[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by r_nairtvm

It was indeed a dream on Emperor Ashoka
Don't know if you have experienced the 1st Class of AI 747, when they were at their best. The specially dressed Cabin Crew and all - made you feel you were a Maharajah.

No, sadly I never flew internationally till 1982. These photos are from the 1970s when JRD Tata, that great man, ran the airline. When Ashoka arrived in Mumbai in 1971 my father took me to Santa Cruz (we were stationed in Mumbai that year) to watch the aircraft parked there on the tarmac. Those days the terminal building was quite small, and compared to the Caravelle, HS748, one East Africa Airways VC-10 and the terminal building itself the 747 looked simply colossal. These days we've got used to seeing large jets but back then the 707 was pretty much the largest thing you got to see. My father was in the Indian Navy. And the Navy had a small detachment at Santa Cruz. So I got to ride in a Willys jeep of the Navy and we were taken to where the aircraft was parked to stare up at its behemoth fuselage and wings. What more could a 11-year old want Those were more innocent days without the security we have today.

A classic picture of the old beauty we are drooling over

[slicvic]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

But for one reason or the other - NEVER got to fly the 747. A couple of times the plane was changed just before the travel to some other one due to logistic/technical reasons. What a disappointment. I don't foresee any long distance international travels for quite some time in future now. So the queen of the skies sure will be history in passenger services when time comes.

There used to be a Hyderabad - Mumbai route with a 747. Wonder if it still exists.

Maybe you could try flying that since you have no International travels planned

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by tharian

A airplane graveyard in California which Youtuber Sam Chui visited which had lots of 747's

I get upset seeing an aircraft torn up lying in a graveyard like Mojave. It is a little like seeing your favourite pet dog's dead body being cut up. But these scrap yards play a key role in helping airlines & other aircraft operators source refurbished parts at low costs in what is already a thin margin industry. As most of you can guess the single most valuable part are the engines. If the dismantling company can sell the engines even before the aircraft has landed at his facility he has already recovered his cost of acquisition plus some serious profit. Even with leased high hour aircraft the value lies in the engines. After the engines come the landing gears, the APU & windscreens - all high in demand pieces and unique easily separable units - they are popular to acquire from scrap yards. Then come the flight controls {very messy}, seats {especially economy class}, black box recorders {easy enough}. Most of everything else is by weight.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by slicvic

There used to be a Hyderabad - Mumbai route with a 747. Wonder if it still exists.

Maybe you could try flying that since you have no International travels planned

I believe the route still exists, I spotted one a few months back if I remember correctly.

Here is a Air India 747-400 VT-ESO at Hyderabad airport about a year back, hopefully services should resume soon.



Also a model of the same plane

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Most of everything else is by weight.

So, fuselage is scrapped by weight, wiring is junked and everything else is reused/recycled?

Given that most newer aircrafts are made up of "composite materials", can they be recycled as well? Also, everything on the aircraft is made for a certain life, isn't it. Either flying hours, no. of takeoff/landing or time lapsed. How can parts be used beyond aircraft retirement then?

[Durango Dude]

The first time I flew in the 747 was from Penang to Manila, we (my Uncle, Aunt and myself) were on a conducted tour to SE Asia way back in 1979, I guess, I was doing second year in college. That was my first international vacation and the second time I flew in an airplane. I was just bowled over to fly by the 747B as that was the big thing then. I don't have photos as it was the film era and I carried my dad's Zeiss Ikon film camera, I remember.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

So, fuselage is scrapped by weight, wiring is junked and everything else is reused/recycled?

Given that most newer aircrafts are made up of "composite materials", can they be recycled as well? Also, everything on the aircraft is made for a certain life, isn't it. Either flying hours, no. of takeoff/landing or time lapsed. How can parts be used beyond aircraft retirement then?

Wiring, small part hydraulics, piping - all those thin long thingies are not parts you want to buy second hand and get re-certified. Not worth the hassle & cost. One exception is the air-con system and its trunking. The metal is broken mainly into aluminium, steel, copper and titanium and recycled accordingly. The composites as of now cannot be recycled to best of my knowledge. Big problem. Till 10 years ago aircraft coming in for end of life dismantling had very little by way of composites - these were machines built up to say 1985 and before. But now there is flood and OEMs are trying to work with re-cyclers on how to (i) tackle this from an environment point of view; and (ii) to prevent re-badged composite parts surreptitiously re-entering the second hand parts market. Flaps, ailerons, spoilers often get re-checked and re-certified if found fit. But for example you'd never reuse a wing spar!

Older aircraft, like 747-200, Tristar, A310 etc about 50%, after the engines ,could be recycled. A modern A320 is designed from day one to have a much higher recyclable component. How exactly that is so I don't know.

Yes all things are certified for a life. Let's take an example. Over its 25 or 30 year life that particular aircraft would have had an engine change , a landing gear change, an air-con unit change, - in all cases old or new. So when the aircraft comes in many parts are on a different cycle. Also some parts can be zero-houred at the workshop.

PS: I have never parted an aircraft. So all the above is only my lay knowledge. Normally on these aviation threads I stay within the boundaries of stuff I know first hand. Not the case in this one.

[ask_017]

Originally Posted by slicvic

There used to be a Hyderabad - Mumbai route with a 747. Wonder if it still exists.

Maybe you could try flying that since you have no International travels planned

Cochin-Jeddah is also serviced by the 747 I believe. During the floods of 2018 when all flight operations from COK were shifted to TRV, had seen this service take off from here.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by slicvic

There used to be a Hyderabad - Mumbai route with a 747. Wonder if it still exists.

Maybe you could try flying that since you have no International travels planned

In 2019 after the collapse of Jet Airways, AI flew their widebodies (777 & 747) on domestic routes:

https://simpleflying.com/air-india-d...c-747-flights/
https://livefromalounge.boardingarea...-india-routes/

Even though I was travelling a lot during that time, it never clicked for me . Now I feel I should have tried harder.

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

The composites as of now cannot be recycled to best of my knowledge. Big problem.

Check how difficult it is to recycle windmill blades. Add to that that those are too big to dispose off in a landfill. Guess modern aeroplanes will have the same problem.

Regards
Sutripta

[Satish Pari]

Was lucky to have flown the jumbo on various occasions. The first time was when we were returning from Rome to Bombay in 1984 and it was on a Qantas Jumbo which was on its way to Australia with a stopover in Bombay. The second time was when we were returning from JFK to Delhi via London. It is was in 1987 and we were lucky to have been upgraded to Business Class for free on Air India. The experience was amazing and the food was also good. The third time was in 1989 when we flew the jumbo from KL to LAX on Malaysian Airlines via NRT. And the return to KL from LAX was also on a jumbo. The fourth time was in 1996 when we flew the jumbo from Rome to JFK and the return to Rome from JFK was also on a Alitalia jumbo. The fifth time on jumbo was in 1999 from KL to LHR and return journey in 2000 from LHR to KL by a Malaysian airline jumbo. My last journey on a jumbo was from Frankfurt to Bombay on Lufthansa in 2001. My dad who is a frequent flyer still prefers the Jumbo over other aircraft as the sheer size and design outshines all - just his personal opinion. Hoping to get a chance once again to take the jumbo before they are phased out.

[ArjunPadmakumar]

The Coronavirus Pandemic while proving to be a disaster for aviation, has shown the importance of point to point model of aviation in hard times, unlike the hub and spoke model which has been proven to be more efficient by airlines like Emirates, Singapore Airlines and even budget carriers like Air Asia during better times. This meant that the rarer ultra long haul jets were put into long haul routes with quick turnaround and often visiting uncharted territories and over unconventional air routes.A lot of countries have been under pressure to rescue their citizens stuck abroad and now suddenly due to the lack of intermediate airports (as almost all major Hubs are closed to passenger traffic)

Some interesting movements involving rarer planes,

This rare a340-300 flew a long way over Antarctica to bring back Australian citizens stuck in Montevideo in south america after a Antarctic cruise.

https://simpleflying.com/hi-fly-antarctica/

Lufthansa operated a dozen flights from New Zealand to Germany on the large quad-jets a380s and a mix of b747-400s and -800s. This is the first time in 40 years Lufthansa operated to new Zealand. Sadly for some of these a380s and all b747-400s, Lufthansa plans to send them to storage and probably retire them after these flights due to the upcoming crisis in aviation.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/...ectid=12324060

UK operated direct flights from several Indian cities to London, some of which(Kochi and Trivandrum) were probably first direct flights to London.

https://www.businesstoday.in/current...ry/400676.html

With our own Government getting increasing pleas and pressure to rescue our citizens stuck abroad,we might see ultra long haul action to Los Angeles and other east coast cities operated by our own Air India B777 200 LR which is the king of non-stop travel able to easily fly Los Angeles-India routes.



Requesting mods to move post to appropriate thread if necessary, thank you

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by ArjunPadmakumar

The Coronavirus Pandemic while proving to be a disaster for aviation, has shown the importance of point to point model of aviation in hard times, unlike the hub and spoke model which has been proven to be more efficient by airlines like Emirates, Singapore Airlines and even budget carriers like Air Asia during better times.

Sorry but you cant compare point to point, hub spoke or any other model to what is happening in an emergency like this. These different models take in hundreds of different parameters.

Currently, it is all about getting as many people out as quickly as you can. Safety is still a concern and nobody would compromise on that. But nothing else matters really.

It is not about running a profitable business at all, it is about getting as many people home as quickly as possible, safely. So what you are doing is the proverbial pear and apple comparison. You can compare anything you like, but is it relevant? Can we make come to any practical conclussions on how to optimise the various models when the world returns to normal?

Jeroen

[Jeroen]

The 747 Jumbo is being phased out, mostly passenger versions.

Cargoversions will ply the skies for probably decades to come.

But there is another, lesser known 747 - 400 version. A highly modified version, capable of some very impressive fire fighting. Have a look at this:

Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-pC...ature=youtu.be

Jeroen

[ChiragM]

Boeing Co (BA.N) and suppliers set the final number of parts it would need for the 747 jumbo jet program at least a year ago, signaling the end for a plane that democratized global air travel in the 1970s but fell behind modern twin-engine aircraft, industry sources said on Friday.

Boeing’s “Queen of the Skies”, the world’s most easily recognized jetliner with its humped fuselage and four engines, marked its 50-year flying anniversary in February 2019, clinging to life thanks to a cargo market boom fueled by online shopping.

But the end for the program has been hanging in the air for years amid falling orders and pricing pressure. The coronavirus pandemic has also crushed passenger travel and demand for new jets.

The last order for a passenger version came in 2017, when the U.S. government asked Boeing to repurpose two 747-8 jetliners for use as Air Force One by the U.S. president.

Boeing declined to confirm that it was pulling the plug on the 747 program, first reported by Bloomberg News on Thursday.

“At a build rate of 0.5 airplanes per month, the 747-8 program has more than two years of production ahead of it in order to fulfill our current customer commitments,” a Boeing spokesman said.

“We will continue to make the right decisions to keep the production line healthy and meet customer needs,” he added.

The death of the 747 program could also mean charges and layoffs for halting production at the mammoth wide-body plant outside Seattle. It could also have financial implications on newer programs such as the 787 Dreamliner and the latest model of 777, which would have to bear a larger share of the plant’s huge overhead if the 747 line went dark.

One supplier source said he was not sure when Boeing made a formal decision to end the program but said the final number of ship sets - as complete sets of parts are known - was agreed to with the supply base at least a year ago.

Boeing has also removed language from financial filings that said it would continue to “evaluate the viability” of the 747 program, which one industry source said was a tell-tale sign of its plans.

Source