Adios, Queen of the Sky!

[VeeEffAre]

Flew back from USA (IAD I think...) on a BA747 with a gold nose and gold-trimmed livery, because on it's previous rotation, it had been abroad to pick up Team GB from another record-setting Olympic performance (literally the previous day - it couldn't have been anywhere inbetween). Not a great trip from pax point of view - the cabin showed every sign of some serious partying having gone on, and quite a lot of 'fair wear and tear' seemed to have accumulated. But great atmosphere, and the cabin crew did their very best to make up for minor deficiencies like inop IFE in some seats..

[n5296s]

Maybe the dismantlers will save a BA example or part of one for display? Not an easy task in our UK climate to ‘preserve

The nose section (up to the first partition, with an external staircase) of an ex-United 747 is preserved at San Carlos, just south of SFO. That includes a typical mid-90s first class cabin. When my daughter saw it she couldn't believe it... "THIS is first... no way, looks more like economy plus".

[treadigraph]

Originally Posted by n5296s

The nose section (up to the first partition, with an external staircase) of an ex-United 747 is preserved at San Carlos, just south of SFO. That includes a typical mid-90s first class cabin. When my daughter saw it she couldn't believe it... "THIS is first... no way, looks more like economy plus".

Hiller Museum? Great place to visit...

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by Seat4A

A couple of additional bits

Video clip here from

https://twitter.com/RAFRed1/status/1314119180782796805

​​​​​​​

Video clip here from 2019 ?

[Gipsy Queen]

I first saw this amazing aircraft land at LHR on a very cold January day, fifty years ago.
I have enjoyed flying on it many times since.
I am not ashamed to say that I have shed a tear or two, watching the final, depressingly sad departures. That they ghosted into IMC seemed strangely appropriate.
Vale, Queen of the Skies.

[Seat4A]

Originally Posted by DaveReidUK

Video clip here from 2019 ?

The tweet date and post time was Oct 8 2020. If a previous tweet is re-posted, it usually identifies the original date - or the poster does. Oddly, even BA Twitter replied to it. I scrolled through many of the replies and did not see a mention. Apologies if it was 2019.

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by Seat4A

The tweet date and post time was Oct 8 2020. If a previous tweet is re-posted, it usually identifies the original date - or the poster does. Oddly, even BA Twitter replied to it. I scrolled through many of the replies and did not see a mention. Apologies if it was 2019.

It's the BOAC retro scheme (and the weather!) that's the giveaway - that aircraft made its final flight in June of this year.

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by Craggenmore

When did BA actually last fly a Pax operation on their 747's?

The last non-positioning flights were a handful of LHR/Cape Town rotations at the beginning of June.

[TCU]

Originally Posted by DaveReidUK

The last non-positioning flights were a handful of LHR/Cape Town rotations at the beginning of June.

4th June to be precise. G-CIVP operating repatriation flight BA9114 (some flight tracker sites logged the flights as BA58) from Cape Town - London. Fights operated during the day, departing CPT at 11.05 (local) and arriving LHR 22.15 (local). As far as I am aware, the old girls performed faultlessly and indeed my flight on 27th (VO) was swept home 45 minutes early thanks to a prompt departure and favourable winds

'VO and 'VP did these 7 flights from Cape Town between 23rd May and 4th June. The JNB expats had to do with an A380!

Never have I been more pleased to see a BA747-436 at the gate ready to take my family and me back to Blighty

[GeeRam]

If they were going preserve one, it should have been the one that nabbed the trans-atlantic record from Virgin half hour after they set it in Feb with those monster jet stream tailwinds.

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by TCU

4th June to be precise. G-CIVP operating repatriation flight BA9114 (some flight tracker sites logged the flights as BA58) from Cape Town - London.

Yes, the six rotations in May/June used the regular BAW59/BAW58L ATC callsigns, but the actual flight numbers were BA9159P outbound (positioning) and BA9114 inbound, hence the flight trackers' confusion.

[Skipness One Foxtrot]

Speedbird TV's "exclusive" that G-CIVB is being preserved at Kemble is wishful thinking, isn't it?

[Fris B. Fairing]

Originally Posted by GeeRam

If they were going preserve one, it should have been the one that nabbed the trans-atlantic record from Virgin half hour after they set it in Feb with those monster jet stream tailwinds.

G-BDXH The Galunggung Glider would have been more deserving of preservation.

[SpringHeeledJack]

G-BDXH The Galunggung Glider would have been more deserving of preservation.

That would have made a great museum exhibit, no doubt it's been scrapped by now though...

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by SpringHeeledJack

That would have made a great museum exhibit, no doubt it's been scrapped by now though...

Though it did briefly become a glider in the process.

[GeeRam]

Originally Posted by SpringHeeledJack

That would have made a great museum exhibit, no doubt it's been scrapped by now though...

Yep, broken up and scrapped at Bournemouth in the summer of 2009.

[Preon]

Originally Posted by Fris B. Fairing

G-BDXH The Galunggung Glider would have been more deserving of preservation.

‘XH ‘the glider’
the flight deck section is listed as belonging to the South Wales Aircraft collection

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by Preon

the flight deck section is listed as belonging to the South Wales Aircraft collection

And the rest of the airframe, melted down, went towards producing 10,000 of these:

[megan]

The 747 still lives, well the wings and tail plane at least.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/747_Wing_House