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there're two plane models that I really wanna fly on before they're retired: the 747 and the a380. they should still operate for a few years, but I shouldn't take for granted that I'll be able to fly on one. and i wouldn't mind flying on a a340 too
This is missing some information- Rossiya runs daily 747 service between AER (Sochi) and SVO (Moscow). Saudia also has 3 747s wet-leased through Air Atlanta Iceland, which run from Jeddah to Surabaya, Batam, Bangalore and Cochin.
This decline is very heart breaking. The 747-400 was my personal favorite. I remember the KLM 747-400 that used to operate to IAH. I still remember that being the first aircraft I ever identified. When it stopped operating to IAH in 2017 I couldn't be anymore heartbroken about it. Even today when I think about it it makes me go into tears. Seeing planes retire is like when people loose a family member. I know they are just planes to most people but to me aviation is a part of me. Even in my most darkest times aviation was the light that kept me going. But seeing the 747s going out of business is like seeing my grandfather die a few weeks ago. I try not to think about it but sometimes I can't avoid thinking about it.
I know just how you feel. I love the 747, particularly the -8. It’s pure jetliner elegance, only exceeded by Concorde IMHO. Although I don’t sneeze at the beauty of an L-1011 or MD-11…or Tu-154. 707s were nice, too, particularly in the Raymond Loewy Air Force One livery. For prop-liners I like the Constellation and the DC-3, the latter because I love Art Deco. At least we will see 747-8Fs for a good long time to come at major airports, so there’s that! Lufthansa Cargo still flies MD-11Fs the last time I checked. Cheers.🥂🍻
@@jaybee9269 I am afraid you are mistaking about Lufthansa they retired thier MD-11Fs in 2020 which is very unfortunate but they had to in order to bring the 777fs to life and maintain thier 747 fleet. There are rumors going around that Lufthansa will bring back thier A380s rather then scrap them.
It looks like it's bouncing back! I heard that Lufthansa's strategy is to distinguish itself from the rest of the carriers like Emirates with the A380. Just got back from flying another rare bird, the 767-400ER from Delta with it's updated cabins, a must for avgeeks. My next flight will probably be on Lufthansa's 747-8 from EZE-FRA or GRU-FRA. I could save time and money flying Air Europe's 787 or others, but in automotive terms that's like driving a Corolla, modern and efficient. I prefer something more exotic and special... I hope many of you here do too...🙏
Qantas' very first Boeing 747-238B, VH-EBA City of Canberra, was delivered in 1971. Initially complimenting the incumbent Boeing 707-338 'V-Jets' until their eventual retirement in 1979. From 1979 until 1985 Qantas was an ALL-747 airline During that auspicious period 747 types included -200Bs -200B-SCDs, SPs, and -300s. Later, the fleet also included -400s and -400ER First delivered during the early '70s to mid 80's. Nineteen Boeing 747-238Bs, three Boeing 747-238B-SCDs and two Boeing 747-SPs powered by Rolls Royce RB211-524B-2 engines both delivered in 1980 A feature unique to the -238Bs was a 'lower lobe' galley replacing the galley usually seen at doors 4. Initially the aircraft delivered between 1971 to 1978 were powered by Pratt and Whitney JT9D-7A and later JT9D-7F(W) engines. All later deliveries from 1979, including the final two -238B-SCD 'Combis' were upgraded to Rolls Royce RB211 -524B2 power plants, and featured upper deck emergency exits on both sides The introduction of six Boeing 747-338 'EUDs' with Rolls Royce RB211-524D engines followed in 1984 introducing a new all white livery and red tail with gold leading edge, thus phasing out the ochre cheat line and seeing the flying Kangaroo loose its 'wing', The three configuration variants of the -238Bs: -238B-SCD 'Combi' There were three in the fleet. I don't recall the pax cabin configuration. Aft of Doors 4 was configured as a main deck freighter, the left side of the fuselage was fitted with a large cargo door. These aircraft carried all manner of palletised and containerised cargo, frequently including race horses. NB: P/C = First Class | J/C = Business Class | Y/C = Economy Class -238B Kangaroo configs with 16 P/C 16 J/C 401 Y/C for European operations via Singapore or Bangkok and Bahrain. Also flights to and within Asia, South Pacific and Trans Tasman. -238B Pacific with 16 P/C an increased J/C capacity and reduced Y/C seating. Sorry I no longer recall the exact number of seats per cabin. Used for operations to the United States West Coast via Honolulu or Papeete Other Series Types: -SP Two aircraft in the fleet, used for for operations to Wellington, New Zealand due to their short runway. Non-stop Sydney-Los Angeles services. -338 Six aircraft in the fleet, used for operations to Asia, Trans Tasman, South Pacific including Honolulu and Papeete etc The ALL-747 status ceased in 1985 with the introduction of the Boeing 767-238 for Asia and Tasman operations. The twenty-one Boeing 747-438s all carrying the 'Longreach' title, in honour of Qantas' first operational location in Longreach, Queensland. This fleet was powered by Rolls Royce RB211-524G2 engines and was first introduced in 1989. VH-OJA 'City of Canberra', operated non-stop from LHR to SYD. The flight took just over 20 hours, consequently holding the world record for many years for the longest non-stop flight. Despite it only carrying the technical crew and a relief crew, not only were there no passengers, the aircraft was also without a great deal of cabin furnishings including seats etc! But a record broken and held nonetheless. In addition to the original 21 Qantas-specific owned and operated, another 4 were purchased from other airlines and along with other leased Boeing 747 -400 airframes. This longer range aircraft introduced single transit stop services to Europe and non-stop services from Australia to the United States including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, and including the continuation of the Los Angeles to New York sector. The glass flight deck required only a dual crew, with the addition of a relief second officer for long haul operations. The final six Boeing 747s to join the fleet were the -438ERs powered by General Electric GE CF6-80C2B5 engines and delivered from 2002 through 2003 Qantas was the only airline ever to operate the -438ER, required for non-stop operations from Sydney to Dallas and Sydney to South America, serving both Buenos Aires and later Santiago de Chile. The ER fleet also operated non-stop return summer charters, from both Sydney and Melbourne down to Antarctica, spectacularly overflying coastal areas of the ice continent. The area being quite familiar to the ER fleet as a frequent visitor on scheduled services between Sydney and Santiago de Chile. The phased retirement of the Boeing 747 fleet from Qantas commenced in 2014. In 2015 VH-OJA was donated to a museum near Wollongong south of Sydney. This aircraft entered the fleet with its record breaking non-stop flight from London and ended her service with her final flight operating QF7474 with a flight duration of just 12 minutes. The non-stop LHR-SYD flight was not repeated again until 2019 when operated by a Qantas Boeing 787 -9 Dreamliner, this time with a full crew compliment and passenger load. From the very first Boeing 747-238B, VH-EBA delivered in 1971 until the last Boeing 747-438ER, VH-OEJ 'Wunala Dreaming' delivered in 2003, Qantas had owned and operated 57 B747s of various series and configuration variants, and leased additional airframes as required. Aside from various sporting event promotional liveries, including the boxing kangaroo, the two most famous liveries proudly wore Australian Aboriginal traditional artwork. The first Balarinji Designed 'Wunala Dreaming', from the Yanyuwa people of the Gulf of Carpentaria a red background Kangaroo themed livery telling the story of a Dreamtime Journey from thousands of year's history, the reproduction of all living things through the hormonious contiuation of the seasons. This famous artwork adorned two Boeing 747-438s, including the final aircraft to leave the Qantas fleet, VH-OEJ, a Boeing 747-438ER. (For the interesting full story explanation please search under Wunala Dreaming) 'Nalanji Dreaming' 'Our Place' a Blue/Green background, balancing harmony and nature with a tropical theme featuring sea turtles, reef fish and rainbow serpents representing Australia's cultural traditions dating back to 40,000 years ago.This artwork adorned a Boeing 747-338 The final Boeing 747 revenue service operated by Qantas was by 17 year old VH-OEJ 'Wunala Dreaming,' a -438ER, operating the QF66 from Johannesburg to Sydney, 27 March 2020, it was also the last Qantas Boeing 747 to depart Australia; departing Sydney on 22 July 2020. Wunala Dreaming was paid tribute with a water canon salute by Sydney Airport's ARFF vehicles, following departure she flew along the New South Wales coast a track outlining the Qantas Kangaroo logo, then flew past her record-breaking older sister-ship VH-OJA, now a museum display aircraft, finally and sadly she banked to the east for her final trans-Pacific flight to the United States, destined for Mojave Desert, California to enter retirement. Thus terminating 49 fantastic years of proud Boeing 747 operations with Qantas. The Boeing 747 will always be the only true flagship icon of Qantas Airways, nothing else will ever be able to take that place.
By the time I flew on a 747, I had already flown on a 707, 727, DC-8, VC-10, and a couple of propeller planes. I remember seeing the 747 (BOAC) for the first time, and I couldn't believe how big it was. It was nearly unbelievable that something this gigantic could ever fly. I've flown on the 100, 200, 400, and three years ago, the 800.
The 747 had a long and storied run and will always be a super icon of a plane. I've traveled on a 747-400 once with British Airways from Cairo to London and I was like a big kid. I will treasure that memory always.
My first intercontinental, as a still quite young guy was in 1985, a 747-200 by MAS (today Malaysian), from Paris to Kuala Lumpur. I remember standing in the gate and looking up this plane just outside the glass windows. I just stood in awe at how big it was.
Flew to Frankfurt from Vancouver on a Lufthansa 747-400 a couple of days ago, and on the bus trip from the remote stand to the terminal we passed 7 other 747s (both -400 and -8), with Lufthansa's retro-liveried -8 landing in the background. And the parking space was next to multiple A340-300s. For that moment it seemed like the glory days of the quad jets hadn't yet passed; at the very least that's true for Lufthansa at Frankfurt.
I flew with 747 on my first trip to USA. My dad booked Eva Air flight from Taipei to LA, he chose economy deluxe seats which has better foot rest and slightly wider seat than normal economy. After my first flight we were regularly making trips to US visiting my grandmother almost every year and most of the flights was inside 747.
Lufthansa have also brought back the A380 now, at least for a while. las time i flew was with Lufthansa B747-400 in 2019 Frankfurt-Orlando T/R. nice experience!
You forgot Iraqi Airways. Btw, (Again) The remaining passenger 747-400 in 2022 is Air Atlanta Europe / Saudia : 3 Air Atlanta Icelandic : 1 Air China : 3 Air India : 4 Asiana : 1 Atlas Air : 5 Bahrain Royal Flight : 2 Dubai Royal Air Wing : 4 General Electric : 1= test flight only Iraqi Airways : 2 Kingdom Aircraft 2 LLC : 1 Korean Air : 1 Lufthansa : 8 Mahan Air : 2 Max Air : 3 Morocco Government : 1 Rolls Royce North America : 1= test flight only Rossiya Airlines : 9 Royal Flight Of Oman : 1 Saudi Arabian Government : 1 Terra Avia : 2 And Virgin Orbit : 1 = At least 53 Boeing 747-400 are still in service
The last time I saw a QANTAS 747 was at Brisbane airport back in 2015. Man, they were stunning jets. Such a shame QANTAS replaced them with the A380 and 787's :(
You have great taste! I agree, the A380 is just an ugly 'people freighter', the 787 is an okay aircraft, certainly far superior to A350s, there is just nothing particularly interesting about them. Typically all Airbus aircraft are just junk compared to Boeings. I've crew a few different types. B747 is unbeatable, there are some other great Boeings to work on, you can always feel so confident in their build and design quality. Airbuses though are flimsy cheap rubbish, with very arrogant, and to a degree unsafe, flight computer systems. They take a lot of authority away from the pilot. Boeings do not do that. The pilot always has full authority, as they ought to! Boeings are well built reliable aircraft with intelligent redundancies built in. If you are interested in the history of the Qantas 747 fleet and the various types we operated over the years, I wrote a piece further up. It is a little lengthy, but if you have an interest in the type and the industry, you might get something out of it. All the best, Cheers
The queen will reign forever!! I had the pleasure of flying the 747-8 4 years ago in business class, upper deck. It was a surreal and amazing experience. I'd like to try the service on Korean Airlines, but looks like I have to go to Hawaii to make it happen. The aircraft ruled its era, and I don't think anyone would forget it, or its impact on the industry anytime soon.
We’ve reached the end of an era, and man what an era it has been. She was the queen of the skies all the way back in 1970 she’s still flying strong with grace and beauty over 50 years later. I’m gonna miss the 747 dearly, such a remarkably large and graceful bird, and she’s still fast as all hell.
I was proud to fly a Lufthansa 747-8 from Frankfurt to Chicago on a return trip from Spain in 2019- I told my kids on either side of me this was likely all of our last flights on the 747…but I was proud that they got that experience! (Post-Pandemic…all I want is a flight on an A380…whether it be to Dubai or Duluth…I’ve missed out..!)
I have flown on Asiana's last 747-4 in Business class. A highlight of traveling for me. It was originally supposed to be an A380 when I booked, then it changed to an A330 before being changed again to the 747
Thinking it might be my last chance to fly on a 747, this last May we went from Denver to London via Chicago to Frankfurt. Kind of a convoluted way to get to Heathrow but that 8 hour flight on Lufthansa's 747-8i was worth all of it. That was my seventh flight on a 747 and just like the other six I will always remember it. There is nothing like the Queen of the Skies.
I worked briefly for EGAT in Taipei and had the chance to get my hands on an Atlas Air 744 registered N426MC, recently reactivated. It’s rumored as an NBA charter with 10/143/36 configuration. HL7428 made it to Taipei for the same hanger for maintenance on my waning days of working there. Never found out why it was there in the first place.
As a korean I'd like add one more about 747 in Korean Air: Korean Air is currently opperating a 747-8i with the codname HL7644, Which is the LAST OF THE PASSENGER TYPE B-747 EVER TO BE PRODUCED
Loved flying . . . Great experience that no one can ever take away from you!! Education and Nursing ranks along the same lines!! I flew for NWA 9 years ....International and domestic routes!! 747/ 400, DC 10, 727/100 and 200
Good evening. Greetings from Jundiaí, Brazil. There has never been such a wonderful aircraft like the 747,There is never such a wonderful aircraftlike the 747 and There will never be such a wonderful aircraft like the 747. That’s why it’s the queen of skies !! Hopefully there's a miracle or an overturn decision that makes Boeing resume the 747 production, even if it takes quite some time. NOTHING STOPS THE QUEEN OF THE SKIES !! 747 FOREVER !!!!!
Would’ve been cool if the Air Farce had bought some to supplement their C-5M and C-17 fleets…and maybe replaced NEACP. Lord knows they would be more efficient!
I would have expected to see mor information about the tipes and the diferences between them, size, range, passenger capacity ... That would have been very nice! And no word about the Air force B747? There are 2 new ones as you well know ... (Love your chanel, and thank you!)
Flew the 747-8 from EWR to Frankfurt this year. I live near Newark Airport and often see it come in for a landing. Hope to travel at least once more this year.
I personally have never flown on the 747 but I've seen one at a gate and it's not until you're up close that you see the true size of this beautiful aircraft it will be tragic when the 747 stops being built it will be the end of an era
I know I'm biased but I cannot think about the 747 without affiliating it with Qantas. The "Longreach" just brings so many memories back it's sad they're all retired
Interesting fact, at one stage Qantas was the only airline in the world to have the 747-400 as it's only aircraft type. There's talk about bringing some of the 747s back into passenger service with Qantas. I guess I should have watched the whole video before commenting!
The period during which Qantas held the auspicious status of being an ALL-747 airline was from 1979 until 1985 with the ‘classics’ fleet. The -438s came later in 1989. The Boeing 747-238Bs and two Boeing 747-SP from 1979 following the Boeing 707-338 ‘V-Jets’ retirement in 1979 until the introduction of the Boeing 767-238s in 1985. During that period there were a fleet of Boeing 747-238s in three configuration variants including three -238B-SCDs ‘Combi’ (all pax cabin to doors 4, then a main deck freighter configuration with a large cargo door on the left side of the fuselage). The Boeing 747-338 was introduced in 1984 with a new livery. The following year the ALL-747 status was lost due to the introduction of the Boeing 767-238s to the fleet. If you are interested I have written a history of the Qantas Boeing 747 history is a new comment above. It is a great pity we have lost these beautiful birds. The QF fleet has now been sadly cheapened with so many Airbus types and more to follow healing the end of the Boeing 737 operations on domestic and short haul services. The AirPig380 introduction was a real pity, Qantas would have been better served by the economics of the Boeing 747-8i with its capacious cargo hold, great range and fleet commonality. Qantas was one of 8 airlines invited by Boeing to develop the Boeing 777, there was the tremendous opportunity to introduce these to the fleet at a terrific discount. Sadly, the arrogant CEO at the time stated they were ‘old technology’! Yet every carrier that has operated them has achieved fantastic profit margins. 777 airframes would have seen the airline completely avoid the financial difficulties encountered during the mid 2000’s to 2010s Seeing these beautiful aircraft relegated to the desert after their incredible achievements and contribution through our history, just seems so wrong. There will never be a better flagship. The sooner those ugly 380 ‘people freighters’ go the better. At least Lufthansa have had the good sense to make intelligent fleet choices, they’ve retired their 380s in favour of their remaining Boeing 747-430s and -8i fleets
In short : if you wanna know how many b747s fly , go to flight radar 24 and choose 747 family Unfortunately if you are a b747 lover , you won’t be happy that most of them are cargo 😢 and only a few are left.
Nothing beats the reliability and the iconic look of the B747, still 445 are still in use PAX & CARGO versions combined of the 1574 Built, I have to admit it's not as much as we were used to, but still they are still in use today including 4 B747SP's some of these are 44+ years of age, maintenance is often cheaper to kept these in use than going for the more expensive newer types. For all I can see as PAX aircraft go the B747 is the most successful ever made and even to this very day remains the only true Queen of the Skies, 53+ years of innovation the Queen is very hard to beat. The B747-300 is not the most least produced, this was the B747SP with 45 units and on 2nd the B747-8i with 47 Units, then on 3rd with the B747-300 with 81 units ;) Also I have shared this video in my Boeing 747 Community at FB with credit to it's owner. I am a diecast scale 1:200 B747 model collector, reviewer & the Boeing 747 Community founder, Willem B :)
I would like to add a correction. Boeing, and Richard Abulafia, both predicted sales of VLA to be just over 400 aircraft. Airbus said 1,200. Boeing and Abulafia were correct, as the combined A380 & B748 came in about right. However, it was slightly more A380 to B748. As such, I'm not sure where the figure of 300 comes from (maybe Boeing assmed more B748 to A380 sales?). There will still be demand however for carrying full containers, which was, of course, the original purpose of the 747, as Boeing assumed that passengers would all be flying supersonic. This is why with the B741 the 'hump' was an empty space, no seating, as it's purpose was be (in effect) a fairing for the cockpit which had to be high to clear the containers. Only after introduction into service (but quickly) was it realised that it could be used for passengers. In other words, with no replacement, cargo 747s could be around until 2055 if maintained well, based on present experience.
I'm glad that nobody else will have to experience the awful flight I had on a Lufthansa A380 from Frankfurt to Singapore. It's nice that they are still flying the 747-8, but I'll never fly Lufthansa again. Fortunately I flew business class on the top deck of a Qantas 747-400 just before they were retired. I don't mind missing out on the 747-8.
While talking about historic operators of the type I find it odd you didn't mention Virgin Atlantic, it was part of their fleet from the start until 2020
It's a crime not to built the queen of the skies anymore. Worldwide there are so many passengers who would love being carried with the Boeing 747. Those very few airlines who have got this type are always booked.
This is the ONE that I need to fly on. I’ve flown a350-9, 777-300 & 200, 767-400 and 300 and a330 all up front. I’ve flown 787-9 in business. I’d like to fly a380 as well as a340 but not a huge airbus fan. I’ve also flown 717/md-80, 727, 737-6,7,8,9 & 757-200&300 as well as a220, 319, 320, & 321 incl Neo. Still only care about 747.
Fair! Although A340-500 with its enormous range makes a damn fine executive transport for several European nations. If I were a European nation…well I would’ve bought a 747! But the A340-500 is a strong second place. Some have A310s, 767s or even 787s (Mexico’s in the house) because, let’s face it, some of them don’t need to fly that much. Ireland has like an A319, I think…
Iran was the first foreign country to purchase and operate 747sp. I would say it was delivered to Iran Air in 1976. In fact Iran Air was the launch customer of 747SP. The direct route from Tehran to JFK was inaugurated using 747SP.
I've flown on Asiana's last 747 in passenger service, they have several 747's flying as freighter aircraft. I will honestly say flying the 747 isn't anything to write home about, the a350 is far superior in passenger comfort and fuel economy for the airline. In my opinion the real queen of the skies is the Airbus a350.
0:17 'Immediate success' is a bit misleading. The numbers cited for sales to break even didn't add up until the 1980s and in the meantime Boeing relied heavily on updates to its 727 and 737 lines along with military contracts to stay afloat. The 747 right from the beginning was more popular as a freighter rather than a passenger aircraft. This was both by design (the B747 was originally a contender for a military contract until Lockheed's Galaxy won out) and marketing. The 747 was nearly a financial disaster as a passenger jet in the 1970s but throughout its lifetime succeeded as a freighter as it was always meant to.
Actually 747-400 at least was a huge success internationally in the passenger version, though too. If you’re enough of an avgeek go back and look at Kai Tak in the 1990s, every other jet was a 747.
Movements not moments. And why say scalped out of their fleet, isn’t it easier and more sound to just say dropped from fleets, if something is dropped or removed it’s obvious it’s ‘out’.
