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As It Departs The Skies, How The 747 Changed International Travel

A Boeing model 747, the largest commercial jetliner in the world, flies over the Puget Sound area of western Washington state in October 1969. The 747 jet is accompanied by a Sabre V chase plane, background, to observe certain flight tests. (AP Photo)
A Boeing model 747, the largest commercial jetliner in the world, flies over the Puget Sound area of western Washington state in October 1969. The 747 jet is accompanied by a Sabre V chase plane, background, to observe certain flight tests. (AP Photo)

This week, United made its last flight on a Boeing 747 aircraft. Delta will be retiring the 747 by the end of the year, which means no North American passenger airlines will operate the “Queen of the Sky.”

Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson speaks with Clive Irving, aviation correspondent for The Daily Beast and author of the book “Wide-Body: The Triumph of the 747,” about the end of the 747 era.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.