Dont see many of these big jets around anymore though.I bveleive it seats around 390 people.

First airplane I ever rode on thai airways in 1989 when I was like 8. Spent i think 12 hours running around the cabin up and dowqn the stairs with my brother..






Boeing 747 'Jumbo Jet'
The Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet was the largest passenger aircraft in operational service in the world for almost forty years, until in October 2007 the Airbus A380 took over this position. The 747 was the first widebody aircraft to fly and being much larger than its predecessors like the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 meant a revolution in air transport.

The history of the 747 started halfway the 1960s. Boeing lost the competition for the development of a large airlifter for the US Air Force in 1965 to Lockheed's C-5A Galaxy and sought ways to apply the experience gathered on this project to a big airliner. In March 1966 the Boeing board of directors decided to go ahead with the 747 programme and one month later Pan American World Airways announced the purchase of 25 aircraft. Many airlines followed, not always because had enough passengers to fill the aircraft, but often because their managements feared that the Jumbo Jet would make the DC-8 and 707 look obsolete in the eyes of the travelling public.

The first designs of the intended 747 looked much like a military transport. The drawings showed a high-wing and room for up to 800 passengers on two decks. Boeing concluded, however, that such an aircraft would be too big for the aviation world of the 1970s. The engineers took a clean sheet of paper and designed a smaller aircraft for up to 500 passengers and a low, relatively small wing for fast and efficient cruising and a sophisticated system of flaps for low speed and good handling characteristics. These high-lift devices were even a step beyond the already very advanced systems used on the 727. The 747 is the first civil aircraft fitted with high-bypass turbofan engines, which are more powerful and economical than earlier jet engines and less noisy.

Single passenger deck
An important decision was the choice for a wide single passenger deck instead of two. To get a better nose shape, Boeing decided to put the cockpit on top of the passenger cabin. For aerodynamic reasons engineers faired the cockpit gently into the main body, creating a small upper deck that could be reached via a spiral staircase, remembering Boeing's earlier Stratocruiser airliner.

For the final assembly of the Boeing 747 Boeing had to construct the largest building (measured in volume) in the world, at Everett Paine Field, near Seattle. On 9 February 1969, the 747 flew for the first time. The FAA certificied the aircraft type on 30 December 1969 and Pan Am started commercial operations on 21 January 1970 between New York and London.

Quoted: i33.tinypic.com/2rlymxe.jpg

Damm the shuttle looks pretty filthy compared to the boeing.

First airplane I ever rode on thai airways in 1989 when I was like 8.

When you were "like" 8 or "about" 8?

Quoted: Quoted: i33.tinypic.com/2rlymxe.jpg Damm the shuttle looks pretty filthy compared to the boeing.

It's all that carbon dust pollution in space due to Global Warming.  Bush's fault don't you know?  

Yep, that's the big boy!

I've worked on 747-100/200/400 and SP's


they're just "big"

just like the C5, which I also worked on.  not much too 'em other than being "big"



coolest thing?  low level, high performance maneuvering in these bad boys

Quoted: Quoted: i33.tinypic.com/2rlymxe.jpg Damm the shuttle looks pretty filthy compared to the boeing.

Yeah, becoming a ball of flames during re-entry tends to do that.

I have only flown on a 747 once, it was back in July 2004 from San Fran to Chicago.  It was a neat plane.

Quoted: i116.photobucket.com/albums/o21/tr1290/YAL-1A_Airborne_Laser_unstowed.jpg

Lasers!

Quoted:

These are bigger..
Raise you one Anotov 225 and a Buran.

Sweet pics bro...


Keep em' coming..

Quoted: Sweet pics bro... Keep em' coming..

Anotov 225 landing gear.

Anotov 225 and 747 in the back ground at Manchester airport in England.

Quoted: i33.tinypic.com/2rlymxe.jpg

I was at basic training at Lackland AFB in '83.  We were on the drill pad while our TI went over how to walk or something.  He called us to attention and had us about face,  and here was this behemoth flying over, having just taken off from Kelly AFB (IIRC).  What a sight.  

See them all the time..........I live about 2 miles from the Boeing 747 Assembly plant.

Quoted:
Dont see many of these big jets around anymore though.

 You must not get out very much.  Try sitting in the terminal at Narita (Tokyo) or Hong Kong.  95% of all the aircraft there are 747-400's.  Thick as flies.  Granted the US market had changed quite a bit, but you can still catch a 747 long haul out of any major airport (ORD, MEM, LAX, MSP, JFK, SEA, DFW, etc)

I saw the shuttle flying piggy back on it's 747 years ago when I worked at DFW airport. It was landing in Dallas on it's way to Florida. That think is huge and it looks like it's barely moving. I wish I had had a camera.

Haven't been on one of those big bastards since '97 or so. It's a shame as I was always amazed at how big they were especially the first time you get inside one.

Next week on my Detroit to Frankfurt leg of my trip I'm going to be on an A340. I would have preferred a 747.

Spruce Goose


The Lun,Spasatel










Atlantis 1


www.darkroastedblend.com/2007/05/ekranoplans-showcase.html

I don't remember not seeing them the last few times I've had the misfortune of visiting Newark Liberty Int'l, but there are a lot more MD-80's and little regional crap than there used to be.

First flew a 747 in '75,SAS JFK-CPH,good thing too,as it was full. Later,in '82,flew a British Airways 747 ORD/Heathrow.


I remember when Delta flew them to DTW/LAX/MIA/ORD/DAL,lots of places where they mostly flew around quite empty. They all were gone by '77,replaced by L-1011s.

Quoted: Quoted: Dont see many of these big jets around anymore though.  You must not get out very much.  Try sitting in the terminal at Narita (Tokyo) or Hong Kong.  95% of all the aircraft there are 747-400's.  Thick as flies.  Granted the US market had changed quite a bit, but you can still catch a 747 long haul out of any major airport (ORD, MEM, LAX, MSP, JFK, SEA, DFW, etc)

I dont see many of these jets anymore..Why the like a teenage girl?
Ive been to about 20 major airports in the past 2 years flying and have not seen a single one..mostly lax,SLC, and dal..

Quoted: First airplane I ever rode on thai airways in 1989 when I was like 8. When you were "like" 8 or "about" 8?

YES

Quoted: Quoted: Dont see many of these big jets around anymore though.  You must not get out very much.  Try sitting in the terminal at Narita (Tokyo) or Hong Kong.  95% of all the aircraft there are 747-400's.  Thick as flies.  Granted the US market had changed quite a bit, but you can still catch a 747 long haul out of any major airport (ORD, MEM, LAX, MSP, JFK, SEA, DFW, etc)

Yeah, we don't get out very much. Beleive it or not, a lot of us aren't going to be sitting at the airport in Tokyo or Hong Kong.  Or really any of the airports you mentioned.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Dont see many of these big jets around anymore though.  You must not get out very much.  Try sitting in the terminal at Narita (Tokyo) or Hong Kong.  95% of all the aircraft there are 747-400's.  Thick as flies.  Granted the US market had changed quite a bit, but you can still catch a 747 long haul out of any major airport (ORD, MEM, LAX, MSP, JFK, SEA, DFW, etc) I dont see many of these jets anymore..Why the like a teenage girl? Ive been to about 20 major airports in the past 2 years flying and have not seen a single one..mostly lax,SLC, and dal..

I see them quite often here in Seattle.  Im sure living next to Boeing helps

Quoted: This went Mach 1. Boeing engineers told the FAA it would have come apart so the offical NTSB report lists .98 Mach. All the FDR data said 1.01, my fathers friend was flying at the time. cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/8/2/2/0154228.jpg

How the hell did that thing get to Mach 1?

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Dont see many of these big jets around anymore though.  You must not get out very much.  Try sitting in the terminal at Narita (Tokyo) or Hong Kong.  95% of all the aircraft there are 747-400's.  Thick as flies.  Granted the US market had changed quite a bit, but you can still catch a 747 long haul out of any major airport (ORD, MEM, LAX, MSP, JFK, SEA, DFW, etc) I dont see many of these jets anymore..Why the like a teenage girl? Ive been to about 20 major airports in the past 2 years flying and have not seen a single one..mostly lax,SLC, and dal..

You won't see them at Love but you will see them at DFW.
I see the Virgin 747's all the time at MCO

Quoted: i33.tinypic.com/2rlymxe.jpg

Got to see that 3 times when I was stationed at Edwards, damn is it cool to see.

Matter of fact, I think watching the shuttle takeoff on the back of the 747 is cooler than watching the shuttle land.

Quoted: This went Mach 1. Boeing engineers told the FAA it would have come apart so the offical NTSB report lists .98 Mach. All the FDR data said 1.01, my fathers friend was flying at the time. cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/8/2/2/0154228.jpg

Those Evergreen 747 i have worked with and their Pratt & Whitney JT9d-7J engines

Evergreen has a 747 water bomber.

Check it out

The videos of it are really cool.

I flew on one of those Evergreen 747's going to Kuwait from Ramstein...


Longest flight Ive ever taken was on a BA 747 London to LAX....

Quoted: Quoted: This went Mach 1. Boeing engineers told the FAA it would have come apart so the offical NTSB report lists .98 Mach. All the FDR data said 1.01, my fathers friend was flying at the time. cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/8/2/2/0154228.jpg How the hell did that thing get to Mach 1?

Raw power.  


You have to understand that the maximum power needs for any aircraft are on takeoff, where they have to accelerate quickly and climb at the same time down at low level where the atmosphere is thick and drag is highest.

Practically all commerical airliners cruise at around mach .8 or so,   with the 747s cruising at about mach .85,   at cruising altitude which is 30,000 feet or greater, where the air
is thin, the engines are at their most efficient,  and drag is lowest.  

So, what you end up with is an airplane that's cruising along at .85 mach with the throttles drawn back nearly to IDLE.     Practically every modern airliner has the power needed
to break mach 1 if you were willing to gamble your life on it.

One limitation on flying a passenger jet is how steeply you can descend, because if
your descent angle is too great,  even with the engines at idle it'll break mach 1.  


Most passenger jets CAN break mach 1 but aren't supposed to as they obviously
aren't designed for supersonic flight. But they do have the power to do it.   Fortunately,
they're always engineered with built-in safety factors and can tolerate overspeed
conditions for a little while.    And the general consensus is that Boeing aircraft have
larger safety margins than do Airbuses.


CJ

Would love to go to St. Maarten just see this.

Quoted: Quoted: Dont see many of these big jets around anymore though.  You must not get out very much.  Try sitting in the terminal at Narita (Tokyo) or Hong Kong.  95% of all the aircraft there are 747-400's.  Thick as flies.  Granted the US market had changed quite a bit, but you can still catch a 747 long haul out of any major airport (ORD, MEM, LAX, MSP, JFK, SEA, DFW, etc)

I've flown the 747s from:

DTW-NRT
DTW-NGO
DTW-AMS

I think Northwest still has 20 or so in the fleet.  Twelve or so are for passengers, the rest for cargo.

Quoted: I flew on one of those Evergreen 747's going to Kuwait from Ramstein... Longest flight Ive ever taken was on a BA 747 London to LAX....

I've made that flight. A long time ago. It sucked massive ass.

Although it seems that I will be looking at 16+hours from LAX to Auckland later this year and I wanna cry just thinking about it.

Any one know a cheap anesthesiologist?

Rest easy, bros.

Quoted: Quoted: I flew on one of those Evergreen 747's going to Kuwait from Ramstein... Longest flight Ive ever taken was on a BA 747 London to LAX.... I've made that flight. A long time ago. It sucked massive ass. Although it seems that I will be looking at 16+hours from LAX to Auckland later this year and I wanna cry just thinking about it. Any one know a cheap anesthesiologist?

Tylenol PM worked great for me on a couple of trips from Korea to Atlanta.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I flew on one of those Evergreen 747's going to Kuwait from Ramstein... Longest flight Ive ever taken was on a BA 747 London to LAX.... I've made that flight. A long time ago. It sucked massive ass. Although it seems that I will be looking at 16+hours from LAX to Auckland later this year and I wanna cry just thinking about it. Any one know a cheap anesthesiologist? Tylenol PM worked great for me on a couple of trips from Korea to Atlanta.

I always stay up the whole night before long flights like that, and then sleep a good chunk of the flight off. Tylenol PM and other sleep aids tend to make me feel drowsy even after a good sleep.


A slightly longer flight but broken up in two was FRA to Seattle. Only had about an hour layover so I didnt get much time to stretch.


My dad works in Saudi Arabia, and comes home for 2 weeks every 3 months. Something like 36 hours of travel time from start to finish....

Quoted: Quoted: I flew on one of those Evergreen 747's going to Kuwait from Ramstein... Longest flight Ive ever taken was on a BA 747 London to LAX.... I've made that flight. A long time ago. It sucked massive ass. Although it seems that I will be looking at 16+hours from LAX to Auckland later this year and I wanna cry just thinking about it. Any one know a cheap anesthesiologist?

"Dr. Daniels, please pick up the red courtesy phone.."

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Dont see many of these big jets around anymore though.  You must not get out very much.  Try sitting in the terminal at Narita (Tokyo) or Hong Kong.  95% of all the aircraft there are 747-400's.  Thick as flies.  Granted the US market had changed quite a bit, but you can still catch a 747 long haul out of any major airport (ORD, MEM, LAX, MSP, JFK, SEA, DFW, etc) I dont see many of these jets anymore..Why the like a teenage girl? Ive been to about 20 major airports in the past 2 years flying and have not seen a single one..mostly lax,SLC, and dal..

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Dont see many of these big jets around anymore though.  You must not get out very much.  Try sitting in the terminal at Narita (Tokyo) or Hong Kong.  95% of all the aircraft there are 747-400's.  Thick as flies.  Granted the US market had changed quite a bit, but you can still catch a 747 long haul out of any major airport (ORD, MEM, LAX, MSP, JFK, SEA, DFW, etc) I dont see many of these jets anymore..Why the like a teenage girl? Ive been to about 20 major airports in the past 2 years flying and have not seen a single one..mostly lax,SLC, and dal..

Your comment shows ignorance, as these aircraft are everywhere, apparenty wherever you aren't.

I see UPS 747's almost daily...