United Airlines 747 Sendoff

[4WD]

IAH to FRA yesterday - All together now: Long live The …

 

[RedSpider]

....QUEEN!

I'm jealous. I really, really hope to fly on one again before they are gone.

 

[wavinwayne]

Magnificent planes. We get a few of the 747 cargo planes landing at HSV every week. It's amazing to watch them take off and land.

 

[y_p_w]

Magnificent planes. We get a few of the 747 cargo planes landing at HSV every week. It's amazing to watch them take off and land.

Atlas Air still flies them. Apparently for charters and cargo.

 

[wavinwayne]

Atlas Air still flies them. Apparently for charters and cargo.

I believe it is the Atlas cargo planes that I see in/out of HSV

 

[fdcg27]

IAH to FRA yesterday - All together now: Long live The …

View attachment 279046

We'll be on one of these beauties FRA-IAD in August.
Had we booked a less favorable time in transit, we could have caught the 747-8i in one direction and the A380 in the other, but I'll settle for a ride on the 747-8 for this trip.

 

[4WD]

We'll be on one of these beauties FRA-IAD in August.
Had we booked a less favorable time in transit, we could have caught the 747-8i in one direction and the A380 in the other, but I'll settle for a ride on the 747-8 for this trip.

The 8i has been on/off this route depending on business - but surely see them active at FRA. More surprisingly the 744 is still active …
Seat in the attic for old times sake …

 

[4WD]

Atlas Air still flies them. Apparently for charters and cargo.

Been on those charters about 8 years back … they did a good job …

 

[4WD]

Magnificent planes. We get a few of the 747 cargo planes landing at HSV every week. It's amazing to watch them take off and land.

Indeed, LH did the classic swan soft landing that gear system brings …

 

[Speedbird001]

Since this is about the 747, I never knew Kalitta Air, (Connie Kalitta from drag racing fame), operated their own machine and fabricating shop to service all of their aircraft. They have the capability to completely rebuild a 747 from the ground up... Engines and all. Amazing operation that employs well over 1,000 people. They even have the ability to train their own pilots.

Always loved the 74 and spent most of my ramp time on them. Sadly, RONA was the trigger that resulted in the earlier than planned retirement of our 747 fleet. BAMC still exists in a different form now, but for decades we were doing almost all our mait. there to include heavy-D and engine rebuilds. (Interesting note, BA often takes delivery of a/c with no interior and we install them ourselves at BAMC).

Older but good video :

 

[Exhaustgases]

Since this is about the 747, I never knew Kalitta Air, (Connie Kalitta from drag racing fame), operated their own machine and fabricating shop to service all of their aircraft. They have the capability to completely rebuild a 747 from the ground up... Engines and all. Amazing operation that employs well over 1,000 people. They even have the ability to train their own pilots.

Connie Kalitta, top of the game. And very likely the safest 747's to ever fly.

 

[Albin]

I believe it is the Atlas cargo planes that I see in/out of HSV

Atlas is why Hsv is an "International" airport. They come in from Belguim IRC. Used to live in Madison and see them fly over all the time; never mind working between the runways during the day.

 

[2005jettatdi]

Since 747s where originally designed as passenger AND cargo planes, this seems right.

The cargo design aspect is what moved the cockpit above the main fuselage, so that large freight can be loaded through the nose.

In the 60s, there was a competition between Boeing and Lockheed to build the C-5 monster cargo plane. Lockheed won. When I was in the National Guard in the 70s, the Boeing C-5 mockup was at Fort Lewis for training on loading equipment on airplanes. It sure looked like a 747. Boeing lost that competition but used the government paid research to build the 747. My point being, the 747 was originally designed as a cargo plane. Even when carrying passengers, the 747 was always carrying massive amounts of cargo.

 

[Astro14]

In the 60s, there was a competition between Boeing and Lockheed to build the C-5 monster cargo plane. Lockheed won. When I was in the National Guard in the 70s, the Boeing C-5 mockup was at Fort Lewis for training on loading equipment on airplanes. It sure looked like a 747. Boeing lost that competition but used the government paid research to build the 747. My point being, the 747 was originally designed as a cargo plane. Even when carrying passengers, the 747 was always carrying massive amounts of cargo.

The USAF solicited proposals, under the CX-HLS program, and later, paid for design studies that stipulated a nose loading door.

Boeing had a couple of design configurations, including one with a high wing spar like the C-5, but ultimately submitting the 747 as we know it, with a high cockpit and conventional wing spar.

Boeing used a lot of their own money to develop their competitor for CX-HLS.

They turned the 747 into a passenger plane, hoping to recoup some of that design investment. The hope was to sell 50 of them, and they would break even. Pan Am ordered 25 before the engineering and development was complete, and the project was on.

Interestingly, Joe Sutter lead engineer, was given minimal staffing and resources for the project, because Boeing was focused on the 2707 SST as the flagship project.

The 747 changed the world.

It dramatically reduced to the cost to fly because the cost/seat-mile was so much better on the “jumbo” than anything else flying. It effectively killed Concorde and other SSTs, including the 2707, with that huge improvement in efficiency.

Joe Sutter’s book, “747: Creating the World's First Jumbo Jet and Other Adventures from a Life in Aviation.” is a great read.

 

[2005jettatdi]

The USAF solicited proposals, under the CX-HLS program, and later, paid for design studies that stipulated a nose loading door.

Boeing had a couple of design configurations, including one with a high wing spar like the C-5, but ultimately submitting the 747 as we know it, with a high cockpit and conventional wing spar.

Boeing used a lot of their own money to develop their competitor for CX-HLS.

They turned the 747 into a passenger plane, hoping to recoup some of that design investment. The hope was to sell 50 of them, and they would break even. Pan Am ordered 25 before the engineering and development was complete, and the project was on.

Interestingly, Joe Sutter lead engineer, was given minimal staffing and resources for the project, because Boeing was focused on the 2707 SST as the flagship project.

The 747 changed the world.

It dramatically reduced to the cost to fly because the cost/seat-mile was so much better on the “jumbo” than anything else flying. It effectively killed Concorde and other SSTs, including the 2707, with that huge improvement in efficiency.

Joe Sutter’s book, “747: Creating the World's First Jumbo Jet and Other Adventures from a Life in Aviation.” is a great read.

Thank you for all of the clarification. I remember when Boeing cancelled the SST and started a massive reduction in their work force. In 1971 there was a billboard on Hwy 99 near SeaTac airport reading, "Will the last person leaving SEATTLE — Turn out the lights" It was only there for 15 days and I never saw it in person.

My father survived the layoffs, but several neighbors did not. This was during my high school years and it was depressing. My father always worked for the military side of Boeing and the Cold War was going on full force.

Maybe you could comment on how Boeing used the development of the KC-135 to develop the 707 in the 50s. I realize Boeing had already spent $16 million (one quarter of the company's net worth) on designing the Dash 80. But then, Boeing was also able to use things learned in designing the B-47 and B-52 to design the Dash 80. Modifications to the Dash 80 design became the KC-135 and other modifications became the 707.