Short Stuff - Boeing 747SP
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 26 май 2020
- Hello! :D
In today's episode, we look at the history of perhaps the most obscure variant of the Boeing 747, the Special Performance or SP. While its bizarre proportions may come across as comedic, the airliner was actually built to fill a gap in Boeing's lineup during the 1970s, but was ultimately a victim of ever-changing circumstances and external economic factors.
All video content and images in this production have been provided with permission wherever possible. While I endeavour to ensure that all accreditations properly name the original creator, some of my sources do not list them as they are usually provided by other, unrelated RUclipsrs. Therefore, if I have mistakenly put the accreditation of 'Unknown', and you are aware of the original creator, please send me a personal message at my Gmail (this is more effective than comments as I am often unable to read all of them): rorymacveigh@gmail.com
The views and opinions expressed in this video are my personal appraisal and are not the views and opinions of any of these individuals or bodies who have kindly supplied me with footage and images.
If you enjoyed this video, why not leave a like, and consider subscribing for more great content coming soon.
References:
- Yesterday's Airlines (and their respective references)
- Boeing (and their respective references)
- 747SP.com (and their respective references)
- Wikipedia (and its respective references)
Music - RUclips Audio Library 
Авто/Мото
I loved flying the SP ! My favorite 747 . I was a 747 instructor for a major airline and flew all the 747s up to the 400! The SP was the most fun to fly ! Loved flying into Hong Kong and landing at the old airport with the SP !
Yes, I recall UA had a daily service Hong Kong to Seattle for a while ( early 1990s)with the SP. As sub load pax we( family ) all got on up to the upper deck on several occasions. It was a hoot. Those were the days when airline staff went out of their way to help other airline staff, sadly no longer.
@@phillarnach9484 my late father flew the SP for PAA and then for UA. He used to fly to HK frequently.
@scribblepop! No, it's Special Performance
Ever since I was a child I absolutely loved it. Qantas had them and I would just stare in awe. They got me into aviation.
@yellowfaceyellowfaceyellowfaceyellowface oh my bad
"It may be short, but it goes a long way"
-747SP Engineer, 1984
I'm pretty sure many women have heard that line!😱
@@lightningstrikestwice6302 *"That's what she said..."*
Large Soda ...you nasty boy
George Phelps story of my life
True. That was also an interestingly cute short jumbo. As for Boeing, it was then technically and quietly superseded by a similarly capacity but with twin engine Boeing 777-200ER (perhaps later 200LR).
Structurally might have been the strongest frame ever built!
Yeah, I never realized that the one involved in the China Airlines incident over the pacific was an *SP!!* Now it all makes sense!
Didn't the 747SR have the strongest frame?
@@richbiles230872 no due to JAL 123 being an SR tail ripped of due to the Bulkhead not maintain properly
@@Lee247Jamaica the tail bulkhead was damaged due to a tail strike. The subsequent repair (by Boeing engineers) was done incorrectly and eventually failed some years later.
@@richbiles230872 ik the reason it crashed was due to the new bulkhead not putted on properly
My first 747 flight was on an SP, PanAm LA to Auckland, 1978.
I still remember the inflight movie: "Capricorn One".
Good times, great video... thanks.
Mine was an SAA flight from LHR to CPT... Wonderful flight!
nothing says "i love you" like a 747sp for your birthday
I've crossed the Pacific many times from Sydney to LA in the 747SP, both with Pan Am and United.
And later in life I worked on both Qantas SP's.
The Qantas SP's were unique as they used Rolls Royce RB-211 engines instead of the ubiquitous Pratt & Whitney JT9s.
21:24 The Australia Asia SP that's pictured is actually one of the two Qantas SP's (VH-EAA & VH-EAB).
Definitely one of my favourite aircraft.
Broooooo; I’m jealous. The SP is just beautiful
United should have kept that old livery, looks great, even now
I really like their new 2019 livery.
It’s a bit out of date, it looks kind of cool in a retro way but definitely to out of date today
BA reintroduced the old BOAC livery (and others) on 747-400s last year (100 year anniversary of BA / 50 years of 747). Looked fantastic. 3 other historical liveries were also brought back. They were due to stay flying for another 3-4 years in their "old livery" before retiring. Sadly, they recently retired the entire 747-436 fleet. It make watching their last flight videos worse tbh.
Hi res pics at bottom of the article here
mediacentre.britishairways.com/pressrelease/details/86/Liveries-385/10921
united is trash
@@scoodles_1083 It certainly does look better than the previously which was a little drab.
These were the only 747s that could fly in and out of Wellington airport in New Zealand.
I remember going to my aunty and uncle's place on Buckley road in Wellington and watching the Qantas 747SP landing from their property had an awesome view
Then came Boeing 767-200/300(ERs) for Trans Tasman route, Boeing 777-200(ER) Singapore via. Canberra and most recently Airbus A350-900s.
Now? Who knows... If our airport runway is properly lengthened, we can simply take an Airbus A350s or a Boeing 787s for proper direct flights instead of a transit flights with Airbus A320s to Auckland or Christchurch and then a Airbus A380s (which I still fancy), Boeing 747s and Boeing 777s.
Actually, United Airlines landed a fully loaded 747-400 at Wellington due to a diversion. It was flown out empty to ferry it to Wellington after. Must have been a stressful landing and take off!
Oh at one time, there was an Airbus A340-200 (I think case 300 would be too heavy) to carry Bahrain Football team and fans. But the A340 had to fly to Sydney for proper refuel before flying back to Bahrain. That was before Singapore Airlines made a special Wellington interational routes with Boeing 777‐200s and Airbus A350‐900s.
@@owenpotter2459 and an Air nz 747-200 landed at Wellington for the opening of the new terminal
There’s one for sale somewhere in California.
*I did some reasearch*
It was originally delivered to Pan American Airways as N539PA. It was the twenty second Boeing 747SP, and Pan Am’s ninth 747SP. It was named Clipper Black Hawk. It was then given to United Airlines and reregistered as N148UA. It’s current registration is N7477S
Currently listed as POA. Surely we could have a whip around and pick her up with some pocket change lying around? She had a light service a couple of years ago and everything!
If I'm not mistaken, Sam Chui flew on that SP last year and has a video on his channel. It was previously owned by royalty from some Middle Eastern country or other hand has exactly the kind of interior you'd expect from a plane with that sort of history.
@Soul I’m in.
Are you sure you don't mean the one in Las Vegas?
@@caleblastname6969 I'm in too. To start it off I can donate a humble $3.56 to the cause
I've always loved the 747, especially the SP. I used to live and work under the Heathrow flightpath and me and my fellow plane-spotting friend would always look out particularly for the SPs: "Stumpies", as we would call them, wider than they are long. I must say I always thought they were converted to carry cargo, but perhaps that's another variant.
The SOFIA telescope, alas, took its last flight at the end of last year.It's now in a museum.
I flew in one of 747 SP of Braniff International non stop from Bogota to Los Angeles in December of 1979.
ABSOLUTELY SUPERB! I have no words. But I do have an eternal love of all 747s, probably the most magnificent commercial aircraft ever designed.
BobEckert56 It will always be the VC-10 for me. Had many flights (and a cockpit visit) on these as a child when they were RAF transports. Also loved the British Caledonian DC-10s.
747s were ruined for me because I only ever flew on them with British Airways and North West ... not nice airlines to fly with.
When i was a cadet I bagged a flight in a nimrod out of Kinloss. Basically a bubbly comet. So nimrod/comet gets it for me lol
You missed off the adjective "subsonic" !!
Hallelujah. I love 💕 the 747’s design from the cockpit windshield design to the landing gear design. The best uniquely airplane on the planet 🌎. My favorite is the SP 🥰❤️. I admire the mind who made it. . Love 💕 the Video. Kudos from Alaska 💐🌹🤩
Fair enough but I prefer 400 over SP big time. Otherwise I'd go for B777-200ER.
Developed when Boeing was still being run by engineers in stead of the penny-pinchers that are running the company into the ground nowadays.
Roy Kliffen their planes run into the ground too. The 737 Max.
@@fordlandau that's precisely Roy's point. The 737 Max was run into the ground by decisions made by the accountants that now run Boeing. These days Boeing is run by accountants that make decisions about technology that they simply don't understand.
The SP was literally Boeing trying to compete with clean-sheet planes with a modification of their existing plane...exactly how they keep modifying the 737 to keep up with the A320.
Let's hope the recent revisions to the corporate structure will have a positive influence but what happened with the Max put the company into a stall and the pandemic has put the entire industry into a spin. I don't know what will happen with the glut of planes they finished before the factory layoffs now that the industry has shut down, and all airlines have hundreds of planes mothballed. A lot of planes are out there not being flown!
We were very lucky that the 787 fires didn't down an aircraft. They knew then they dodged a bullet but made more mistakes on the max series.
Perhaps my fave 747 derivative, despite it's odd proportions.
It’s my face because of the odd proportions
I concur!
Qantas ordered two SP's and used them on their Sydney to LA route for many years until selling both in the early 2000's.
They also flew them to Wellington, New Zealand. This from Wikipedia:
"Because of the runway limitations, Qantas introduced two short-bodied Boeing 747SPs on flights between Wellington and Australia in 1981.[73][74][75] Air New Zealand operated DC-8s from Wellington on trans-Tasman routes, but when the planes were retired in 1981[75] none of its other planes were capable of operating international flights from Wellington - Air New Zealand's DC-10s required more runway length than Wellington had available, and twinjet planes were not yet ETOPS-certified.[76]
The 747SP addressed this gap in the market, with Air New Zealand (after turning down an offer to purchase the type) code-sharing with Qantas. Special markings on the runway assisted Qantas pilots where to touch down and to abort and go round to attempt a landing again."
Yup, replaced with 747-400ER's.
They also once operated a 747-Only fleet of aircraft
They also flew those two SP's from Australia to Taipei under their Australia Asia subsidiary from 1990 to 1996.
www.aussieairliners.org/b-747/vh-eaa/vheaa.html
aussieairliners.org/b-747/vh-eab/vheab.html
This is the best documentary you've made yet! Love the 747SP. I really enjoy watching these documentaries on rare and unusual aircraft. Well done!
Ok
Agreed... Very well done. I rarely sit thru a 30 minute RUclips video!
For such a small production amount, so many airlines and VIP's have flown these!
I love how some of these are still flying!
My only flight on a 747SP was in 1981 where I took A Pan Am jet from JFK to Tokyo. Flight duration was 17.5 hours.
You can’t fly that long with an sp
Great plane - plus bonus footage of a 707 in BOAC Speedbird livery at 2:29 !
I worked on the SP for the Sultan at Dee Howard in SAT. It was awesome, delivered to SAT on primer only and 5 flight hours. Great memories. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for making this wonderful presentation which does justice to an iconic member of the 747 family. The SP is a unique member of the family, my personal favourite (especially when fitted with the attractive Rolls Royce engine option)… the SPs aerodynamically clean wing, combined with the other features, ensured it was a faster, higher, longer range Queen of the Skies… Pity the two SPs operated from new by QANTAS didn’t make an appearance here-they are still missed by us older Aussies :-)
you are so fortunate to have QANTAS; best maintenance and safety record of all airline operators.
At least the side-view drawing displayed at 06:18 shows a RR-powered 747SP as it was operated by QANTAS.....
I flew on IranAir's 747SP's back between '76 and '78. Very comfortable. A bit odd looking but rock steady for that very long JFK-THR run.
Currently we have NASA's 747SP operating from & around New Zealand. Quite a spectacular sight considering what we're used to seeing in our skies which is mostly smaller twin jets & TurboProps.
the 747SP is my second favorite plane ever made. The 747-100 is my top favorite. The SP would be a dream to have as a private plane, its sad that they are virtually gone.
Actually there are some SP aircraft still flying and what about the 200, it's the 100 series but the windows at the hump are unplugged
@@railfandepotproductions The 100/200's are not SP's, SP's were a different airframe shortened with larger horizontal stabilizers.
@@davidca96 I know, I meant your opinion on the 200 series
@@railfandepotproductions my apologies I misread.
@@davidca96 anyways, your opinion?
The Sultan of Oman did eventually get a 747SP A4O-SO / Dhofar, I regularly flew on it, often Muscat - Heathrow, but sometimes via Geneva to pick up supplies. Wonderful aircraft and a great experience.
I've often wondered what happened to the SP variant - now I know! This tale complements my memory of the first 747 landing at Heathrow Airport in the UK while I was there as an engineer with BEA.
Great story of an amazing aircraft. Well done, thank you.
The 747SP is most likely my all time favorite airplane. Amazing bit of engineering. Thanks for this really interesting story of it’s history.
I was one of the volunteers for the FAA certification to evacuate this aircraft. Everybody should go through an mock evacuation so you know what happens during a real one!
been there, done that when the original EAL was in business. My father was a Captain and they were leasing an ac from another airline and had to prove they could evac in the alotted time and as a kid I got to go do it - whee!
Yeah good luck with that. My commendation for actually thinking about a possible emergency. 1st of all, next time you fly, take note how many people actually listen to the pre takeoff briefing. ( I applaud Southwest Airlines allowing airborne comics to do their briefing because people may actually listen.). As an airline technician who flies a lot on the very planes I work on, I take great care to listen to the flt attendants out of respect for their job & the fact I know a lot of them (small airline with small planes). 95% of pax don’t look or listen.
2nd. An experiment was once carried out on a mock emergency evacuation. They offered a small cash incentive to evacuate within a set time, and an additional cash bonus to the first say 25% of passengers to get out. The results were utter chaos. Injuries galore, damage etc. This is what people are willing to do for a dollar, what happens when their lives are at stake?
This is what scares me the most. The possible panic if I’m involved in an evacuation. By the way, I cut my teeth on those 2 Qantas sp’s.
@@rachels209 I'm an engineer in the Aerospace industry and I fly frequently I never pay any attention to the safety briefing as I've seen and heard it literally 100s of times I know it of the top of my head
@@rachels209 the briefing is for those who don't normally fly. I only look to see where the closest exits to me are and I'll look at the safety card. Mostly I only look at the card because I'm an aviation geek though.
@@rachels209 many planes have been evacuated for real with fires on board and after crashes or excursions and it goes pretty well.
At the 25 minute mark, Global Peace Ambassadors (the livery on N4522V) should in no way be associated with The United Nations or be referred to as a "business action group." The true nature of the group can be discovered via a simple Google search as having been a quasi-religious group (nee. cult) based in Texas with some rather sketchy dealings in the US and around the world that allegedly include international trafficking of minors. I have no idea if they still exist, but my understanding is they ran out of money to keep the plane airworthy and more or less abandoned it in Tijuana, where it remains to this day.
Nice video, missed the Qantas birds in their resplendent 1980s livery with 747-SP markings and shiny RR engines though. VH-EAA 'Gold Coast/Tweed' and VH-EAB 'Canberra'
My family and i were on the first flight from Brisbane to LA in March 1981 on a SP .
I didn't cause I prefered 400 big time.
A fascinating documentary! Thank you! I was thinking that I have never seen a SP but now I recall seeing SOFIA at CHC last year!
My father flew for China Airlines in the mid to late 1990's flying the 747SP that did the nose dive. He said it flew crooked. Kind of like a motorcycle with a bent frame; a little off. He said it actually broke the sound barrier during its dive so the only 747, if not the only major airliner, to have successfully broken the sound barrier and landed safely.
He also flew the Saudia SP too.
An early DC-8 was pushed past the sound barrier during test flying fresh off the line, and then delivered to CP Air (Canadian Pacific Airlines), with whom it provided years of regular service.
There was also a famous case of a 727 that entered a spiral drive from cruising altitude and was said to have gone supersonic before the crew regained control and landed safely.
Other airliners have gone supersonic before crashing, but they don't count here.
The Douglas 8 broke the sound barrier
The 747SP was registered N4522V, and the DC-8 was N9604Z, although it became CF-CPG on delivery.
747-121 was used as a test bed for the newer GE engines and was put into an intentional dive that exceeded the sound barrier. That aircraft is currently on display at the Museum of Flight, Boeing Field, Seattle. It is near G-BOAG (British Airways Concorde) in the pavilion.
I remember working the ground operations on the Sp in Chicago when United bought the Sp from Pan -Am usually on a daily basis to San Francisco. Was a great airplane easy to load with a container system ! just like it's big brothers , but fewer containers,
I'm always puzzled by those who downtick this kind of video - there are some sad people around - keep up the good work!
Angry old McDonnell Douglas DC10 sales rep's.
People do it for the dumbest reasons. Don't like the sound or the persons voice or the intro is too long etc.
Must be Airbus fans.
People who are not interested in this kind of videos do this to teach RUclips algorithms.
I'd imagine any video will have a small percentage of accidental down votes.
Qantas operated its Rolls Royce RB211 powered SP's into Wellington NZ because of its shorter runway during the 80's.
Flew in one of these between Sydney and Melbourne, practically empty as I recall.
Would have been 98/99 as we were there to see the GP.
Then came Boeing 767s from both Air New Zealand and Qantas as running 747SPs were not feasible not to mention having to dump fuel before landing. Later on came 777-200ER as well as 300ER from Air New Zealand for temporary and demonstration operations respectively. Most recent was Singapore Airlines' A350-900. Oh and with Roll Royce Trent XWB.
I love the 747 SP.. I recently saw one flying into Heathrow with 3 engines attached to one wing
I worked on these SP’s at overhaul for many years. Great airplane ✈️
I grew up in Seattle, and among my playmates were the grandchildren of a longtime Boeing board member and major shareholder. When my friends' grandmother fell ill in the Canary Islands, the family pulled a few strings and got use of a 747SP prototype, the only plane on earth that could make the flight, fueled it up and went and picked up grandma, who survived.
Now do about the Convair 880/990! These documentaries are great!
Hats off for the very well written and produced video. Not to forget the skills of the speaker in keeping a clear pronounciation along th whole length of the moovie even under a huge amount of information in less than 30 minutes. It is surprising how this 747-SP project could proove itself as a winner despite a small number of sales, exactily the 45 units for the break even.
I flew many times on the 747-SP from the US West Coast to Southeast Asia in the 1980's.
Ok
Cool
Thank-you for the video. Remember flying on one of the Qantas SP's from San Fran to Cairns back in about 1997. Some of the worst turbulence I've ever experienced, but so few people on the plane - was able to just lie across the centre deck of seats. Still not much more comfortable though!
Thanks a lot for this excellent summary of an ancient piece of engineering! It seems to be a clearly-explained sample of superbly depicted aeronautical history I lived by myself. Thanks again to make me remember those days.
What a nice voice-over artist :
This adds credabillity to the programme ;)
Yes. I think creators learned really quickly that we hate computer generated voices.
The tri-jet version of the 747 would have looked absolutely amazing!
Personally, I think it looks ugly.
Being a tri-jet or having engines mounted close to hydraulics is far too risky. That's one of the reason why airlines like Air New Zealand replaced DC10s with Boeing 747s. Moreover Airbus A340s quad jet had better fuel economy over the final tri-jet series MD11s.
Logistics of engine mainentance must also be way more expensive.
My one and only time flying on an SP was with TWA, FCO-BOS in '83. What a cool plane!
Flew Braniff International’s SP LAX-SCL-EZE about 40-41 years ago, an Amazing flight on a beautiful Orange plane
I worked on these SP’s in overhaul at Oakland Airport back in the 1980’s. Also worked on the SP that was owned by a Saudi Prince at Oakland, we did Sec 41 Repairs (nose section) and skin lap repair. A few years later the company retired these SP’s and sold them to NASA at Moffet Field. Our SP’s were obtained from Flying Tigers 🐅
there is one standing on the airfield of Chateauroux in France. Was a nice discovery to say at least!
The 747 series was in my opinion truly a marvel and beautiful machine ....
I remember seeing these flying in and out of O'Hare Airport in Chicago, IL USA when I was a boy back in the 1970s. I always thought that they looked super-sturdy. Never got to fly on one though. But I did fly on other 747s a bunch of times. Great video. Very-well done and comprehensive!
PA's livery is without equal, but AA's silver 747 looked majestic in its all silver finish with its own iconic A^A livery. I can remember seeing them in person as a kid in the 1970s and being so in awe of them.
I remember seing the SP's and wondering why they looked so strange.
Another fascinating production. Thanks very much for sharing your creativity.
A friend was a pilot on the 747-SP for United Airlines and told me that they were deadheading a stubby LAX-SFO and loaded the aircraft with the appropriate amount of fuel, received clearance approval from ATC for a maximum performance climbout (with restriction to maintain at or below 250kts). Full throttle with brakes at clearance for takeoff, and as soon as it was spooled up he took off - he was at 3000 AGL at the end of the runway and had to throttle back at 70 degrees nose up to stay below 250. 23 minutes to FL350. Most fun he had since he flew C-131s for the Air Force.
Thorough detailed on 747SP history , well introduced , thank you sir!
These motion histories are simply superb! How about one on trolleybuses?
Harry Smith A third on the idea.
hell yeah. especially since they still run in Seattle and some parts of California
Love these videos. I've known of the 747SP for many years but didn't know anything about them until now. Very informative
I walked into a cargo version of the 747. Giant cave to carry stuff in with floor rollers and securing straps everywhere and a ladder to the cockpit. Nuts.
well done. thank you very much for your time and effort putting this together!
A creative design it was. Many engineers at Boeing were dedicating this airplane to Joe Sutter as "Sutter's Balloon". At first, was a comical name that brought some laughter around the company relating to Joe Sutter's lead engineering tactics, that got the basic 747 in service. The 747SP was an amazing ultra-long-range example of the 747, that opened up Global destinations. Joe Sutter, himself thought that the 747 can have an "Extended Range", but little did he know about the "Special Performance" project. The fuselage was to be 20 feet shorter than the basic airframe. A "higher" tail-fin was to be placed for better "stability" in-flight. A huge "center" fuel tank was included as well, limiting some cargo space. The same P&W JT9-D7 turbofan engines were used, with a newer wing layout. The 10,130 nautical mile range, enamored the airlines. The airlines that really expressed interest were Pan Am, TWA, and United Airlines, among them. Ony 55 were actually built, and delivered, but one such example was later used by NASA for experimental purposes. A few others went on to being VIP transports. It was a rather nice airplane to fly on, and was loved by passengers, and crew members also.
Excellent review and commentary! Really one of the most fascinating airliners built, and I am very pleased to have learned more about it thanks to your video! Cheers, Carl
The background music in this video is amazing. I’ve been jamming this whole video. Jazz, Blues, and 747’s are some of my favorite things, if this only came with a stiff bourbon and espresso I’d be in heaven.
Nicely done with some great footage! 747 Queen of the Sky's in any variation!
This is a really well put together video mate :)
For what it's worth, the South African Airways SP stored at the SAA museum at Rand Airport - can never depart there again, the runways at that airport are just too short, Great video, thoroughly enjoyed it, thank you!
What if the interior would be removed, and just enough fuel would be loaded to reach the next airport?
Thanks for a great history video of an interesting aircraft. I have fond memories of being airside at LHR and watching these baby 747s landing and take off many years ago. I also managed to get a walk around (outside) of A40-SO while it was parked at LHR, thanks to a friendly security guard. A beautiful aircraft with some amazing extras, like a gold inlaid window at the side of the front cabin door. VP-BAT was often parked at BOH (Bournemouth) in the 2010s and seemed to live there for long periods.
Flew a lot on the SAA SPs as a kid between SA & UK. Pilots used to let me sit in flight deck with them! Loved it.
What an amazing informative video, thank you for posting!
Personally, I think that the 747-SP was better looking than its more conventional sisters.
A pity it is no longer in service. It has an enviable service and safety record.
747-400 not only carry more passengers but yet also cover longer range due to numerous of new technologies. One of it is a blended winglet on the 400.
@@t8polestarcyan22never liked the term technologies, sounds wrong
@@railfandepotproductions To me when I was a child, the 747-400 was a modern jumbo compared to 747SP. Also the SP wasn't really an efficient aircraft in comparison to the -8, 400ER or even 400. Truly, similar aircraft to 747SP was a 777-200ER but with proper twin jet efficiency and yet spacious on the inside. Looks sexier and fitter than SPs.
I really love this plane. Very practical and cute
Great video! I really like the SP's
The cute 747-SP was very nice to have.
The 2 Qantas 747SP with the Rolls Royce RB211 engines were awesome.
Excellent content and commentary. Thank you.
One of your best work... Brilliant
Dubai Air Wing A6-SMM would regularly land and park at our city's airport (CLE) during the 1990s and early 2000s whenever a member of the Emirati royal family was in town. The same plane was eventually sold to a local televangelist and re-registered as P4-FSH, and was used for mission and relief trips. It would regularly be parked at CLE or CAK.
Unfortunately it was mothballed in 2018 and has been stored at the Pinal Airpark (MZJ) boneyard in Arizona since.
I love them, they look SO DERPY
Outstanding work. Thank you!
I flew in the Pan Am 747sp ‘China Clipper’ from Los Angeles to London in 1982. A long but enjoyable journey.
Qantas also had 2. Used them to fly in and out of Wellington NZ Airport. My first trip overseas. Wellington to Brisbane, 1983,
Thanks for the incredibly detailed video!
that special version made for the prince of oman in 87 is a real stand out gem no doubt for sure
I am more of a military aviation buff, but your episodes are excellent, well detailed, not technically overburdened to the point of boredom, and very well presented. Thanks very much for sharing your vast knowledge and research, very appreciated. Subscribed 😀👍🇬🇧🏴
Flew in an American Airlines 747SP from Tokyo to Dallas in 1990. The route was a big deal for business users and most of the seat were business class, with just a few rows of economy. Most Tokyo - US flights at that time made stops on the west coast.
oh I see what happened here.
So I stumbled on your channel a day or so ago and have been binging. I wondered why you went from some old train videos to this new format that I wish to watch. then I saw the upload date for this video!
good thinking.
My first 747 ride was on Pan Am. My first 747 -400 flight was on British Airways back in 1995.
Used to see the CAAC 747SP in YVR quite often..neat look..
I remember seeing the original Pan Am record breaker at San Francisco international proclaiming its records Many times It was very unfortunate it would later be scrapped by United Airlines instead of being saved for posterity
never knew the full history behind that style of 747 yet impressive to see how widely it was really used!
I was purchasing a 747SP back in late 1970’s. By the time the backorder ended, Boeing terminated sales so I bought a Cessna single engine
Terrific documentary. Thank you.
Wow. Very interesting. I thought i knew about the 747 family. Thanks for the insightful and entertaining content.
How come you've removed a few other videos you have made over the last few months, like the railways related ones like the class 323? I'm glad I watch all the video's but shame to see them gone :( another well made and excellent video! :)
Yeah. I noticed his "Places lost in time" vids are gone too. Wtf?!
Are these really your videos or did you take them from someone else?
When I was a kid I always hated the 747SP. I thought it looked silly and didn't understand it's purpose and capabilities. Now I love that plane! Thanks for the video.
Excellent video of the shorty version of the Queen of the Skies, subscribed!
IT IS SO DAMN CUTE !!! Can I hug it ? Please !!! 😍
Great Video ~ The 747SP is definitely the runt in the family but it's doesn't reflect so upfront (cockpit). Put her next to the 8i for a side-by-side comparison and the SP looks more like a super runt born prematurely. Gotta luv her though.
Thanks wonderful video the SP, will always be my favorite airplane :)
Good documentary.
Well narrated. Good voice.
Good script. Good visuals.
10 out of 10