The plane enthusiasts thread

[3narf]

You work for BA engineering then? Ever met David Evans, who will maybe have retired by now, he's about that age. Nearest I got to working for BA engineering was ferrying some parts about when I drove for Saints Transport at Glasgow. Mainly seats, engines, and cowlings.

The name doesn't ring a bell but there were an awful lot of people!
I was there 1990 - 1996 then moved up to Manchester - the Saints transports were a regular feature up there. If you were driving for them at Glasgow you may have met a friend of mine, Richard Bolton.

 

[Brandane]

If you were driving for them at Glasgow you may have met a friend of mine, Richard Bolton.

Name doesn't ring a bell. I was there full time around 2006 to 2012, then made redundant but was doing agency work with them now and again until I gave up driving HGV's about 3 years ago. I was usually doing the Aberdeen trunk on dayshift.

 

[3narf]

Name doesn't ring a bell. I was there full time around 2006 to 2012, then made redundant but was doing agency work with them now and again until I gave up driving HGV's about 3 years ago. I was usually doing the Aberdeen trunk on dayshift.

Sorry, Ricky Bolton was at BAMG, not Saints! Not trying to confuse you.

 

[Drago]

I shall miss the 747. A mans hot rod. The A380 was just trying too hard. The 380 was all science and technology, dull and boring, whereas the 747 was a full frontal bludgeoning assault on the laws of physics. A Casio scientific calculator versus a sledgehammer.

I see Boeing are stopping production of the passenger version when current orders are fulfilled, and may kill off the freight version too. A sad day when that happens.

 

[midlife]

And iit can cruise at Mach 0.92 !!

 

[Drago]

Indeed. Its believed a China Airlines 747 actually broke the sound barrier.

 

[DaveReading]

You might have a chance to see her again, before she's finally grounded.

There are reportedly 9 BA 747s still at Heathrow.

All of those will fly at least once again, as BA's policy for many years has been not to scrap aircraft at LHR. Of the others, all but 3 are elsewhere in the UK - three of them already at the Cotswold Airport knackers yard and 14 at Cardiff (though some or all of those may go elsewhere for scrapping). There is, I suppose, a remote possibility that some of them may be sold, but they are all pretty high-time aircraft

I would expect a large and emotional turnout of past/present flight crew, engineers and enthusiasts to witness the departure of the last one from Heathrow in a few weeks/months time. I'll certainly be there.

 

[3narf]

The ageing aircraft programme is alien to airbus - they drop dead at 100,000 hours. That's why A380s are already being scrapped. An Airbus is an appliance really; white goods at the end of the day.

Mind you, Emirates have 110 A380s!

 

[TheDoctor]

It's more that the A380 is more expensive to fly, so no-one wants to fly them, or to buy a used one. It's easier to fill a Dreamliner, 777, A330 or A350, and probably cheaper to fly two Dreamliners than an A380.

 

[a.twiddler]

I shall miss the 747. A mans hot rod. The A380 was just trying too hard. The 380 was all science and technology, dull and boring, whereas the 747 was a full frontal bludgeoning assault on the laws of physics. A Casio scientific calculator versus a sledgehammer.

I see Boeing are stopping production of the passenger version when current orders are fulfilled, and may kill off the freight version too. A sad day when that happens.

I have not flown in the A380 but one of my enduring memories of the 747 is from a trip to Malaysia in 1990 with my wife and daughter, who was about 18 months old then. It was a Singapore Airlines 747-300 and we had a short stop to disembark passengers at Ataturk airport in Istanbul. No new passengers got on, I imagine refuelling took place while the cleaning crew worked round us. We'd had such a gradual climb out of Manchester due to the noise restrictions that it made what followed our take off at Ataturk all the more dramatic. The captain told us that due to air traffic control restrictions we had a limited time to reach our cruising ceiling and if we did not take advantage of this now there could be a long delay before we could take off. He apologised for any potential discomfort.

We then taxied out to the runway and without more ado took off at a steep angle which continued until we eventually levelled off. The flight crew were certainly giving it the beans while they had the chance, probably to their great enjoyment. I recall the roaring of the engines, the overhead lockers rattling, vibration, ears popping and the feeling of being pressed back into the seat for many minutes. When we levelled off there was a noticeable feeling of lightness as we did so. The roaring died away, vibration and rattling stopped and in the silence a small voice beside me said, "Agaaain!" which made a few adjacent passengers laugh. A very impressive performance.

 

[Drago]

My Dad's never flown one, but he's flown a 747-8 in one of the simulators owned by Bruce Dickinson's company. He's not done a jet or multi engine conversion, so he was quite pleased when they told him that a few Martini's had been spilled in First Class, but was otherwise a fairly decent landing.

I grew up with the 747, and we're a similar age. A Plymouth Roadrunner and a Tesla may do similar things, but no one cares about the latter, no one loves it, and so it is with the 747 and the 380.

 

[3narf]

It's more that the A380 is more expensive to fly, so no-one wants to fly them, or to buy a used one. It's easier to fill a Dreamliner, 777, A330 or A350, and probably cheaper to fly two Dreamliners than an A380.

It only ever made sense if it was going to be mass transportation for 800+. That was part of the flannel for getting the thing to have public approval in the first place, but as soon as they started building the things it was about showers and bedrooms etc

 

[TheDoctor]

And the showers are excellent!
It's the airline that does the cabin layout, not the manufacturer.

 

[Nigeyy]

I had the foresight to ask an attendant in the mid 90's if I could go into a 747 cockpit mid Atlantic..... The pilot said yes, and it was a highlight of mine. I was surprized by how small the cockpit was though. Fascinating but small. Yeah, I've also been locked into a 737 cargo hold, but that's another story.....

I have also flown in an A380, and to be honest, it was quieter and seemed more spacious. However, concerning comfort, as a passenger you realize much depends on where you sit and the seat design. When I was on the 747 flights, I was always keen to be on the upper deck, near the back as it was the most spacious as they couldn't fit in that extra seat as the second floor narrowed.

Personally, I think the planes full of character are the propeller ones though

My Dad's never flown one, but he's flown a 747-8 in one of the simulators owned by Bruce Dickinson's company. He's not done a jet or multi engine conversion, so he was quite pleased when they told him that a few Martini's had been spilled in First Class, but was otherwise a fairly decent landing.

I grew up with the 747, and we're a similar age. A Plymouth Roadrunner and a Tesla may do similar things, but no one cares about the latter, no one loves it, and so it is with the 747 and the 380.

 

[gbb]

....... A Plymouth Roadrunner and a Tesla may do similar things, but no one cares about the latter, no one loves it, and so it is with the 747 and the 380.

Thats a nice analogy. I'd been reading the musings on the 747 and never having flown in one, I didnt get it. Now I do.