One of the last airworthy Boeing 747-200s flies into retirement

SEATTLE -- A Kalitta Air Boeing 747-200 delivers a soft puff of white smoke as the jet completes its second-to-last landing ever Thursday at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. On Friday, the jet and its crew will shuttle the airplane back to Kalitta Air’s home base in Michigan, where the airplane will be retired for good by the cargo carrier.

In a time when the iconic jetliner has been disappearing from fleets across the globe at an astounding rate, another 747 biting the dust may not seem particularly remarkable. Yet this particular airplane stands out among the crowd: It’s one of the last airworthy 747-200s.

“I tell ya, this is a nice airplane. It’s old-school,” Capt. Scott Jaykl says during a post-landing interview aboard the aircraft.

Built in 1987, Capt. Jaykl’s jet was among the last "-200" variants of the 747 to come off the assembly line. The model was then replaced by the updated 747-400 in 1989, and the -200 variant -- which debuted in 1971 -- ended production completely a few years later.

TODAY IN THE SKY: The world's first Boeing 747 gets a much-needed makeover (story continues below)