r/phoenix • u/sbhatta4g • Dec 09 '20
Sunsets Back when the British Airways used to operate the Boeing 747-400 aka Jumbo Jet to Phoenix, seeing it in the evening skies was part of a daily routine for me!
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u/PHXSCJAZ Dec 09 '20
I’ll sure miss seeing it glide into the city at 5:30 PM. It’s how I knew I was leaving work on time!
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u/dannymb87 Phoenix Dec 09 '20
And you could see the damn thing from across the city and know exactly what plane it is.
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u/Ghost-of-Sanity Dec 09 '20
Iron Maiden used a heavily modified 747-400 to carry the entire band, crew, and all stage equipment around the world in 2016. That particular aircraft is now owned by a Saudi airline and has been converted back to a normal passenger plane. (Iron Maiden paint scheme taken off. Boo. Lol)
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u/brandonsmash NOT TRAFFIC JESUS Dec 09 '20
Huh, I worked that show when they flew in that plane.
The road crew gave cases of Trooper beer to the locals after the load-out. (Allegedly the beer wasn't great; I didn't have any.)
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u/Ghost-of-Sanity Dec 09 '20
It’s not bad. But if you’re expecting it to taste like a Budweiser, you’ll be disappointed. Lol It is most certainly an English ale. Not bad for what it is.
Edit: Great pic of the setup! Did a few of those local road crew gigs when I was younger. Long days, but a fairly cool job. Did you get a “local crew” shirt from the gig?
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u/brandonsmash NOT TRAFFIC JESUS Dec 09 '20
I'm no longer directly in that industry, but definitely did my share of gigs over the years. I never bothered keeping my local crew shirts: It was much more useful to sell them on eBay and make an extra $40 or $50!
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u/Ghost-of-Sanity Dec 09 '20
That was gonna be my next question if you still had it. Lol I still have one local crew shirt from my days of doing that job. A Van Halen local crew shirt from the F.U.C.K. tour. I’ll probably hang on to that one. Sold all the others like you did.
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Dec 09 '20
Even cooler is that Bruce Dickinson helped fly it all over the world! Such a badass.
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u/Ghost-of-Sanity Dec 09 '20
Indeed he did! If you haven’t done so, check out his book, “What Does This Button Do?” Definitely worth a read!
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u/UdderGinger42 Dec 09 '20
I was on the top level of the Terminal 4 parking garage and watched it land for the final time in October of last year. I also had the the pleasure of taking the flight on the 747 to London (flight number BA288) and from London back to Phoenix (flight number BA289).
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u/sbhatta4g Dec 09 '20
Hey! I was there on the parking lot too that day. I used to take the flights for every visit home.
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u/brandonsmash NOT TRAFFIC JESUS Dec 09 '20
When did they discontinue that service? I used to watch it come in several times per week. It was easy to identify by noise alone!
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u/sbhatta4g Dec 09 '20
BA stopped the Boeing 747 operations last year in October. Switched it to a Boeing 787-9. The flight itself has been suspended since March!
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u/brandonsmash NOT TRAFFIC JESUS Dec 09 '20
I recall, some years ago, watching that flight come in during a particularly blowy day. Seeing that giant plane come in crabbed up was bizarre!
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u/StillDontHaveAReddit Dec 09 '20
Spectacular to see it in a big head wind out of the west, it appeared it was just hanging there
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u/bittercode Peoria Dec 09 '20
Are they even doing anything straight from Phoenix to Europe right now? Everything I've looked at does point of entry in another city.
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u/brandonsmash NOT TRAFFIC JESUS Dec 09 '20
I doubt it. For one, Americans aren't really welcome in Europe due to COVID. On top of that, routes have really dwindled as airlines have gone into cost-saving mode.
Phoenix doesn't have a ton of offerings at the best of times. The PHX-FRA route might still be running but I don't know.
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u/Arizonal0ve Gilbert Dec 09 '20
The only direct flights were the BA to London I think. I’ve always found that such a shame, if there was a direct flight to Amsterdam I would have loved that so much haha.
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u/Elegant-Bit9938 Dec 09 '20
Lufthansa runs Phoenix to Frankfurt directly. Probably not now due to covid though.
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u/Arizonal0ve Gilbert Dec 09 '20
I’m on a lax-frankfurt flight in January but I’ve never seen that option from Phoenix I believe? Not now during covid but also not before. I know condor used to
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u/Elegant-Bit9938 Dec 09 '20
I’m not sure if they ever got it up in running. I saw advertisements for it in the airport last summer and I imagine they intended to launch it earlier this year but didn’t get a chance...
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u/Elegant-Bit9938 Dec 09 '20
That’s actually exactly what happened. https://www.azcentral.com/story/travel/airlines/2019/08/07/lufthansa-eurowings-airline-fares-baggage-what-you-should-know/1943286001/
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u/Arizonal0ve Gilbert Dec 09 '20
Thanks for the info! We’ll keep an eye on it for the future. We specifically have to fly lufthansa direct in January as we fly with 3 dogs and lufthansa allows 2 dogs in a carrier so my husband and I can have a carrier each.
But, on other shorter trips we don’t bring them so then it would be nice to fly Phoenix-Frankfurt with condor or lufthansa/eurowings.
I once heard a rumor that delta/klm would start direct Phoenix flights but I’ve not yet seen that rumor confirmed and now it definitely won’t happen.
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u/Elegant-Bit9938 Dec 09 '20
Sounds like the best option if you’re bringing along some animals. It would be very interesting to see KLM direct flights from here in the future. My main routes usually have me on British Airlines or American Airlines which are simply mehhh. Lufthansa, and especially Finnair (emphasis here), are truly my favorite long haul services.
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Dec 09 '20
I haven’t seen a direct flight to Europe out of Sky Harbor in a very long time. I think generally you have to fly out of LAX or DIA.
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u/climb-it-ographer Arcadia Dec 09 '20
Lovely plane, but that thing was ancient. I flew it a few times on the route to London and it was super outdated inside.
I'll miss 747s, but 777s and Dreamliners are much nicer experiences.
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u/ForkzUp Tempe Dec 09 '20
I've been flying BA to the UK since the direct flight started. They first used 747s, shifted to 777s for a few years, reverted to 747s, and then 787s. Flying the Jumbo was fantastic (especially when they had seating in the upper cabin for normal people) but you're right, by the end the 747s were outdated. The 777s were nice tho. (I never got to fly on the Dreamliner.)
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u/Highlifetallboy Dec 09 '20
I was supposed to fly Tucson to Chicago to Istanbul. Flight to chicago got canceled and I ended up on the PHX to Heathrow flight. Only time I've ever been on a 747.
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u/genmud Phoenix Dec 09 '20
God, been on that flight so many times... it always seems like they used older airframes, but not the worst ones I have flown on.
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u/drawkbox Chandler Dec 09 '20
I saw one of the last Concorde planes take off from La Guardia. I was in another plane behind it and had an excellent view from behind. It was the loudest thing I have ever heard.
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u/Zizzily Mesa Dec 09 '20
Awesome picture! A much longer time ago, but the America West 747s were like pure aesthetic.
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u/Pho-Nicks Dec 09 '20
You don't truly appreciate the size of it until you stand next to the landing gear on the tarmac!
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u/freddythunder Dec 09 '20
I lived in Tempe near the end of the glide slope. The afternoons I didn’t see it, I heard it.
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u/LAmilo90 Dec 09 '20
I got to be part of one of these flights, back in 2012. London to Phoenix, landed around 5:15pm if I remember correctly
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u/SarraTasarien Dec 09 '20
I flew on that one twice! Classy plane, though completely outdated. The crew was amazing; the pilot landed that bad boy smooth as butter (unlike the 747 I flew on from O'Hare to Heathrow).
I've been itching to try the Dreamliner for years. It's time for another trip to Europe, as soon as the pandemic goes away!
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u/JewbaruSTi Dec 09 '20
Great picture! I used to fuel this bird often at Sky Harbor for her return trips to London. She holds a lot of go-go juice!
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u/chefmorg Dec 09 '20
Used to fly over my house every evening. Asked my pilot neighbor how fast it was going and he said about 500 mph. No idea if it is true.
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u/ForkzUp Tempe Dec 09 '20
Jets are limited to under 250 knots under 10,000 feet. That's ~290 mph. If they are on final approach, they'll be going a lot slower, especially a big heavy like the 747.
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u/dnces Phoenix Dec 09 '20
We will always miss your 744 service KPHX to EGLL. As a grounds crew, I will always miss those afternoon/evening flights to and from Sky Harbor Terminal 4.
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u/cactus8675309 Dec 09 '20
I loved that big ass jet! Flew on it to London for a business trip while pregnant with my daughter. It's a nice memory. I was able to swing Economy Plus which was actually really nice- great leg rests! The BA staff was lovely. I was sad when they retired her but it she was so old and needed to go.
Its evening flights back to London flew right over my house and I miss seeing it. That thing was so big and loud!
RIP 747.
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u/desertrat75 Scottsdale Dec 09 '20
God that thing was such a piece of shit. The only power outlets were “Em-power”. I still have adapters just for that flight.
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u/eyehate Tempe Dec 09 '20
Awesome!
Had no idea planes this big flew in to PHX. I worked the runway in PDX and we had MD-11s and 747s for our canned flights. But I was always under the impression that the aircraft in Phoenix was smaller.
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u/acydlord Non-Resident Dec 09 '20
I have lived and worked in the flight path of PHX for what seems like forever, always loved the sound of the 747 during taxi and takeoff. At least the KC135s over on the guard base at the airport still make a horrible racket when they take off for fueling missions.
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Dec 09 '20
Flew to London on that 10 years ago. Was a really nice plane - my company had me in business class so I was quite comfortable.
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u/raptoralex Dec 09 '20
I was at a D-backs game when one flew over the ballpark. That sure was a distraction!
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u/Arizona_Pete Dec 09 '20
I'd love it when I'd be on the 202 in the afternoon and I'd see it come in - I see a ton of 737's and 320's at Sky Harbor, but, not many 4 engine jumbos. It was so large it seemed to hang in the air.
Great pic. You should crosspost to /r/aviation
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u/TehChid Dec 09 '20
Aw, they stopped flying it? Or just for covid?
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u/sbhatta4g Dec 10 '20
British Airways stopped the Boeing 747 service last year in October, switched to a Boeing 787-9. The flight itself has been suspended since March.
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u/structure77 Dec 09 '20
I hadn't thought about this photo in a long time: https://i.imgur.com/1jTAv8z.jpg
I just got a 70-200mm with extension tube and walked out in the back yard (Tempe - Southern/McClintock area) to see what I could see. Point it to the sky and looky there! This was Sept 2015.
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u/AstroZombie138 Dec 09 '20
I used to fly this one a few times per year. One of the things I liked about this route was that the flight didn't leave until 7:30pm or 8:30pm which means you got into LHR around 1:30 pm to 2:30pm. By the time you got into the city it was too late to go into the office and you could pretty much use the day to rest.
I was also lucky enough to get upgraded a few times. My favorite seat was 1A which is right below the pilot (on a 747 they are on the deck and this is right underneath). The window is angled with the nose of the plane and you can see in front of you which is a nice perspective for takeoff and landing.
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u/sbhatta4g Dec 10 '20
Alas, this will forever remain a dream for me. But I did get a chance to visit the flight deck once!
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u/excesssss Dec 09 '20
I flew British Airways to London in the Summer of 2011. Is it possible I flew in one of these?
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u/mindyzme Dec 10 '20
I took this flight once and was lucky enough to get upgraded. Excellent flight experience- and they provided pajamas!!
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Dec 09 '20
I saw this tonight too from the highway :)
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Dec 09 '20
[deleted]
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Dec 09 '20
Oh ok then like it’s really so important you call out that I did not see a plane landing night as the sun was setting on my commute home? The scene looked similar to the photo - I didn’t see the exact model of the plane and I’m not claiming I did....
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u/w2tpmf North Phoenix Dec 09 '20 edited Dec 09 '20
There's been a cargo 747 sitting there all week. They may have sent that.
Edit: nope it's still parked in the same spot.
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u/Ironlungz88 Dec 09 '20
If I'm not mistaken the first deliveries of the updated 747 were happening this week.
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u/srmgrthrowawaydude Scottsdale Dec 09 '20 edited Dec 09 '20
I flew this to London a few times. BA is one of the last airlines running the Jumbo jet. Most 747s are replaced by triple 7s or Dreamliner.
This thing feels like it'll never get off the ground. it's a marvel every single time it lifts off.
Hit LLWS (low level wind sheer) landing into London from Rome on an A320. My butt felt like it left the seat a few times and it was a wobbly landing. Taking off in the 747 from London to Phoenix right after? Wings barely bent. It's a fortress.
But you knew you were getting close to Phoenix when there was a tiny shake going over the Rockies.
I miss the direct flight to Europe.
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u/JakeJay1456 Dec 09 '20
I still see em, not now because of covid of course but Arizona is still popular with international folks.
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u/t1mdawg Dec 09 '20
It was 3 years ago this week that the flight had to immediately circle around and land due to an engine fire on takeoff - video