707 Anniversary

I thought that odd too. I wondered how he knew exactly what that thing would do....(altitude wise)...before he did that so close to the ground.

Now I know. He'd already figured that out. I figured he had to have already done it up high. That's just not something you do in a plane so low without knowing what's coming...

 

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I made a list of all the Boeing planes I have flown on

B-17
707
727
737
747
757
767
777
787

I don't count the Douglas planes that were adopted in the merger.

Not many have flow a 707 but I did as a kid -- Phoenix to Chicago non stop. My FIRST plane flight -- and the only time I was airsick!

 

Prettier that what they're building now. nice lines

 

You have flown on more of them than I have. I have been on all except the 777 and 787. I still think that the 707-120 was the prettiest of all.
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Bob- You missed the 720 on your list and I bet you flew on one. I know I did.

Other Bob- Did you ever get a ride in the 247 they restored?

 

Its possible but I do remember the 707 from my childhood. The 727 and 737 pretty much phased them out quickly along with the competitor 4 engine models.

 

Bob- Most folks could not tell a 707 from a 720 at first glance, anyway. Another short fuselage hot rod like the 747 SP. Last one flew back in 2012, so they are all beer cans, now, unless someone stashed one in a museum.

 

The 720 was slightly shortened and lightened where the SP was severely shortened forward and aft. Some pilots referred to it as a four engined fighter, fast, maneuverable, and fun to fly. Leaving Heathrow on a UAL SP that was acquired from PAA we were 1 hour late for take off due to heavy incoming traffic. The pilot told the passengers not to worry about making their connections in Seattle Because, "This airplane can and will make up the time and that it would land on schedule (1100)".We did. Great flight both ways.
I flew on a few 720B's but the most fun was aboard one on a production test flight where they wracked it around with steep banks and simulated emergency let down. Truly a hotrod. When we took off from BFI all you could see ahead was blue sky until we leveled off at 30,000 over the Olympics ten minutes later..

 

I've flown on both the 747 sp and the 747 Combi (half cargo) version. Also the latest 747-8 that Lufthansa flies.

 

I flew on a 707 in Africa in the 1990s Nairobi to Harare, I think...

 

T- I was talking about the 720. Last 720B flight was in May 2012.

 

My Boeing list would be:

707 (-120 only)
720
727
737 (all 3 generations)
747 (-100 and -200 only)
757 (-200 only)
767 (all 3 lengths)
777 (-200 only)

Haven't caught up with a 787 just yet.

 

my Boeing list :

707
717 I know grey area here as it started out as a McD design
727
737 all 3 gens
747-400
757
767
B-17G
PT-17

Almost flew on FiFi B-29 except the flight was canceled due to engine issue

on my to fly list

777
787
737-Max

 

Maybe I have posted this before but it is interesting. UAL was searching for a medium range airplane, something a little smaller than the 707 and for more continental routes. Boeing was studying the possibility of a light weight 707 with a lighter engine. P&W was studying a lighter JT3 to fit it and the process was too slow for Bill Patterson of UAL so he approached Convair about the 880. The story says that Patterson was in San Diego within minutes of signing a contract for 880's when he got a phone call from Bill Allen guaranteeing a light weight (titanium) engine from P&W that would make the 720 viable. Patterson turned around and flew up to Boeing and signed for 20 720's. It was a nice airplane but when the 720B came out with the JT3D fan it became a high performance hotrod as well as a hot seller. I remember on one test flight the pilot, Scotty, held it down until the uneven surface of the runway felt like a cobblestone road and when he lifted off , it was nothing but a steep climb and blue sky ahead.

 

The 717 model number for an MD ??? was a marketing gimmick by some Boeing sales people who failed to recognize that that model number had already been assigned to what would become the KC-135. They thought that it was SOO tricky to put the Boeing jet airliner series number mixed with the single aisle (1) and the last part being 7 to make 717. Tough to explain the un-airplane people. I flew the PT-17 and have flown on all the rest in your list.

 

The real 717 was the KC-135.

 

Bob yes I realize that the 717 aka MD-95 is not a true Boeing design. When Boeing announced that it would be called the 717 I thought WTF the KC-135 is the 717. I only flew on one once on AirTran and almost burst out in laughter when the flight attendant called it the "Boeing 717-200" during the safety brief.

The one thing I did like was the 2-3 seating As well I like the 2-3-2 seating on the 767 also as my preferred seat is a window seat. that way I only have to bother 1 person to go to the can or get something out of the overhead.

 

So that is what that was. Flew on one with 3-2 seating (or 2-3, forget which), and wondered what it was. Looked just like any other DC-9 variant to me from the outside. Guess I was not curious enough to look at the brochure.

 

Terry all the MD8x and MD9x are 2-3 or 3-2 depending on how the airline wants to configure the in the "Cattlecar" class. On the plus side most of them have an 18" wide coach seat vs. 17.3" on most others.

I flew an MD80 from DFW-ABQ in 1st once and it was a very quiet ride up front, until we landed and the nose gear started to shake to entire plane turning off the runway.