*HUGE GRATITUDES TO:* Associated Press, KGO, NickFlightX, Ben Wang and Jaspreet Singh for their collaboration on the production of this video providing their awesome footage of this historic event. Congratulations to United Airlines and Boeing for achieving this milestone. You both have written some good history in aviation.
CJ S it’s my understanding that the 747 is being permanently retired in the United fleet due to advances in the next generations of the 737, 767, 777, and 787 being more economical to run on the longer haul flights due to decreased fuel consumption and the rising cost of maintaining the aging fleet of 747’s. Unless Boeing was to substantially upgrade the 747 to bring in up to par with the other current models (bearing in mind the substantial cost of acquiring a new fleet of them) it’s highly unlikely they will ever fly bearing the United livery again.
I have flown all 747's models for the last 22 years as a captain. I currently fly the 747-8i . My soul is engraved in this aircraft and I feel great pain to see this passing era. No matter what the economics dictates for big twins, 4 engines will remain the gold standard for systems redudancy and safety.
John Yves The 747 is a huge loss, but I feel horrible for the 717. It wasn’t just cancelled;it was murdered before it could even become something great. And it was the last MD based plane we will ever see for commercial flights. Oh well, at least we have flight simulators.
@ John Yves I said something akin to this (the 4 vs 2 engine argument) on another video. I am not a pilot or an aviation specialist but I can do basic math, and I know that 4 beats 2 for redundancy. Of course I was given the "modern turbines are ridiculously reliable etc etc" and while I don't doubt that, I posed a simple point for consideration: how does the atmosphere differ in the cockpit of a twin engine jet to that of a four engine jet when there is an engine failure. I was never answered, and I surmise that in the quad it is a situation of much less urgency. You can throw numbers at me all day but I will happily throw some back: 4 is more than 2. I like planes of all sizes and I am just a mere enthusiast who likes to fly sometimes, I have nothing to do with the aviation industry and don't claim to be an expert, but I get a little irked being told that two engines is just as safe as four (particularly over large bodies of water) because it simply isn't from a statistical point of view.
You hit the nail on its head! Could not agree with you more! While modern twins have gotten really good in terms of reliability, 4 Engines cannot be beat for the ultimate in safety! But at some point the bean counters decided that economics will overrule the small benefit in safety. Sad but true! Surprisingly, the newest 747-8i is extremely competitive with twins like the 777, in terms of its cost per seat/passenger mile flown. But that is based on filling it to capacity, and therein lies the rub! Because the hub-and-spoke model has slowly given way to the pont-to-point model, Airlines are having a hard time filling them up. And that's the reason Airlines are shunning both the 747 and the A380!
Agreed! There's more to being the Queen than just being big. The B-747 was a commercial success, has a very long-term positive safety record, it's an icon in pop culture, has served multiple roles, and was a game changer for the entire industry. No contest!
its a sad day, luckily us Europeans BA, KLM Lufty etc will still keep flying the 747 to the US, something the Americans don't seem to be returning the favour for recently.
Yeah I was gonna say but the dude above me beat me to it, KLM is retiring and has been gradually phasing out their 747 fleet for the past few years now. It's honestly not gonna be around with the big players for much longer :/
KLM's retiring is a shame, and I can't really say I look forward to the day when Atlas Air has more 744's than BA.Still at least we have the A330neo and 797 to look forward to I guess, and with a bit of luck, the 748 and A388(plus?) production lines will stay open for at least several years to come.
I was on the last mainland domestic flight from ORD to SFO. Was very bitter sweet. Was the most amazing flight I have ever been on. Everyone was up the whole flight. It was just one big party in the sky. Everyone was chatting, remembering our 74 experiences taking pictures. It was absolutely amazing. I miss the queen.
I took my first trip on the 747 in 1994 from Chicago-Tokyo Narita via Tampa. That was back when you actually got 3 square meal's and wonderful service.
Rest in peace 747. Your contribution will not soon be forgotten. You will help others for years to come in other countries, and continue to be told in history as one of the most iconic airplanes of all time.
Great video. That footage of SF and the Golden Gate was epic. I live/fly out of SF.....incl United 747s a few times... and we never get a flight path/view like that one :)
Hey man! Awesome video. I tracked the last international AND this flight. I track flights every weekend, since I don't fly that often. But this gives me an amazing view on what the flight actually was like, even though I wasn't on the flight :( Thanks for posting the video!
Great Video,I just loved watching this lovely plane take off but kinda sad as well knowing it was her last flight,great to listen to the Pilot and ATC I thought Air Traffic were kind of sad when they said goodbye to the queen of the sky as they called her.Thankyou VASAviation for this interesting video.
could be fuel as they were holding for quite some time at SFO also used a special departure pattern...not gonna deny the weather, its also a possibility.
I know this would extremely extremely extremely unlikely to happen but imagine if United announced that they're going to order a bunch of 747-8s. I would actually flip out of my chair and pay so much to get on the inaugural flight.
vaporized1000 Same here, but theres that “something” when flying in the 747 that makes me feel better than in a 380. Not sure what and whether its only me, but whatever it is, it makes me happy:D
Yeah but the 787 can carry the same # of PAX as a 747 and uses half the fuel. Long 747 flights take 40,000 gallons of fuel it's ridiculous. Or took, rather!
I certainly love the looks of the 747 but hated flying on them. It was like riding in a bus. I go out of my way to fly planes with 2-3-2 or 2-4-2seating like the A330 and 767. Great video.
I've watched many of your videos, but I've never commented. However, you do excellent work! You've captured so many details in this video! Very impressive!! 😊
I was almost expecting the music that United played when they had their commercials on during the Olympics. The title of the music escapes the mind at this moment. But yeah a sad day for the Queen.
It was an amazing queen of the skies but it's time for retirement it was an amazing plane and will never be forgotten they might fly it to Tupelo for scrapping or put it in a museum
In aviation history there has only been a few planes that have left their mark, the ones that I think of is the venerable Douglas DC-3 and the Boeing 707, 727 and 747. Long live the Queen of the Skies!
Curious as to why United had the SFO.HNL route to be her last revenue flight. She'll be going back to the mainland, so why wasn't the return flight her last?
Well that makes it a very touching last-flight. Sad to see her go. Probably the most recognizable civilian airframe in existence, and the very definition of every little kid's "Jumbo Jet".
Wait, was this the aircraft that was involved in the united 811 crash?! I know the plane was repaired, but how the heck was it still in service all this time?!
I'm curious why United asked them to do a missed approach and why the pilots refused. Presumably for a photo op, but if so why not coordinate with the pilots ahead of time?
This makes me sad, I always loved the 747’s I was born on an island in the South Pacific and it was the only way in and out. The aircraft that started my obsession with flying and now they’re being retired slowly but surely around all airlines. I do think the new aircraft these days are cool, but there’s nothing like the queen of the sky.
*HUGE GRATITUDES TO:*
Associated Press, KGO, NickFlightX, Ben Wang and Jaspreet Singh for their collaboration on the production of this video providing their awesome footage of this historic event.
Congratulations to United Airlines and Boeing for achieving this milestone. You both have written some good history in aviation.
#UA747Farewell also I saw this video on Nick's Channel. Also, I love that thumbnail
Help me understand. Is United retiring this particular 747 model, or they are done owning 747s?
CJ S Good question
VASAviation - All that we have today, we owe to the Queen, who will live in the sky and in all our hearts forever.
CJ S it’s my understanding that the 747 is being permanently retired in the United fleet due to advances in the next generations of the 737, 767, 777, and 787 being more economical to run on the longer haul flights due to decreased fuel consumption and the rising cost of maintaining the aging fleet of 747’s.
Unless Boeing was to substantially upgrade the 747 to bring in up to par with the other current models (bearing in mind the substantial cost of acquiring a new fleet of them) it’s highly unlikely they will ever fly bearing the United livery again.
I cried when he said Cleared For takeoff "Queen Of The Skys"
Adam Abdellaoui yeah so true..indeed. The Captain is fond of the 747
I have flown all 747's models for the last 22 years as a captain.
I currently fly the 747-8i . My soul is engraved in this aircraft and I feel great pain to see
this passing era. No matter what the economics dictates for big twins, 4 engines will remain the gold standard for
systems redudancy and safety.
Meh. Take a hint from the B-52; no one fears having to land on only 7 engines.
Well the new planes can fly with only 1 engine, so the redundancy is pretty much the same.
John Yves The 747 is a huge loss, but I feel horrible for the 717.
It wasn’t just cancelled;it was murdered before it could even become something great. And it was the last MD based plane we will ever see for commercial flights.
Oh well, at least we have flight simulators.
@ John Yves I said something akin to this (the 4 vs 2 engine argument) on another video. I am not a pilot or an aviation specialist but I can do basic math, and I know that 4 beats 2 for redundancy. Of course I was given the "modern turbines are ridiculously reliable etc etc" and while I don't doubt that, I posed a simple point for consideration: how does the atmosphere differ in the cockpit of a twin engine jet to that of a four engine jet when there is an engine failure. I was never answered, and I surmise that in the quad it is a situation of much less urgency. You can throw numbers at me all day but I will happily throw some back: 4 is more than 2. I like planes of all sizes and I am just a mere enthusiast who likes to fly sometimes, I have nothing to do with the aviation industry and don't claim to be an expert, but I get a little irked being told that two engines is just as safe as four (particularly over large bodies of water) because it simply isn't from a statistical point of view.
You hit the nail on its head! Could not agree with you more! While modern twins have gotten really good in terms of reliability, 4 Engines cannot be beat for the ultimate in safety! But at some point the bean counters decided that economics will overrule the small benefit in safety. Sad but true!
Surprisingly, the newest 747-8i is extremely competitive with twins like the 777, in terms of its cost per seat/passenger mile flown. But that is based on filling it to capacity, and therein lies the rub! Because the hub-and-spoke model has slowly given way to the pont-to-point model, Airlines are having a hard time filling them up. And that's the reason Airlines are shunning both the 747 and the A380!
great effort by the pilots to give a scenic view of San Francisco...the Golden Gate Bridge
Oh yes... One just doesn't get tired of that view.
She'll forever be the Queen of the Skies, no matter what new airplane models the future will bring us.
I bet they said that about many planes before. :-)
Mikosch2 yeah but hopefully this one sticks
Agreed! There's more to being the Queen than just being big. The B-747 was a commercial success, has a very long-term positive safety record, it's an icon in pop culture, has served multiple roles, and was a game changer for the entire industry. No contest!
@@mackenja43 Yes! There is only one queen, and she's the 747, period!
Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen. Hopefully this finds a museum.
or a loving billionaire.
This particular aircraft went to the desert.
Oof
I've always dreamed of flying on one of those since I was a kid. I guess I would never be able to. Farewell, Queen of the Skies.
There are other airlines around the world who still fly the 744 and the new 747-8. You still have a chance.
Wish you had the luck for one. I got luck for no intental reason getting a 747 from Asiana Airlines from ICN-HKG.
its a sad day, luckily us Europeans BA, KLM Lufty etc will still keep flying the 747 to the US, something the Americans don't seem to be returning the favour for recently.
KarlosBricks Unfortunately KLM is already busy with phasing out the 744. Last one will go in 2020 if Im correct :(
Yeah I was gonna say but the dude above me beat me to it, KLM is retiring and has been gradually phasing out their 747 fleet for the past few years now. It's honestly not gonna be around with the big players for much longer :/
LH 747-8 for the win.
Kaipeternicolas as much as I love the KLM 744 paint. I got to admit, the LH paint on the 747-8 looks amazing :D
KLM's retiring is a shame, and I can't really say I look forward to the day when Atlas Air has more 744's than BA.Still at least we have the A330neo and 797 to look forward to I guess, and with a bit of luck, the 748 and A388(plus?) production lines will stay open for at least several years to come.
I was on the last mainland domestic flight from ORD to SFO. Was very bitter sweet. Was the most amazing flight I have ever been on. Everyone was up the whole flight. It was just one big party in the sky. Everyone was chatting, remembering our 74 experiences taking pictures. It was absolutely amazing. I miss the queen.
Best shot in the whole video at 7:47 with the Golden Gate Bridge! Coincidence? Farewell to the Queen of the Friendly Skies :)
Who knows, my friend... :D
at 7:47?
O
I took my first trip on the 747 in 1994 from Chicago-Tokyo Narita via Tampa. That was back when you actually got 3 square meal's and wonderful service.
Thank you for your videos. It was incredible. I shed a tear just watching this. Farewell!!!!! 747
Thank you for watching.
And another chapter closes in aviation history
One door close another opens
Alex Veldkamp 747 the best ever
@@Lyxzzzzzzzzzzzzz1 No place will match the 747... the replacement is just the 777x which is boring has no character at all just another twin jet
What a sad day for aviation FAREWELL TO THE QUEEN!
Que día triste para la aviación. HASTA SIEMPRE, REINA!
i’ve flown 747 a few times. it feels funny everytime going up the stairs lol. such a special feeling. rip UA747..
I have flown a lot in all my years, but this gave me goose bumps. Wow!
Long live the Queen of the Skies.
Thanks for getting this out so quickly. Too bad they didn’t go for the missed approach at HNL to give the Queen her final bow.
The aviation world will never be the same once all the 747s are gone
Rest in peace 747. Your contribution will not soon be forgotten. You will help others for years to come in other countries, and continue to be told in history as one of the most iconic airplanes of all time.
Great video. That footage of SF and the Golden Gate was epic. I live/fly out of SF.....incl United 747s a few times... and we never get a flight path/view like that one :)
We all thank to Ben for sharing his footage with our community. Thanks for watching :)
Hey man! Awesome video. I tracked the last international AND this flight. I track flights every weekend, since I don't fly that often.
But this gives me an amazing view on what the flight actually was like, even though I wasn't on the flight :( Thanks for posting the video!
Thank you for watching! :)
The UA747 will always be in our hearts! Forever! :) See you in heaven UA747.
That was special, thank you.
Thank you for watching.
Great Video,I just loved watching this lovely plane take off but kinda sad as well knowing it was her last flight,great to listen to the Pilot and ATC I thought Air Traffic were kind of sad when they said goodbye to the queen of the sky as they called her.Thankyou VASAviation for this interesting video.
“Queen of the skies 747 heavy cleared for takeoff 28R”...... this gives me chills. 😭
Well, that was heart-breaking. I have had the privilege of flying on 747's going to and from Germany. Outstanding airframe.
What could be the reason for the pilot to refuse the go-around? I know some pilots at Air Berlin who would love to do one.
Iamwatchingyou75
Reckon it was the weather given they only picked up the runway at 300feet
More than probably because of weather conditions.
probably weather minimums or possibly fuel
could be fuel as they were holding for quite some time at SFO also used a special departure pattern...not gonna deny the weather, its also a possibility.
hahaha... that guy at Air Berlin is my hero for doing what he did in this PC world! hope he's enjoying retirement!
We still have lufthansa, cargo planes, Atlas air, and air france.
Going to miss seeing (and riding on) that big beautiful bird!
Love this Farewell video to the last United's B747 Flight, #UA747.
-- From Singapore.
I know this would extremely extremely extremely unlikely to happen but imagine if United announced that they're going to order a bunch of 747-8s. I would actually flip out of my chair and pay so much to get on the inaugural flight.
Thanks for this video, I knew that you were going to be first one posting it. Long life to the Queen!
Long life to the Queen. Thanks for watching! :)
Goosebumps just watching this... thank you!
Thanks for watching.
We are going to miss this exceptional aircraft 747 Queen of the skies.Aloha beautiful airplane!
Video made me cry. She will be missed. My childhood hero
Amazing, but also sad video. Greetings from Chile 🇨🇱, love your videos!
Thanks Josefina! Gracias!
one of the best and saddest videos of this page, Farewell Queen of the Skies 😢😭😢😭😢😭😢
Indeed. But it will remain as a tribute for both United and the Queen.
The A380 may be bigger but it is so ugly. The 747 looks majestic AF. I do enjoy flying the A380 more though because it is a bit newer. RIP United 747
vaporized1000 Same here, but theres that “something” when flying in the 747 that makes me feel better than in a 380. Not sure what and whether its only me, but whatever it is, it makes me happy:D
Lik3 ViaZ agreed it may be that cool factor like how it feels to drive an aerodynamic sports car. In the a380 I feel like I am in a high tech bus.
+vaporized1000 Yeah, the 747 looks more like a special airplane, the A380 are only 2 decks on to eachother...
Yeah but the 787 can carry the same # of PAX as a 747 and uses half the fuel. Long 747 flights take 40,000 gallons of fuel it's ridiculous. Or took, rather!
Absolutely, the 747 has always been the better and more proven airframe. It's a sad day, indeed.
Queen of the skies 747 bow down to you
UAL747 last words: Ground .9, 747 heavy, thank you.
Thank you Thank you. Excellent Work.
Thank you, Scott. Glad you liked it.
I certainly love the looks of the 747 but hated flying on them. It was like riding in a bus. I go out of my way to fly planes with 2-3-2 or 2-4-2seating like the A330 and 767. Great video.
I've watched many of your videos, but I've never commented. However, you do excellent work! You've captured so many details in this video! Very impressive!! 😊
Thank you for watching and for your support :)
I looked up to the 747 as my future aircraft. I truly loved the 747 as much as I LOVE aviation.
Use to fly 747 all the time since I was young from LAX to TPE and back. Now they all switched over to 777s.
That was pretty awesome, thanks!
Thank you.
Awesome video Victor! Great job!
Thank you Ken! And thanks for your work as well as a LiveATC contributor. You're always on the front line :D
Glad I got to fly on a 747...and a DC-10...and a 727...and a 757...all great aircraft.
Sad video… rip the 747. Also look up the last Air Berlin flight, that one is truly incredible
Thank you so much for making this video.
My pleasure. Thank you for watching.
I had tears coming after hearing the ATC of the last flight, I love the B747 I guess its when its time to go its time to go
I was almost expecting the music that United played when they had their commercials on during the Olympics. The title of the music escapes the mind at this moment. But yeah a sad day for the Queen.
Great collaboration!!
FAREWELL UNITED AIRLINES 747 1970-2017
What a destination to end this queen's route, Hawaii!!! Started in Hawaii and ended in hawaii.
QUEEN OF SKIES CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF 28R
She was cleared to go for 1 last go-around and the pilot refused!
Sad farewell for the Queen!
Weather conditions were poor.
So that was like a lei around her, at the end? Classy.
I flew on this exact plane 2.5 years ago from Beijing to Chicago.
Ben wang footage is captured perfect.
Absolutely! :D
It was an amazing queen of the skies but it's time for retirement it was an amazing plane and will never be forgotten they might fly it to Tupelo for scrapping or put it in a museum
9:30 sounds like UAL wanted to savor their last moments with her. Aloha and Mahalo, your highness!
I wonder why the pilots unabled.
A sad day! Thanks for the video.
Thank you for watching.
In aviation history there has only been a few planes that have left their mark, the ones that I think of is the venerable Douglas DC-3 and the Boeing 707, 727 and 747. Long live the Queen of the Skies!
Curious as to why United had the SFO.HNL route to be her last revenue flight. She'll be going back to the mainland, so why wasn't the return flight her last?
the first revenue flight for the 747 for United was the SFO-HNL route.
Oh, thanks for that information.
Well that makes it a very touching last-flight. Sad to see her go. Probably the most recognizable civilian airframe in existence, and the very definition of every little kid's "Jumbo Jet".
This airplane has done its job, and it's done a great job. Long live the 747.
1:06 It's koo every of us are friends.
Aviation brings us together.
Wait, was this the aircraft that was involved in the united 811 crash?! I know the plane was repaired, but how the heck was it still in service all this time?!
Not the same aircraft. According to wikipedia that aircraft was scrapped in 2004.
Great video!
I almost started crying while watching this video...
I wonder what was up with the 10 minute maintenance.
Is it weird if i cried
WOT Cinematic no, it isn't my friend. This is indeed a lost for the US civil aviation and will surely make its way to the history books soon.
Absolutely not if you really love aviation.
WOT Cinematic , No.
man this was way more emotional than i expected. i guess i just always took it for granted that the 47 would be queen of the skies forever.
Nope, I cried too.
I'm curious why United asked them to do a missed approach and why the pilots refused. Presumably for a photo op, but if so why not coordinate with the pilots ahead of time?
This makes me sad, I always loved the 747’s I was born on an island in the South Pacific and it was the only way in and out. The aircraft that started my obsession with flying and now they’re being retired slowly but surely around all airlines. I do think the new aircraft these days are cool, but there’s nothing like the queen of the sky.
Awwwwwwwh the silent cockpit as it takes forever to get to v2
I relate..
747 you are my best friend ever
Amazing video!
I'm crying 😭❤
Just fabulous....
My grandpa was the pilot of United Airlines 747 and also for the last Flight
Did they get a water cannon salute at either airport?
That view at 7:42 is unbelievable!
Thanks to Ben for his inside footage :D
So, does that mean United no longer uses 747's? Or is the 747 obsolete from all airlines? I have never flown on one, sadly.
747 was the last flight and I will miss this plane forever
Farewell my queen!
Can you do the Hawaiian a330 that caught on fire today?
I'm working on it.
Long live Lufthansa. Keep the queen flying!
Michi Scholl and British Airways
Wonder where the old girl is now. Chopped up and recycled? Awaiting demo at Marana. OR maybe continuing service as a cargo carrier.
This lady is at Victorville waiting to be scrapped.
When he said "queen of the skies 747 heavy cleared for takeoff" made me chill af
2019 still crying, hey I see my house.
Do you know who bought the 747s from united
What is The reason To Have a Last Flight Of This UA747 ?
Dad: Why are you crying so damn loud
rumor has it they are HOLDING SHORT 28 RIGHT
can you please find the atc recording for baseball pitcher roy halladay crashing his jet ski looking plane into the gulf of mexico and dying?
There was no distress call. It flipped and crashed upside down in 3-4 feet of water!!
i just wanna hear the atc of him ever talking etc.
He was flying VFR and probably not talking over the radio.
i thought no matter what when ur plane is crashing u have to radio in mayday.
End of an Era
Sam Stanfield if one Era ends another starts ;)
So, just to be clear, was this the last 747-400, and they're still gonna use 747-800s?
Why did company want them to do a missed approach in the first place? Just curious.
As a farewell. It's common. You can watch other videos in the channel about this.
How did he record thepilot and ATC?
Edit:Balck Box lol