rotornut
31st Oct 2004, 19:41
Toronto Star
Oct. 31, 2004. 10:03 AM
Last of the 747s
Thirty-four years after Air Canada unveiled her in Montreal, the storied “Queen of the Skies” is surrendering her crown
RICK WESTHEAD
BUSINESS REPORTER
With an 80-metre fuselage, room for 500 passengers and a tail that soared six stories, it didn't take long for the Boeing 747 jumbo jet to become known as "Queen of the Skies."
Thirty-four years after a crowd of 66,000 attended the unveiling in Montreal of Air Canada's first 747, the carrier has decided it's time for the queen to surrender her crown.
Following today's Air Canada flight from Toronto to Montreal, the airline will retire its final 747, marking the closure of a noteworthy chapter in the company's 67-year history.
"It was a big, gentle giant," said Donald Quistberg, 71, one of the first Air Canada pilots to fly the 747. "It was controllable in turbulence, comfortable and was just an incredible airplane."
Many modern-day aircraft have storied histories.
When Boeing created its first passenger jet, the 707, a test pilot became an industry legend for performing a barrel roll. In 1983, an Air Canada pilot made international headlines for coaxing a Boeing 767 into a safe landing after the plane ran out of gas and glided to a runway in Gimli, Manitoba.
The 747 has its own noteworthy history.
In 1965, after Boeing lost a bidding war to build a new giant military jet, the Seattle-based plane maker decided to devise a jetliner capable of flying up to 500 passengers overseas in style.
In 1966 Pan American World Airways placed an initial $550 million (U.S.) order for 25 747s, advising Boeing's 4,500-member engineering team that it wanted a plane that could boast two complete passenger decks.
Pan Am also wanted the jet to feature an 800-pound window in the aircraft's nosecone, so passengers at the front of the plane might enjoy the same sightlines as the flight crew.
But besides the weight issue — the 800 pounds represented two paying customers and their baggage — Boeing also grappled with the prospect of upset passengers.
"The sight of takeoffs and landings could have been upsetting for some passengers," said Joe Sutter, who led the design team for the 747 and was later granted honorary fellowship in Britain's prestigious Royal Aeronautical Society.
Boeing spared no expense in developing a landmark jet.
"We looked at everything, onboard libraries, lounges, bars and hairdressing salons," Sutter said. Boeing even considered installing some 747s with movie theatres complete with three tiers of seating.
Three years after Pan Am placed its order, with daily expenses for the project reaching $6 million, the first 747 flight took place on Feb. 9, 1969.
But there were problems.
Flight tests revealed the 747's engines weren't powerful enough for the weighty plane. The setback became a near-fatal flaw for Boeing, which at one point had 30 planes on hand that couldn't be delivered. With no money coming in from the sale of the jets, Boeing nearly folded.
The engine troubles, however, soon were solved and more orders for the 747 came tumbling in as rival carriers moved to counter Pan Am's attempts to dominate lucrative international routes.
Air Canada received its first three 747-100s in the spring of 1971.
Dennis Giguere, a retired Air Canada pilot from Winnipeg, remembered taking his parents to a Vancouver airplane hanger in 1971 to see a 747.
"The stairs to the cockpit went up four storeys," Giguere said. "My mother asked how it got there. She just couldn't believe that something that big could fly."
For about a year after taking delivery of its first three 747s, Air Canada used the top level of the jet as a bar and lounge for first-class passengers.
Flight attendants dressed in pink lamé wide-legged slacks and fitted jackets poured scotch and water — the favourite drink of the day — and played music on eight-track players.
"It was all very gracious," said Heather Tregaskes, a 54-year-old Air Canada flight attendant who worked in the lounge. "We even had a mirrored wall and a dance floor, and sometimes stewardesses would even dance with customers."
But the party ended "when people figured they could make more money putting seats in there," said Quistberg, who retired in 1991 and now lives in White Rock, B.C.
The 747 model that Air Canada is retiring today is the 747-400, the jet's fourth incarnation. The model is still widely used by airlines around the world.
Still, if any Air Canada veterans get too wistful, Boeing is still accepting orders for the 747. The price tag: $180 million.
Oct. 31, 2004. 10:03 AM
Last of the 747s
Thirty-four years after Air Canada unveiled her in Montreal, the storied “Queen of the Skies” is surrendering her crown
RICK WESTHEAD
BUSINESS REPORTER
With an 80-metre fuselage, room for 500 passengers and a tail that soared six stories, it didn't take long for the Boeing 747 jumbo jet to become known as "Queen of the Skies."
Thirty-four years after a crowd of 66,000 attended the unveiling in Montreal of Air Canada's first 747, the carrier has decided it's time for the queen to surrender her crown.
Following today's Air Canada flight from Toronto to Montreal, the airline will retire its final 747, marking the closure of a noteworthy chapter in the company's 67-year history.
"It was a big, gentle giant," said Donald Quistberg, 71, one of the first Air Canada pilots to fly the 747. "It was controllable in turbulence, comfortable and was just an incredible airplane."
Many modern-day aircraft have storied histories.
When Boeing created its first passenger jet, the 707, a test pilot became an industry legend for performing a barrel roll. In 1983, an Air Canada pilot made international headlines for coaxing a Boeing 767 into a safe landing after the plane ran out of gas and glided to a runway in Gimli, Manitoba.
The 747 has its own noteworthy history.
In 1965, after Boeing lost a bidding war to build a new giant military jet, the Seattle-based plane maker decided to devise a jetliner capable of flying up to 500 passengers overseas in style.
In 1966 Pan American World Airways placed an initial $550 million (U.S.) order for 25 747s, advising Boeing's 4,500-member engineering team that it wanted a plane that could boast two complete passenger decks.
Pan Am also wanted the jet to feature an 800-pound window in the aircraft's nosecone, so passengers at the front of the plane might enjoy the same sightlines as the flight crew.
But besides the weight issue — the 800 pounds represented two paying customers and their baggage — Boeing also grappled with the prospect of upset passengers.
"The sight of takeoffs and landings could have been upsetting for some passengers," said Joe Sutter, who led the design team for the 747 and was later granted honorary fellowship in Britain's prestigious Royal Aeronautical Society.
Boeing spared no expense in developing a landmark jet.
"We looked at everything, onboard libraries, lounges, bars and hairdressing salons," Sutter said. Boeing even considered installing some 747s with movie theatres complete with three tiers of seating.
Three years after Pan Am placed its order, with daily expenses for the project reaching $6 million, the first 747 flight took place on Feb. 9, 1969.
But there were problems.
Flight tests revealed the 747's engines weren't powerful enough for the weighty plane. The setback became a near-fatal flaw for Boeing, which at one point had 30 planes on hand that couldn't be delivered. With no money coming in from the sale of the jets, Boeing nearly folded.
The engine troubles, however, soon were solved and more orders for the 747 came tumbling in as rival carriers moved to counter Pan Am's attempts to dominate lucrative international routes.
Air Canada received its first three 747-100s in the spring of 1971.
Dennis Giguere, a retired Air Canada pilot from Winnipeg, remembered taking his parents to a Vancouver airplane hanger in 1971 to see a 747.
"The stairs to the cockpit went up four storeys," Giguere said. "My mother asked how it got there. She just couldn't believe that something that big could fly."
For about a year after taking delivery of its first three 747s, Air Canada used the top level of the jet as a bar and lounge for first-class passengers.
Flight attendants dressed in pink lamé wide-legged slacks and fitted jackets poured scotch and water — the favourite drink of the day — and played music on eight-track players.
"It was all very gracious," said Heather Tregaskes, a 54-year-old Air Canada flight attendant who worked in the lounge. "We even had a mirrored wall and a dance floor, and sometimes stewardesses would even dance with customers."
But the party ended "when people figured they could make more money putting seats in there," said Quistberg, who retired in 1991 and now lives in White Rock, B.C.
The 747 model that Air Canada is retiring today is the 747-400, the jet's fourth incarnation. The model is still widely used by airlines around the world.
Still, if any Air Canada veterans get too wistful, Boeing is still accepting orders for the 747. The price tag: $180 million.