Aircraft porn

[stix]

38 minutes ago, Fox92 said:

Yeah. BA have the most though. They are pretty iconic with BA for me.

Isn’t Air Force 1 a 747?

[FoxesDeb]

6 minutes ago, stix said:

Isn’t Air Force 1 a 747?

Yes for now, but they're updating them to something else, I forget which but I think it's an Airbus

[The Syrup]

6 minutes ago, stix said:

Isn’t Air Force 1 a 747?

Air Force 1 isn't a plane, it's the air traffic call sign for any plane carrying the president. Though this normally one of 2  converted 747-200 that we all see. Soon to be replaced by 2 new 747-8 that were ironically originally built but not delivered to a Russian airline that went bust. Boeing sold them to the USAF cheap.

[The Syrup]

Duplicate

Edited 17 July 2020 by The Syrup

[Costock_Fox]

58 minutes ago, Fox92 said:

Yeah. BA have the most though. They are pretty iconic with BA for me.

Strangely I don’t think I ever flew on one with BA despite flying with them about 6 times long haul in the last 10 years.

 

Just thinking about the decor on the Thai one is making me feel ill.

[ElusiveEd]

Genuinely GUTTED!

Ive been flying for BA for 28 years and we are all seriously devastated the big bird is being retired. She has been a dream to be on, her safety record is pretty much second to none and she has safely delivered us time and time again back to our families. Every single one of us that has ever had the privilege of working on these aircraft, wether we are pilots, cabin crew, engineers, caterers or cleaners have a huge affinity with our own 747s, it doesn't seem plausible that we won't be seeing our BA liveried 747 400s around the globe again. BA 747's have been such an iconic sight since the 70's age of glamorous travel.

 

It had been on the cards and rumoured for a few years they would ground the fleet but she hung around and graced the skies well past what was expected of her. 

 

They are dated and it shows. BA put no real effort into maintaining the airframes, it was all very much "make do" when it came to their appearance and technical issues but they kept going and were simply stunning to fly, each with their own characteristics, issues and not to mention weaknesses in the airframes and fuselage. Thank God for aviation grade 3M gaffer tape and incredibly dedicated 747 engineers who seemed to know every inch of every 747 we owned.

 

Despite their sheer size they are the most elegant of commercial flying machines ever designed.

 

My particular soft spot was for G-BNLL, Lima Lima as she was known or "The City Of Leicester" when we used to have names on the fuselage, along with past iconic BA liveries. Obviously for the Leicester link she was "my" aircraft" but also because of the special memories of the sex I had in the crew rest area with one of my cabin crew hostie colleagues en route back from Kuala Lumpur many years back. Unfortunately Lima Lima was broken in Jo'burg when one of my flight deck colleagues put the wing tip thro an airfield perimeter building so she was retired early and scrapped.

 

It's been a pleasure and an honour to be a part of their history. My post is sounding a little nostalgic and heartfelt because my last operational flight now appears to have been to New York JFK back in Feb due to Covid-19, lockdown, and industrial unrest and uncertainty within the company, etc so it's with a really heavy heart I'm hanging up my wings too after 28 years on that magnificent Queen Of The Skies.

 

Sad Sad day. 

Edited 18 July 2020 by ElusiveEd

[FoxesDeb]

Currently sitting watching one of the NHS liveried Airbus 340's being tested at the end of the runway, 9H-PPE. I've tried to post a photo but the file size is too big. 

Edited 21 July 2020 by FoxesDeb
Uploaded pic after all

[Paninistickers]

On 18/07/2020 at 16:19, ElusiveEd said:

Genuinely GUTTED!

Ive been flying for BA for 28 years and we are all seriously devastated the big bird is being retired. She has been a dream to be on, her safety record is pretty much second to none and she has safely delivered us time and time again back to our families. Every single one of us that has ever had the privilege of working on these aircraft, wether we are pilots, cabin crew, engineers, caterers or cleaners have a huge affinity with our own 747s, it doesn't seem plausible that we won't be seeing our BA liveried 747 400s around the globe again. BA 747's have been such an iconic sight since the 70's age of glamorous travel.

 

It had been on the cards and rumoured for a few years they would ground the fleet but she hung around and graced the skies well past what was expected of her. 

 

They are dated and it shows. BA put no real effort into maintaining the airframes, it was all very much "make do" when it came to their appearance and technical issues but they kept going and were simply stunning to fly, each with their own characteristics, issues and not to mention weaknesses in the airframes and fuselage. Thank God for aviation grade 3M gaffer tape and incredibly dedicated 747 engineers who seemed to know every inch of every 747 we owned.

 

Despite their sheer size they are the most elegant of commercial flying machines ever designed.

 

My particular soft spot was for G-BNLL, Lima Lima as she was known or "The City Of Leicester" when we used to have names on the fuselage, along with past iconic BA liveries. Obviously for the Leicester link she was "my" aircraft" but also because of the special memories of the sex I had in the crew rest area with one of my cabin crew hostie colleagues en route back from Kuala Lumpur many years back. Unfortunately Lima Lima was broken in Jo'burg when one of my flight deck colleagues put the wing tip thro an airfield perimeter building so she was retired early and scrapped.

 

It's been a pleasure and an honour to be a part of their history. My post is sounding a little nostalgic and heartfelt because my last operational flight now appears to have been to New York JFK back in Feb due to Covid-19, lockdown, and industrial unrest and uncertainty within the company, etc so it's with a really heavy heart I'm hanging up my wings too after 28 years on that magnificent Queen Of The Skies.

 

Sad Sad day. 

I flew in March for the first time on a BA 747. 

 

In contrast to how it looks from the ground - seemingly struggling for lift -  in board the thing effortlessly floated into the air in take off. So graceful. 

 

Best premium economy going too. Sandwiched between first (In the nose cone) and business behind plus the stairs in the galley up to another business section. So the premium economy had a real exclusive feel. 

 

(Cabin crew let me up to the upstairs part for a while for a chat and a nosey about. Like a private jet up there) 

 

Glad i did it. literally days before its last ever flight 

[Fox92]

On 17/07/2020 at 11:07, Fox92 said:

In the news today, BA are retiring their 747 fleet earlier than expected.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53426886

 

How sad. I've been on 747-400 twice but only once with BA.

BA's last 747's are departing Heathrow today.

 

Not sure if one's doing a flypast because I saw Heathrow put a statement out about noise.

[SpacedX]

4 minutes ago, Fox92 said:

BA's last 747's are departing Heathrow today.

 

Not sure if one's doing a flypast because I saw Heathrow put a statement out about noise.

There's a very good documentary on the inception, design and introduction of the 747 and how close it came to bringing Boeing down - particularly the problem with flutter which threatened the entire project. From memory it's called 'The Plane that Changed the World'. It features contributions from Joe Sutter himself. 

 

Real shame about BA - they were always synonymous with the long haul routes since BOAC. The same fate awaits the short life of the A-380. With the demise of the quads and tri-jets the preserve largely of cargo, the sky is depressingly full of cookie cutter twin engine aircraft.

 

The Queen of the skies isn't dethroned just yet though. There are many airlines in the far east that will continue to operate them, whilst Lufthansa has the biggest fleet of 747s in the world, and it's likely that they'll retain the -8 variant for some time. Then you have air freight for which the 747-8 is one of the most efficient aircraft in the world. The DHL Express operation at EMA contracts out services to Air Bridge for example for the weekly Hong Kong route - watched one lumber in last month whilst up here visiting my folks. And I don't think that it's likely that you'll see Air Force One downgraded to a Dreamliner any time soon. 

[Steven]

3 hours ago, Line-X said:

Real shame about BA - they were always synonymous with the long haul routes since BOAC. 

i am old enough to have flown on BOAC in a VC10 and BEA including a Comet 4C on BEA.

[Kopfkino]

Hopefully it is preserved for a museum

[SpacedX]

6 minutes ago, Steven said:

i am old enough to have flown on BOAC in a VC10 and BEA including a Comet 4C on BEA.

Wow - the comet was scary though.

 

I also flew BOAC, to Toronto as a child on a 707 - I assume one of the Rolls/Conway powered aircraft from the sixties.

 

The Vickers VC10 was a remarkable aircraft. Higher operating costs than the 707 though. My abiding memory is of the latter is flight 775 being blown up at Dawson's Field. 

 

[I am Rod Hull]

Buzzed 

 

 

[The Syrup]

Crappy weather today, but footage of the final 2 Heathrow BA 747s leaving. Courtesy of the Big Jet TV YouTube channel

 

[Parafox]

If you've got ten mins to spare, watch this:

 

 

[Steven]

12 hours ago, The Syrup said:

Crappy weather today, but footage of the final 2 Heathrow BA 747s leaving. Courtesy of the Big Jet TV YouTube channel

 

First Class on the A380 is much better.  On the Jumbo you feel as though you are part of the rest of the aircraft and going upstairs usually means Business. 

[Bellend Sebastian]

https://fr24.com/UKP153/2d45792c

 

What's going on here then?

[FoxesDeb]

24 minutes ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

https://fr24.com/UKP153/2d45792c

 

What's going on here then?

Doughnuts?

[String fellow]

Imo, the Soviet's sea-skimming 600-ton Ekranoplan or Caspian Sea Monster is hardcore aircraft porn. The Ukrainians better watch out if it ever gets deployed again by Putin in the Black Sea. It might also give NATO vessels something to think about, assuming that it can't be easily detected by radar, flying so low over the sea.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/ekranoplan-ready-‘fly’-again-193973

[Bellend Sebastian]

9 hours ago, FoxesDeb said:

Doughnuts?

Thanks for reminding me of the weekend's excesses. It's going to take some discipline to shift this

[Bellend Sebastian]

18 hours ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

https://fr24.com/UKP153/2d45792c

 

What's going on here then?

 

18 hours ago, FoxesDeb said:

Doughnuts?

The reason of course was CRIME. Tracking someone on the Rally, thought to be in possession of a firearm. A 14 year old arrested, no weapon recovered as yet according to the Mercury.

 

Must have cost a fortune, it was in the air for AGES

[FoxesDeb]

52 minutes ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

 

The reason of course was CRIME. Tracking someone on the Rally, thought to be in possession of a firearm. A 14 year old arrested, no weapon recovered as yet according to the Mercury.

 

Must have cost a fortune, it was in the air for AGES

Bit disappointed it wasn't just the pilot having an afternoon out doing doughnuts in the air tbqh

Edited 31 August 2022 by FoxesDeb
Missed a word out, must be all that Sangria

[Bellend Sebastian]

11 minutes ago, FoxesDeb said:

Bit disappointed it wasn't just the pilot having an afternoon out doing doughnuts in air tbqh

In fairness that's pretty much what they were doing so I'm sure they had a lovely time

[Fazzer 7]

On 17/07/2020 at 20:03, The Syrup said:

Air Force 1 isn't a plane, it's the air traffic call sign for any plane carrying the president. Though this normally one of 2  converted 747-200 that we all see. Soon to be replaced by 2 new 747-8 that were ironically originally built but not delivered to a Russian airline that went bust. Boeing sold them to the USAF cheap.

Let’s hope it’s got an escalator for poor old sleepy Joe to access without falling up the steps three times😂