42 Years ago today......

[BOOM]

.........first 747 Rolled out of Everett,incredible She's as Dominant today as ever!!!

20205

[AndyE1976]

Next to Concorde these are still the most impressive commercial jets.

[Bjoern]

Hooray for the pioneer!

[wiltzei]

Ye olde humpback.

[Roadburner440]

Happy b-day to the 747, and many more to come. Can't believe that picture is from 42 years ago. Is very crisp.

[Kiwikat]

She's as Dominant today as ever!!!

Dunno about that, but she's certainly a legend and one of the most important aircraft in history.

[Wing_Z]

...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.

[VCN-1]

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

[Navy Chief]

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!

[TARPSBird]

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

[Alan_A]

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.

[SADT]

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:

[c87]

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.

[PRB]

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]

.... the sound of the RR Trents spooling up, even during taxi is music to my ears.... :engel016::mixedsmi:

There's no Trents for the 747, just RB.211s (designed for the L-1011).

[SADT]

There's no Trents for the 747, just RB.211s (designed for the L-1011).

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:

[Bjoern]

In several books I have read, I have seen the RB.211 referred to as a "Trent".

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.

[SADT]

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.

Thanks for clearing that up :salute:

[Bjoern]

Thanks for clearing that up :salute:

No problem. That's what I'm here for, lol.

[frankwi]

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.

[THibben]

I was very fortunate, as I was a System test instrumentation engineer on the 747. I had 22 flights and 75 Flt hours on the #2 test plane. I was also involved in the test of the first 747F. I had 14 flights and 29 Flt hours on that one.

Those were really the "Good Old Days". Loved every minute of it. Spent 33 years at Boeing and nearly all of it in Flt Test of some sort.

Tom

[Bushpounder]

I grew up on Long Island. I remember laying on the beach in the summer and watching the 747's flying into JFK from Europe, and those heading over there. I thought it was amazing that something that big could fly. I also come from a TWA family, and used to go to Hangar 13 at JFK with my Grandfather and was allowed to go into the hangar and crawl all over these things, along with 707's, 880's, Connies, etc. Not too long until she's 50!! Another DC-3!

Don

[kilo delta]

I was lucky enough to get a tour of an Aer Lingus 747 (inc. cockpit) back in the early 80's...never had the opportunity to fly in one though. I saw a couple of A380's up close last week (Singapore Airlines and Air France versions) and as big as the 747-400's are that were on the ramp/at boarding gates...the Airbus dwarfed them.

[Wing_Z]

... 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...
I had a flight KSFO-YSSY with a buddy I met by chance in San Francisco.
He was very pleased, having been comp'd a first-class seat no less, for the journey.
For some reason cattle-class was all but empty, and most of us did the fold-down-blanket-and-pillow thing. And had 2 and a 1/2 hostesses each. I couldn't help but smile when I saw the look on the guy's face when I told him about the trip. :mixedsmi:
Lovely stable aircraft and damn' fast, too.

[PRB]

Yep, some of my "Pacific Crossings" in 747s were in nearly empty planes, and that makes the long trip bearable. I'm sure the airline hated it though. We could get up, walk around, etc.