The father of the Boeing 747 died

Joe Sutter - the head of the engineering team who developed the 747 "sky queen" in the 1960s died at age 95.

Boeing commercial airline CEO Ray Conner called Sutter "one of the airline giants". "His team, along with thousands of Boeing employees involved in the project, is called" extraordinary people "for creating the world's largest aircraft at the time, in record time - 29 months from When forming an idea to introduce products, this is still an amazing achievement , " he said.

Joe Sutter and Boeing engineers and workers turned Boeing 747 from the idea of ​​becoming a reality in record time.(Photo: Boeing).

Dubbed the "queen of the sky" , the 747 has long been a popular transport vehicle. Conner said it "opened the international flight at an affordable price and helped connect the world".

747 had the first commercial flight in 1970. And so far, more than 1,500 units have been shipped.

Sutter also participated in many other Boeing aircraft projects, such as Dash 80, Boeing 707 and 737. However, the 747 is the product "that has helped you stand in history" , Boeing's statement said. .

After retiring, Sutter continued to work as an advisor to Boeing. " At that time, his hair was white and white. Walking was no longer agile. But he still had keen eyes, a quick and passionate brain devoted to aviation , " Conner said.

In the last years of his life, Sutter remained committed to his "son" of Boeing 747.(Photo: Boeing).

Sutter died at the same time as the 747's future was more precarious. In the last few years, demand for 747 has been decreasing, as airlines have gradually shifted to smaller, twin-engine aircraft to save fuel costs.

Last month, Boeing warned it could stop production of the aircraft, if orders did not rise. Earlier, they also announced a reduction in the number of 747 produced annually, from 12 to 6, starting this September.