Originally Posted by
WHBM
Back to the old 747-100. Both TWA and Pan Am scheduled it nonstop daily on London to Los Angeles/San Francisco. BA refused to do so believing it to be beyond reliable 747 range at that time, no BA 747s to LAX until the first -200/RRs came along (I was on the first week's operation). The two US carriers departed Heathrow in the early afternoon, and were more than a little concern to ATC on warm summer days, especially if they were on easterlies going out over solid built-up areas. I wonder if the FE had any procedures they were standing by to implement if they got an engine failure at this stage. Pan Am were more than once referred to as a "Hedge Clipper" on what passed for a climbout, while TWA going off 9R (probably 10R then) were said to be "departing via the Piccadilly Line".
I recall one airline (don't know which) used to file the FPL to somewhere like Seattle or Chicago with SFO/LAX as alternate in the hope they might have enough fuel to 'divert' to California after crossing the ocean.