[ti:Boeing Completes Last 747 Jet Airplane] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Boeing has manufactured its last 747 jet airplane. [00:06.28]The move ends the long production history [00:10.64]of one of the company's most popular aircraft. [00:14.88]The aerospace company built the last 747 [00:19.92]for American-based airline Atlas Air. [00:24.32]The plane was delivered to the company on Tuesday. [00:29.12]The final 747 was the 1,574th one manufactured by Boeing [00:38.84]at its production center in the state of Washington. [00:43.24]Thousands of employees were expected [00:46.56]to take part in a ceremony for the airplane. [00:50.92]Boeing completed the first 747 in 1969. [00:57.32]The aircraft has served as a supply plane, [01:01.68]an airliner with the ability to carry nearly 500 passengers [01:07.40]and a transport plane for space shuttles. [01:11.36]The 747 also serves as Air Force One, [01:16.68]the official aircraft for the president of the United States. [01:22.12]The plane revolutionized travel by connecting international cities [01:28.72]that had never been directly linked before. [01:32.44]Its ability to carry many passengers [01:36.52]meant more people could travel by air. [01:40.24]But over the past 15 years, Boeing and its European competitors [01:46.96]have launched their own versions of large planes [01:51.28]that are more profitable and use less fuel. [01:55.68]The newer aircraft also have just two engines [02:00.88]instead of the 747's four. [02:04.72]"If you love this business, you've been dreading this moment," [02:09.72]said longtime airline expert Richard Aboulafia. [02:15.20]He added that the end of 747 production [02:19.76]clearly demonstrates that "nobody wants [02:23.40]a four-engine airliner anymore." [02:26.88]However, Aboulafia said it should not be forgotten [02:32.32]that for many years, the 747 had a major influence [02:37.80]on the development of the airline industry. [02:41.40]Boeing approved production for the 747 [02:46.20]after losing a contract [02:48.52]for a huge military transport plane, the C-5A. [02:54.12]The idea was to put new, powerful engines [02:58.84]designed for transport aircraft [03:01.92]into planes designed to carry passengers. [03:06.16]It took Boeing workers less than 16 months [03:10.72]to complete the first 747. [03:14.64]The major effort ended up earning the manufacturing team [03:19.56]a nickname called "The Incredibles." [03:22.84]The plane's production required a huge factory [03:27.24]in Everett, Washington. [03:29.64]It is still the world's biggest building by volume. [03:33.80]The body of the aircraft, known as the fuselage, [03:38.56]measured about 69 meters long. [03:42.76]The tail was as tall as a six-story building. [03:47.28]The design included a second level [03:50.92]that extended upward over the first third of the plane. [03:56.00]Some airline companies turned the second level [04:00.20]into a first-class sitting area. [04:04.28]The large, new plane model became known [04:08.04]as the "Queen of the Skies." [04:10.84]"It was the first big carrier, the first wide-body. [04:16.36]So, it set a new standard for airlines [04:20.52]to figure out what to do with it, [04:23.20]and how to fill it," said Guillaume de Syon. [04:27.72]He is a history professor and airline expert [04:32.60]at Pennsylvania's Albright College. [04:35.80]Delta was the last U.S. airline to use the 747 [04:41.96]for passenger flights, which ended in 2017. [04:47.32]Some international carriers continue to use the plane [04:52.36]to transport passengers, including Germany's Lufthansa. [04:57.76]Atlas Air ordered four 747-8 models early last year [05:04.80]and the final one left Boeing's factory on Tuesday. [05:09.76]Boeing's relationship with the Federal Aviation Administration [05:15.20]has been strained since deadly crashes [05:18.80]of its best-selling plane, the 737 Max, [05:23.40]happened in 2018 and 2019. [05:28.60]The FAA took nearly two years [05:31.88]– far longer than Boeing expected – to approve [05:35.92]design changes and permit that plane back in the air. [05:41.92]I'm Bryan Lynn. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM