Sweetheart aircraft. I remember flying in one from LA to NYC or DC with a piano in the rear. Fun times before they gave up flying the 747 domestically.
Would a Boeing 747 keep flying if we had an electromagnetic attack?
It would seem a competent experienced pilot would have more control and options flying a 747 than a 777.
If it ain't Boeing, I ain't Going
A remarkable aircraft company for which I worked.
They still making 747s. No new orders except a replace Air Force One.
From a comment after the article:
I’m amazed at just how many have dismissed the 747 and claim she’s at her end, yet she still flies on. Here’s one fact that shows this: in 2014, there were more 747s sold than Airbus A380s. Let’s just count from the date of your article until the day the last 747 is retired. It’s going to be a long wait.
Arguably the finest airliner ever built.
On a totally packed flight from Nairobi to either Amsterdam or LHR back in the 80's, my in-flight audio was not working. Since no other seat was available and not wishing to sit in silence for the 9 hour flight, I asked the flight attendant if I could attempt to fix it. Given permission, I pulled out my trusty Swiss Army knife (remember those golden days before TSA?), disassembled the armrest/audio console and removed the offending broken tip of a headphone set. Voilà! I could now listen to the movie & the audio channels!
After about a half hour, the attendant appeared with a large bottle of wine (I was in Economy class), saying "This is from the crew. Thank you for fixing our airplane."
For many years I fought the temptation to enhance my resume' with "Boeing 747 Avionics Repairman", but decided that was really stretching it...
:-)
Great bird!
This was written by someone in Europe who are pro Airbus
The best airliner ever made.
I will take the tried and true mechanical linkage over any of this late model crap that passes for new tehnology. How many Boeing aircraft sailed through the tree line because the bird thought it was in land mode. McCollough chain saws never got over that one.
The 747 is rapidly retiring for one reason: the airlines found a true successor on Boeing’s newer product, the 777-300ER. By 2021, the market that used to belong to the 747 will be replaced by a mix of Boeing 787-9, 787-10, 777X models and the Airbus A350XWB-900 and A350XWB-1000 planes.
747 will be with us another 50 years. What we will see with the 747 is just an upgrade of using carbon fiber in place of aluminum. The aerostructure is excellent. It is an efficient and flexible platform for both transport and cargo. I am 40 years old. I am confident in predicting that the 747 will still be on the assembly line when God calls me home, at least another 50 years I hope.
You can not change aerodynamics or physics. You can use them, but you can’t change them. What you can change is the structural elements (carbon fiber versus aluminum) and manufacturing methods. The 747 nailed it for its’ use. The 777 and 787 have their uses too as long range transports. But the 747 will maintain its dominance as a long range heavy lift wide body. Nothing will beat it in my lifetime. NOTHING.
Signed,
Opie...
(recovering aircraft engineer)
I don’t know about other places but seeing a 747 now in the skies around the local airport these days is rare. I could be wrong but I think it is that they are for the most part long in the tooth and when airlines need to replace them other widebody options do the job. Also in terms of fuel consumption the comparable more modern aircraft are much better and that is a major factor in what flies for airlines today.
More like "intelligently uses" ! Apparently the author prefers a plane where loss of hydraulic or electrical power guarantees loss of pilot control.
The mechanical system is a last ditch safety system and was included for that purpose.
The first 747 (entered service January 1970) had over 970 dials, guages, knobs and switches vs 375 for the -400.
The -400 series (entered service early 1989) had a glass panel and 2 instead of 3 cockpit crew.
Also, there are at least 31 outstanding orders (as of June) for the current -8 model.
This must be from someone from Barcelona!