Exploring an Abandoned Boeing 747
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- Опубліковано 17 жов 2021
- Ex- British Airways registration G-BYGA, delivered in March 1998 and last flew in March 2020. She was retired as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic and is seen here in October 2021, in the early stages of being dismantled. A lot of the moving parts will be sold off to other 747 operators - mainly cargo - but most of the aircraft will be scrapped.
As a retired airline geek, this is insanely depressing. The 747 is the best jumbo ever built.
Are there other planes that have the nickname Jumbo jet?
@@KnoppersBomber Jumbo was a generic term assigned to the early widebody transports. The B747, the Lockheed L1011, the McDonnell Douglas DC-10, Airbus A300, etc. The term fell out of use as more and more "jumbo's" hit the market.
Sorry but the newer 2 engine long haul aircraft, B777, B787, A350 are much cheaper to operate, this makes them demonstrably better.
@@KnoppersBomber any wide body jet, Tristar, DC10 in their day.
@@HansCSchellenberg It makes them more economical to operate, but not necessarily better. Hypothetical question for you - When you're halfway between Australia and Los Angeles, or Tokyo and San Francisco and you lose an engine, would you rather be strapped into a two-engine airplane or one with three or more engines? Not everything comes down to dollars.
I had the privilege to work on the 747-200 and -400 for 20 years at Northwest and Delta until we finally said goodbye to the Queen several years ago. Not a single plane in history nor the future has or will compare to the 747. Magnificent airplane.
Hats off to the British Airways crews privileged to have flown this magnificent beast, and ... I stopped breathing at 3m20s when the video started up the stairs to the cockpit. It was like entering a cathedral, stepping into the cockpit again. My eye picked up the [very few] missing pieces, and I thought "well, maintenance probably has that MCP on the way" -- my way of dealing with the joy of imagining this jet would fly again today. I noticed differences, too. Your bunks were shorter than ours! The seat belt switch was in the "wrong" position; it "should have been" on the overhead panel, however. My hand remembers that. And as you pushed up the thrust levers (a little too hesitantly in my opinion), I could hear the air conditioning system wind and feel the thrust pushing into my back. What an adventure that was. What a life. Thanks for the memories.
As a now retired ex BA Cabin Crew member, this aircraft used to be my office and place of work for a couple of decades. What a wonderful aircraft it was, and how sad to see it in this condition.
Many happy memories.
Great thanks, sharing your memories. I can almost hear the engines revving up....
All the beautiful sights, sunrises, sunsets & parts of the world this Girl has seen!
Its sad that due to Covid these planes retired earlier than expected. I'm glad that I had the honor to fly in a Lufthansa 747 in 2019 from Frankfurt to LA and from New York back to Frankfurt (even though Lufthansa will keep their -8 for a bit).
Probably Lufthansa will keep the -8 for quit long because they will get new first, business und Premium Economy class
Lufthansa still has high yield routes with high demand where the 747 is a proper airplane. For example FRA-JFK. The fuel consumption per passenger isn't that bad if there are enough passengers.
As a flight attendant I worked for 33 years I flew on a lot of 747 plane ✈️ it was the most beautiful plane ✈️
I spent much of my life traveling for my work…millions of miles. The very best and most memorable flights I ever took were on 747’s. Not one other aircraft compared. I mourn their retirement.
My Dad worked for Northwest Orient in the '70's, so we flew a lot... In '73 we took a 747 to Tampa, and there was a baby grand piano up there, of all things...Love this aircraft.. If you haven't flown on one, you missed a fantastic experience...
When I was kid, I always dreaming of traveling onboard Boeing 747. Alas that dream never materialized 😭
I was just on this plane less than two weeks ago! Got a whole tour from the guys at ASI! Great!
I flew this aircraft across the pond in 2018...♥️🇬🇧♥️
it's an ocean, you total putz bi0tch.
Long live the Queen of the Skies!
Couldn’t agree with you more… but it looks like we’ve lost the battle. If it were up to the public the 747 would be manufactured for decades into the future! Everything is known about it, it’s a safety validated design to the highest possible level. However, the airlines and manufacturers want greater fuel efficiency of two engine designs with plastic carbon fuselages instead of the 747’s proven safety, quality and superior quad engine redundancy-and they sadly make the rules and decisions in which we have no say. We’ll long love the superb, safe true Queen of the Skies :-)
It's a shame this beautiful airplane is grounded permanently. The 747 was the most comfortable airplane to fly on.
I've flown on 747s and they need to come back. Seriously. Outstanding aircraft. Also the L1011 Tri Star is another outstanding airliner that needs to return.
Have you tried Lufthansa/ Korean air?
The 747 is by far the best aircraft l ever had the privilege to fly on.. Looking at this ' im surprised just how modern the interior is ? Much better than any the aircrafts l fly on today ? Makes you wonder why they dont reclaim the some of the comfort seating and update some of those other uncomfortable aircrafts flying around ?
Very sad isn’t it. Great that you had the chance to explore her before she is dismantled - especially as you would have crewed on the 747 frequently I’m sure? Cheers. Steve
Yes, I worked hundreds of flights on her over the years.
So different seeing this aircraft in this sad condition, I like to remember them full of passengers, life and possibilities ♥️🇬🇧♥️
When you step on board a 747 the first thing that comes to mind is… how the hell does this thing get into the sky!
That's exactly what I thought when I first flew in a Pan Am 747-100 from JFK to LHR in 1971 (my honeymoon). The plane taxied slowly to the runway, then a tremendous thurst was felt and presto we were airborne! Unforgettable experience, which was followed by many other 747 journeys. It's an aircraft that made history by itself. Best wishes from Uruguay
@@ivanlussich8146 Same to you! Happy 2024!
Too bad nobody wants to convert those jets into 747-400BCF. Plane form 1998 isn't that old, it could fly as a cargo aircraft after conversion.
Or as a water bomber over large forest fires?
I used to work on this very aircraft. Shame to see it in this conditions. 30 years of memories working for BA.
Same here. What a glorious aircraft and what wonderful memories this brought back.
Terribly sad they're no longer around.
oh the stories this old plane could tell
Was fortunate to ride aboard a Virgin Atlantic 747 LAS to Manchester UK in 2013. Top level. Fantastic flight.
I cried while watching this, how can thay abandom such a beautiful machine???
And just think, a pilot knows every single one of all those dials, buttons, swit he's, and levers, and what for, how, and when. ....buf many drivers can't even remember their turm signal switch.
At these boneyards. They should sell some of the 747s parts to the public. Instruments, seats, galleys. Would make a great memorabilia store. Infact for all the aircraft types they have.
I really miss working in a 747…
That cockpit was heavenly
An interesting video inside this Boeing 747! I saw it at Cotswold Airport in October 2020. Shame its in such a state, I bet it didn't smell nice with all the mouldy seats... Thanks for sharing!
This indeed saddens me.
Just goes to show how often the crew quarters got sanitised given the amount of mould that has formed on the beds and seats! Not even one airline in the world is interested in buying the outdated Club World seats! So sad to see these big birds go.
I dont think that the mold on those beds is result of lack of sanitizing. There is no direct sunlight, small almost closed space in those bunks so perfect enviroment for mold.
Surprised that they left behind so many usable, interchangeable parts! Hopefully they are not done collecting parts because that would be an awful waste. I miss those birds.
freak
I work at Mariana , we part out and store about 75-80 747-400’s year, Believe me! The glass cockpit , avionics bay , even toilets are still worth BIG MONEY!
The queen of the skies is gone now.. almost 50 years of love. It's the end of an era. May you find a place in our hearts, 747, Queen of the skies, we've always loved you and we won't forget you. We will Always miss you.
Goodbye...
I've seen G-BYGA a number of times at LHR. I'm pretty sure she was one of the younger ones in the fleet that were delivered in 1998-99 or so with the premium heavy configuration for high dense routes like JFK, LAX, ORD, IAD, DFW, etc. Sad to see her in a sorry state. Very much miss the usual presence of the BA Jumbo that welcomes me every time when landing at Heathrow!
Spectacular camera work ... /s
Awesome vid!
Even on it's death bed this amazing bird still shines!!
Was expecting to see 2 skeletons sat in the cockpit! 💀
Holy shit! I could use almost all of the cockpit stuff for my home cockpit SIM setup!
I know right?! I’d love to dismantle the yoke and throttles and attempt to convert it into my sim setup.
All those safety cards menus people would love them
I flew on a BA 747 maybe 5 years ago and was fortunate enough to get a seat in the "hump." While boarding was still going on I asked the captain if I could take a peek inside the cockpit; he obliged. It is strange being in one of the largest commercial planes ever built yet the cockpit is absolutely tiny.
Wow! Still in such good condition! Great explore! 👍🏼
Wow the crew loft is so spacious - several sets of bunks including top and bottom and 4 seats and a wash basin.
This is sooooo cool we can turn this bucket into a hands on simulator trainer it never leaves the ground but new pilots do
Great video. ☺
Put things down Ben Ben, don't chuck them.
I flew on this plane a few years ago. Sad to see it scrapped.
I fcked this plane in the ass... Sad to see it so proper now.
This plane is safer than a current 737
Imagine converting a beauty like this into a small boutique hotel or air BNB I would pay for that experience. Love 747s but unfortunately never have been on one due to many airlines using the Airbus now
Flew on this same plane in 2010. GRU/EZE. Nice plane
Nice video
great video
The relatively short lived "Super Hi-J" configured 747. A nice plane to work on, always worked Club on the main deck, mainly because no one else ever wanted to 🤣
Awesome plane, but the quick camera movements in the video gives me headaches..
British airways Boeing 747-400 Rolls-Royce
Queen of the skies! I would love to buy an abandoned one and turn it into a house in the country! Unfortunately I don’t have anywhere near the money saved up to not only buy it but the land also and the cost alone to have it transported would be very pricey! Oh but it is nice to dream about it wish I could 😊
That was very cool
Has this aircraft been scrapped yet or does it still survive?
I’m surprised at how quickly the mold set in. That being the case I’m sure corrosion has already started to damage other areas of the aircraft, so clearly they planned to scrap as soon as it was taken out of service otherwise they would have flown it for storage, conversion or retirement in the US desert of CA or AZ where I’m from. I got to fly on two different BA 747s between Phoenix and Gatwick back in 2000. I almost dropped the money to make one leg of that trip on Concorde out of JFK to Heathrow or vice versa, just for the experience, but it would have cleaned out my entire savings at the time and I thought I’d have the opportunity in the future. Had I know I would have spent the money. You only live once. At least I got to walk through BA Concord aircraft in museums. Cool video!
clearly
I hope it lives on as a freighter.
Nothing I hate more than waste, that plane had another 8 years of good service left in it and they're just chopping it up like money is free. I hate this world.
How did you get access to this plane? (Did you have permission?)
Wow! You should have tried turning on the battery!
Wheres exactly that?
On another note, some history on the aircraft we're seeing would be nice. How did you gain access? Is the aircraft otherwise intact? The cockpit looks to be intact and complete. Lots of money there since the aircraft is new enough to have a glass cockpit. Not knowing the whole story here I would still say that 747 isn't abandoned but in the process of being scrapped.
On another note, its all outlined in the video description.
🙄
@@eat_a_dick_trudeau Thank you. How would I ever have known?
All 747-400 had a 2 person flight crew and glass cockpit. I worked at Boeing on the first 747-400 and then worked on the 747 program for the next five years. Then the first 777 and retired when 777 when line 1,500 was delivered which was the last one I worked on.
Spot on,Tony. I don't have specialised knowledge of the 747 but like a lot of of travelling past Kemble Airfield in The cotswolds who take an interest when driving past it was a sad day indeed when at least 6 BA Jumbos took to the air for half an hour or less from around London and flew in to this former WW2 bomber base, well before schedule, to be taken apart. There appears to be a very well organised business here, where seats, part of airframes etc are recycled into stuff you can purchase for the home etc. Engines and other parts are reused in the industry. When picked over the most poignant sight is witnesing the fuselage being cut up by specialised cutting gear on excavators, like huge can openers
@@matthewcoldicutt5951 Like old buildings, retired airplanes have a story to tell. If only they had a voice. And yes, it is indeed difficult to watch an aircraft that once took families on vacations and reunited lovers being cut up into pieces.
which switch turns on the contrails
Some of these with low hours are being converted into air freighters as the air freight demand is high
These planes were amazing still r
Big plane inside👍
I wonder if she ever made back the cost of her original purchase? Very sad to see the waste, particularly as she's more comfortable, modern, and economical than planes of, say, Russian/Soviet construction, which still fly populated air routes.
Dude, you could take that thing for a flight. It looks to be in flyable condition!!!!
Where is this?
How’d you get access? I’m jealous.
2:22 I've always wondered where these crew bunks were located
Abandoned?… I seriously doubt that. It will be scavenged and scrapped. Everything you are looking at will be sold.
Who cares? You're just arguing over semantics and it doesn't change anything.
@@MrRobarino actually… taking anything off an aircraft is a felony. If there is or was an airworthiness certificate and you remove anything used for that aircrafts ability to fly… can get a life sentence.
@@thatguy7085 not true
@@thatguy7085life sentence 😂
I need one of those yokes
So sad, Jan 2020 my last flight back from Vancouver 😩. Which aircraft was this please?
G-BYGA
It's really weird to see it all left like that. Hopefully the avionics have found a new home somewhere. I wonder if the emergency slide would still activate?
That's "Chelsea Rose" G-GYBA ! I've flown that aircraft! RIP Rose
How depressing. I never knew there was a lav and crew rest area on the flight deck of a 747. Is that common on all 747’s, what about other aircraft?
Some 747s had a flight deck lavatory too but it was carrier-specific.
What was the actual reason 747’s actually retired? Was it just down to costs of running the aircraft as in fuel or something else?
The planes were to be replaced by the brand new Boeing 777X by 2024, but the Covid pandemic accelerated the retirement of the British Airways Boeing 747 fleet, British Airways also wanted to cut cost and remove the dedicated maintenance cost associated with the old Jumbo Jet, as they didn't expect travel demand to return to 2019 levels for at least 4 years by which time they would've have the 777X planes entering service.
IAG (the company that controls British Airways) was losing a lot of money any excuses to remove an obsolete or redundant aircraft was taken with one such example being Iberia Air's Airbus 340's being quietly retired during the pandemic, another victim was the British Airways Airbus 318 baby bus that flew Business Class only transatlantic flights from London City Airport.
It should be noted that Lufthansa did the exact opposite with handling their old 747's with the airline putting half of their old 747 jets back into service, Lufthansa did however retire its Airbus 380 fleet and plans to remove its Airbus 340-600 fleet soon.
Its so sad 😞 To see the queen this way.
I never got the opportunity to fly on a 747. I have got to get a flight on one before they are fully fazed out. I know that Lufthansa still flies the 747-8 and the 747 400 for passenger service . I have to make this my mission in the next two years
Well Lufthansa is Retiring the 747 400 by the mid 2020s but Lufthansa will Still keep there 747 8 for mqny years to coke it said that the way Lufthansa Oporates the still have the 747 until 2035
Youre so luckyyyyy
Subbed to your channel mate 👍
Cool explore mate
Lets see what happens if you raise the landing gear 🤣
If your homeless this could be ideal to use for a roof over your head
Whew. Getting airsick with the swinging camera work.
Seeing it in this condition makes me sad.
no duty free anywhere?
Camera moving too fast. Can't focus anything.
Haha the way he's playing in the cockpit
Where was this
location?
What a waste of a good airplane.
thats a 400 series, I could tell of the glass flight deck. they took out the auto pilot control out of the flight deck but the screens are intact.
What was with all the stains on the flight attendant sleeping berths?
What airliner?
So sad :(
I gotta ask how many joined the Mile High Club on that bird.
I would split that question into three parts: in the passenger area, the cockpit, and the crew rest area ;)
Where is it abandoned? I'd like to buy it
Lufthansa still flying loads of B747s
So sad to see these Queens dying like this. I’m on 90 acres and would love to have one and turn it into a guest house on my property. But the cost to buy, dismantle, reassemble, level, paint. Not worth hundreds of thousands.
Too bad, these were the best planes ever made.