I'll miss the Jumbos
I recently read this article in the WSJ about the accelerated demise of the 747 and the 380 jumbo jets (https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-jumbo-jet-was-the-pinnacle-of-air-luxurynow-its-days-are-numbered-11599578282). Being a all things aero junkie, I couldn't not say a few words as these incredible machines fade into the background of global travel.
I grew up flying the 747. My first trip was as a toddler traveling to Germany to see my father who was stationed there. Later in life I worked on the Flying Tiger fleet of 747s that were used to transport military personnel across the Pacific Rim. Most recently I would see the 74' actively plying the airways around Sidney, Australia helping to connect that faraway country to the rest of the world. It was a beast of a plane that was a key to the acceleration of globalization over the past forty years.
The Airbus A380 is another beast of the air. I saw my first one up close some years ago at Heathrow while transiting terminals by bus. I was stunned by the size of it up close and even more stunned watching one lumber down 27L and lift off heading off to the Far East. Simply magical it was. I am depressed that I have never had the opportunity to fly onboard one of them. I had planned to do so this year with multiple trips scheduled that would likely have me using one but then Covid-19 derailed those particular plans. Now I fear that by the time air travel returns to normal, I'll have skipped the 380 for the experience of the 787 or A350 (which is a great aircraft but not the same)
Globalization has experienced a huge pause while we try and sort out this pandemic but it has not been stopped. It will return with newer more fuel efficient aircraft moving us around the planet and other technology connecting us more often virtually. That said the retirement of these planes is a transition point in our lives to a new place and a new way to visualize travel and connectivity. I'm eager to see and experience a Virgin Galactic flight before I get too old to so but I'll always remember the glory days of Pam-Am and TWA as well. R.I.P. Old Girls of the Sky.
Gone Walkabout - passionate about all things hiking, biking, skiing, fly fishing, traveling
4 年Fondest memory of the 747, Qantas upgraded me to Business Class on a return flight from Australia, but when I mentioned my family, they said what family we only see you on the ticket. About 8mins later they returned to the call and said, yep...you're all upgraded. My boys loved it, but I fear it ruined them for life.
Vice President, MooDoos Investments
4 年Ahhhh...Those were the days, my friend...Couldn’t agree with you more! Thanks for the trip down memory lane...
CEO | GM | MD | CPO Biometric and Identity executive revolutionizing a consumer experience to make the world a better place
4 年I'm with you. I was lucky to finally get a top deck 747 flight in December 2019. Otherwise I would have missed it forever. That being said the A380 is the greatest plane ever made. Hands down. But these two planes just feel like they shouldn't fly when you look at them. The shuddering of the 747 right off takeoff which scared me to death ... But also reminded you of the engineering required to get it up. The A380 is different. It barely takes off. It's a freak of engineering. Best get yourself to Dubai and get a proper A380 flight.