Back around 1982, I flew Sydney-LA on a PanAm SP. It was 6 hrs late leaving due to oil drooling out of an engine. When we finally got to LA, it had to do a low level go-around and I swear that thing climbed like an F16. I suspected the pilots were just showing off. I regularly flew on the Qantas SP’s between LA and Australia. They originally stopped in Honolulu enroute to Townsville and Brisbane. Back in those days, Qantas prided itself on being an all-747 airline, so they couldn’t fly to smaller markets or ones with short runways - Wellington NZ being a key one. I was told they did fly the SP in to Wellington for the 3 hr flight to Sydney. It would have been a spectacular takeoff but not terribly economic. Qantas staff affectionately referred to their 2 SP’s as Heckle and Jeckle. Around 1999, my daughter and I flew on one of the last Qantas SP flights on the domestic Oz midnight horror from Perth to Sydney, then on to LA in a 747-400. I was sad to see these odd beasts go but flying an SP and -400 back-to-back showed just how much more comfortable and quiet the newer -400 was.
Once the 400’s arrived the qantas SP’s saw out their days on the Perth Johannesburg route. With the retirement of the SP’s qantas gave up on this route with SAA flying this route mostly with an A340
I flew the B747SP for 1500 hours as PIC. It was the most fun airplane I ever flew. Long range cruise was around M0.85/0.86. But I’ve done Hong Kong to LA at M0.90 as well. It truly is an amazing aircraft.
I flew it for South African Airways in the mid 90’s. I echo your sentiments. Our standard joke was, how do you get an SP to cruise at M0.88? The answer was, you just reduce the thrust a bit😊
I worked for UAL in Seattle back in 1989 as a ramp agent and UA flight 17 flew daily from SEA to HKG with the SP….. I helped load food onto the aircraft as UA had its own flight kitchen there at that time. I absolutely loved that aircraft, was a beautiful plane. Miss it!
Greetings from Cape Town. In 1976 a South African 747SP flew direct from Seattle to Cape Town on a delivery flight. A world record for an un-refueled commercial aircraft at the time.
@simpleflying 6:27 I work for Pratt & Whitney and have been on both of their FTB’s. The stub wing is pretty wicked. Crazy! We did a majority of in-house development testing on the GTF on these girls. The pilot will hand over individual engine control to us in the back, respectively.
I only got to fly in a 747SP one time, but it was memorable. United subbed a 747SP for a 757 on a flight from SFO to ORD. As I recall there were less than 150 passengers, so it was not heavily loaded. After a rapid roll out, we took off more effortlessly than I had ever experienced in any other aircraft. It was like the way a helium balloon quickly rises when you let go of the string. Seemingly instant lift as we flew over San Francisco Bay. Special Performance indeed! I was fortunate to log about 200K passenger miles in United 747-400s, but the SP will always be my favorite. It is sad that so few remain in service.
I live in Vegas. The Sands SP flew out earlier this year. She's most likely stored. The only aircraft on their ramp are the A340-500, some 737s, and smaller VIP aircraft.
I think they might have scrapped it as they gave its registration to another sands plane an a320 ceo and I heard somewhere it was scrapped but not 100% sure.
There is a 747SP offered for sale, located at Rolling Hill Estates, California. No price is quoted. It has a fat brown paint stripe down the side. This one is a VIP version with fancy bathroom and a bedroom even. Same plane? Could be. Offered with two spare engines.
I hold my altitude record, flying at 45,000 feet between AKL/LAX on the SP. The SP was a favourite with us (tour operators) as it cut out a stopover en route at HNL or PPT.
I flew 747-SPs as a Captain for South African Airways. I flew theforst 747 into Havanna Cuba, in the livery of Air Namibia. I also flew one in the livery of Air Mauritius from Mauritius - Munich- Heathrow with Prince Andrew and Fergie on board, home from Mauritius after their honeymoon there. I also flew the SAA 747SP when some were on lease to Luxavia or Luxair as well as Lion Air. Nothing unusual. SAA sold one 747SP to Royal Air Maroc. There is one SAA 747SP at the SAA MUseum at Rand Airport near Johannesburg. On a delivery flight of one SP from Boeing at Seattle with chilled special fuel, was flown non-stop Seattle-Cape Town commanded by Capt Bill Van Reenen. On landing, it still hzd 2 hours of fuel remaining. Karl Jensen
I saw the 747SP quite often as I was a regular visitor to JFK (and still am), AND in flight on arrivals to JFK runway 31R from Long Beach in the late 70’s thru the mid-80’s (mostly PAN AM). It was in the early mid 80’s when I discovered TWA had an SP (and even disappointed for NOT EVER knowing it, call it FOMO), when there was an unusually long bank to the LEFT as seen from the dunes of Long Beach, named BOSTON EXPRESS). I now imagine that it may have been a missed approach onto 31R, and made a low turn back over the Belt Pkwy towards Sandy Hook and back over the Long Island shore above Long Beach). It was like LOVE at first sight. I did actually fly on a PanAm 747SP between MIA ->JFK in the mid-80’s that was continuing onto LHR and FRA (I didn’t want to get off the plane, I wanted to continue flying to Europe on it). I sat just behind the wings and during final approach was amazed at the noticeably different look of the flaps when fully extended. There were less flaps on this version than my previous 747-100/200 flying experiences. I felt (speaking obviously an AV GEEK) so fulfilled FINALLY after flying on that single 747SP at that moment in time. And I can now say that I have flown on all the variants of commercial passenger 747’s produced other than the JAL 747SR🤦🏻♂️ ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️
Very nice, thanks for sharing! Which 747 variant was your favorite to fly with and which one was the least comfortable and what´s the reason for that? Would be very interesting :)
@@AeroMaster-xy8eo how to answer that… as a kid flying with my family, we were strictly flying in coach. And it was great given my size as a kid. It was all 747-100/200’s. I do recall feeling pissed off that I was too small (rather I blamed the airlines for this…LOL) to see the outside of my window seat. Most memorable was the very 1st flight on AA 747-100 with the piano bar at the very rear! JFK->SJU 1971. Fast forward, where as a teenager in 1978 on a business trip with my father, we were upgraded (1st time I ever heard that term) from economy to some premium cabin on JAL B747-200 between HNL->NRT (newly opened), and sitting in the space behind 1st class was my intro to the luxe flying experience. That said, as an adult, and my maturing familiarity with commercial flying, I always preferred and had consistent exhilarating experiences sitting on the upper deck of SIA’s 747-300’s and 400’s (‘’Big Top’’ and “Mega Ark”) In front of the wings, and in the hump and disconnected in a truly separate and cozy cabin in the sky! When flying was still civilized and felt like the greatest treat (it’s still a great treat, but not certain about the “civilized”).
Few corrections here: VQ-BMS was not damaged in Arizona. This happened during a hurricane in Lake Charles, Louisiana. A 737 was pushed into the 747 by the hurricane winds. VP-BLK did not only have 50 seats. Initially it had 114 seats. After the airplane interior was redone, it had 90 seats. But due to regulation, only 65 could be used for takeoff and landing. They could’ve easily fixed this, but decided against it. VP-BLK was sold to someone who plans to operate it.
I was the lead Flight Engineer on those two Sands SPs. VP-BLK, was sold. In fact, I operated the final flight into KMCI. The new owner plans to operate VIP charter flights after getting a maintenance C check. So there is still hope, the queen will fly again.
I flew from Sydney to Brisbane on a Qantas 747SP. I was sitting looking out the window on the tarmac in Sydney when a huge ball of sparks flew out of the engine. We were delayed for about an hour while the start was replaced. They are an absolutely beautiful aeroplane, and it was so sad to see pictures of it being scrapped .
The SAA in Johannesburg does a technical tour of the 747SP that they have. This tour is worth travelling to Johannesburg for it. I got to sit in the Pilots seat, in a fully intact cockpit, while they power on the jet via an APU and demonstrated numerous systems being tested. Before that point I'd gotten to climb through the avionics bay.
I'm a bit surprised that it's not mentioned that if not for the SP, several other variants of the 747 wouldn't have been possible. The SP was the first 747 with the "hump" extending over the wings. It massively added to the development costs, as the whole section had to be redeveloped for it. In turn it made it even more difficult for the SP to break even. Which it probably never did. All other 747 variants with lengthed top decks are based on it and otherwise wouldn't have been possible.
Every day is a school day!!! I can't say I've actually paid attention to that small nuanced fact despite having a photo book of all 747 variants back in 1996! I miss that book with the Northwest 747 on the front cover!
I've always considered it sort of a "loss leader" for the 747 line for this reason. In and of itself, it made no profit, kind of like a stripped-down car with no AC, radio, or cruise control used to be, but it paid for itself by being the template for more profitable stable mates.....
The 747SP was essentially designed originally for one purpose: fly routes over 6,500 nautical miles long. It was introduced on the route between New York City and Tokyo by Pan Am. Besides the 1979 oil crisis, what really killed the 747SP was the availability of 747-200B's powered by General Electric CF6-50's and more fuel capacity, which allowed 747SP range on a standard 747-200B fuselage. It was Japan Airlines that introduced tthis improved 747-200B, interestingly flying on the same route between Tokyo and New York City.
I did fly on the 747SP with TWA from Amsterdam to NY JFK in the 1980's once. The captain came on the PA and said we were at a cruising altitude of 40K ft. which is higher than most other passenger jets. It was a very smooth flight.
Back in the 90s, QF used to alternate between the 747SP and 767-300 on the SYD-MNL-SYD and BNE-SYD-BNE routes. Sometimes, it would be a regular QF SP, on other days, it would be the Australia Asia SP.
i love the 747s so much, not only because how iconic they are, but their flight envelopes still laugh at many of the modern aircraft of today. MTOW overload limit at 2.5G's for a 100 ton beast is CRAZY.
5:16 the advantage of B747sp-38 it's due to the fact that in hot and high Conditions the RB211-524 in that type of environment due to the fact it doesn't have to use water injection seen on JT9D engine since its a more modern design
I had the pleasure of flying on a China Airlines 747SP TPE-HKG-SIN c. 1990. Between HKG and SIN, I think I was the only passenger in the forward cabin and Stewardesses Ms. Chen and Ms Lee kept my champagne glass topped up. The flight was very high up, 43,000 ft if I recall correctly, and the ocean was a deep blue with small clouds far below. I also flew on a South African Airways SP to Cape Town c.1993, also very nice, with clear skies for the approach over the city to (then) D F Malan Airport, with Table Mountain to starboard.
I don't know, if it was completely true, but it was said that the original plan was to name the 747SP, 747SB for “Short Body”, to match the fuselage, which had been shortened by 14.35 m. However, this significant change in proportions meant that the aircraft lost its elegant lines and looked like a fuselage that was too short on wings that were too large. This prompted a joker in Boeing’s development department to remark that “SB” stood for "Sutter’s Balloon", in reference to the head of development, Joe Sutter. This term spread through the company like wildfire and prompted the management, in a special meeting lasting almost a day of all the key managers, except of course Joe Sutter, to slightly change the name from SB to SP for "Special Performance".😂
The 747SP of the Qatar Amiri flight used to fly over my childhood house into Bournemouth where it was regularly kept. Was the biggest aircraft I’d ever seen fly into Bournemouth, didn’t realise they were quite so rare at the time. Now we have A340-600s flying in for European Air Cargo, nice to see rarer planes.
Before the change of the century l spotted these at Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney AUS. They looked quite distinctive in comparison to the many Jumbo 400s that were parked there. Actually they reminded me of the stumpy Jumbos depicted in cartoons. The SP version certainly caught one's eye.
I had the experience of flying a South African Airways 747SP from JFK to Johannesburg in June 1978. While I distinctly remember noticing the shortness of the plane while boarding, I can't really remember any details of the flight itself, other than it was fine. Then again, I DO remember the refueling stop at Sal (Cape Verde Islands) in the middle of the night and the extreme security as we were deplaned, brought into the terminal, and watched over by armed soldiers before reboarding. Oh yeah, and SAA lost our luggage in Jo-burg for a couple of days!
I regularly traveled between DFW and Narita on the 2 747SPs operated by AA. Depending on the time of year and direction the flight times ranged from as little as 9.5 hours to almost 15 hours.
The Sands SP is parked here at the ex TWA maintenance facility at MCI next to the “1011 Experience”. It’s great to see these two classics together when I fly out of MCI. There is even a BAC 111 floating around the airport.
Back around the 70’s/80’s I used to fly weekly to Paris on the Aerolineas Argentinas 747 from LHR on its first leg to Buenos Aries. Unforgettable buzz being on that aircraft at £65 return.
I’ve actually flown on the SP many years ago on CAAC the Chinese airline from Beijing to Hong Kong!! And that was the old white knuckle landing at Kai Tak airport!!! Wow they flew so low over those buildings!! 😂😂😂 I’m actually shocked you mentioned it! I flew on one of the 2 they had. Amazing.
I flew 747SP with Qantas from Sydney to Manila several times in the late 1990s. I think this was after Qantas stopped using them on Sydney to LA route. Seemed to be like any other 747 just fewer passengers.
Flew on a PanAm 747SP from SEA to SFO. The aircraft originated from the UK then hopped down the US west coast. Personally, it holds the title of 'worse flight ever'. Something was wrong with the interior air pressure regulation, which resulted in many ear aches. What earned it the crown of 'worse flight' was every infant onboard was crying non-stop. There was a champion among these babies at the very back of the plane. The child screamed and shrieked as if there was a medieval torture chamber back there with the kingdom's best inquisitor. Seconds seemed like days. I did not know the human body could make sounds that head splitting for so long at volumes exceeding most military jet fighters.
It was always my impression that Cathay Pacific use the SP to fly the Hong Kong Vancouver route non-stop in the mid eighties. (As Cathay was not mentioned here, may be I am wrong). The ability to fly non-stop give Cathay a strong edge over Canadian Pacific (still remember that name😂) which need to make a stop in Japan, Korea, or Taiwan.
No they used the 747-200B with Rolls Royce RB211-524 D4 engines which were an a small upgrade from the B2 and C2. 1984 they started flying HKG - LON with the same setup although occasionally tech stops were required for fuel against winter headwinds. The first one with D4 engines was VR-HIH if I recall correctly.
The first 747 I ever saw in real life was a QANTAS SP in Brisbane in the late 80's. At the time I was annoyed to learn that the first Jumbo I ever saw was "the small one"... (i was 10,) but now I wish I had appreciated it for what it was.
While I never flew on a B747SP, I was lucky to see one at LAX in the late 1980's (I believe it was a United Airlines aircraft). I was on a Delta flight taxing at LAX when we passed it at one of the International Terminal gates.
Had the opportunity to be aboard SOFIA (N747NA) in addition to each of her prior liveries.., United as (N145UA), and originally with Pan Am as (N536PA). Sadly, she now sits behind several large hangers in the Tucson, Arizona desert - there at the Pima Air and Space Museum. The 747SP is truly an iconic aircraft.
Iran Air used to fly these birds frequently to Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Always used to see them around and made hopes to fly on it one day but they were unfortunately withdrawn from service.
The SP that was operated (I believe) by Global Peace Ambassadors, for a time was parked at Harrisburg International Airport (MDT) I used to be viewable on the Google Maps satellite images, but was moved many years ago. It was interesting because when you came to the airport, you could see the top of the vertical stabilizer above the roof of the terminal building.
Where I work we have these little floats that you put items on and all of them are pretty long except one that shorter than all the other others and my av geek mind can’t help but see it as the 747 SP of the group 😂
I was aboard the Sofia Lab once. What an impressive plane! However, with Stuff like JWST and the extension of the Atacama Desert Telescopes, it became obsolete :-(
Yes I been on a 747SP before Asia Australia Airlines (Formerly Qantas, then with subsidiary). However since childhood, I didn't enjoy flying on that SP because it was too small for me and felt outdated esp interior compared with even 747-400s and later on more modern 777s esp. enjoyed having a long walk on a 777-300. However I finally find the SP's outstanding sentimental value though I still fancy similarly capable 777-200ERs.
The Sands Corporation SP left Las Vegas a few months ago never to return. According to a May 2024 Airport Spotting article, it was sent to Kansas City for part out and scrap.
Remember seeing the South African ones, and Iran Air at London Heathrow either side of 1980. Think I might have eyeballed a couple of Pan Am ones there, too. Either way, my brother and I thought the SP meant "Sort and Podgy"...!
1983, flew on South African 747SP from Houston to Johannesburg with a fuel stop at Sal, Cape Verde. Two very long legs but the flight was smooth and comfortable. The soldiers watching over the deplanned passengers during the fuel stop was a little unnerving, though.
You forgot Saudia who I think had at least 2 - in the 80s it was the only passenger aircraft with the range to operate to JFK direct from Jeddah and possibly Riyadh
Sam Chui has two flight videos on SP: th-cam.com/video/p2ou0oq9Bz4/w-d-xo.htmlsi=qD-Ny9Se1TCtzxG- th-cam.com/video/4j4hrSL6SPU/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Y3m-TlcxX5dSnYuZ
Back around 1982, I flew Sydney-LA on a PanAm SP. It was 6 hrs late leaving due to oil drooling out of an engine. When we finally got to LA, it had to do a low level go-around and I swear that thing climbed like an F16. I suspected the pilots were just showing off. I regularly flew on the Qantas SP’s between LA and Australia. They originally stopped in Honolulu enroute to Townsville and Brisbane. Back in those days, Qantas prided itself on being an all-747 airline, so they couldn’t fly to smaller markets or ones with short runways - Wellington NZ being a key one. I was told they did fly the SP in to Wellington for the 3 hr flight to Sydney. It would have been a spectacular takeoff but not terribly economic. Qantas staff affectionately referred to their 2 SP’s as Heckle and Jeckle. Around 1999, my daughter and I flew on one of the last Qantas SP flights on the domestic Oz midnight horror from Perth to Sydney, then on to LA in a 747-400. I was sad to see these odd beasts go but flying an SP and -400 back-to-back showed just how much more comfortable and quiet the newer -400 was.
Once the 400’s arrived the qantas SP’s saw out their days on the Perth Johannesburg route. With the retirement of the SP’s qantas gave up on this route with SAA flying this route mostly with an A340
I flew the B747SP for 1500 hours as PIC. It was the most fun airplane I ever flew. Long range cruise was around M0.85/0.86. But I’ve done Hong Kong to LA at M0.90 as well. It truly is an amazing aircraft.
I flew it for South African Airways in the mid 90’s. I echo your sentiments. Our standard joke was, how do you get an SP to cruise at M0.88? The answer was, you just reduce the thrust a bit😊
I worked for UAL in Seattle back in 1989 as a ramp agent and UA flight 17 flew daily from SEA to HKG with the SP….. I helped load food onto the aircraft as UA had its own flight kitchen there at that time. I absolutely loved that aircraft, was a beautiful plane. Miss it!
Greetings from Cape Town. In 1976 a South African 747SP flew direct from Seattle to Cape Town on a delivery flight. A world record for an un-refueled commercial aircraft at the time.
@simpleflying 6:27 I work for Pratt & Whitney and have been on both of their FTB’s. The stub wing is pretty wicked. Crazy! We did a majority of in-house development testing on the GTF on these girls. The pilot will hand over individual engine control to us in the back, respectively.
I flew on a PanAm SP in 1982 from Tokyo to JFK, nonstop. An amazing aircraft. It had a bunk room for the crew between Clipper and First.
I only got to fly in a 747SP one time, but it was memorable. United subbed a 747SP for a 757 on a flight from SFO to ORD. As I recall there were less than 150 passengers, so it was not heavily loaded. After a rapid roll out, we took off more effortlessly than I had ever experienced in any other aircraft. It was like the way a helium balloon quickly rises when you let go of the string. Seemingly instant lift as we flew over San Francisco Bay. Special Performance indeed! I was fortunate to log about 200K passenger miles in United 747-400s, but the SP will always be my favorite. It is sad that so few remain in service.
I live in Vegas. The Sands SP flew out earlier this year. She's most likely stored. The only aircraft on their ramp are the A340-500, some 737s, and smaller VIP aircraft.
I think they might have scrapped it as they gave its registration to another sands plane an a320 ceo and I heard somewhere it was scrapped but not 100% sure.
@@teslaboyowasn’t scrapped, it’s on display at a Kansas museum now.
@@teslaboyoone was damaged and scrapped. The other was sold to a customer in Africa a few months ago.
Jeffrey van Doren. That sounds Dutch.
There is a 747SP offered for sale, located at Rolling Hill Estates, California. No price is quoted. It has a fat brown paint stripe down the side. This one is a VIP version with fancy bathroom and a bedroom even. Same plane? Could be. Offered with two spare engines.
I hold my altitude record, flying at 45,000 feet between AKL/LAX on the SP. The SP was a favourite with us (tour operators) as it cut out a stopover en route at HNL or PPT.
I flew 747-SPs as a Captain for South African Airways. I flew theforst 747 into Havanna Cuba, in the livery of Air Namibia. I also flew one in the livery of Air Mauritius from Mauritius - Munich- Heathrow with Prince Andrew and Fergie on board, home from Mauritius after their honeymoon there. I also flew the SAA 747SP when some were on lease to Luxavia or Luxair as well as Lion Air. Nothing unusual. SAA sold one 747SP to Royal Air Maroc. There is one SAA 747SP at the SAA MUseum at Rand Airport near Johannesburg. On a delivery flight of one SP from Boeing at Seattle with chilled special fuel, was flown non-stop Seattle-Cape Town commanded by Capt Bill Van Reenen. On landing, it still hzd 2 hours of fuel remaining. Karl Jensen
I saw the 747SP quite often as I was a regular visitor to JFK (and still am), AND in flight on arrivals to JFK runway 31R from Long Beach in the late 70’s thru the mid-80’s (mostly PAN AM). It was in the early mid 80’s when I discovered TWA had an SP (and even disappointed for NOT EVER knowing it, call it FOMO), when there was an unusually long bank to the LEFT as seen from the dunes of Long Beach, named BOSTON EXPRESS). I now imagine that it may have been a missed approach onto 31R, and made a low turn back over the Belt Pkwy towards Sandy Hook and back over the Long Island shore above Long Beach). It was like LOVE at first sight. I did actually fly on a PanAm 747SP between MIA ->JFK in the mid-80’s that was continuing onto LHR and FRA (I didn’t want to get off the plane, I wanted to continue flying to Europe on it). I sat just behind the wings and during final approach was amazed at the noticeably different look of the flaps when fully extended. There were less flaps on this version than my previous 747-100/200 flying experiences. I felt (speaking obviously an AV GEEK) so fulfilled FINALLY after flying on that single 747SP at that moment in time. And I can now say that I have flown on all the variants of commercial passenger 747’s produced other than the JAL 747SR🤦🏻♂️ ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️
Very nice, thanks for sharing! Which 747 variant was your favorite to fly with and which one was the least comfortable and what´s the reason for that? Would be very interesting :)
@@AeroMaster-xy8eo how to answer that… as a kid flying with my family, we were strictly flying in coach. And it was great given my size as a kid. It was all 747-100/200’s. I do recall feeling pissed off that I was too small (rather I blamed the airlines for this…LOL) to see the outside of my window seat. Most memorable was the very 1st flight on AA 747-100 with the piano bar at the very rear! JFK->SJU 1971. Fast forward, where as a teenager in 1978 on a business trip with my father, we were upgraded (1st time I ever heard that term) from economy to some premium cabin on JAL B747-200 between HNL->NRT (newly opened), and sitting in the space behind 1st class was my intro to the luxe flying experience. That said, as an adult, and my maturing familiarity with commercial flying, I always preferred and had consistent exhilarating experiences sitting on the upper deck of SIA’s 747-300’s and 400’s (‘’Big Top’’ and “Mega Ark”) In front of the wings, and in the hump and disconnected in a truly separate and cozy cabin in the sky! When flying was still civilized and felt like the greatest treat (it’s still a great treat, but not certain about the “civilized”).
@@NYCLight wow thank you for that long answer, you really made my day! :)
@@AeroMaster-xy8eo I responded over my morning coffee. Thank YOU.
Few corrections here: VQ-BMS was not damaged in Arizona. This happened during a hurricane in Lake Charles, Louisiana. A 737 was pushed into the 747 by the hurricane winds.
VP-BLK did not only have 50 seats. Initially it had 114 seats. After the airplane interior was redone, it had 90 seats. But due to regulation, only 65 could be used for takeoff and landing. They could’ve easily fixed this, but decided against it.
VP-BLK was sold to someone who plans to operate it.
I was there when it was destroyed. Really sad. One of my favorite aircraft to work on
I was the lead Flight Engineer on those two Sands SPs. VP-BLK, was sold. In fact, I operated the final flight into KMCI. The new owner plans to operate VIP charter flights after getting a maintenance C check. So there is still hope, the queen will fly again.
@@RoadWearyPilotMikey! It’s Mark! How’s retirement, man?
@@georgiathai4961, loving retirement! Hope you guys are well!
the -SP is actually my favorite aircraft of all time (from a visual standpoint)
I flew from Sydney to Brisbane on a Qantas 747SP. I was sitting looking out the window on the tarmac in Sydney when a huge ball of sparks flew out of the engine.
We were delayed for about an hour while the start was replaced.
They are an absolutely beautiful aeroplane, and it was so sad to see pictures of it being scrapped .
The SAA in Johannesburg does a technical tour of the 747SP that they have. This tour is worth travelling to Johannesburg for it. I got to sit in the Pilots seat, in a fully intact cockpit, while they power on the jet via an APU and demonstrated numerous systems being tested. Before that point I'd gotten to climb through the avionics bay.
I'm a bit surprised that it's not mentioned that if not for the SP, several other variants of the 747 wouldn't have been possible.
The SP was the first 747 with the "hump" extending over the wings. It massively added to the development costs, as the whole section had to be redeveloped for it. In turn it made it even more difficult for the SP to break even. Which it probably never did.
All other 747 variants with lengthed top decks are based on it and otherwise wouldn't have been possible.
Every day is a school day!!! I can't say I've actually paid attention to that small nuanced fact despite having a photo book of all 747 variants back in 1996! I miss that book with the Northwest 747 on the front cover!
I've always considered it sort of a "loss leader" for the 747 line for this reason. In and of itself, it made no profit, kind of like a stripped-down car with no AC, radio, or cruise control used to be, but it paid for itself by being the template for more profitable stable mates.....
The 747SP was essentially designed originally for one purpose: fly routes over 6,500 nautical miles long. It was introduced on the route between New York City and Tokyo by Pan Am.
Besides the 1979 oil crisis, what really killed the 747SP was the availability of 747-200B's powered by General Electric CF6-50's and more fuel capacity, which allowed 747SP range on a standard 747-200B fuselage. It was Japan Airlines that introduced tthis improved 747-200B, interestingly flying on the same route between Tokyo and New York City.
I did fly on the 747SP with TWA from Amsterdam to NY JFK in the 1980's once. The captain came on the PA and said we were at a cruising altitude of 40K ft. which is higher than most other passenger jets. It was a very smooth flight.
At that time, Tehran Airport was not IKA, but Mehrabad International Airport (THR). IKA Airport was opened in 2007.
Back in the 90s, QF used to alternate between the 747SP and 767-300 on the SYD-MNL-SYD and BNE-SYD-BNE routes. Sometimes, it would be a regular QF SP, on other days, it would be the Australia Asia SP.
i love the 747s so much, not only because how iconic they are, but their flight envelopes still laugh at many of the modern aircraft of today. MTOW overload limit at 2.5G's for a 100 ton beast is CRAZY.
I used to see the 747-SP at Sydney airport operated by Qantas, not only Qantas, but i remember PAN-AM as well
I flew aboard Pan Am's B747SP. And I saw the aircraft daily at LAX at the gates, on the taxiways, in takeoff and landing.
Thanks for the Information!!
5:16 the advantage of B747sp-38 it's due to the fact that in hot and high Conditions the RB211-524 in that type of environment due to the fact it doesn't have to use water injection seen on JT9D engine since its a more modern design
I had the pleasure of flying on a China Airlines 747SP TPE-HKG-SIN c. 1990. Between HKG and SIN, I think I was the only passenger in the forward cabin and Stewardesses Ms. Chen and Ms Lee kept my champagne glass topped up. The flight was very high up, 43,000 ft if I recall correctly, and the ocean was a deep blue with small clouds far below. I also flew on a South African Airways SP to Cape Town c.1993, also very nice, with clear skies for the approach over the city to (then) D F Malan Airport, with Table Mountain to starboard.
I don't know, if it was completely true, but it was said that the original plan was to name the 747SP, 747SB for “Short Body”, to match the fuselage, which had been shortened by 14.35 m. However, this significant change in proportions meant that the aircraft lost its elegant lines and looked like a fuselage that was too short on wings that were too large. This prompted a joker in Boeing’s development department to remark that “SB” stood for "Sutter’s Balloon", in reference to the head of development, Joe Sutter. This term spread through the company like wildfire and prompted the management, in a special meeting lasting almost a day of all the key managers, except of course Joe Sutter, to slightly change the name from SB to SP for "Special Performance".😂
Always loved the SP ❤
I saw a 747sp parked down at Newburgh about 10 years ago. It was glorious..
The 747SP of the Qatar Amiri flight used to fly over my childhood house into Bournemouth where it was regularly kept. Was the biggest aircraft I’d ever seen fly into Bournemouth, didn’t realise they were quite so rare at the time. Now we have A340-600s flying in for European Air Cargo, nice to see rarer planes.
I flew on one in 1991 from Harare to Sydney when I was 14.... Sth African Airlines
Before the change of the century l spotted these at Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney AUS.
They looked quite distinctive in comparison to the many Jumbo 400s that were parked there.
Actually they reminded me of the stumpy Jumbos depicted in cartoons.
The SP version certainly caught one's eye.
I had the experience of flying a South African Airways 747SP from JFK to Johannesburg in June 1978. While I distinctly remember noticing the shortness of the plane while boarding, I can't really remember any details of the flight itself, other than it was fine. Then again, I DO remember the refueling stop at Sal (Cape Verde Islands) in the middle of the night and the extreme security as we were deplaned, brought into the terminal, and watched over by armed soldiers before reboarding. Oh yeah, and SAA lost our luggage in Jo-burg for a couple of days!
Are you related to Sal (Salvatore)?
When I lived in Israel, I used to see an SP at the Tel Aviv airport all the time. My favorite version. It was VP-BLK. Must have seen it 7 or 8 times.
I regularly traveled between DFW and Narita on the 2 747SPs operated by AA. Depending on the time of year and direction the flight times ranged from as little as 9.5 hours to almost 15 hours.
The Sands SP is parked here at the ex TWA maintenance facility at MCI next to the “1011 Experience”. It’s great to see these two classics together when I fly out of MCI. There is even a BAC 111 floating around the airport.
Back around the 70’s/80’s I used to fly weekly to Paris on the Aerolineas Argentinas 747 from
LHR on its first leg to Buenos Aries. Unforgettable buzz being on that aircraft at £65 return.
Wow!
I didin't know this varient existed!
This is awesome!😅
I’ve actually flown on the SP many years ago on CAAC the Chinese airline from Beijing to Hong Kong!! And that was the old white knuckle landing at Kai Tak airport!!! Wow they flew so low over those buildings!! 😂😂😂 I’m actually shocked you mentioned it! I flew on one of the 2 they had. Amazing.
I flew 747SP with Qantas from Sydney to Manila several times in the late 1990s. I think this was after Qantas stopped using them on Sydney to LA route. Seemed to be like any other 747 just fewer passengers.
Ask all the pilots that flew the SP they all loved it because it handeled well and had lots of power!!
Flew on a PanAm 747SP from SEA to SFO. The aircraft originated from the UK then hopped down the US west coast. Personally, it holds the title of 'worse flight ever'. Something was wrong with the interior air pressure regulation, which resulted in many ear aches. What earned it the crown of 'worse flight' was every infant onboard was crying non-stop. There was a champion among these babies at the very back of the plane. The child screamed and shrieked as if there was a medieval torture chamber back there with the kingdom's best inquisitor. Seconds seemed like days. I did not know the human body could make sounds that head splitting for so long at volumes exceeding most military jet fighters.
My brother saw the Sofia 747SP for intership
It was always my impression that Cathay Pacific use the SP to fly the Hong Kong Vancouver route non-stop in the mid eighties. (As Cathay was not mentioned here, may be I am wrong). The ability to fly non-stop give Cathay a strong edge over Canadian Pacific (still remember that name😂) which need to make a stop in Japan, Korea, or Taiwan.
No they used the 747-200B with Rolls Royce RB211-524 D4 engines which were an a small upgrade from the B2 and C2. 1984 they started flying HKG - LON with the same setup although occasionally tech stops were required for fuel against winter headwinds. The first one with D4 engines was VR-HIH if I recall correctly.
The first 747 I ever saw in real life was a QANTAS SP in Brisbane in the late 80's. At the time I was annoyed to learn that the first Jumbo I ever saw was "the small one"... (i was 10,) but now I wish I had appreciated it for what it was.
The first time I ever flew in an airplane was in 1979 on a Pan Am 747SP, JFK-NRT. Quite the introduction to commercial aviation.
While I never flew on a B747SP, I was lucky to see one at LAX in the late 1980's (I believe it was a United Airlines aircraft). I was on a Delta flight taxing at LAX when we passed it at one of the International Terminal gates.
I flew a United B747SP sometime in 1990 from LHR to SEA
Had the opportunity to be aboard SOFIA (N747NA) in addition to each of her prior liveries.., United as (N145UA), and originally with Pan Am as (N536PA). Sadly, she now sits behind several large hangers in the Tucson, Arizona desert - there at the Pima Air and Space Museum. The 747SP is truly an iconic aircraft.
Iran Air used to fly these birds frequently to Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Always used to see them around and made hopes to fly on it one day but they were unfortunately withdrawn from service.
Definitely a unique 747 and hope that at least one is saved for posterity
The Dream Lifter LCF uses the SP tail as well due to the larger fuselage.
*_QUEEN OF THE SKIES_* 👍
*What is the meaning of SP?*
The SP that was operated (I believe) by Global Peace Ambassadors, for a time was parked at Harrisburg International Airport (MDT) I used to be viewable on the Google Maps satellite images, but was moved many years ago. It was interesting because when you came to the airport, you could see the top of the vertical stabilizer above the roof of the terminal building.
Where I work we have these little floats that you put items on and all of them are pretty long except one that shorter than all the other others and my av geek mind can’t help but see it as the 747 SP of the group 😂
The SAA Museum at Rand Airport has a 747sp, it make for a unique approach into the small airport
There was a private 747 VP-BAT based at Bournemouth some years ago, later registered N7477S.
I was aboard the Sofia Lab once. What an impressive plane! However, with Stuff like JWST and the extension of the Atacama Desert Telescopes, it became obsolete :-(
Yes I been on a 747SP before Asia Australia Airlines (Formerly Qantas, then with subsidiary). However since childhood, I didn't enjoy flying on that SP because it was too small for me and felt outdated esp interior compared with even 747-400s and later on more modern 777s esp. enjoyed having a long walk on a 777-300. However I finally find the SP's outstanding sentimental value though I still fancy similarly capable 777-200ERs.
I flew on one of those in the mid 80's with China Airlines. Very unique.
Ther is one 747SP parked in Tijuana (Mexico) airport since long time ago.
You missed the 2 Syrian Air 747-SP 😊
why is the fin sooo large.Is this something to do with the angle the wings are angled towards of the aircraft ?
I seen the 747SP operated by NASA in October (i think) 2022 at an airshow in California at Edwards Air Force base
last time i saw 747SP in service was in kuala Lumpur, Malaysia operated by iranair in 2013
The A380 could fly from London to Perth if they hacked the back off and used the 30000 ib saving to carry extra fuel weight ratios ?
The Sands Corporation SP left Las Vegas a few months ago never to return. According to a May 2024 Airport Spotting article, it was sent to Kansas City for part out and scrap.
I joke that SP stands for "short plane."
You missed Lion air- they leased one of SAA's! Flew to from London to Entebbe
55 years of Boeing 747 in 2024.
Remember seeing the South African ones, and Iran Air at London Heathrow either side of 1980. Think I might have eyeballed a couple of Pan Am ones there, too. Either way, my brother and I thought the SP meant "Sort and Podgy"...!
I flew on PAN AM's SP from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia to JFK back in 1983
1983, flew on South African 747SP from Houston to Johannesburg with a fuel stop at Sal, Cape Verde. Two very long legs but the flight was smooth and comfortable. The soldiers watching over the deplanned passengers during the fuel stop was a little unnerving, though.
✋🏽😏 I want one but the fuel would likely bankrupt me.
Flew China Airlines 747SP-09 from TPE to LAX in 1987 as Dynasty 006.
Back when engineers were in charge...
also Air Mauitius and Syrianair
There is trijet concept 747 models at few airports in infinite flight
Few months ago i saw 747sp at ICN in Fr24
I actually have a model of the TWA livery VP-BLK!
🙏
I wonder if 747SP would be Twin engines jet instead of 4.
You forgot Saudia who I think had at least 2 - in the 80s it was the only passenger aircraft with the range to operate to JFK direct from Jeddah and possibly Riyadh
I remember them well, I think one was part of the royal fleet.
I used to work there a million years ago 😂
Better to fly with Boeing 747-8 in the future.
*Lifeboat Airlines has left the chat*
I flew once on the Syrian 747 SP
I'm glad they didn't go with the tri-jet option. That thing was fugly.
Yes qantas 87
R.I.P Air Namibia 🥲
Chibi 747🤗
Make a video on Boeing 707 and 737-200 of Indian Airforce
I flew from hnl to akl on Pam am 747sp
Sam Chui has two flight videos on SP:
th-cam.com/video/p2ou0oq9Bz4/w-d-xo.htmlsi=qD-Ny9Se1TCtzxG-
th-cam.com/video/4j4hrSL6SPU/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Y3m-TlcxX5dSnYuZ
W plane, but ended up like the L-1011-500...
Syrian air had two of them
787 likes lol
There should be a A380 SP with two GE9X engines
Do you know where did Air China deployed the aircraft?
not much of a success
goofy ahh plane