Flying one of the oldest 737s in the world
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- Опубликовано: 29 фев 2024
- In this 4th video of the Venezuela series Gabe has two days left in Caracas to track down an active 737-200 and fly on it. Here's what happened next - a very fun day flying to Porlamar (Margarita Island) with Venezolana.
With subtitles in English and Spanish! Find them in the settings button!
The other Venezuela videos:
Part 1: • Chasing the elusive 73...
Part 2: • A Venezuelan 737-200 g...
Part 3: • Avior pilot training, ...
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#venezuela #venezolana #737200
Finally, Captain Ahab's quest for the “white whale” comes true. The one irony that I noticed on the first flight was that the plane could have been the oldest commercial aircraft in the world with the youngest FO in the flight deck right seat.
We are all happy for Gabriel. Thanks - Jim
He needs his own channel, Gabriel!
@@t.p.mckenna I actually have one! Click my handle to see what I've been publishing there! Many thanks to you both.
Wow; Co-pilot at the age of 21!
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
And on a classic bird the 732 he will never forget it! 😅
@@Calebs_Aviation That's such a flex!
He’s living his dream
Wish I lived in a country live that sometimes. Would be nearly impossible if impossible to do that at 21 in the U.S.
You need to be 21 to even have your ATP license in the U.S.
Definitely envious of him though, I’ll be there in a couple of years… on a E-175 though…😂
As a retired airline pilot I can tell you my favourite aircraft to fly will always be the B737-200.
Don't you love those target type thrust reversers on landing. Just crack reverse and you've got bags of aerodynamic drag.
How about the Boeing 720B ? Cheers!
@@LectronCircuits never flew 720B although I did fly B707
737-200 is just a light twin The 727 was where it was at.
Still has those small cockpit windows at the top, that you are supposed to use for stellar navigation. Amazing!
I noticed that too! Very interesting
It was in 737-200 and 727’s
They were on the early 737NG as well.
Eyebrow windows!
@@MM-tt7hy Yes you can still see the plug outline on some of them.
Loved the conversation with the pilots in the cockpit in Spanish! This content is so, so cool! 🙌
I was listening to them like i understood every damn word, but honestly i didn't 😂 but pilots are cool.
@@csch92 Hehe there are subtitles you can turn on!
Que excelente video y un maravilloso recuerdo de ,"La Chancha" 737/200 así la llamábamos en Argentina. Tuve el placer de ser tripulante de cabina en ese avión desde 1973 que volaba también el Avro 748 hasta 1978 que pasé a volar 707.
Mi carrera luego continuó con A310. B747/200, B747SP, B747/400 y A340/200 y 300. Para jubilarme en 2008.
Magníficos recuerdos de mi querida Aerolineas Argentinas. Y los hermosos vuelos y estadías en Caracas.
La Bella Venezuela.
Muchísimas gracias por este sensacional video.
guauuuu gran recorrido el tuyo, pasaste por todos los modelos, abrazos
Nolinor in Canada operates 200s C-GNLE and C-GNLK, both older than this plane (1975 and 1974 respectively).
Air Inuit lists C-GMAI that is around the same age as the one in the video (it's actually 3 days older lol).
There is also C-GAIG that is 44 years old.
@@nicolaslessard6073 True, but I'm only listing 1978 and before, as the one in the video is 45.
The guy is clueless
me when I ignore the phrase “one of”
@@user-ny9mt1yr8u still dc3's in scheduled passenger service from Wwii in northern canada
21 years old and flying the 737-200. I am jealous but also happy with my 777 at 23. Awesome that you finally managed to fly on the -200. :)
Increíble, tengo 43 años soy Piltoto Comercial desde los 25 años pero en mi país (Argentina) como Piloto Comercial, No sos nada. Tenes que hacer el quintuple de carrera que haría cualquier piloto en otro país. Ya que aca piden la Lic de Piloto Comercial de Primera Clase (que no existe en ninguna parte del mundo!) como requisito mínimo para una linea area, a parte de ingles ICAO, lic de radio operador, avion multimotor y todo lo que quieran sumarle. Y cuando llegaste a esa licencia con sudor y lagrimas eres un viejo y ya no te toma nadie. En el extranjero, como latinoamerica toman gente nativa mas frecuentemente y en el resto del mundo piden la FAA o EASA, licencias que revalidar que te salen un platal en dólares o Euros. Es una carrera fascinante y me gusta y me gustara por siempre. Lastima que en mi pais no veo una segmentación y orden de prioridad correcta de pilotos. La principal via es el acomodo, palanca o como quieran llamarlo. Y ahora también una nueva: si sos mujer o transgénero tenes mas chances para completar la “falta de igualdad” de oportunidades que es una falacia hipócrita, cuando hay miles de excelentes pilotos del genero que sea que siguen en la calle sin poder cumplir su sueño.
The only one aircraft I have ever obsessed over was the Lockheed L-1011. Unfortunately not 1 survives as a passenger airliner today but I will always remember the power of flying on it.
There's one sitting in the middle of a market in Bangkok, non-operable of course.
@@jeremynewcombe3422 i would fly to thailand just to see that with my own eyes
The L-1011 was a very nice plane that feeling to me is a 707 love that plane just as much!
@@aussiegarbo752 Yeah, you would take your seat and out taxi out. There was almost no noise, but as soon as you’re back, pressured against the seat, and you became airborne, you knew you were on a special aircraft. Long live America’s greatest jetliner.
Flew them more than a few times down to MIA on EA thru flights to Caribbean when I worked on the Eastern Airlines advertising account. Very spacious interior. Distinctive hum and vibration on takeoff. Nice...
In Honduras there's also a Boeing 737-200 currently flying. It is operated by the airline AVIATSA, registered as HR-MRZ. It is 41 years old and still going strong. It's very common that on Sundays they fly Tegucigalpa (Toncontin Airport MHTG/TGU) to Roatan Island (MHRO/RTB) and back to Tegucigalpa.
I actually commented about the same aircraft in another video, HR-MRZ is just an outstanding aircraft. And the combination of both airport’s and aircraft can’t be found anywhere else but in Honduras these days.
The migration checks (even for national arrivals) are there because Margarita Island (actually the whole Nueva Esparta state) is a special tax free zone. (Puerto Libre / Zona franca)
Apart from that, the checks are also for crime prevention like kidnapping. It’s pretty common in Venezuela that you can get checked crossing state borders but margarita always has been a special one.
So great to follow you on this journey! Happy that you made it, following that white whale!
Here in Miami there’s MD82s and 737-2s that regularly fly. Nice to see them still in the air.
And DC-8s cargo series 73 based here in Miami
Since I was Airline staff, I got offloaded in Caracas back in 1994 off a KLM MD11 flight from Aruba, via Caracas to Amsterdam. There I stood with my wife all by ourselves at 21:00:at night watching the KLM flight taking off. Airport staff advised us to remain in transit so that we would not get robbed. We decided to fly back via the US, in order to catch a flight with the company I used to work for. So early next morning, after not having slept the entire night we managed to buy full fare ticket to Miami with Avensa for only 30 USD a person. The aircraft happened to be a very old former Lufthansa 737-100, still with some German text on the walls here and there. The aircraft was only half full and the flight was uneventful except that the interior was rattling a lot. It was an interesting flight since the crew was making some extra income by playing a bingo lottery almost the entire flight and only stopped once the gear was extracted just before landing in MIA. We were grateful that we departed Caracas unharmed and survived the Avensa flight back to the US. That was my last flight ever on a 737.
@@chamowinky You are correct, it was Avensa. I have corrected my text, thanks for pointing it out to me
Visited Margarita Island many times. My ex lives there. Flew on the Rutaca B732 a few times as well. Venezuela and it’s people are beautiful!
Fantastic! Love the 737-3xx engine sketch on the safety card... Remember flying on DC9 from Caracas to Porlamar in 1998, and Dash 7 from Porlamar to Los Roques. Back in time a DC-3 was in service between Caracas and Los Roques. You might want to check if it's still in service. Venezuela is hard to beat when it comes to classic aviation.
There are a few 737-200s flying for Nolinor in northern Canada that are older than this, for example C-GNLK, C-GNLE, C-GFCN :)
Great video, keep it up!
Yes. Something like half of all the world's 737-200s in active service are in Canada! See also Air Inuit, which operates scheduled services with 5 737-200s. (Nolinor and Chrono Aviation being charter airlines)
because of the older turbojet.. it doesnt hang as low as the turbofans (smaller diameter) so it ingests less gravel when it flies into the mines' gravel strips.
There are four DC-8s still in service N782SP built in 1969, N817NA also built in 1969, 9S-AJG built in 1969 as well and the 9S-AJO built in 1970. N330AU DC-10-30CF built in 1973. There are also 13 Lockheed L-188A Electras still flying in Canada registrations: C-FVFH, C-GZVM, C-FDTH, C-FBAQ, C-FZCS, C-GZCF, C-GXFC, C-FLJO, C-FLXT, C-GJTZ, C-GZFE, C-GHZI, C-FIJX, all built between 1958 and 1959. LOCKHEED L-1011 TRISTAR 100 registration N140SC is still flying around also
On a tour through the Yukon, Canada, we flew on a 737-200 from Dawson to Fairbanks, Alaska with an airline owned by the First Nation. Sketchy at best flying out of a short gravel runway mostly served by turbo prop aircraft. This was over 7 years ago and the airport in Dawson was scheduled for improvement and lengthing. Talking to pilots they said they have a special takeoff procedure to avoid injesting any FOD, i.e. gravel. All in all a very pleasant flight on this old bird.
I used to work in Britannia Airways Operations Department and we had 29 x B737-200 in the fleet. I flew on them regularly all over Europe and loved them. We also had a couple of freighters we did night time cargo flights with, so we used to fly on the jump seat when it was quiet in the winter time just to have a trip out. A great aircraft ... a real classic!
We use to use your maintenance facilities at EPA and Canadian Airlines. Always had a good experience at Britannia and loved Lutron.
My first ever flight was on one of yours - MAN-CFU in October 1987. I'll never forget it! Unfortunately I didn't take not of the reg. and, to this day, that 732 and the 767-200 I came home on are the ONLY commercial aircraft I've flown on that I haven't identified.
@@garybroadhurst3548 similar story here, first flight Summer '87 Manchester to Zakynthos on a Britannia 200. The one I flew on was sold to South America and subsequently crashed 😢
Same here. First flight was in about 1986 MAN-PMI on a BY 737-200. Ended up working as crew for BY on the 757 /762/763 and then spent 9 years flying the 737-300/500/800 as FO and then Capt.
Great aircraft to fly.
@@Nick-vp7lp
Like you Nick, 20 yrs with BY at Man base. 8,500 hrs on 737-200 then 762 and 752, ended up 763 with Royal Brunei - John Murray
The flight attendant 😍
u are ridiculous
@@northstar5934u are gay
She is a smoke show for sure
@@chipjumperhuh??
Venezolana 🔥🔥🔥
I flew on one of two that were being operated by America West back in 2003. I knew then that they were not going to be in service much longer and was happy to get to fly on one. The JT8D sounds so much better than the high bypass turbofans they use today.
Fantastic, I flew on the 200 as a kid for New Zealand back then it was NAC.. Thanks for the chance to re live the memory..
12:02 The China Eastern swim vest😂
😂😂😂😂
I noticed that, too. Funny how gear gets passed around!
And just before the label about life vests under the seats in French. Don't know where that comes from
Oh …I was a bit distracted at that time stamp😅
Also in French: The overwing exit sign.
There is a 737-200 operating for Nonlior registered as
C-GNLN It is in regular service and 40 years old!
and if I remember correctly, they've fitted it with a glass cockpit. The -200's could have a gravel kit, something that's essential for the gravel runways of the arctic region of Canada.
Yes they have 2 planes 732 in service now
Absolutely correct. The 200's with shortened passenger cabin in favor for the cargo hold.
I grew up in the 80's watching these things take off and land from the gate when you didn't need a ticket to wait there.
Love those high-pitch, screaming cigar shaped engines!
Good old times with much less regulations. Even taking a look at the pilot's cabin was a regular thing.. impissible these days tho
@@marianoorlando6736regulations are a good thing 😉
I'm an aircraft mechanic and it's always impressive to work on an aircraft which is more than twice as old as you are. So it's even more special to see such a young captain and 1st officer on such an old bird which has totally different challenges compared to a modern airliner. Nice catch these days to grab a flight on such an old lady. When I was a 6 year old kid, I've been on vacation with my parents from Germany to Tunesia and I flew on the 737-200 and the 727-200, both operated by Tunisair. Back then in the late 90s, it was possible to get access to the cockpit and the pilots were impressed that a kid is so interested in aviation, so they took me on the jumpseat for a while. I still remember that the flight engineer on the 727-200 (who was probabaly over 70 years old) allowed me to push the instrument panel test button that illuminated all the indicator lights. :D Great memories...
Nolinor still flies their 737-200. Nolinor is based in Canada, and the registration of the plane is C-GNLK. Amazung vid mate. Flight Radar is one of my favourite apps. Cheers from Australia!!!
That first officer looked about 17! There's a really good chance that aircraft is older than his parents!
I always loved the 732. My first ever flight was on one with the UK charter airline Britannia in 1987. I was so lucky, living in Manchester to ride on BA 737-200s several times a year, both to London and around Europe. A seat in about row 15 or 16 was always best - right next to the reverser. I'm so glad you sat at the back for the return trip. In Europe, Lufthansa and Air France 732s were quite easy to catch and I had one (twice) with Olympic too. My last one was with Sabena in February 2000.
My best EVER 737 experience though was when my Continental flight YYZ-EWR produced... a 737-100! N77204, delivered to Lufthansa in April 1968 and I flew her in October 1998, so she was "only" 30 years old.
He said in Spanish he is 21
I don't have much details, but... The 737-"200s" are the workhorses for Canadian airlines flying up north, they usually fly them as half pax/half cargo.
Check it out !!! 🇨🇦
I used to fly the 737-200 for a few years in Laos, s.e Asia, this video bring back memories!
Southwest FA here! I remember those seats and when you went into that lav, I had a blast from the past 😂 The miles of caulking, the smell, they were awful 😂 Those little 200s were workhorses though and we miss them! Great video 😊
Those seats look like this is an ex SWA jet.
Back in 2001, I had the pleasure of flying on Delta Express from Indianapolis to Orlando and a return flight. Delta Express was Delta’s attempt a recreating the success of Southwest Airlines by using their old 737-200 fleet. We flew on N247WA (former Western Airlines on the way down (delivery date 12/86) and N319DL on the way back (delivery date 11/84). On the flight down, one of the P&W’s was being difficult and the pilots announced that engine 2 was not cooperating and were about to do a cross bleed start. I look over and a guy with his wife is turning purple freaking out. I gestured to him that it was ok and the engine fired up and 2:10 minutes later we were at MCO. After the flight, the first officer let my 2 year old son up in the cockpit and he showed him the fight controls. We got some amazing pictures. Great aircraft!
Wow! What an awesome treat to see inside a 737 200! Fabulous pilots and seeing the cockpit instruments. Oh thank you for this wonderful video. Hope you catch another one soon xx 31:02
Had no idea you could speak Spanish fluently, you're very good Gabriel! What an amazing video you guys have made; you must feel incredible after finally catching that ride on the -200. We have multiple affectionate nicknames here in Latin America for these like "Chanchito" in Chile and Argentina, "Camastron" in Venezuela and "Mojarra" in Colombia and we will surely miss them when they're no longer around. Here in Colombia we have only 2 remaining and they're both freighters, a 1981 and a 1984 built. Fun fact, the latter had an incident a couple years ago where it struck some trees and lost an engine after a very long takeoff roll but managed to safely return to the airport and it's still going strong with Aerosucre till this day. Amazing video again and thank you for all the content!
Nolinor Aviation of Canada still flies the Boeing 737-200 (C-GNLK) - another beaut and a strong 49 years of age! Wish I could fly in one of these classics one day! Love your video!
I flew on an Air Philippines B732 in 2009. It was a really short 40 minute flight to Camarines Sur. The reversers is what had stuck with me - the entire clamshell opening up, and forming a bucket around the JT3D. Memories…
In 1986 my first flight ever was on a B737-200 of Lufthansa from Munich to Paris. Nice short flight to get used to flying, in good weather. Good memories.
Beyond cool. Now about to be 40, I am really really regretting never figuring out how to get myself on a 747-400. Huge regret. Chasing down a classic like this and finally getting to fly on it must feel awesome.
Been following your hunt recently. Nice that you got to see the engine buckets on your return.
As for old aircraft flying commercially, I can think of Buffalo Airlines in Canada that still flies a DC-3 return from Hay River to Yellow Knife daily. That plane was there in WW2 on D Day in 1944.
The Canadian -200s (Nolinor etc) were mentioned below. There is also Buffalo Airways with their C47s, C46s and L188s, not to mention their "new" 737-300. All cargo though.
-200's are very popular with remote mining companies as you can fit gravel kits allowing them to operate on unpaved surfaces. Seen one being installed in a facility in North Carolina.
Here in Brazil there is a company that flies a couple 727s one of them is PR-TTO which is from 1976, at more that 47 years old! Congrats for the video
She was originally Frontier and then United. Was stored/wfu 2001 - 2011 so most have had major overhaul after this storage! Nice video.😁
Fascinated how you're spending time in my country, knowing the airlines and the aircraft we've got here, I guess you've been knowing a bit the country and the places you've been visiting, I hope you're enjoying your stay here :D
20:46 I searched fr24 for some old gems and found this:
73-1677 from USAF (from 1973)
N794AJ from Zero G (from 1976)
C-GNLE from Nolinor (from 1975)
C-GNLK from Nolinor (from 1947)
I hope this is enough and that all of them compleate the criteria.
C-GNLK in 1974. Got your digits reversed.
@@noodlebumperoh, sorry, my bad
The 200 was on my ever first flight GOT-LHR with BA back in 1985. Was behind the nice reversers. Tack för din filmer!
Awesome! 😎
Love the unbridled happiness. Lovely crew.
My diary tells me I had 21 flights on B732s, mostly BA but the odd one on Lufthansa, Malaysian, Sabena, Air France up to 1992, and one last flight in 2008 on Aerogal in Ecuador.
Those pilots are such cool and nice guys. Love my venezolanos 🇻🇪❤️
Do you support Maduro?
Don't involve politics here
@@danilvanlaethem9463 I do if I want, and you should do instead of being condescending with terrorists...
He finally did it!!!! The elusive 732! The engines are so tiny and cute. 😁
Great airplane I was lucky to fly on Ryanair’s from Dublin to Manchester many times. So glad you got to fly on one another dream achieved ✈️✈️
Hi Flightradar! On a holiday in Cornwall, I flew on the Isle of Scilly Skybus from Lands End Airport, to St Marys in the Scilly Isles. My flight was on (now 44 year old) De Havilland DHC-6-300 with registration G-ISSG. It first flew in December 1977
So awesome! A couple years ago my wife took me to the Delta museum for my birthday where I had the privilege of flying the 737-200 class d full motion flight simulator, and it was amazing! Great video!
6:56 Seeing this 737-200 with those Eyebrow Windows 🤤 That many years difference and I just flew Alaska “N302AS”. A 737-900 delivered in 2003 with Eyebrows. Can’t beat the JT8D sound though
Éxito.....al fin lograste estar en un 737-200, tuve la oportunidad de estar en 737-200 desde Maracaibo hasta Porlamar con la línea aérea Conviasa hace como 12 años atrás y fue una experiencia inolvidable.
12:18 Oh that sound!, some many memories 😍😪
Stunning flight attendants ❤
A pure treat to the eyes, satisfaction to the heart just watching this classic airframe.....thanks bro...
Love the engine noise! Gives me old Diesel-9 vibes and memories 🥹
Both the DC-9 and the B737-200 are powered by the same engines.
@@jacobtapianieto9655 i know. Thank you.
Awesome video! Congratulations on scoring the ride on this classic bird, which first flew when I was a high school senior. I’m 64 now!
First time I was told about the Flightradar app in 2022, I was hooked on planespotting! I flew as passenger mostly on US Air 737-x back in the day. Great Venezolana B737-200 white whale video. Thank you Flightradar24 - amazing!😊 ✈ 👏
Ahhhhhh brings back memories….back in the day when Boeings came with all their nuts and bolts lol. Glad that you found your 737-200. Love your vids Gabriel!
Fantastic trip Gabriel, thanks for taking us along.
Sitting in the back side of This classic plane and hear and see the reverse thrust, is something unique, something that only the B732 can or could give us, this beautiful experience, what a pity the time took it way of the map, it was a beautiful plane, i love all Boeing 737 version, greetings from an Angolan lost somewhere in this world.
Guess what? I just tracked down a vintage Nolinor Boeing 737, born in the disco era of 1976, sporting the tag C-GNLN. This beauty spread its wings for the last time on January 3rd this year, cruising from Rankin Inlet to Montreal. But you know what really revs my engines? The 1981 Airbus A300B2 from Iran Air, a true blast from my birth year! Kudos on snagging your White Whale! Your videos are a total joyride-keep 'em coming!
The co pilot looked about 16 years old 😂
I had the opportunity to fly many times in this model of airplane (and I don't know if it will be the model with which I flew the most, since when I was a boy, I traveled a lot by plane, and now not so much), and with at least four types of interiors, and also in the combies (which were used only for passengers) which at that time stood out for having automatic stairs in the rear door (the other models had the door in the front).
I always liked traveling behind the wing (row 14 or 15), because I loved seeing how the turbines "opened" when landing; only twice did I travel ahead.
Thank you for sharing this memory with us.
Great watch thanks!
Some older aircrafts still in operation are:
Argentinian Airforce (EAS service)
Not 100% sure if they still operate but until very recently the Primera Brigada Aerea (1st Air Brigade) of the Argentinian Airforce operated 2 Fokker F28-1000C Fellowships on “essential air service routes” that could be booked by civilians.
F28-1000C Reg: TC-52 S/N 11074 in operation since 1973
F28-1000C Reg: TC-53 S/N 11020 in operation since 1970
Nolinor Aviation
B737-200 C-GNLK AC S/N 20836 in operation since 1974
B737-200 C-GNLE AC S/N 21011 in operation since 1975
Would be great if you can secure a flight on the F28!
So happy for you! You finally did it! Great plane great engines!
Thanx for the great video. Nice to see one of these old birds still flying and I hope they continue,. Here in New Zealand the National Airways Corp (Later Air NZ) bought 8 737- 200 in 1968 and retired them in 1978. I remember flying on these . The airline fitted hush kits to them to try and quite them down but not 100% successful. Replaced with later 737 versions which are now all gone and replace with Airbus A320 and 321 aircraft.
Great that you got to do it. Considering my flights were in DC3:s, Super Connies, Corvairs and DC10 and L1011 you were flying a future plane in my book.
I really enjoyed seeing that -200. When you board in Margarita you can see the service bulletin that takes place to reinforce the lap joints and butt seams. The Aloha Airlines service bulletin is what we call it. The airline my company does work for recently retired a plane to avoid doing the SB
Simply fantastic!! I remember flying on Varig and Vasp 737-200s in the eighties and nineties. Very nice video!!
@Flightradar24 there are only 4 active commercial aircrafts older than YV3471. All of them are 737-200s in Nolinor Aviation and Air Inuit fleets: C-GNLK (49.8 years old), C-GNLE (48.9 years old), C-GFCN (48.1 years old) and C-GMAI (45.9 years old, 2 days older than YV3471)
Although a turboprop, Divi Divi Air flies a small fleet of Twin Otters, PJ-DVG, around the ABC islands!
I really enjoyed this,I used to fly years ago on America West Airlines out of PHX,I rode many of these 737 200 airplanes brought back awesome memories. Thank you!
Nice video, flew the 737 200 from the airline Estelar Latinoamericana. Flew CCS to Curacao not a regular flight but chartered by the airline from Curacao DAE. Their aircraft was oos so this one pitched in to execute the flight.
Wow! I am glad I saw the 732's of Sierra Pacific back at Tucson, some 7 years ago. Good to see a few still operational.
I'm from Brazil and in my 60s, which means that I flew a lot on 737-200s, which were the workhorse of Brazil's domestic air traffic in the 1970s and 1980s, when they started being retired and replaced with Classics and later NGs. One airline, though, VASP, flew them into the 2000s, when it went bankrupt and shut down. So, i have fond memories of those "conch" thrust reversers.
VASP was the same airline that ordered a special version of the 737-200 from Boeing to improve the plane's then poor performance at tropical airports, especially "hot and high" ones. VASP's engineers worked in close collaboration with Boeing's, and the result was the 737-200 Advanced, which from then on became standard in Boeing's line of production. Only a limited number of very early 737-200s were not Advanced; so, the plane you flew in this video was made according to specifications derived from VASP's input to Boeing.
In São Paulo there is a shopping mall, Ibirapuera Shopping Center, which lies directly on the approach or takeoff path to/from Congonhas domestic airport (CGH/SBSP), only about 1 km from the end of the main runway and almost exactly on an imaginary line extending the runway. It's a great place to spot planes, which pass so low above that you think they're going to land on the mall's rooftop parking lot. I remember I was there on one occasion in the early 2000s, when all other Brazilian airlines were already operating either 737-300/700/800s or A320s, but VASP was still flying the -200s.
The difference in noise levels and noise abatement technology was striking. You could hear a VASP 737-200 approaching long before you actually saw the plane, and you kept hearing it for quite a while after it passed above you. By contrast, when it was a newer plane (especially an A320) you only heard it when it was directly overhead, no longer than 3 or 4 seconds before or after that, and the noise levels were much lower, too.
Now I live under one of the takeoff routes from Guarulhos International Airport (GRU/SBGR), used on some days depending on the weather and wind direction. On those days, most planes are fairly quiet and don't bother me, but on occasion one or another will be louder, and then I will look on Flightradar24 what it was. The loudness champions are two rather modern planes and one very old one: Lufthansa's 747-8I (despite the chevron cowlings), which takes off in the late afternoon; Emirates' A380, which takes off around 2:00 AM; and Total Cargo's 727-200F (one of the world's last remaining in service), which takes off at 4:00 AM. The 727 is certainly capable of waking up my neighbors if their sleep is light.
BTW, i used to fly on 727s a lot, too, and i loved their powerful climb and the unobstructed view, especially from a front seat window. i really miss them.
Awesome video FR24!! Here in SXM our national carrier Winair currently operates DHC-6 for their commercial flights and reg. PJ-WIX is 55 years old!! Upgraded avionics were installed recently also!
Man, you actually managed to get into one! Congrats!. I finally understand what that Avior pilot said in the last video: It's an experience. I hope I try one sometime in the future.
I love the JT8D reverse thrust clam shells! 👌Ive flown on 2 737-200's One was Brittania airways from Gatwick to Alicante and the other was a British airtours Gatwick to Zante on the week of the British airtours Manchester 737 disaster.
APU Inop! :) Loved the video! Thanks for making it possible! I am happy you were able to finally catch a 732!
Gabriel, that's a sensational video, thank you. You are a truly gifted presenter.
well done you did it mate.Olympic airways had a few of these 737s and I used to fly a lot on these jets back at 70s and 80s,cool stuff
Super super ENJOYED your flight report on the 737-200! THANK YOU!❤
Im very glad you finally could fly the 737 200. Gracias por visitar Venezuela amigo.
I love the return view from the last row! That was always my favorite seat. it was really thrilling watching this and listening to the sounds....such memories! Very impressive they manage a soft drink service on a full flight...most flights around the US you get nothing unless the flying time is 1 hour or more.I flew on the 737-200 dozens and dozens of times in the 80s and 90s with Piedmont and USAir. I loved that plane, but my white whale is the 727-200!!! I would so love to take one more ride on that beautiful beast.
I knew some smart guys would find older planes flying...like from 1975 ;-) Just amazing. I flew a 737-200 BA in 1985. This particular one had replace a Trident on that route. I regretted it at the time as I wanted to fly in the Trident ;-)
African Express Airways operates two DC-9-30s (5Y-AXF and 5Y-AXP). The former is a remarkable 56 years of age, having originally been delivered to Iberia in 1968! They are listed as active on multiple sites, making them an interesting choice should you decide to continue your retro-aviation journey :)
To get the true "good old days" experience, he should sit in the last row, the window seat without a window. I had that seat twice, on random full business flights in the 1980s. The reason there is no window, is that if the engine loses enough blades to shred its cowling, guess where the rest of the blades are going?
Nostalgia is great, but in reality I don't mind hearing the turbofan noise kick in as the engine spools up, though that turbojet sound would be nice to hear another time or two.
Nice video. I managed to fly long time ago with the B737-200. It was with Indian Airlines from Lahore to New Delhi...then New Delhi to Jaipur and Udaipur. And in 1995, i managed to ride it with British Airways, from Copenhague to Gatwick.
What a nice piece here! I was born in Venezuela, soy Maracucho, and lived there til 1973. We used to fly VIASA Convair 880s to Miami several times a year, and Aeropostal and Avensa Viscounts, Caravelles and CV 580s to Caracas. I look back with fondness at my times in the air over Venezuela.
Thank you for such a great video. Such a classic aircraft. Looks like the aircraft was fitted with a HITCO Spacemaker-I cabin re-fit which basically is bin extensions only since the aircraft already has Boeings 1974 “wide look” interior.
My first flight on a 737NG was with WestJet when they were brand-new, all previous WestJet flights had been on their 732s. I vividly recall being on the runway at YYC and bracing myself for the noise of takeoff, then being pleasantly surprised at the lack of noise.
I've been lucky to flew on 737-200s of British Airways and Royal Brunei in the 70s/80s then on Comair and Transaero in the 90s; then Alliance Air in India in 2001 and finally Air Kazakstan in 2002. Always loved them.
Nolinor has Combi’s flying from the 70’s including C-GNLE from ‘75. Loved this video, you should go to the Arctic and check out the combi -200 next
One of the most interesting aviation videos I've lately seen. Keep going!
I'm cracking up at the check in agent not being able to believe you were purposefully trying yo fly on the 732
Me encantó este video. En 1988 volé de Miami a Orlando en un 737 de PanAm que casi podría asegurar era un - 200 (yo era un niño). El sonido, los interiores, esaa luces del techo partidas en cuadros... Todo parece familiar. Hoy soy capitán de la Fam. Airbus 320. Saludos desde México.
You did it, congrats! What a treat! 🤩
Gratulerar! Glad you made it! 😊