The End of an Era

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 10/28/2016 at 11:35 • Filed to: planelopnik, planelopnik history

19

51

It’s been on my bucket list ever since I first saw a video of it. Before I die, I wanted to go to St. Maarten, sip a Mai Tai on Maho Beach, and have 875,000 pounds of 747 scream over my head and blow the paper umbrella from my glass. Sadly, I have missed my chance.

Today marks the final time that gorgeous blue and white KLM 747-400 will make its hair-raising, sand-blasting landing on Runway 10 at Princess Juliana International Airport. Starting on October 30, the iconic Boeing jumbo jet will be replaced on the route by an Airbus A330. It will still be a big, pretty, blue and white plane, but it won’t be the same as that graceful, humpbacked behemoth. Maybe it’s the long history of the 747 that speaks to this aviation historian. And, to be honest, I’ve never been much of a fan of Airbus airplanes.

So, I guess St. Maarten will remain on my bucket list. The idea of having any large airliner fly over my head, almost close enough to touch, is exciting. And I might still get lucky and see a 747 land there, but not with the set-your-watch predictability of KLM Flight 785. And that makes me just a little bit sad.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Photo by Timo Breidenstein via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ; photo by Krisspao via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

If you enjoy these Aviation History posts, please let me know in the comments. And if you missed any of the past articles, you can find them all at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Jcarr > ttyymmnn 10/28/2016 at 11:38

4

No one else does a regular 747 flight there? Darn. We should have an Oppo trip and just all go there. We could get a group rate.

AuthiCooper1300 > Jcarr 10/28/2016 at 11:48

1

But even it there were one it won’t have KLM’s livery.

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > ttyymmnn 10/28/2016 at 11:52

4

Man, this reminds me that I have to find a 747 route to fly on before it’s too late.

ttyymmnn > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney 10/28/2016 at 11:53

0

I have never flown on one. Been to Europe twice and it was 767 both times.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > ttyymmnn 10/28/2016 at 11:55

7

Boeing makes elegant looking planes, even when they are behemoths.

PS9 > Jcarr 10/28/2016 at 11:56

4

I think you are overestimating the amount of money sitting in the oppo treasury. We didn’t pick the brown diesel miata as our mascot because we really like black soot in our hair...

DynamicWeight > PS9 10/28/2016 at 12:13

1

We could have a bake sale!

Biggus Dickus (RevsBro) > Jcarr 10/28/2016 at 12:17

1

I believe Delta still flies a 747-400 between DTW and NRT on a daily basis.

I think Lufthansa flies 747-8's from ORD to Frankfurt.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney 10/28/2016 at 12:24

0

Lufthansa does, I flew from Houston to Frankfurt in a 747. It’s definitely worth doing it.

someassemblyrequired > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney 10/28/2016 at 12:29

0

KLM flies LAX-AMS with a 747-400 combi sometimes. It’s well worth trying to catch a ride on one - the combi is an experience, just given the cabin layout. It’s got the normal 747 feel of space, but it feels special to be sharing it with so few other people. IIRC they use the 747 for Houston, Chicago and San Francisco as well.

someassemblyrequired > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem 10/28/2016 at 12:32

1

Yep see the LH 747s at SeaTac fairly regularly.

Pistol Whipped Cream > ttyymmnn 10/28/2016 at 12:55

0

I have wanted to do the same since 2007! i love the 747 but i prefer the 777 or 787 if I’m flying on them. Full disclosure I don’t know how a newer 747 compares to a newer 777 or 787 when it comes to on board comfort.

Jagvar > ttyymmnn 10/28/2016 at 13:29

2

I spent a day on St. Maarten (last stop on a cruise), and I had time to either go to the beach with the plane flyovers or the beach with the naked people, but not both.

Needless to say, I still haven’t been to this beach.

For Sweden > ttyymmnn 10/28/2016 at 13:56

2

Ban Airbus

ttyymmnn > For Sweden 10/28/2016 at 14:07

1

Torches and pitchforks.

ttyymmnn > Jagvar 10/28/2016 at 14:08

0

Tough call, admittedly.

Jagvar > ttyymmnn 10/28/2016 at 14:10

2

I mean, planes are cool, but I hate tan lines.

ttyymmnn > Pistol Whipped Cream 10/28/2016 at 14:11

0

Having never flown on any of them, I can’t say. But age will definitely play a role. I flew in a brand new 737-900 recently and it was absolutely beautiful inside. The A320 I flew on the next leg was 20 years old and showed every year of that age. I have a friend who flew to Amsterdam on an AA 767 and said that it was a trashy piece of junk. He has also flown on the 787 from AUS to LHR and said it was absolutely gorgeous inside.

ttyymmnn > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 10/28/2016 at 14:15

5

They do. I’d like to think that there is still more of a human element in Boeing’s design ethos. There should be no reason that beauty and function cannot work together.

ttyymmnn > Jagvar 10/28/2016 at 14:16

2

No, no, I understand. Really, I do.

Pistol Whipped Cream > ttyymmnn 10/28/2016 at 14:40

2

The only 787 i flew was ORD>NRT but it was great! I’ve flown 777-300s from LAX to SYD and LHR and I really love that plane though it’s not as quiet as the 787.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > ttyymmnn 10/28/2016 at 14:49

0

I can attest to some 767's being about the same inside as a 1999 Chevy Impala with 189,000 miles that did all it’s miles in a city on a dirt road. Messed up tray tables, broken audio jacks and uncomfortable seats. I fly the DTW, ORD -> AMS route regularly. By regularly I mean once a year.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > ttyymmnn 10/28/2016 at 15:30

1

I never realized how lucky I was to fly on these for long international trips. There is so much space on them to walk around... I always thought they were perfect for certain high-flying hijinks, too.

ttyymmnn > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 10/28/2016 at 16:47

0

I’m sure “hijinks” happened a few times back in the day.

ttyymmnn > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 10/28/2016 at 16:48

0

On American? It’s my understanding that they have some of the oldest 76s flying today.

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > ttyymmnn 10/28/2016 at 17:53

4

She is still the Queen of the Skies.

ttyymmnn > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 10/28/2016 at 17:54

4

Always will be!

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 10/28/2016 at 19:01

1

I’ve got St. Maarten on my bucket list as well, but I never thought about marrying the 747 to that entry.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > ttyymmnn 10/28/2016 at 20:52

1

Maho Beach is a bucket list pilgrimmage for aviation geeks. Definitely do not regret visiting, even if my best sighting was an Air France A340.

#stillhas4engines

facw > ttyymmnn 10/28/2016 at 20:54

1

My transatlantic flights have been on:

757 (both via Iceland and direct to London. It’s pretty amazing to me that Icelandair flies the 757 from Seatac to Reykjavik, that’s got to be near the end of its range) 

767

777

A330 (Mostly these)

Never have had a chance to sample the 747, A340, or A380, and only one of those trips was long enough ago to take one of the trijets or an A300, but I flew 767s on that.

Have flown the 747 to China (after mechanical problems with the one we were supposed to take, United dug deep into their hangars at ORD, and found one that was two liveries out of date, but it did get us there).

ttyymmnn > facw 10/28/2016 at 22:26

0

Man, you get around.

ttyymmnn > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever 10/28/2016 at 22:28

1

#StillAnAirbus

But I would dig it regardless. Nowhere else (that I know of) gets you that close.

facw > ttyymmnn 10/28/2016 at 22:39

1

Did, not so much recently. I am going to London soon though and I’ve discovered that it’s a lot further away from Texas than it is from the Northeast. And further still when you pick the weird 20 hour, two connection route to save $700...

ttyymmnn > facw 10/28/2016 at 23:26

0

You can fly direct from AUS to LHR on a BA 787. I have no idea how much it costs. Or is that the one that costs the extra $700?

facw > ttyymmnn 10/29/2016 at 07:04

1

I’m in Houston, and there are of course direct flights to/from IAH, but yeah, very expensive when I’m returning.

The Lurktastic Opponaught > ttyymmnn 10/29/2016 at 07:53

3

I remember the first time I tried to barrel roll an airbus in a flight sim. Damn that departure prevention system. I switched back to a 747.

Scimitar7 > ttyymmnn 10/29/2016 at 08:39

6

This post made me panic for about two seconds, as I thought it was going to say something about St. Maarten closing that beach. I’m getting to go there in February, and this is something I’ve wanted to do for about 15 years. It’ll suck that I won’t get to see any 747s, but that IS better than no planes whatsoever

DrScientist > ttyymmnn 10/29/2016 at 08:46

0

youre likely correct in that the first designs of the 747 were likely made with a pencil rather than with cad.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > ttyymmnn 10/29/2016 at 08:59

1

We were on a Catamaran with a 60 foot mast maybe 500 feet from shore there and it was indeed amazing.

ttyymmnn > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 10/29/2016 at 10:30

0

Were you sipping a Mai Tai with a paper umbrella in it?

ttyymmnn > DrScientist 10/29/2016 at 10:37

1

In high school (I graduated in 1984), I took drafting classes. I loved the triangles and T-squares and pencils. I geeked out over my how my arrowheads looked. I got pretty good at different line weights. As an old-fashioned guy (hell, I’m an armchair historian), I lament the loss of paper and pencil. But I also understand progress. As a musician, I often used software to notate music (Finale), and that process speaks to my inner draftsman, as music notation was, for centuries, a hand process. The program uses algorithms to space the notes proportionally and mathematically on the page, but I always go back and space the notes manually, often one at a time. The computer-spaced music is legible, efficient, and correct, but it lacks the human eye and the human touch.

Anyway, I’m rambling. I don’t know when CAD came into the aviation business. It may have been earlier than we think. But I think I would have been very happy drawing airplane parts for a living.

ttyymmnn > Scimitar7 10/29/2016 at 10:37

2

Have fun. And take lots of pictures. Jagvar tells me there’s a nude beach nearby.....

ttyymmnn > The Lurktastic Opponaught 10/29/2016 at 10:39

1

I know this is a horribly gross generalization, and I’m sure there are actual pilots out there who will tell me I’m wrong, but it always seemed to that people fly Boeings while computers fly Airbuses.

John Norris (AngryDrifter) > ttyymmnn 10/29/2016 at 10:41

3

Whew. I’m relieved it’s only a KLM 747 retirement post, not elimination of the runway crowd scatter events.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > The Lurktastic Opponaught 10/29/2016 at 11:52

2

Well, barrel rolls are traditionally a Boeing thing.

The World of Vee > ttyymmnn 10/29/2016 at 12:11

2

When I lived in the Caribbean we made sure to go to Sint Maarten and do this. Apart from being awesome, it was also the most westernized island and had certain luxuries like fast food :)

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > ttyymmnn 10/29/2016 at 12:50

1

If it wasn’t for my age yes.

Jonathan Harper > ttyymmnn 10/29/2016 at 18:16

1

I saw it when I was there! The Airbuses are also impressive, trust me. But the beaches! Man, the beaches. Can’t wait to go back there.

Viggen > ttyymmnn 10/29/2016 at 23:01

0

KLM isn’t returning the 744s are they? It was sad enough they retired the three holers a few years ago!

ttyymmnn > Viggen 10/29/2016 at 23:11

0

I don’t know what their future plans are for the 74. I’m beginning to think that i need to go ahead and book passage on one before they’re all gone. Although UPS just ordered a bunch of 747-8s. Maybe I can box myself up and send myself somewhere.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > ttyymmnn 10/31/2016 at 11:32

1

I think so, yes.