In 1969 (9 years old) my parents moved us to Inglewood, CA, right under the flight path into LAX. In 1970, I remember seeing those 1st Pan Am 747's flying over, and I would run through a nearby field trying to get their shadows to pass over me (it happened once). In 1981 (21 years old) I worked on the ramp at LAX and used to sit and watch these babies land whenever I could. In 2015 (55 years old) my job was overseeing construction projects on the "airside" at LAX. And while the A380 is an engineering marvel, I loved being so close to the 747's as they took off and landed (I often stood with my toes on the line at closed taxiways within 150' of the runway centerline). I love this plane and am sad that production has ended. 😥
you are fortunate to have survived that, the 747 was responsible for killing , 3, 740 people, mostly by disintergrating in mid-air. ( according to google )
Took my first business flight on a 747 in 1971, Seattle to Chicago. Been on dozens of them since, NWA, AirFrance, KLM, Luft, Delta, Korea Air, Virgin. Never cease to impress.
Even today, she is one hell of a looking ship. I still think it’s one, if not, the best aircraft ever made and surprised nobody bought this lady of the sky.
I am surprised the US Airforce didn't buy it for the next doomsday plane! Boeing could have modified it. Waste not want not? Easy come easy go! Waste is Boeing's trade mark!!
I do not see any NAV nor STROBE lights active .... ? In any case, what a beatutiful 748 she was .... her parts now must have found their way into other 748s across the globe. Love the Queen of the Skies - majestic bird and those powerful engines. Amazing. Only a Avgeek and/or 747 enthusiast will ever understand.
It always amazes me that these monsters can get enough lift on the wings to get their considerable weight in the air. It's like a blue whale with wings.
No conversion program, and it probably would perform worse than the factory built 747-8Fs, as well as lacking the nose door. This will be the fate of every passenger 747-8 and A380 built once their original operators part ways with them, depressingly enough.
It is not reasonable to hold inventory, but if Boeing had mothballed this aircraft, the USAF would have purchased it by now. The USAF wants the B747-8 to replace the E-4B. Just recently they signed a contract to purchase a used 8 from Korean Air.
That 747-8 along with another one sitting in Victorville rn are SUPPOSED to become the new VC-25B’s for the USAF replacing the current VC-25A’s which are a pair of modified 747-200’s
