That is a little ironic as one of the reasons for the VC10 being taken out of commercial service was high noise levels, presumably suffered by those not on the plane. The other was high fuel consumption.
All relative to its time I guess.
Actually on the way back on that trip my main gripe was that I had managed to get a seat with extra legroom by chatting up the check in girl (the flight was handled at Dulles by a commercial airline). But as we boarded I got moved to another seat unilaterally by the aircrew because a rotund and self-important elderly guy who was âThe Queenâs Messengerâ wanted my seat and the one next to it too for his official bag (which was presumably diplomatic post).
I argued, but a 30 year old civilian with the lowly equivalent rank of Squadron Leader didnât cut any ice and I was told that I was sitting where they told me to or I could get off. âUp to you sir.â
Best
David
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I used to work on 747s (the -200 series) with British Airways and they are simply huge. I never got to fly on one though. I did manage to get to fly on an A380, but Iâm not sure how the two compare as a passenger experience.
I will miss this plane. My first flight was on 31st March 1973 -it was a big event to be on that plane.
In the 90âs and ânoughtiesâ I was very lucky and used this plane 2-4 times a month for work - Delhi, Bombay, New York, HK, Singapore and Cape Town / JoâBurg. Most comfortable, smooth plane - especially On BA flat beds on the 747-400. My wife and kids loved it - my wife is gutted that this plane is going - she hates flying âŚexcept on this plane.
Memorable moments were an aborted take off when the plane hit a vulture on take off in Delhi and ⌠the day I landed at Heathrow 30 mins before the last ever Concord flight landed - Terminal 4 was one big party!
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I love everything planes or flying, would have loved that as a career but wasnât clever enough (or never applied myself enough) plus Iâm blind as a bat! So ATC (Air Training Core) cadets it was and made Flight Sergeant before I left. Flying and Gliding opportunities were always a highlight!
Enjoyed reading through this thread a while back, didnât have time to share my experiencesâŚthen stumbled upon an old jotter with a diary of one of our trips out east and felt the urge to reply!
My Mum is Chinese, born and raised in JB Malaysia (Dad Scottish, so unlike most Jocks I take a tan well 
) while growing up we used to take trips every few years out East so the Grandparents could see us growing up, plus we got to experience the culture and food of course!
First trip would have been '83 Edinburgh to London, then onto the big jumbo!!!
Latterly we flew via Amsterdam and KLM but most memorable trip, was in an SIA (Singapore Airlines) 747-400 BIG TOPâŚeven the name was cool, or so the young me thoughtâŚlol
We were always back in cattle class, but to be fair the age and size we were it mattered notâŚbut, one trip, probably still late 80âs - My folks used all our points and managed to get us Upstairs!!!
Wow - the seats were like huge armchairs and had bits rise up from below for your legs! There was a bin that we could have hid in next to the seat by the window, it was huge too and had a pillow and blanket in there!
Only things that let it down for us (me and my younger brother) was the weird food they served - think it must have been caviar lol and the fact the woman in front of us smoked like a chimney the whole flight! We even got told to stop pointing our air vent at the back of her seat and winding it open full flowâŚ
I used to love when we got a seat towards the rear of the plane, seeing inside the wing when full flaps down and waiting for the air brakes to pop up then the rumble of reverse thrustâŚhappy memoriesâŚsad to see the big jumbo go, but thems the times we live in huhâŚ
Hereâs my Jotter extractâŚ
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youâll have to excuse my spellingâŚ
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Thatâs fantastic, what a great book of memories.
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Very nice thread Richard.Only one time for me on a BA 747 and it was on September '10 from Heathrow to Boston Logan Airport.I remember I was taking a very long look at it through the windows of the airport while boarding and I was so impressed.
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Final flight for British Airwaysâ last two Heathrow-based Boeing 747 planes https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54457434
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I read that piece and they said the 747 would still be flying freight for another 20 years.
It also said that they came into service in 1969⌠so by the time the last goes out of service the model will have been flying for 70 years? Wow.
Agree, and if you think back 70 years from now that was just after WW2 ⌠planes have come a long way so for the 747 to be in front line service that long, as you say wow indeed.
My parents flew on a jumbo many years ago and recall in the â upstairs â there was a cocktail bar and a pianist !
The past was a different place .
I loathe air travel and the way one is herded and processed and will do anything to avoid it.
Regards
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We have a friend who used to be a Delta airlines captain/pilot ⌠he said that they used to refer to passengers as âself loading freightâ âŚ
We were fortunate enough to be at Heathrow when the Space Shuttle was there on top of a Jumbo I think. Probably heavily modified.
Phil
Window seat, upper deck was my preference. The aisle seats suffered from the springy intermediate floor, and when some walked by, the seat would bounce just enough to wake me. Window seat was more stable. The old business-class fit-out was also much better than the most recent iteration that was too flimsy. Footrest being attached to the seat in front was a mistake, compared to the pedestal arrangement of the old fit-out. Probably a lot lighter, though.
I once sat 1st class (lower deck) in the centre seat, right at the front in the nose-cone, basically ahead of the pilots. A slightly unusual experience on take-off. You can see forwards (a bit) out of the side windows that are angled forward, and the experience on rotation was notable.
My most memorable BA flights were perhaps out of Accra, Ghana, on the way home from working in Africa. Settling into the BA 747 for the overnight to Heathrow was comforting after the madness of Africa. Almost home. (Well, just LHR to YVR on AC to go)
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