Legacy of Leadership by Rick Herter

Perhaps no aircraft was ever as recognizable or majestic as the Boeing 747. Known as the ‘Queen of the Skies’, the first flight of the 747 occurred on February 9, 1969, and the aircraft was certified in December of that year. Known by its distinctive hump at the front of the fuselage, the futuristic aircraft entered service with PanAm on January 22, 1970. The 747 was the first airplane dubbed “Jumbo Jet”, the first wide-body airliner and the only aircraft at the time to have a second deck. From the beginning of production until its end in 2022, just shy of 1,600 747’s were produced.

In this painting a TWA 747 climbs out from the East Coast for an overnight flight to Europe.