Firsts. This is our first blog post of 2023. Yay! Happy New Year! In a bit, we'll talk about our first piece from the last British Airways Boeing 767, but first, we have to talk about the last 747. Blimey, that's a hell of a sentence, are you still following so far?
Lasts. Today, the last Boeing 747, build number 1574, leaves the production line on delivery to Atlas Air Cargo. It will almost certainly still be flying 20 years from now, hauling up to 130 tonnes at a time around the globe, but it's a sad milestone.
We've said it before, but the 'Jumbo' is an icon, that revolutionised air travel as we know it. Instantly recognisable, visible throughout popular culture, it's up there alongside the Model T Ford, the Mini or the Titanic in terms of historical significance.
We're approaching the end of our 747 'journey'. Most of the last three years has been spent working with 747 material. We've processed 21 different airframes, producing everything from polished fuselage sections, key rings, coffee tables to clocks and jewellery. BA, Virgin, KLM and Cathay Pacific have all featured.
Seeing them in their death throes isn't pretty and we can't save anywhere near as much as we'd like to but now really is the time to make your investment in a piece of aviation history. As I type, #ThankYou747 is trending on social media. Rightly so. You'll find these on sale in our Members' Area.
We're expecting 2023 to take us in new directions. We're currently working on VC10, Boeing 737, Airbus A320 projects; there's even some Concorde and Carvair in the workshop too, with a smattering of Vulcan and Tornado thrown in for good measure.
An unexpected recent 'new' addition for us is a small amount of material from the last British Airways Boeing 767 to operate a commercial service, G-BZHA. We're in the process of finalising previous clients' requests for this aircraft but are expecting to have a couple of fuselage sections available. We will offer those to our subscribers in the first instance within the next few weeks via the blog. There will be tags, window pane clocks and ribs available too.
More news on those soon....