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Shame, always felt safer on a 747 than anything else .... apparently the 737 Max is coming back at the end of the year .... if that plane has any incidents at all then it will be the end of Boeing I think
Re the 737-MAX; I will be extremely nervous if I ever have to fly on one, to the point that I'd consider avoiding booking with any airline that's using them.
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JM build | Pedalboard plans
The remarkable thing is that even when it was designed, the reason for the 747's famous hump is that the airframes were expected to all be converted to freighters within their intended lifetimes, as supersonic airliners took over the passenger services. Of course that never happened - apart from Concorde, and even that would have failed if the British and French governments hadn't had to save face by bailing it out. The fact that it took more than 50 years for the passenger 747 to fly for the last time - and it still hasn't, there are a few airlines after BA which still have them - is a tribute to just how right the design was.
There are only two contenders for the title of the greatest ever civil aircraft built, and the other one is the Douglas DC-3.
For what it's worth, there's a good reason why Air Force One is a 747, and why the US is replacing the existing ones while they still can - because it has four engines. The problem with only having two is that if one fails, you *must* land at the nearest available airport... which could be extremely inconvenient for a head of state. Personally, I would like to see one or two of these old 747s used as the British equivalent instead of the A330 they've just repainted - or an A340, which are currently being phased out as well.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I've been on two aircraft which have suffered accidents, though luckily without loss of life - BA 747 'City Of Leicester', which collided with a building in Johannesburg, and EgyptAir 777 'Nefertiti' which caught fire at Cairo - in both cases many years later, but it still feels odd.
He's not alone...
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Still remember the film, Arthur with Dudley Moore. Both my parents were smokers, so I had to watch it through a blue haze in the smoking section.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
The big twins have closed the gap too far, and the A380 has proved that there isn't a long-term market for an even bigger passenger aircraft.
The real question is what will replace the 747 for outsize freight in 20-30 years when the 8Fs retire... there's nothing else with the nose door, apart from the Antonovs and they're all even older.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I'm not sure which old birds looked past their best, the 747's or some of the BA stewardesses!