Old airliners still in service

[kschachn]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
I'm happier to have flown the Do328 turboprop during its brief life in service and am trying to look for some reason to fly a 328Jet with Ultimate Air.


Wow, a 328JET. Our commuter used to fly those, we had 12 I believe. How many does Ultimate Air operate in scheduled service? One? Are they the only operator in the US? There's a bunch soaking up the sun down in Florida the last time I looked.

And I flew on a Dornier 328 as well, but not in scheduled service.

 

[Oro_O]

Originally Posted By: CT8
[/quote]There is no other reason to fly but to be on a 747.


As a fare-paying passenger, it is the ONLY plane that can get my blood up a little. Just something so special about it.

I recall another funny 747 trip - in the nose section. Late 90s, had to go to LA for business and I found out this cut-rate Israeli outfit has 747 service from JFK to LAX. Tower Air. The "1st class upgrade" was very little, and really not a big deal except big seats in the nose or 2nd deck. I talked a co-worker into it and we flew out that way. Amusing; well-worn 200 or 100, and no real amenities in "1st Class" on tower, but enough space up there to play badminton. Amusing.

 

[CT8]

I fell in love with the 747 the first time I saw one in 168 as SF airport. The first time I rode in one was will this huge thing move? I remember getting pushed back in the seat as we accelerated down the run way. You should see how big the insides look in a cargo 747 looks.

 

[ArrestMeRedZ]

If you meant 1968 I think that's a year or two early. I remember in my first year of college in late 1969 (could have been early 1970, but '69 sticks in my feeble memory) watching the 747 come into LAX for the first time. A bunch of us geeks were gathered at the dorm looking up for it's anticipated arrival. We were impressed.

 

[CT8]

You are probably correct on the dates. I turned 16 in 1969 ,so thinking about it it was a long time agoI I went to High School at Capuchino High School in San Bruno California and remember being able to see the tails from the High School.

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted By: kschachn
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
I'm happier to have flown the Do328 turboprop during its brief life in service and am trying to look for some reason to fly a 328Jet with Ultimate Air.


Wow, a 328JET. Our commuter used to fly those, we had 12 I believe. How many does Ultimate Air operate in scheduled service? One? Are they the only operator in the US? There's a bunch soaking up the sun down in Florida the last time I looked.

And I flew on a Dornier 328 as well, but not in scheduled service.


We enjoyed the CLT>DAY leg we flew on the Dornier back in 2000.
AFAIK, there is nobody other than UAS operating the 328JET in revenue service in the US or anywhere else. I don't know how many they have.
One of Delta's connection carriers had these bad boys in service for a bit and we were actually booked on one DAY>CVG back in the CVG hub days, although the flight was later changed to a CRJ.
We were on our way to LA and it was much cheaper at the time to book any Delta CVG flight from DAY, as though it cost less than nothing to contract RJ shuttle flights for the 70NM between DAY and CVG.
Delta's CVG strategy was lame in some ways and offering only ridiculous fares to O&D traffic was one of them.

 

[Oro_O]

Originally Posted By: CT8
You are probably correct on the dates. I turned 16 in 1969 ,so thinking about it it was a long time agoI I went to High School at Capuchino High School in San Bruno California and remember being able to see the tails from the High School.


The 1st flight was right around 1 Feb 1969; I can recall it because it was within a week or two of my brother's birth date. Introduction was sometimes the following year, '70, but I don't know the month, etc.

That particular 1st flight/1st off the line plane is on display in Seattle and I saw it a month or two ago; they restored it recently and it's now covered under a pavillion the museum built this past year to shelter it, a B-17, and a few other of their air park/outdoor aircraft.

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

Love this thread! Brings back memories. Like my first jet ride. SFO to Chicago in a 707, sometime around 1960. Chicago to Detroit was in a DC6 I think. Crazy! The engines flexing up and down on the wings. Return trip was the DC6 to Chicago and a DC8 to SFO. Another memory, my first wide body ride, Chicago to Miami I think in an L1011. Never seen anything so big inside.

 

[Astro14]

One of my earliest memories was walking out on the ramp in Winnipeg to a Constellation...at the age of 4 (or whatever I was), I had never seen anything so incredible, so sleek, so big...it was awesome!

I still love the Connie to this day.

What an airplane!

 

[Oro_O]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
One of my earliest memories was walking out on the ramp in Winnipeg to a Constellation...at the age of 4 (or whatever I was), I had never seen anything so incredible, so sleek, so big...it was awesome!

I still love the Connie to this day.

What an airplane!


I totally agree. I always pause to check out the one in Seattle when I go to the musuem. This photo is flattering to neither human or plane, but it was just this past Christmas.

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

wikipedia

Development of the Constellation
The Constellation's wing design was close to that of the P-38 Lightning, differing mostly in size. The triple tail kept the aircraft's height low enough to fit in existing hangars, while features included hydraulically boosted controls and a de-icing system used on wing and tail leading edges. The aircraft had a maximum speed of over 375 mph (600 km/h), faster than that of a Japanese Zero fighter, a cruise speed of 340 mph (550 km/h), and a service ceiling of 24,000 ft (7,300 m).

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted By: Oldmoparguy1
Love this thread! Brings back memories. Like my first jet ride. SFO to Chicago in a 707, sometime around 1960. Chicago to Detroit was in a DC6 I think. Crazy! The engines flexing up and down on the wings. Return trip was the DC6 to Chicago and a DC8 to SFO. Another memory, my first wide body ride, Chicago to Miami I think in an L1011. Never seen anything so big inside.


My first airline ride was an AA 707 CLE>LAX.
My last 707 ride was on AA CVG>CLE.
Awesome airplane.

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
One of my earliest memories was walking out on the ramp in Winnipeg to a Constellation...at the age of 4 (or whatever I was), I had never seen anything so incredible, so sleek, so big...it was awesome!

I still love the Connie to this day.

What an airplane!


Didn't think you were that old, Astro.
I would loved to have flown on a Connie.
Gorgeous aircraft, but I'll bet it was a bit loud.

 

[Astro14]

I am...sadly...that memory was during the first time my family lived in Winnipeg, which was from 1965 - 1967. We moved back later, but that's the time frame for that recollection...

 

[CT8]

The piston engine maintenance cost must be astronomical.

 

[Oro_O]

Originally Posted By: Oldmoparguy1


Development of the Constellation


That is a beautiful photo.

 

[Number_35]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
One of my earliest memories was walking out on the ramp in Winnipeg to a Constellation...at the age of 4 (or whatever I was), I had never seen anything so incredible, so sleek, so big...it was awesome!

I still love the Connie to this day.

What an airplane!
Astro, we moved here in '63 when I was six, and my dad used to take me to the airport Sunday afternoons. At that time the observation deck was open. Passenger jets were relatively rare. I think there was an occasional DC-8. The backbone of TCA's (now Air Canada) fleet seemed to be the turboprop-equipped Vickers Viscounts and Vanguards. Wish I'd seen a Connie - they are spectacular!

At that same time in my life, I was entranced by the aircraft in the Dennis the Menace goes to Hawaii comic book, beautifully drawn by Al Wiseman. It turned out to be the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, based on the old B-29 Superfortress. I wish I'd seen a real one in the day.

I haven't seen it recently, but there was a FedEx Boeing 727 flying into Winnipeg regularly. I had the Aurora model when I was seven or eight and loved it.

In the late 90s I was out for a walk at lunch and heard the roar of twin radials, beating because slightly out of sync. It was a Curtis C-46 Commando in natural metal finish. Spectacular!

 

[fdcg27]

Even more sadly, you're younger than I am.
I guess that I'd forgotten that the last L1049s and L1649s were delivered concurrent with the first 707 and DC-8 aircraft.
At the time, nobody thought that turbines would come to dominate the industry as quickly as they did.
Still, there were L1049 aircraft in service on the Eastern shuttle late enough to receive a fairly late EAL livery, so I guess that I shouldn't be surprised that you encountered one at a Canadian airport some years earlier.
I do envy your having flown on one, though.

 

[Astro14]

Hey - Number_35, I have very fond memories of Winnipeg...I was there when I was quite little and then again in Grade 2 through Grade 4 (as you would say it).

My dad worked for Great West Life, and used to fly all the time. He was a 250,000 mile flier on United airlines in 1970. That was a big deal back then.

So, my mom would take us to the airport to drop him off and pick him up quite often. I remember the old Winnipeg airport, the funky colored 60's art/sculpture on the wall...

http://www.manitobaphotos.com/Winnipeg_Airport.htm

Now, I could be wrong about the Connie, because I don't think that UAL flew them, but I distinctly remember the 3 tails, so perhaps it wasn't in Winnipeg, or perhaps it wasn't on UAL...as I said, it was about 1967...and it's one of my early memories..

I could go on and on about Winnipeg! Confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, picnics at Lower Fort Gary, the zoo, the "golden boy" on top of the Capitol Building...electric outlets in the parking spaces to plug your car in during winter...

Some day, I hope to visit again.

Cheers,
Astro

 

[Papa Bear]

Right on, Astro14. I saw a lot of those TCAs in YQG.