I will feel very sad when the Jumbo is retired... *sniff* Just the talk of it makes me sad. I think it is a gorgeous plane and seems to handle very very stably.
Are there any pilots who have flown the Jumbo (and maybe the A340) who can tell me how these birds differ in their handling? I think this may be a rarity - to fly two heavies from competitors - but if there are any out there who have at least flown the Jumbo - say the 747-200 or -400 who can tell me if it is as stable and easy to control as I feel it is. My conclusions are from some forum postings and also some damn good products I have as "add-ons" to my Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 which, contrary to what some of you "non-simmers" may believe, has more realistic flight dynamics than one may expect from a desktop simulator.
The 747 is my favourite "fish" (I call the planes fish, not birds...go figure - I guess it's because of their slippery and smooth appearance and shiny bodies, more like what a fish looks like.) I find it handles like a dream, compared to the other planes I've flown.
John