Posted on 01/19/2016 5:05:35 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Paris (CNN)As round trips go, it was more of an oval: Paris to Paris with no ground stop in between, and it had grown men and women getting all misty-eyed.
For Air France and its Boeing 747s, it was time to say goodbye -- but the airline and its personnel were having a hard time doing so.
The last scheduled Air France 747 flight had landed days earlier, but here we all were at 8 a.m. 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.
When Air France announced it was abandoning its last three 747s because they are just too expensive to maintain, the airline switchboard was overwhelmed.
Some 30,000 people tried to get on board for one of those last flights.
Why such nostalgia for the Boeing with the back bump?
A French aviation specialist said he believes it's because the plane was the first to "democratize" flying.
When the 747 first entered service with Pan Am in 1970, it gained a distinctive flair and had a certain amount of elegance.
Remember that winding staircase to the upper deck with its open bar? What class -- first, of course!
Its unrivaled seating capacity and range spurred international air travel for an entire generation, earning the nickname "Queen of the Skies."
The jumbo could carry so many passengers to so many far-off places that more and more people had their first adventure abroad thanks to a 747.
(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...
Which made it much easier to tell the respectable people from the hoi polloi.
And you would be right!!!
Problem is, FRED (the C-5) has only now become reliable enough, with the new engines and all-glass cockpit. And it can only carry 73 passengers in the passenger compartment.
First plane I ever flew on. It had a lounge with a fish tank wall, lots of leg room and helpful attendants. Niiiiice. Not the flying sardine cans of today.
Everyone wore a jacket and tie those days....flying was civilized..and the PanAm stews were GORGEOUS..
So true. I remember as a kid taking a cross-country flight. I thought it was so neat we were served breakfast with real silverware on real plates with real silverware and cloth napkins. Stainless steel forks, knives, and spoons. Can hardly imagine such a civilized world even existed.
And then came People’s Express....
“...based on the C-5 Galaxy...”
Except for the little problem with the wings coming off. That would put the damper on any enthusiasm.
I don’t mind a “screamer,” but I rather she not be flying the plane when she’s doing it.
Back in the ‘80s I got on a puddle-jumper flight (18-seater) from Leeds-Bradford to London. Only about six passengers, one of whom boarded with a six-pack of Carling Black Label beer as carry-on. The guy was already half-lit and he offered to share.
My all-time favorite commercial jet is the 757. Slender overpowered rocket. Love it.
I always look for it when booking a flight.
Last flight to Fla. I booked with Delta just to get on one. Bypassed shorter, cheaper hops for the pleasure.
Takeoff is , well, closest I’ll get to the feeling of a Saturn V.
PanAm was unionized up the wazoo. Once competition opened up, they were unable to compete. They kept operating at a loss by selling assets and leasing them back, until there was nothing left to sell.
You would like Icelandair. They only fly 757s.
I was just looking at the Delta Plus seat options on it, looks like my trip from Anchorage to Orlando will be on the 757.
Do they fly to Dallas? :^)
My Awful list has one plane....Shorts 360. Truly awful.
Noisy, vibrates, high wing, when going down the runway you lift your feet.
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Air-Cargo-Carriers/Short-360-.../2761005/&sid=de2c804b56dc66928a7920c83f20f576
Fasten you seat belt!Lemme know how you like it.
Ever flown a 757 out of John Wayne (SNA) ? Due to noise abatement, they fly a very steep angle of ascent, near full throttle, until it gets to 5,000 feet. Then they throttle back, and level off, it feels like the engines have shut down. Neat experience, if you know what to expect, but it scares the heck out of those who are unaware . . .
My few 757 flights originated in RDU and PIT. When the pilot pulls the nose up on that plane, wow.
Another overpowered plane, according to my son, is the A-319. Same power as the A-320 in a smaller pkg.
Don’t fly, that often, anymore, but will keep my eye out for the A-319. Thanks !
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