42 Years ago today......

The Wheel has Turned

...full circle.
Born from the loss of the airlifter contract to the C-5, this was always meant to be a freighter.
Now the fantastic 748F has taken to the skies.
Happy BD, old girl.
 
1970 was the first time I actually saw one in flight. It was landing on RWY 9L KMIA.

As I was traveling south on the Palmetto Expressway this gigantic plane filled my wind shield. It seem to be going so slow. I almost drove off the road watching it.

It was very impressive then and to me it still is after all these years.

VCN-1
 
And I still have never flown in one....

F-4s, T-2s, T-38s, F-14, F/A-18D, TA-4s, ...........but not a 747!
 
After two trips to the Philippines my wife has made more flights in 747's than I have. She's a faithful member of the "If it ain't Boeing, I ain't going" club. :d
 
First saw one in the spring of 1970 - three, actually, parked at the TWA terminal at JFK. You could see them from Rockaway Boulevard.

First saw one in flight a little after that, over Atlantic Beach, Long Island, NY, on takeoff from JFK. I'd never heard engines that sounded like that - like a huge coffee grinder.

First flew on one at the end of August that year. My mother set up a special trip to see relatives in Chicago. We flew first class on Northwest Orient (as it then was) Flight 7, which at the time stopped in Chicago on its way to Seattle, Tokyo and Hong Kong. We flew first class, just that once, so I could sit up front and explore the upstairs lounge. Can still see the nose of the airplane towering over the departure lounge, and I can still see, hear, feel the ride in the cabin - that big bounce over the nose gear while taxiing, and the rock-solid ride once airborne.

Good memories.
 
Ahhh yes, the good ole' jumbo jet.
Flew on an Air NZ one 8 months ago....... the sound of the RR Trents spooling up, even during taxi is music to my ears.... :engel016::mixedsmi:
 
What I find interesting are the airline logos on the side that are no longer with us - launch customer Pan Am, Northwest Airlines and Eastern to name a few.
 
First 747 I flew on was Tiger Airlines, from Clark AFB in the Philippines, to the USA. And there wasn't one of those boarding tunnel thingies. We walked, outside, to the plane, and up the steps. For a first view of a 747, this was quite a staggering sight. That airplane is friggin huge. And inside it looks like a movie theater full of seats. All my 747 rides have been Manila/Clark/Tokyo to/from the West coast of the USA.
 
Bjoern said:
There's no Trents for the 747, just RB.211s (designed for the L-1011).
Click to expand...

Thats strange. In several books I have read, I have seen the RB.211 referred to as a "Trent".
Anyway, RB.211 is what I meant - Still you cant miss that distinctive whine/howl! :jump:
 
SADT said:
In several books I have read, I have seen the RB.211 referred to as a "Trent".
Click to expand...

Well, it's true in a broad sense since the Trents were developed for the RB.211, but still...Trents are Trents and others aren't.
 
We flew on Pan Am 747's to and from Guam in 80 and 82. The plane was full from SFO to HNL. We deboarded the plane for an hour in Hawaii and reboarded the plane. It was nearly empty for the leg to Guam. We were shown how to fold up all the arms on the seats in the middle row, and with the addition of a blanket and pillow, it made for a very nice bed. Very comfortable and stable plane. I admire the plane and the people lucky enough to fly it.
 
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