Air France retired its fleet of Boeing 747s this month. Join CNN's Jim Bittermann on a ceremonial flight to mark the passing of an icon that spurred global travel for an entire generation. Click though the gallery to see images from Bittermann's flight.
Jim Bittermann/CNN
The airline chose to retire its Jumbo Jets to make way for more efficient aircraft. The plane represents for many pilots their last "real" flying experience, before the computers took over. Pulleys and cables run the length and breadth of the aircraft to connect the flight deck controls to the control surfaces on the wings and tail. Some pilots say they had a feel for the plane in a way the more modern, computer-driven aircraft with their electronics and servos just cannot duplicate.
Jim Bittermann/CNN
The last scheduled Air France 747 flight had landed days earlier, but here we all were at 8 in the morning for the first of two separate "last 747 flights" around France which, in fact, were just a prelude to a few more "last 747 flights" around Le Bourget airfield.
Jim Bittermann/CNNJim Bittermann/CNN
As round trips go, this trip was more of an oval. We took off from Paris and landed in Paris, with no ground stop in between. During the flight, nostalgia for the 747 made some of the passengers misty-eyed.
Jim Bittermann/CNN
We flew from Paris to Marseilles, across to the Bay of Biscay, up the west coast of France to Mont-Saint-Michel and back to Paris.
Jim Bittermann/CNN
The cabin attendant choked up while making the announcement for landing. And then, Capt. Thierry Mondon made what had to be one of the smoothest "last 747" landings of his career.
Regis Le Sommier/Paris Match
Air France CEO Alexandre de Juniac takes a moment to speak at the farewell ceremony. For 37 years, the 747 was the biggest commercial airliner in the world, until the Airbus A380 appeared in 2007. As engineers design more efficient planes, Delta Air Lines and other carriers are expected to follow Air France and phase out their 747s in the coming years.
