Number of passenger 747s now below A380s :( | FerrariChat

Number of passenger 747s now below A380s :(

Discussion in 'Aviation Chat' started by BMW.SauberF1Team, Oct 13, 2017.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. BMW.SauberF1Team

    BMW.SauberF1Team F1 World Champ

    Dec 4, 2004
    14,244
  2. energy88

    energy88 Two Time F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Jan 21, 2012
    26,816
    West of Fredericksburg, VA
    Full Name:
    John
    This is sort of like when Excel passed Lotus 1-2-3 or Internet Explorer passed Navigator. Ah, the good old days.
     
  3. kylec

    kylec F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Jun 9, 2005
    3,572
    Orlando
    The 747 will definitely out live the A380. Unless someone can convert them to freight haulers- which I've heard they cannot do.
     
  4. Bob Parks

    Bob Parks F1 Veteran
    Consultant

    Nov 29, 2003
    7,911
    Shoreline,Washington
    Full Name:
    Robert Parks
    The A380 would be a GREAT FREIGHTER if they were hauling millions of ping pong balls.
     
  5. Tojo

    Tojo Formula Junior

    Apr 12, 2002
    481
    Sydney
    Full Name:
    Tim
    As an engineer who works on the A380 daily, I much prefer working on it to the 747, and I can't wait for the day we retire our last one. The 380 isn't all wonderful but its cleaner and more engineer friendly most of the time.


    Sent from my iPad using FerrariChat
     
    Boomhauer likes this.
  6. BMW.SauberF1Team

    BMW.SauberF1Team F1 World Champ

    Dec 4, 2004
    14,244
    Good point. I think as far as non-cargo aircraft it may be around longer than the A380s since the new Presidential 747s will be around for probably 30 years again. They are currently tail numbers N894BA and N895BA and will supposedly be mission-ready in 2024...that's 33-34 years of current service of the VC25. So maybe it'll be around another 34 years until 2058. :) I'm guessing if there isn't another A380 order (last one was 2015), they'll finish the 100 remaining orders in 4 years so 2021...I doubt they'll fly commercial until 2058.
     
  7. energy88

    energy88 Two Time F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Jan 21, 2012
    26,816
    West of Fredericksburg, VA
    Full Name:
    John
    From my neck of the woods: Last 747 (United) out of Dulles (IAD) today. Looks like a big party.

     
  8. TheMayor

    TheMayor Nine Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Feb 11, 2008
    98,535
    Vegas baby
    I have crossed the Pacific over 300 times in my lietime. 99.9% on a 747.

    My first was in 1980 on Pan Am flight 1 to Narita from Lax.

    Awesome plane which I am sorry to see go.
     
  9. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Feb 27, 2004
    15,924
    Georgia
    Full Name:
    Jim Pernikoff
    It's ironic that my first flight on a 747 was from MIA to ATL, on an aircraft marked Pan Am but with a Delta crew! The year was 1971...
     
  10. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Feb 27, 2004
    15,924
    Georgia
    Full Name:
    Jim Pernikoff
    Would that have been part of their round-the-world flight?
     
  11. TheMayor

    TheMayor Nine Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Feb 11, 2008
    98,535
    Vegas baby
    Yes. And I did that going westward in the mid 80’s on Pan Am.

    Eastward was PA 002.

    I for one miss Pan Am. They were the first with the 747.
     
  12. lear60man

    lear60man Formula 3

    May 29, 2004
    1,829
    Los Angeles
    Full Name:
    Christian

    I met the Capt and his wife at the Marriott lounge Thurs night. Super nice people. He said everyone had a great time except for the controllers who didnt know what the hell they were doing. They meaning the United 74......it confused ATC.
     
  13. NoSpeedLimit

    NoSpeedLimit Karting

    Sep 6, 2013
    185
    In 1965 Pan-Am-boss Juan Trippe met Boeing-boss William Allen to discuss about an airplane twice the capacity of a 707.
    Those days contracts where quite simple:
    Trippe: If you build it, I buy it.
    Allen: If you buy it, I build it.

    25 airplanes were ordered on April 13th 1966 and construction started.
    Rollout: Sep. 30th 1968
    29 months! Slide rules instead of computers, no FEM-method

    How long did it take to design and make the the first A380? Using computers and all that stuff.
    How long was the contract? 100000 pages?
     
  14. Bob Parks

    Bob Parks F1 Veteran
    Consultant

    Nov 29, 2003
    7,911
    Shoreline,Washington
    Full Name:
    Robert Parks
    I was fortunate to be a part of that project from 1966 to 1970 and I remember seeing an engineer with a custom built extra long drafting table in a hallway drafting the initial wing loft in pencil on linen . He was roughing it out before going to the metal master layout. This was shortly after we lost the C-5 competition to Lockheed and a lot of C-5 data was applied to the 747 and the work atmosphere was hectic.
     
    Nurburgringer likes this.
  15. schwaggen

    schwaggen Karting

    Apr 22, 2006
    104
    Miami FL
    Just had my first A380 experience, in coach, and it was OK, except for two important things: The seat placement/pitch was pretty miserable (Lufthansa). A twelve hour flight, in a seat that tightly packed in, that reclines maybe 2" is pretty rough - and second- there is something very odd (and I found nauseating) about the way the plane moves during turbulence. I fly a lot, and turbulence has never really bothered me (except one commuter flight from Salt Lake to Jackson WY that was so rough I thought we were going down). But the 380- it doesn't just bounce up and down. It seems to rock fore/aft as well, and it was just...strange. There must be some harmonics with the wing flex, or something- it just doesn't move the way other planes do. Maybe I would have felt different had I been upstairs, but it was not great.

    On the plus side, it was quiet. There is ample overhead, and plenty of WCs. Surprisingly efficient loading/unloading.

    The 747 is inarguably a far more attractive airplane, and my experiences aboard were far more comfortable. I get the bean counting R/SM and C/SM equations. but I prefer the 747 as a passenger, and a guy who likes aircraft.
     

Share This Page