
China Airbus A330-300 B-18309 - Chek Lap Kok InternationalBoeing had promised to deliver the 747 to Pan Am by 1970, meaning that it had less than four years to develop, build, and test the airplane. Work progressed at such a breakneck pace that all those who worked on the development of the 747 were given the nickname "The Incredibles". The massive cost of developing the 747 and building the Everett factory meant that Boeing had gambled its very existence on the 747's success, and the company was nearly bankrupted in the early 1970s.