Photos: Boeing's last 747 rolls out of factory leaving legacy of 50 years

The last Boeing 747 left the company's widebody factory in Washington on December 6, 2022, ahead of its delivery to Atlas Air in early 2023. The jumbo jet which has taken on numerous roles as a cargo plane, a commercial aircraft capable of carrying nearly 500 passengers and as the Air Force One presidential aircraft debuted in 1969. It was the largest commercial aircraft in the world and the first with two aisles, and it still towers over most other planes

On February 9, 1969, the Boeing 747-100 jumbo jet took to the sky for the very first time. Production of the 747, the world’s first twin-aisle airplane, began in 1967 and spanned 54 years, during which a total of 1,574 airplanes were built.

Birth of the 747: Boeing President Bill Allen and Pan Am CEO Juan Trippe (right) celebrate the Boeing 747's rolling-out ceremony in 1968.

The 747 debuted at the Paris Air Show in 1969. The first 747-100 entered commercial service with Pan American in 1970 on a New York-to-London flight.

The first Boeing 747 jumbo jet to land at Heathrow Airport touches down. Among the 361 passengers on the Pan American flight were airline staff and some families and officials of the American Federal Aviation Agency. The aircraft arrived three hours late because of an engine change and a 'traffic jam' at John F. Kennedy Airport, New York.

Boeing 747 flight deck overview. The 747’s design included a second deck extending from the cockpit back over the first third of the plane, giving it a distinctive hump that made the plane instantly recognisable and inspired a nickname, the Whale. More elegantly, the 747 became known as the Queen of the Skies.

Boeing 747-8 cargo planes sit on the production floor during final assembly in Everett, Washington, U.S., on Tuesday, March 16, 2010.

A Boeing 747-8, Boeing's new passenger plane, taxis for its first flight, Sunday, March 20, 2011, at Paine Field in Everett, Wash. “For more than half a century, tens of thousands of dedicated Boeing employees have designed and built this magnificent airplane that has truly changed the world. We are proud that this plane will continue to fly across the globe for years to come,” said Kim Smith, Boeing Vice President and general manager, 747 and 767 Programs.

From Presidents Roosevelt to Biden, Boeing airplanes have transported U.S. presidents around the world. Above, military personnel watch as Air Force One, with President Donald Trump, aboard prepares to depart at Andrews Air Force Base in Md., Friday, Feb. 17, 2017.

A Boeing Co. 747-8 jet sits on the tarmac at the United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) Worldport facility in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S., on Friday, Oct. 5, 2018. =

Employees watch a Boeing 747 plane during an event at the company's facility in Everett, Washington, US, on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022.