Posted on 09/20/2017 9:22:24 PM PDT by ConservativeStatement
U.S. Airlines are vying for attention as the Boeing 747 leaves their fleets, just as they did when it entered their fleets in 1970.
And the world’s aviation geeks are watching closely.
United announced Monday that its final Boeing 747 flight will take place Nov. 7 with a celebratory recreation of its first United flight from San Francisco to Honolulu.
Twenty-eight minutes later, at 3:47 p.m. Monday, Delta announced that it recently operated its final Boeing 747 Tokyo Narita-Honolulu flight (on Sept. 5), and that it had operated what were thought to be the final domestic 747 flights from Honolulu to Los Angeles to Detroit.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
Convair 580.
I grew up on Long Island and I remember the very first 747 commercial flight.
I wasn’t on board, but it was broadcast on the news. It was a Pan Am 747 getting ready to take off from JFK to London.
The flight was delayed, and talk show host David Susskind and his wife, passengers on the delayed flight, got annoyed with the delay and walked off the plane!
There were protestors outside the terminal marching with signs that said, “Ban Pan Am’s Flying Titanic!” Sheesh.
My family lived in Massachusetts for a few years in the early 1970’s. On April 5, 1972, my parents, my sister and myself took our first ever trip to California, and it was also our very first flight on a 747.....a TWA 747, which flew non-stop from Boston to Los Angeles. It was a mid-week flight and there were only about 30 passengers on board.
I took a handful of 747 flights in the years that followed.
When I was a college student in L.A. MANY years ago, a college kid I knew worked part time at the ticket counter for TWA at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). He showed the other students in one of my class photos of himself sitting in the captain’s seat of an empty TWA 747 parked at the gate at LAX. One of his co-workers was sitting in the co-pilot’s seat. Later that day, that 747 would be flying non-stop from Los Angeles to London. I doubt if anyone could do that these days!
Went to JFK the 2nd week it was in operation to get pics
Back in 69
Took pics has a hobby until 2008
747 was still my favorite coming in for a landing
The memories must be priceless. Earlier this summer, I saw the Airbus 380 up close approaching a landing. It was a sight to behold.
About 81 we had a Tiger Cub group in Cub Scouts we took out to the TWA overhaul base as one of the dads was a team foreman. We took the kids up on the scaffold towers around a 727 and clear up to the front of the tail. At the end of the walkthrough, a safety supervisor saw our group of eight dads and kids and had a seizure of consternation. About got the dad fired.
Made about 5 or 6 round trips O’Hare to Honolulu on 747s in the upper deck section. Best flying experience ever
I’ve flown on 747’s a couple of times in the last few years - United and Singapore Airlines (vastly superior) - but even those newer 747-400’s were already starting to show their age. The 777 is a superior ride, for a number of reasons. The A380 is excellent, also, when a huge carrying capacity is needed - despite the anti-Airbus bias on FR. But it’s primarily down to fuel efficiency - airlines prefer two engines, and the 777 completely killed the need for the more expensive to operate 747.
The A380,only on the market for about 10 years,hasn't had a single order since 2015.It's looking like history will judge it as a fluke.
There's talk of Boeing and Airbus soon producing two-engine aircraft that can do Sydney to London non-stop.That seems to be the aircraft of the future.
There are still airlines that fly the 747.IIRC British Airways still flies a lot of the "old" ones while Lufthansa flies at least several of the new ones...which,of course,will be around for a while.
After already having flown many,*many* miles on the 747 I took my first flight on an A380 a few years ago.A nice aircraft to be sure but it can't rival the 747.Someday I hope to fly one of the *new* 747s...but only a few airlines fly them so I probably never will.
I’ve flown in the 747 and 777 several times. To me, the Boeing 777 is very much like the 747 without the upper section and with two engines instead of the four which is on the 747.
The inside of the 777 was almost exact to the 747.
Did you notice that?
"Impressive" isn't the word for it.
Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner Flies with an Unbelievable VERTICAL Take-off at the Paris Air Show!
Pricey since I am paying for it but maybe I will still head upstairs.
This picture is not photoshopped.It's Princess Juliana Airport in Saint Martin in the Caribbean.
IIRC there are also youtube videos.
You must have won the lottery! I've only done Business Class twice...once London to New York and the other Boston to Dubai (14 hours).Sadly,the Boston/Dubai flight was overnight so I slept most of the way.Both were free upgrades...I'd never pay that price for a plane ticket even if I could afford it.
Haven’t flown in years. But flown on 747’s several times.
1973 New York to Paris. 12 y.o with a bunch of kids from school. Had a blast.
Didn’t Boeing make a variant that had 2 wing mounted engines and one tail mounted?
About that ‘73 trip. Memphis to Atlanta. Atlanta to Washington. Washington to New York. Bus from La Guardia to Kennedy. Kennedy to Paris. Bus across Paris to another airport. Paris to London.
And reverse coming back home. That’s right 8 airports. Or 16 if you count both ways......It was a zoo. Pretty much.
I have flown on a 777 once which probably isn’t much of an experience to compare and contrast. I admire the plane even when seeing it at airports and the reduction of engines from 4 to 2 is one major variable. FWIW, I also enjoy images, though rare to see them in person in current times, of the L-1011. But the 747 is the measure of greatness.
Saved Boeing’s bacon after the Boeing 2707 was canceled.
Looks like a Special Performance up front and at least a couple of -400 models or so out there.
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