The Queen of the Skies, the Boeing 747, has become a rare site at global airports, especially in the post-pandemic era. While almost all airlines have already retired their iconic 747-400s, some remaining operators have plans to phase out their 747-400s in the coming years.

Some museums are keen to preserve the jumbo jet legacy. The Delta Flight Museum put up the first Boeing 747-400 ever built - Ship 6301 - on display at Delta's Atlanta headquarters in Hapeville, Georgia, in 2017. Visitors to the museum can walk through the aircraft, visit the upper deck, and even walk out on the wing.

The decades-long history of the aircraft is presented with an up-close experience of the mighty jet. This article explores the history of Ship 6301, its operational years, and its presence at the Delta Flight Museum.

A much-deserved retirement

Ship 6301 was manufactured by the Boeing Aircraft Company in 1988 and holds the honor of being the first 747-400 ever produced by the planemaker. The airframe was initially used by Pratt & Whitney for engine testing before being delivered to Northwest Airlines in December 1989 - almost two decades later, Delta Air Lines acquired the aircraft in 2008 when the airline merged with Northwest.

After 26 years in service and more than 61 million miles flown, Ship 6301 took its last flight, Flight 836, from Honolulu to Atlanta on September 9th, 2015.

Having logged enough miles to make 250 trips from the Earth to the moon, Ship 6301 retired to the 747 Plaza at the Delta Flight Museum in 2016, and the exhibit opened a year later. The 68,000-square-foot museum showcases the history of the airline and its aircraft.

The relocation project

Moving the giant quadjet was itself an exceptional feat and a collaboration between multiple groups, including Delta TechOps DART (Disabled Aircraft Recovery Team), Delta's Super-Tug Operations, the Atlanta Police Department and Atlanta's Department of Aviation.

Some of the preparatory work involved included digging up tons of dirt, removing fences and reinforcing areas of the ground with steel plates to withstand the 400,000 lbs jet. According to Delta Flight Museum, the most difficult moment was when the aircraft had to journey across the parking lot, which had a slight slope to it, raising fears of the jet rolling away uncontrollably - the team even positioned someone inside the cockpit who could slam on the aircraft's brakes if needed.

The “high-tech” Queen of the Skies

The 747 is one of the most recognizable aircraft in the world today. Though many, like Ship 6301, have flown millions of miles and are now retired, the aircraft type continues to hold the title “Queen of the Skies” – and for good reason.

When it was first introduced, critics thought its reign would not last long, as supersonic jets were predicted to take over the skies (that said, in 1991, one 747 did reach a speed of Mach 1.25 – albeit inadvertently). To much surprise, the faster-than-sound jets gave way to the 747, thanks to its sheer size, which could cater to the surging demand for air travel.

Credit to - https://simpleflying.com/