Post by thomas cat on Dec 22, 2022 20:10:10 GMT -7
Perhaps no one will be interested, but this happened this month.
The very last 747 jet has been made, ending a run of more than 50 years
There are several reasons why I bring this up.
I'll start here. When I was very young, my grandfather gave me a subscription to Jack and Jill magazine for Christmas. Even though at that time I was of the age of its target audience, I wish the hell he would have given me a toy truck or something. Well, when I reached 10 or 12, he switched the subscription to Popular Science....much better lol.
The very first one that came in the mail had an article about the not yet flying but newly developed 747 passenger jet. This caught my attention because I had always liked airplanes. I even had several plastic model airplanes that I built including a Boeing 707. At that time, I believe it was the largest passenger jet.
This 747 was almost exponentially bigger...so I was intrigued.
Skip ahead a few years when I entered the military. My first flight was on a Boeing 707. I got to fly in one of my model airplanes. Frankly, it was cramped and almost claustrophobic...still I was thrilled.
Well on my trip back to the states after my military tour was done. I was even more thrilled when I found out part of my journey would be on a 747 from Tokyo to Hawaii, to San Fransico.
This is one of the things I remember the most. When we boarded, we really couldn't see the plane. We walked down a long boarding tunnel and into the plane. I looked to my left and to the front. Not only was it super wide, but it seemed to go on forever. I thought, okay, I guess I'm sitting near the rear of the plane. Nope, when I looked to the right, it went on just as far. Keep in mind, up until this time all I knew was the 707. That thing was a commuter jet compared to the 747.
A couple of things about this flight. First, it was at most 20% full. You don't see that anymore especially on such a large plane. It was like we had the plane to ourselves. Second, there was a mechanical delay.....free drinks . I felt like a VIP.
And unlike the 707, we got to see a movie while 36,000 feet in the air. That may seem trivial now but was cutting edge back then. Guess what movie it was....okay you don't have to guess... it was...
GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
Not my favorite movie, but a classic for sure. I will always fondly remember it because of how and where I saw it.
Sorry for being a little nostalgic. This was the one and only time that I flew on the queen of the skies is memorable for both just the experience and the fact I was coming home.
The 747 is maybe the only plane that most people can recognize just from its unique shape/looks. Most passenger planes now all look the same.
It's a shame there will be no more built. It was one of the most successful, safest, and the last plane to leapfrog over the size of everything that was out there at that time.
She was a beauty...
The very last 747 jet has been made, ending a run of more than 50 years
There are several reasons why I bring this up.
I'll start here. When I was very young, my grandfather gave me a subscription to Jack and Jill magazine for Christmas. Even though at that time I was of the age of its target audience, I wish the hell he would have given me a toy truck or something. Well, when I reached 10 or 12, he switched the subscription to Popular Science....much better lol.
The very first one that came in the mail had an article about the not yet flying but newly developed 747 passenger jet. This caught my attention because I had always liked airplanes. I even had several plastic model airplanes that I built including a Boeing 707. At that time, I believe it was the largest passenger jet.
This 747 was almost exponentially bigger...so I was intrigued.
Skip ahead a few years when I entered the military. My first flight was on a Boeing 707. I got to fly in one of my model airplanes. Frankly, it was cramped and almost claustrophobic...still I was thrilled.
Well on my trip back to the states after my military tour was done. I was even more thrilled when I found out part of my journey would be on a 747 from Tokyo to Hawaii, to San Fransico.
This is one of the things I remember the most. When we boarded, we really couldn't see the plane. We walked down a long boarding tunnel and into the plane. I looked to my left and to the front. Not only was it super wide, but it seemed to go on forever. I thought, okay, I guess I'm sitting near the rear of the plane. Nope, when I looked to the right, it went on just as far. Keep in mind, up until this time all I knew was the 707. That thing was a commuter jet compared to the 747.
A couple of things about this flight. First, it was at most 20% full. You don't see that anymore especially on such a large plane. It was like we had the plane to ourselves. Second, there was a mechanical delay.....free drinks . I felt like a VIP.
And unlike the 707, we got to see a movie while 36,000 feet in the air. That may seem trivial now but was cutting edge back then. Guess what movie it was....okay you don't have to guess... it was...
GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
Not my favorite movie, but a classic for sure. I will always fondly remember it because of how and where I saw it.
Sorry for being a little nostalgic. This was the one and only time that I flew on the queen of the skies is memorable for both just the experience and the fact I was coming home.
The 747 is maybe the only plane that most people can recognize just from its unique shape/looks. Most passenger planes now all look the same.
It's a shame there will be no more built. It was one of the most successful, safest, and the last plane to leapfrog over the size of everything that was out there at that time.
She was a beauty...