Aer Lingus 747 inaugural flight

BeardySi

found this while floating about on avsim, though it might get a good reception here! A few minutes of documentary footage from RTE on board the first EIN 747 flight from DUB to new york... Som interesting clips in the links at the bottom too!

http://euscreen.eu/play.jsp?id=EUS_666F78AFD0A7494196545257027FACDA

Nonoperational

I remember flying to Boston on one of these. Magnificant.

Best username ever

Is it me or is there more space in that 747 compared to today? The side walls at the windows are higher. Looks like the inside of the new A350:D

Suasdaguna1

The 747-100s Aer Lingus used were grossly under powered using JT9 3a's to the point EIN used a hybrid core off a newer series 9 to increase efficiencies. I think EIN were alone using this hyrid engine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratt_&_Whitney_JT9D

The 747 served EIN well, highly inefficient re its route structure and having some of the highest cycles going apart from the Japan airlines domestic 747s due to the SNN stopover.

On average a DUB/JFk rotation on the 747 would see a fuel load of 90tons, the A330 taking circa 100 pax less, taking more freight will use 1/2 this fuel load.
By the time the 747 was coming to an end in EIN, they were very tired ladies irrespective of the maintenance. The A330 introduction in 1994 was a godsend. EIN did the ETOPs proving flights for for airbus. Approaching 20 years service next year for EIN, hard to believe. 747s did 23 years service with them?

bluecode

I first saw one overflying Dublin one St Patrick's day just after they were delivered. I thought it looked enormous. I felt the same when I flew in one finally.

The Aer Lingus ones were underpowered. They took a very long time to gain altitude and if the wind was easterly. They could be seen low level over Dublin as they clawed for altitude while turning back to the west. An impressive sight though.

BeardySi

Nonoperational wrote: »

I remember flying to Boston on one of these. Magnificant.

First ever flight was on board one...

jesus_thats_gre

Weird, recently flew on a 747 with BA from Heathrow to Mumbai and I don't whether it was down to me wanting to do so for most of my life but I was awfully disappointed by the experience. I found flying the same route on a 777 to be a far exciting experience (flew Business Class on both flights by the way).

The 777 seemed to be far roomier compared to the 747. I am guessing that the upper deck in the 747 results in the lower ceiling on the lower deck?

St. Leibowitz

Suasdaguna1 wrote: »

The 747-100s Aer Lingus used were grossly under powered using JT9 3a's to the point EIN used a hybrid core off a newer series 9 to increase efficiencies. I think EIN were alone using this hyrid engine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratt_&_Whitney_JT9D

Yeah, I heard stories of heavily laden flights out of Shannon having to circle east of 15W to gain their track entry altitude.

Suasdaguna1

I operated for Garuda in a distant past on the 747 200 combi's and they had JT9D 7Q's. now these engines could sing.........unfort a fugh up many years later re RTOW figs saw it sing into the bushes in Halifax .

Tropheus

Suasdaguna1 wrote: »

The 747-100s Aer Lingus used were grossly under powered using JT9 3a's to the point EIN used a hybrid core off a newer series 9 to increase efficiencies.

Hardly grossly underpowered or they wouldn't have got off the ground.

JupiterKid

Treadhead wrote: »

First ever flight was on board one...

Mine too - it was when I was 3 years of age in 1978 with my family from Dublin to Shannon.

I also flew that route (just 15-20 mins!) later on in cub scouts twice and finally all the way to New York in '89.:) I've always loved the space on a 747.

EchoIndia

ksimpson wrote: »

Hardly grossly underpowered or they wouldn't have got off the ground.

True, but an engine failure on a heavy take-off would have been interesting. This incident at Gatwick involving a Continental 747-200 comes to mind:
www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources/4-1989%20N605PE.pdf

Suasdaguna1

ksimpson wrote: »

Hardly grossly underpowered or they wouldn't have got off the ground.

Does that make your Sunday any better?

Tropheus

Suasdaguna1 wrote: »

Does that make your Sunday any better?

Honestly? No.

murphym7

jesus_thats_gre wrote: »

Weird, recently flew on a 747 with BA from Heathrow to Mumbai and I don't whether it was down to me wanting to do so for most of my life but I was awfully disappointed by the experience. I found flying the same route on a 777 to be a far exciting experience (flew Business Class on both flights by the way).

The 777 seemed to be far roomier compared to the 747. I am guessing that the upper deck in the 747 results in the lower ceiling on the lower deck?

Clubworld on the 777 does seems better, there must be more room, however if you do go Clubworld again with BA on a 747, try and get one of the seats on the upper deck, window is best - waggons of room, really very very quite and only a few seats so the service is super. There are loads of guys that prefer upstairs in Clubworld than first class - way better value.

Suasdaguna1

Hey MurphyM.....it just caught my eye your post was at 7:47 this morning.

Ironic or planned?

Nice one!

smurfjed

One of the best flights that i ever did was upstairs in a -100, had the place all to myself, felt like my own private aircraft. It had two double beds for crew rest, not sure if it was ever used for mile high membership, but it was certainly the best crew rest area that i have ever seen.

smurfjed

Cosmo Kramer

When did Aer Lingus finally stop using the 747s? My first transatlantic flight was in August 1995 from Shannon to JFK and I could have sworn it was on a 747 - but I was young so am now wondering if I maybe just assumed it was, when in actual fact it was an A330. Did they use 747s as late as August 1995?

Best username ever

Cosmo Kramer wrote: »

When did Aer Lingus finally stop using the 747s? My first transatlantic flight was in August 1995 from Shannon to JFK and I could have sworn it was on a 747 - but I was young so am now wondering if I maybe just assumed it was, when in actual fact it was an A330. Did they use 747s as late as August 1995?

I think they got rid if them in 1994, not 100% on that though.

Cosmo Kramer

A trawl through Google later and it turns out they finally stopped flying 747s at the beginning of October 1995

http://corporate.aerlingus.com/companyprofile/history/milestoneevents/

So it looks like I did indeed get to fly Aer Lingus TA on a 747 just at the end before they were sold off.

On the return flight back to Ireland, the Aer Lingus plane went tech so they hired another in, the replacement had no in-flight entertainment on board so the cabin crew brought a guitar on and went from row to row performing requests for a while during the flight to entertain the passengers - it was a nice touch.

Tenger

Cosmo Kramer wrote: »

......On the return flight back to Ireland, the Aer Lingus plane went tech so they hired another in, the replacement had no in-flight entertainment on board so the cabin crew brought a guitar on and went from row to row performing requests for a while during the flight to entertain the passengers - it was a nice touch.

Actually that could very well have been EI-ORD......it originally flew with Air Inter, it had no inflight entertainment. So it was not in EI colours to maintain brand cohesiveness. It was painted up as "Vacations Ireland" until it was refitted to EI standard.

Cosmo Kramer

Yes, thanks for the reply, I've spent the last hour on the internet trying to figure this one out as it has bugged me before when I've thought of it - and now you've confirmed what I thought.

The A330 we flew back on looked like this (or possibly was this exact one)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adriankissane/7047590381/

It is only tonight I've realised that it was an EI A330, not a hired in replacement, but it had no in-flight entertainment and seemingly was in an all economy layout. The 'Vacations Ireland' logo apparently didn't last long and it was repainted in regular EI colours not long afterwards.

The aircraft in question seems to have been EI-JFK, did EI-ORD have a similar background?

Now I just need to work out if the outbound flight on that trip was indeed on a 741, maybe one for another day...

Tenger

Cosmo Kramer wrote: »

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adriankissane/7047590381/

It is only tonight I've realised that it was an EI A330, not a hired in replacement, but it had no in-flight entertainment and seemingly was in an all economy layout. The 'Vacations Ireland' logo apparently didn't last long and it was repainted in regular EI colours not long afterwards.

The aircraft in question seems to have been EI-JFK, did EI-ORD have a similar background?..

I got my A330's mixed up. To the best of my knowledge only 1 EI aircraft had this history, so EI-JFK was obviously it. (Stovepipe may well be able to correct me on that point)
Air Inter I believe used it on internal French flights,hence the all economy cabin config. It was a pretty shortlived livery. Magicians and musicians onboard as "Live IFE". I was incredulous when I first heard about it over 10 years ago.

Tow

At one stage Air Lingus had a contract for a couple of years flying a 747 based in Bali to San Francisco(?). Does anyone know which 737 they used, it might not have belonged to Aer Lingus? I have a old photo somewhere, it was not in Aer Lingus colours and looked very weather beaten.

Suasdaguna1

WRT the Garuda contract....It was a SAA combi using 7Q engines. It was not an EIN 747. It was a fantastic machine alas as mentioned in an earlier post it reached its demise in CYHZ many moons later over incorrect RTOW figures.

http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20041014-0

de biz

3B-NAS was the reg at that stage.It was a great operation to be seconded to for the young free and single in those days when there were a surplus of f/o's.