In years of research, Andreas Spaeth, one of Europe's best-known aviation journalists, has compiled information, documents and images that have never been shown together before. Geoffrey Thomas provided color photographs from the Boeing company archive, which are printed here for the first time. And the 747 pilot and gifted photographer Christiaan van Heijst contributed a breathtaking photo series in which he describes his flying experiences as a "cowboy of the skies".

In 2022, the last Boeing 747 rolled out of the gigantic factory hall in Everett. After 52 years, production of the jumbo jet came to an end. To mark this occasion, DELIUS FINE BOOKS has published a unique monograph on this icon of civil aviation.

The 747, with its legendary upper deck, symbolizes the glamour of flying. At the same time, with its more than 500 seats, it made air travel affordable for the masses. Its smooth flight behavior, sheer size, and distinctive hump have etched themselves into the collective memory. Any passenger with a certain interest in airplanes remembers their first flight on the jumbo jet.

This luxuriously crafted book traces the history of the "Queen of the Skies," one of Boeing's greatest commercial successes, which has forever left its mark on aviation history.