey tiltrotor takes on US Navy aircraft carrier cargo and personnel transport duties as it replaces the Grumman C-2 Greyhound fixed-wing aircraft.
Three Ways the Ford Trimotor Revolutionized Air Travel
While many undoubtedly recognize the Ford emblem and the vehicles it adorns, Ford manufactured another machine that few may recognize today, but which revolutionized the 1920s and 1930s. It was a flying machine called the Trimotor.
