Anybody like to fly in a 747SP with me?

I am not sure how many original SP operators there were but PA and CAAC were among them. How many are left? They must have amassed many thousands of cycles and a huge number of hours by now.

Qantas operated two of them for a few years, now they’re providing shade for the rattle snakes in the Mojave Desert i believe

mmm MarkL talk to me at event if no parnter sorted! Would like to go if my Lanazrote is cancelled as is possible as walter is sick!

Of course. I keep forgetting the published times are local and it’s BST in the UK right now. 🙂

I meant to say that wouldn’t work either financially, would really need to leave the day before and overnight in Cologne. Too poor at the minute for that. Wouldn’t mind a German Wings flight mind ya. It would be about £150 return with an overnight stay at whatever price that might be? Interestingly the website times the inbound flight as 45 mins ?

You mean the flight to Germany right? That would be a 1 hour 45 minutes flight then. Mind the time difference!

You’d could always be really daring and fly from EDI on Germanwings! 😉
Although it may well be that that wouldn’t work either with timings etc.

I meant to say that wouldn’t work either financially, would really need to leave the day before and overnight in Cologne. Too poor at the minute for that. Wouldn’t mind a German Wings flight mind ya. It would be about £150 return with an overnight stay at whatever price that might be? Interestingly the website times the inbound flight as 45 mins ?

Looking at the flight options from GLA and the time required and cost, it’s not worth the effort for me to be honest. I’d need to add in a hotel for a least one night, flights from Glasgow to London and Cologne as well as the SP flight.

I’m going on a 4 hour photo trip in an RAF Nimrod in a couple of weeks though ? 🙂

You’d could always be really daring and fly from EDI on Germanwings! 😉
Although it may well be that that wouldn’t work either with timings etc.

Looking at the flight options from GLA and the time required and cost, it’s not worth the effort for me to be honest. I’d need to add in a hotel for a least one night, flights from Glasgow to London and Cologne as well as the SP flight.

I’m going on a 4 hour photo trip in an RAF Nimrod in a couple of weeks though ? 🙂

Reading on and filling you with confidence…..

Our planned Boeing 720 pleasure flight from Beirut has been cancelled since the aircraft is currently grounded for maintenance reasons

Well in 45 minutes you wont experience the Special Performance, which is high & fast flying. In it’s time it was the longest range aircraft.
Still, It would be a nice chance for not too much money. But you only have one third or so to enjoy a window seat.

Yeah the TU154 flight is in Farnborough Airshow week so is a no-no for me as well.
Unlike the majority of people who will be doing this trip (because they don’t want to go to Iran/Syria, nor are members of Middle Eastern Royal Families) I would quite happily go to Iran or Syria, just don’t have the money to do so, and this works out a hell of a lot cheaper!

I am also considering going there. I would have taken the Tu154 flight on offer at the same website, had it not coincided with my trip to London. The departure is ast 13:30 so that is a reasonable time.

Like Wannabe I do want to get myself a window seat… and with me most likely anyone else of the passengers. That’s gonna be interesting.

No idea, it says they are allocated at check in, earlier the better and all that possibly.

For the trip either demand will be so great it is already fully booked, or no-one will want to do it and it will be cancelled! No way of telling!

Mark, I hinted at some interest, with my birthday being the week before. maybe a birthday present with a difference eh?! But I was wondering about things such as window seats?

Come on someone must be serious about going with me, I am amazed by the general response of either:

“Oh there are only 6 left flying? Can’t be very safe then!”

or

“Iran Air? Arrrgh!!!!”

or

“Oh dear, I would reeeaaally like to come but unfortunatley I am washing my hair/going to the dentist/going on holiday, etc!

http://www.airevents.de/boeing747_sp.htm
do check out that site as there are quite a lot of interesting fligths.

Sounds very interesting, and the weekend before my birthday…..hmmmm 😎

How would we get a window seat?

This takes me back to the days that Pan Am operated a daily ‘SP’ from AMS – LHR –
BOS, they called it the Boston Express. My wife sometimes used to operate the LHR – AMS return leg on weekends and I used to tag along for the 4 – 5 hour layover in Holland. Always an interesting ride with a galley in the rear of the aircraft and a great deal of side-to-side movement in turbulence.

I am not sure how many original SP operators there were but PA and CAAC were among them. How many are left? They must have amassed many thousands of cycles and a huge number of hours by now.

Sorry forgot a date, its on the 5th of September (A Sunday)