Boeing 747 days are numbered

[legless]

There seem to be a few companies out there making some commemorative items (luggage tags, clocks etc) out of parts of the retired 747s.

I'd hoped to be able to buy things made from the first and last 747s I ever flew on (G-BYGD and G-CIVW). CIVW has gone off to retire in peace at Dunsfold, so I'm keeping my eye out for when they start pulling BYGD apart. I quite fancy a clock made from the window next to my favourite 64K seat.

[Mabbs9]

smack said:

The ones with life left have been sold to a Cargo operator, since RR stopped making RB211's some time ago, so the 2nd hand market is the only way to get engines and parts. BA being the largest 747 and RB211 operator had the largest stock of in use engines and spare parts. Flogging off these parts is probably the only positive income stream to the airline at the moment. And the aircraft that went to Dunsfold had engines with low resale value.

When the cargo operator inspected BA's RB211's, they asked why the thrust reversers were in such great condition - after a long haul flight of 8-13 hours (LHR-SIN was the longest sector BA used them on) the aircraft had burnt off a load of it's weight, landing at airports with long runways, there is no need to hammer the reversers to stop the aircraft, unlike cargo aircraft that often do short hops with heavy payloads to pokey small airports which do.

It was pretty uncommon to use more than idle reverse on any routes actually. It was mostly shorter runways, like some at JFK and BOS plus landing with tailwinds.

[Piginapoke]

legless said:

There seem to be a few companies out there making some commemorative items (luggage tags, clocks etc) out of parts of the retired 747s.

I'd hoped to be able to buy things made from the first and last 747s I ever flew on (G-BYGD and G-CIVW). CIVW has gone off to retire in peace at Dunsfold, so I'm keeping my eye out for when they start pulling BYGD apart. I quite fancy a clock made from the window next to my favourite 64K seat.

We were given a few sets of BA 747 1st class plates and glasses for Christmas- a really excellent gift

[motomk]

aeropilot said:

Cathy Pacific Cargo 747F's are RR powered, so they may be looking at a few of the lowest time ones for spares for their fleet, and I think one other cargo ops has RR engine 747F's. But given BA have just got rid 30 odd 747's, thats over a 100 RB211's on the market, and I suspect they will be cheap, given the relative lack of demand.
If BA are flogging them at less than a zero time overhaul on a RB211, then they will likely find buyers for them.

As far as I can tell, Cathay don't have any left, as of 3 years ago.. They only have ERF's and -8, which didn't come with RR.
I can only find the LUXury versions.
Question for smack. You mentioned B777-200LR, will they become desirable to convert to Freighters or do they need the floor beams doing to?

[nonsequitur]

Piginapoke said:

legless said:

There seem to be a few companies out there making some commemorative items (luggage tags, clocks etc) out of parts of the retired 747s.

I'd hoped to be able to buy things made from the first and last 747s I ever flew on (G-BYGD and G-CIVW). CIVW has gone off to retire in peace at Dunsfold, so I'm keeping my eye out for when they start pulling BYGD apart. I quite fancy a clock made from the window next to my favourite 64K seat.

We were given a few sets of BA 747 1st class plates and glasses for Christmas- a really excellent gift

I have got a pair of first class grape scissors from the 80's. Offers?

[smack]

motomk said:

aeropilot said:

Cathy Pacific Cargo 747F's are RR powered, so they may be looking at a few of the lowest time ones for spares for their fleet, and I think one other cargo ops has RR engine 747F's. But given BA have just got rid 30 odd 747's, thats over a 100 RB211's on the market, and I suspect they will be cheap, given the relative lack of demand.
If BA are flogging them at less than a zero time overhaul on a RB211, then they will likely find buyers for them.

As far as I can tell, Cathay don't have any left, as of 3 years ago.. They only have ERF's and -8, which didn't come with RR.
I can only find the LUXury versions.
Question for smack. You mentioned B777-200LR, will they become desirable to convert to Freighters or do they need the floor beams doing to?

I have said before, they are going to CargoLux, they have snapped them up but they are still paying a fair price for them - I had been told but forgot what it was, although I wouldn't post it here as it a live deal and is sensitive information. There isn't a supply of overhauled RB211's out there before this, GE in Wales was performing overhauls but stopped that some time ago, and BA's game plan for running the 747 fleet until 2024 was based on retired aircraft feeding spares to keep the existing ones running.

777-200LR, short answer no.

The 777F freighter is a based on the 200LR, but only 60 made, as only a few operators needed that extra range, and then the 300ER came along with more range than the 200ER and more payload/passengers, and that is what the airlines went for. A 300ER with a listed range of 7370 miles is more than LHR-SIN as an example, more than enough for most operators.
All passenger 777's have composite floor beams, which would need to be replaced with alloy ones for cargo use, and conversion companies have been looking at it for years, but as there was loads of cheap 2nd hand 767's getting retired from passenger use, used 777 prices plus conversion cost put paid to that. But in the last few years Amazon decided to get into the cargo game, and been snapping up 767's so their demand started to change things.
Boeing found the 777-300ER was a winner, and sold like hot cakes, and during that time airlines, just like general business shifted to leasing rather than owning. Traditionally most airlines kept their aircraft for 20 years, although Singapore Airlines was one that chopped their aircraft before they got expensive to maintain, but there was ready buyers for their 2nd hand planes. With a big boom in air travel in the last 15 years, airlines picked up aircraft on leases, the 300ER was a widebody to have, but if they can't fill it, it will burn money. As 300ER's were only supplied with GE engines, General Electric though their leasing arm GECAS (GE Capital Aviation Services) leased them to airlines, all good, airlines got their shiny new planes on tick for a good rate, and GE sold engines. But then the B787 and A350 came along, with much less fuel burn, and even before Covid, small and mid sized airlines were looking to get rid of their 300ER's, as it was too big for them, leaving GECAS to be stuck with 12-15 year old aircraft that no one wants (BA went shopping for 2nd hand 300ER's about 3 years ago, lined up some Emirates aircraft to buy but missed out, and Boeing ended up selling 4 end of line 300ER;s cheap, which they have leased). So now it is economically viable to covert, which is being done in by a company in Israel, because GEACS would have to write down and scrap the aircraft. The 300ER conversions won't have the payload or floor loading of the 777F, but will have payload greater volume, but no doubt cheaper than a new 777F.
So no, the 200LR's will never probably be converted to freighters, due to the glut of lease returned 300ER's that GEACS owns.

[MrBig]

legless said:

There seem to be a few companies out there making some commemorative items (luggage tags, clocks etc) out of parts of the retired 747s.

I'd hoped to be able to buy things made from the first and last 747s I ever flew on (G-BYGD and G-CIVW). CIVW has gone off to retire in peace at Dunsfold, so I'm keeping my eye out for when they start pulling BYGD apart. I quite fancy a clock made from the window next to my favourite 64K seat.

That's a great idea. Sadly its been 2 years since I went on a BA 747 and am long past the point I can remember its tail number.

[aeropilot]

MrBig said:

That's a great idea. Sadly its been 2 years since I went on a BA 747 and am long past the point I can remember its tail number.

Couldn't tell you the reg numbers of any airliner I've flown on...!!

I can tell you the name of the FO on a Virgin 747 flight though from 21 years ago....

[FourWheelDrift]

"144 airborne 747s at the moment. 1 carrying passengers." - https://twitter.com/flightradar24/status/134758812...

[essayer]

Bits of BA 747s popping up on eBay, not sure the missus would approve though

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Boeing-747-Air-Frame-ri...

[eccles]

essayer said:

Bits of BA 747s popping up on eBay, not sure the missus would approve though

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Boeing-747-Air-Frame-ri...

The people selling that bit are well known for making furniture etc out of old aircraft parts. They bought an old coffee shop in Bury St Edmunds and kept it as a caff but it's now also a showroom for their (very expensive1) work.
They featured quite a bit on that 'Plane Reclaimers' programme.

[Dr Jekyll]

aeropilot said:

Couldn't tell you the reg numbers of any airliner I've flown on...!!

I can tell you the name of the FO on a Virgin 747 flight though from 21 years ago....

The only airliner reg number I remember from flying on them are G BOAD and G AIYR. Stretching the airliner definition on the second one perhaps.

[aeropilot]

Dr Jekyll said:

The only airliner reg number I remember from flying on them are G BOAD

I'm sure if I'd been lucky enough to fly on the pocket rocket, I would have clocked and remembered which one it was as well.

[JuniorD]

essayer said:

Bits of BA 747s popping up on eBay, not sure the missus would approve though

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Boeing-747-Air-Frame-ri...

There are certain aircraft parts that are kind of cool as objects in their own right, but a chopped up airframe rib section - literally a pile of useless scrap - with bidding at £42, that's the epitome of money for old rope. It's not even as if this type of shi te is necessarily going to be exclusive.

[Rostfritt]

JuniorD said:

There are certain aircraft parts that are kind of cool as objects in their own right, but a chopped up airframe rib section - literally a pile of useless scrap - with bidding at £42, that's the epitome of money for old rope. It's not even as if this type of shi te is necessarily going to be exclusive.

If I could get a few slightly bigger sections I could replace the roof on my garage so it has a slight curve to it.

[Trevatanus]

for anyone near Stansted tomorrow

[Yertis]

You 747 fans will want to see an ancient BBC documentary currently available on iPlayer, called ‘Jumbo’. It was made just after the 747 first flight, in black and white. What I found interesting was the effects the contemporary experts said the 747 would have, compared with how things actually turned out.

[MrBig]

MrBig said:

legless said:

There seem to be a few companies out there making some commemorative items (luggage tags, clocks etc) out of parts of the retired 747s.

I'd hoped to be able to buy things made from the first and last 747s I ever flew on (G-BYGD and G-CIVW). CIVW has gone off to retire in peace at Dunsfold, so I'm keeping my eye out for when they start pulling BYGD apart. I quite fancy a clock made from the window next to my favourite 64K seat.

That's a great idea. Sadly its been 2 years since I went on a BA 747 and am long past the point I can remember its tail number.

In case it’s of any use to folks on here, I eventually got around to messaging BA on twitter with the flight numbers, dates and times and they kindly got back to me with the details. I now know the penultimate 747 I flew in was G-CIVD and the last was G-CIVM. Unfortunately as it took me so long to get my arse into gear, there’s hardly anything left to buy from it.

[andyA700]

My first ever journey on an aircraft was in this 747 in 1996. What a superb aircraft they were/are, so smooth.

https://www.jetphotos.com/registration/EP-IAB

[dhutch]

Recently found out a colleague and his brother+mum took an Easter flight purely to get on a 747, which is sort of cool, but also beyond my interest in the game.

Not a plane geek by any stretch, but even I can recognise it is an iconic thing.