Happy 40th Birthday – Boeing 747!

Good article from the Times Of India on the 747:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Sunday-TOI/Emperor-flies-on/articleshow/4130202.cms

747 at 40

A few old ones

Link to the BOAC 747 taxying large (squiggles in paint under BOAC are reflections of port-side engines in brand new paint!)

http://www.airliners.net/photo/BOAC/Boeing-747-136/0775455/L/

BOAC 747 rotate
http://www.airliners.net/photo/BOAC/Boeing-747-136/0963285/L/

also Pan Am rotating A.net 0786369

Air-India screen change

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Air-India/Boeing-747-237B/0775444/L/

I recall the first time i saw a Boeing 747. Was summer year 2000.

Me and the family were driving back through paris in our camper van from the south of france!

At this time i had no interest in avation what so ever, I was in the front helpin dad navigate while mother was in the back playing with my sister.

All of a sudden Mum screams “JUMBO JET” and points ahead of us! We look up and see an Air France 747 taxing across the runway that goes over the motorway near the airport! We were in shock that his huge jet was taxying infront of us! We looked up in Awe!

One of the true Legands of Avation Long may she continue to Rule the skys!

Boeing’s Chief Engineer on the 747, Michael Teal believes the airplane has another 40 more years ahead of it.

I talked with him in Seattle and he revealed some interesting stuff on the 747-8 too.

Ah, yes. I remember showing them the door, so to speak.

That explains it, then.

Well someone did register themselves as bmused56 and made some spurious posts that folk, at first thought were by me. An affect that was no doubt designed.

No, I didn’t.

Never once did I doubt it would enter service. That event was an abosolute certainty in my mind.
The prosperity of the project is what I doubted.
I doubted Airbus claims on how it will replace the 747 and how many the projected they would sell. I also doubted their claims on profitability and returns on the project.

I still do.

Fair enough, then.

There was someone back in 2005 (or thereabouts) who kept going on about how the A380 would never enter service.

I thought it was you, for some reason.

Sorry about that. 🙂

No, I didn’t.

Never once did I doubt it would enter service. That event was an abosolute certainty in my mind.
The prosperity of the project is what I doubted.
I doubted Airbus claims on how it will replace the 747 and how many the projected they would sell. I also doubted their claims on profitability and returns on the project.

I still do.

I seriously doubt that.

To be fair, mate, you also doubted that the A380 would ever enter commercial service. 😀

I seriously doubt that.

Boeing bet the farm on a monstrosity that many said would never fly.
When it flew, many said it would never sell.
When it sold, many said it wouldn’t last.
40 years on… those many still have egg on their face, with a side order of humble pie.

If you exchange Boeing for Airbus in the first line, this could be an A380 write up in 40 years time?:confused::D:D

Just seems like yesterday i was at the airport amongst the crowds waiting for the arrival of the first Qantas 747

From BBC:

An object of boyish wonder, an aviation milestone, a sea-change for cheap air travel, a Jumbo of a plane, the Boeing 747 celebrates its 40th birthday.

Some interesting facts (also taken from the BBC website!):

– 1,500 planes built or ordered
– 17 million flights made
– 42 billion nautical miles flown
– Equivalent to moon and back 100,000 times
– BA has biggest fleet – 57 of the planes

Full article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7880808.stm

Happy Birthday 747:D I never knew BA has the biggest fleet of 747 😮 I thought it was Japan Airlines then Cathay Pacific followed by BA :confused:

James

Boeing bet the farm on a monstrosity that many said would never fly.
When it flew, many said it would never sell.
When it sold, many said it wouldn’t last.
40 years on… those many still have egg on their face, with a side order of humble pie.

Feb 9, 1969;the day civil aviation changed forever.

ahhh great… happy birthday to the queen! 🙂