United says goodbye to the 747 in a new video

My first 747 experience came in the mid 70's. Flying Pan Am from JFK to Heathrow as our first hop to our new home in Skopje in what was then Yugoslavia. I was no stranger to air having flown in almost everything at the time from the 707 to the Caravelle and the 747 was something special. From the lounge upstairs to the spiral staircase.

I was able to fly at one time or another in every model from the -100 to the -400 to even the SP (Iran Air from JFK to Tehran)

a reply to: FredT


That was a awesome video, thanks. The 747 is a great Icon of the sky like Concorde and is easily recognizable by just its shape and will be remembered long after the last 747 has flown.

a reply to: FredT

Here is the prototype as she sits today:



You can walk through the empty interior and see the different types of gear that they put on her for testing, including a refueling boom and the drag cable you see out the back of most test aircraft.

a reply to: FredT

Man, we must be the same age or something. I've flown on all those aircraft as well. I grew up overseas. Even endured a crash landing in Tunis on a Caravelle in 1970. (that was scary, but we all walked away from it, except the pilot, but I can't speak to what happened to him).

Sad to see the 747 go, although I'd never fly United anyway. Domestic, I only fly Southwest and International I only fly Lufthansa, although that may have to change since now their only flying their behemoth double decker out of the US as far as I can tell.

There were many fantastically beautiful "Big" planes.

The Boeing 314 "Flying Clipper"
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The Lockheed Constellation: the "Connie"
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The Boeing 707, said to be the world's first "Jet Airliner". I crossed the Atlantic 16 times as a kid and young adult on the 707, with TWA and Pan Am
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And the 747 you've shared.

As Edith would say, "Those were the days".

a reply to: FredT


I caught a final trip late last year on one of United's 47's. While they are great they have gotten up there in years and the wear is showing. The replacement aircraft, the Polaris-equipped 773's are outstanding if you're up front.

a reply to: FredT

A classic, though I'm honestly surprised that the US carriers have held on to them for this long. I've only been in one once, on a Lufthansa leg from BOS to FRA back in 2014, and I have a feeling that'll be the only time I ever get the privilege to fly on one.

There was a time though, when to me as a young kid in the 80's and early 90's, when United, to me, was synonymous with the 747 in the heyday of the Saul Bass 'Tulip' scheme (and later, the 'Battleship' scheme). That, along with the TWA 747s and American's bare aluminum scheme, was as good as it got in my eyes, as far as American aviation was concerned.

a reply to: Barnalby


The Pan-Am's were also quite nice and each was named.

originally posted by: Sammamishman
a reply to: FredT

Here is the prototype as she sits today:

You can walk through the empty interior and see the different types of gear that they put on her for testing, including a refueling boom and the drag cable you see out the back of most test aircraft.

And they even tested the very first chemtrail dispensing system in it....... (LOL!)

a reply to: FredT
Brought a tear to my eye. I have flown on many 47s over the years with many memorable flights. There was the time we were hit by lightning. I was in first class and it lit up the cabin, no sound though. it burned a quarter sized hole in the lower fuselage. Flew in the upstairs lounge many times, and even today there is nothing like it. My most memorable flight was in the up stairs cabin on Air Singapore. The experience and service was the best I ever had. The 47 was not my favorite aircraft though. That would be reserved for the Convair 880. It was the sleekest and fastest commercial aircraft ever built. It was capable of breaking the sound barrier and the pilots told me it had fighter characteristics. Its General Electric engines were the same ones used on the B-58 Hustler. The pilots loved to take them on training flights (before simulators) to see what they could do. Some pilots even barrel rolled them for grins. I love aircraft, but times have changed and its difficult to tell them apart, all out of a the same cookie cutter. The 747 was unique and beautiful. Oh and you haven't experienced extreme aviation until you've hung on for dear life to the fence at the end of St Maarten's runway as a 747 winds up for take off on that short runway. What a blast. I'll miss her.

I remember the first time I saw a 747 takeoff. Thing was going way too slow. No way could it fly. Then I realized that it was so big that it was farther away than I thought so looked slower than it was.

Got to ride one a few years ago San Francisco to Amsterdam. Nice ride. Very nice.

Im riding a 747 400 in december to Australia. Easily my favorite since childhood of the passanger jets. The one ill be riding is one of quantas last 747s

I flew 747 from Sydney to LA and back 4 times, was lucky that my employer paid for Business Class, even got to sit upstairs with a window seat, there is a large pocket between the side of your seat and the window as if they were designed for wider seats but now had the same as the rest of business class.

That small top deck was actually nicer than the A380 being a little more private with a shorter queue for the bathroom.

originally posted by: Sammamishman
a reply to: FredT

Here is the prototype as she sits today:
You can walk through the empty interior and see the different types of gear that they put on her for testing, including a refueling boom and the drag cable you see out the back of most test aircraft.

The last time we were at the MOF, they had just gotten the bird and it was in rough shape. It looks fantastic and may prompt me to take a trip back up to Seattle

hands down the -400 was my favorite. I spent a few years being a courier to SE Asia. Basically in pre 911 days, companies paid big $$$$ to ship stuff that was time sensitive. As a courier I had a first class seat. The company which was licensed and bonded, paid for my trip, I was allowed a carry on, and they used my luggage allowance. I typically had 6 hours notice and typically had 18 to 24 hours in the destination city before I had to return again with my baggage allotted to something else. Had an indemnity letter that I was not responsible for the baggage etc.

You basically hired a cab hit the town and crawled back to the airport and slept on the way back. Even knew which noodle vendors in Singapore to hit

Mostly United and Singapore and got to know the crews by name. It was a glorious time..........

originally posted by: TonyS
a reply to: FredT

Man, we must be the same age or something. I've flown on all those aircraft as well. I grew up overseas. Even endured a crash landing in Tunis on a Caravelle in 1970. (that was scary, but we all walked away from it, except the pilot, but I can't speak to what happened to him).

it really was a golden age of air travel IMHO. Still pricey enough that the masses were kept off and people treated it like the event it really was. Dressed up, civil etc.

I still remember the smoking section was a placard placed on the headrest of a seat to designate where you could smoke lol and turning off the no smoking sign meant the air quality was going to go downhill fast LOL

originally posted by: FredT
hands down the -400 was my favorite. I spent a few years being a courier to SE Asia. Basically in pre 911 days, companies paid big $$$$ to ship stuff that was time sensitive. As a courier I had a first class seat. The company which was licensed and bonded, paid for my trip, I was allowed a carry on, and they used my luggage allowance. I typically had 6 hours notice and typically had 18 to 24 hours in the destination city before I had to return again with my baggage allotted to something else. Had an indemnity letter that I was not responsible for the baggage etc.

You basically hired a cab hit the town and crawled back to the airport and slept on the way back. Even knew which noodle vendors in Singapore to hit

Mostly United and Singapore and got to know the crews by name. It was a glorious time..........

You have no idea how jealous I am reading that post haha

Did my apprenticeship working on them..Learnt from the best..

On the way back from NYC I got to my seat on a 747 and some man was already sat in it. So I politely asked if he had the right seat as my ticket said it was mine and within seconds he kicked off big time saying it was his and made a big commotion about it. So along came the stewardess and realised we'd been double booked and told me to come with her as she'd seat me in business class instead. The look on his face was an absolute picture especially as I sarcastically said bye with a little wave haha!!

a reply to: FredT

The golden age of air travel.



Not sure what type I'll be flying tomorrow, leaving Philly back to Portland. I do like United's first class though.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

That was just a little too before my time. Pan Am by my childhood was synonymous with Lockerbie, and I had only a few years before flight 800 did the same for TWA.

It's eerie how both of the US's premier overseas carriers ended more or less the same way.