So less and less of 747

ohigg84

The 747 will be around for many years to come, albeit mainly as Freighters, but Boeing is currently in the process of increasing the the weight of the 747-8I to increase it's range, but also strengthening the landing gear to facilitate this! I hope it secures more orders. Can't really see many orders for the A380, it's too big an aircraft!

smurfjed

Can't really see many orders for the A380, it's too big an aircraft!

What do you mean by this? I was extremely surprised a few days ago when i heard an Emirates A380 heading towards Madinah, Saudi Arabia. I would have considered this airport totally unsuitable for an A380, and yet it appears that they are going there. So the market for A380 destinations is slowly opening up.

billie1b

smurfjed wrote: »

What do you mean by this? I was extremely surprised a few days ago when i heard an Emirates A380 heading towards Madinah, Saudi Arabia. I would have considered this airport totally unsuitable for an A380, and yet it appears that they are going there. So the market for A380 destinations is slowly opening up.

They fly to a few airports that are not gate/air bridge ready, they park remote and use buses

circular flexing

smurfjed wrote: »

What do you mean by this? I was extremely surprised a few days ago when i heard an Emirates A380 heading towards Madinah, Saudi Arabia. I would have considered this airport totally unsuitable for an A380, and yet it appears that they are going there. So the market for A380 destinations is slowly opening up.

I don't think that it's lack of airports that's hindering the sales of the A380, I think it's the fact that it's an expensive plane to run. Emirates have been in the news recently saying they won't purchase anymore A380s until Airbus change the engines on them to give 10% reduction in operation costs. If you consider that Emirates are by far the biggest customer of A380s, then it doesn't look good for future orders.

smurfjed

This one is pretty pretentious with the crown seat in the majalis style room, the bedroom is located upstairs.

The owner of this B747-400 was also the initial purchaser of the A380 VVIP aircraft, but this was later sold and it is unknown if it will ever be seen in a VIP configuration.

smurfjed

Following up on the comment by circular flexing, i found this....

http://leehamnews.com/2014/02/03/updating-the-a380-the-prospect-of-a-neo-version-and-whats-involved/

Very interesting

Borzoi

billie1b wrote: »

There was 16 of the TU-144 built, 2 crashed in the prototype and testing stages, there was only a total of only 102 commercial flights with them, the rest were all cargo

Feckin small inside

Borzoi

billie1b wrote: »

There was 16 of the TU-144 built, 2 crashed in the prototype and testing stages, there was only a total of only 102 commercial flights with them, the rest were all cargo

Feckin small inside

Tenger

Borzoi wrote: »

Feckin small inside

Well Concorde wasn't too big either.

Concorde-aft cabin by tearbringer, on Flickr

billie1b

Tenger wrote: »

Well Concorde wasn't too big either.

Concorde-aft cabin by tearbringer, on Flickr

True, but I think he was talking about the cargo end of it

bbbaldy

circular flexing wrote: »

I don't think that it's lack of airports that's hindering the sales of the A380, I think it's the fact that it's an expensive plane to run. Emirates have been in the news recently saying they won't purchase anymore A380s until Airbus change the engines on them to give 10% reduction in operation costs. If you consider that Emirates are by far the biggest customer of A380s, then it doesn't look good for future orders.

A lot of L/H routes depend on cargo in the holds as a very important part of the overall money to be made on the flight, (not a small amount, quite significant) the A380 has more passengers than other aircraft but the cargo holds are not much bigger. I know of one very large European airline that is rethinking their commitment to buy.

smurfjed

Delta retiring four 747s as Pacific restructuring continues

By: Edward Russell
Washington DC
Delta Air Lines will retire four Boeing 747-400s by the end of 2014, as it continues to restructure its Pacific operations around a gateway at Seattle/Tacoma International airport.
The Atlanta-based SkyTeam alliance carrier will retire the aircraft “early” following a decision to reduce planned capacity growth, it says. It will have 12 747-400s in its fleet at the end of the year.

thats another 4 gone

tawnyowl

smurfjed wrote: »

This one is pretty pretentious with the crown seat in the majalis style room, the bedroom is located upstairs.

The owner of this B747-400 was also the initial purchaser of the A380 VVIP aircraft, but this was later sold and it is unknown if it will ever be seen in a VIP configuration.

Oh wow. Very bling! Much gold decor!

tawnyowl

billie1b wrote: »

There was 16 of the TU-144 built, 2 crashed in the prototype and testing stages, there was only a total of only 102 commercial flights with them, the rest were all cargo

One crash was very public - at the 1973 Paris Air Show.

Later on, some used to train cosmonauts for Buran shuttle programme. (Buran made one automated flight, but was cancelled after collapse of Soviet Union. Hangar collapse destroyed Buran in 2002.)

smurfjed

Much gold decor!

Yep, the 2 small tables in the top picture were something like $150,000 EACH!

the_monkey

The SP is a beauty , I remember one year one was in Dublin Airport hangar and my uncle took us in to see it ..




oops, linked the wrong image there - I remember it being an Air India one, but I can't find a pic :S

Tenger

billie1b wrote: »

True, but I think he was talking about the cargo end of it

Opps..my mis-read.

OT: I managed to get a chance to get inside the Soviet shuttle test vehicle OK-GLI back in 2001 when it was in Sydney. Very cool experience. Must try to find that pic of me in the cockpit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OK-GLI

Tenger

the_monkey wrote: »

The SP is a beauty , I remember one year one was in Dublin Airport hangar and my uncle took us in to see it ..

I respectfully disagree. I find the SP to be 'stumpy'. In the similar vein I have a similar opinion of the A380 and the B788. I think the stretch version of both will look so much nicer.

afatbollix

smurfjed wrote: »

Could this be a secret replacement for the B747?

That is at the top gear test track. It was used in the James Bond film and left there. They were trying to sell it for ages but now used as a Film set for Films and TV programs.

Tenger

afatbollix wrote: »

That is at the top gear test track. It was used in the James Bond film and left there. They were trying to sell it for ages but now used as a Film set for Films and TV programs.

Actually Smurfjed posted a blurry image of 3 (?) B747's in line astern on the ground somewhere in the Middle East.

The aircraft you are thinking of is currently situated on Dunsfold Airfield in Surrey. This is the site of the Top Gear test track and the B747-200 was mocked up to act as the "SkyBus S570" in Casino Royale.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-BDXJ

billie1b

Tenger wrote: »

Opps..my mis-read.

OT: I managed to get a chance to get inside the Soviet shuttle test vehicle OK-GLI back in 2001 when it was in Sydney. Very cool experience. Must try to find that pic of me in the cockpit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OK-GLI

I'd say that was some great experience, pics would be good

Tenger

billie1b wrote: »

I'd say that was some great experience, pics would be good

I have 1 polaroid that was taken by the Russian tour guide of me in the lefthand seat. No pics were allowed inside the vehicle itself.

Here it is with a silly hat over my face. Note the big happy head on me, great value for AU$20 back in 2001!

Sitting in a MIG-25 ejector seat1 by tearbringer, on Flickr

billie1b wrote: »

Great pic, id have a big happy grin on me too, for some reason the hat looks photoshopped

awful flickr editing tools

smurfjed

Sitting waiting on my passengers to show up, have watched 5 747's taking off in the last hour listening to the flight numbers I have a good idea where they are going and if they are cargo or pax, it's fun to watch the -200 cargo use all of the 12000 feet available, while a 777 is using about 9000 feet. I still think that the 747 is he queen of the skies, even the fugly -SP
Here comes #6....passenger charter flight...used about 10,000 feet.

billie1b

Tenger wrote: »

I have 1 polaroid that was taken by the Russian tour guide of me in the lefthand seat. No pics were allowed inside the vehicle itself.

Here it is with a silly hat over my face. Note the big happy head on me, great value for AU$20 back in 2001!

Sitting in a MIG-25 ejector seat1 by tearbringer, on Flickr

Great pic, id have a big happy grin on me too, for some reason the hat looks photoshopped

billie1b

smurfjed wrote: »

Sitting waiting on my passengers to show up, have watched 5 747's taking off in the last hour listening to the flight numbers I have a good idea where they are going and if they are cargo or pax, it's fun to watch the -200 cargo use all of the 12000 feet available, while a 777 is using about 9000 feet. I still think that the 747 is he queen of the skies, even the fugly -SP
Here comes #6....passenger charter flight...used about 10,000 feet.

Counting the days to my first 747-400 journey, its in 211 days and im already as excited as a kid at Christmas

the_monkey

I just watched this documentary

Excellent, highly recommend it , some interesting things - apparently the 748 is the most fuel economic plane per passenger + it has a longer range - I'm surprised Lufthansa are the only airline to use it as a pax carrier.

Also they mentioned the engines are the same as the 787 dreamliner - but afaik they are Rolls Royce engines ?

The 748 use GE engines ....

Anyway, great doc have a watch and enjoy !

smurfjed

Chatting to my boss yesterday about the first time that i met him, he was Captain on a -SP, i was a passenger, we landed on RWY23 in London Heathrow, its always funny that older people can remember age old events, but nothing about yesterday

How may of you remember RWY 23 in LHR?

EchoIndia

smurfjed wrote: »

Chatting to my boss yesterday about the first time that i met him, he was Captain on a -SP, i was a passenger, we landed on RWY23 in London Heathrow, its always funny that older people can remember age old events, but nothing about yesterday

How may of you remember RWY 23 in LHR?

An enjoyable read here:
http://www.pprune.org/atc-issues/375566-last-usage-runway-23-lhr.html

suasdaguna2

smurfjed wrote: »

How may of you remember RWY 23 in LHR?

I remember it well for all the wrong reasons....they used rwy 23 when the weather was pure shoite. So if you were using 23 the winds were usually howling from the south and it was a white knuckle approach. Not today or yesterday Smurf!

Tea 1000

tawnyowl wrote: »

One crash was very public - at the 1973 Paris Air Show.

Later on, some used to train cosmonauts for Buran shuttle programme. (Buran made one automated flight, but was cancelled after collapse of Soviet Union. Hangar collapse destroyed Buran in 2002.)

It was trying to avoid a Dassault Mirage at the time wasn't it? It was just finished it's display, and a Mirage was on the way in, something happened like the Mirage pilot flew close enough for a look or something, and the TU-144 pilot took avoiding action and couldn't recover. I think there was a discussion about him not actually needing to take avoiding action at all, I don't remember the details.