Paul's 747 Story
“My first time of both seeing a 747, and flying was at age 8, at Auckland on 5 May 1977, when the family did a long holiday to England. Walking up to the gleaming 747 via air stairs, this then kid was pretty wowed, to say the least, by PAN-AM's series 100, N750PA 'Clipper Rambler'. With a flight to LA, via Tahiti, this was one rather excited kid right through. Great stuff that they logged those trips for us, so I still have the details, for that leg at least.
The return trip in October 1977 began with BA series 100, G-AWNH 'Sir Walter Raleigh in the hybrid BOAC/ Negus livery, from London to Hong Kong via Rome and Bombay.
These were the last times I'd fly on a 747 for almost 21 years, but the seed of interest was already more than sown, and I was a regular to Christchurch Airport taking photos of both Qantas and Air NZ machines along with others.
Finally in August 1998, I took my next 747 flight, HKG (where I'd last arrived in a 747) albeit last time Kai Tak, this was from the only 5 week newly opened Chek Lap Kok, Cathay Pacific to LAX, and return a few weeks later. On the return trip of this, I asked about a visit to the flight deck and got invited to sit in the jumpseat, take my lunch and eat it up there. Those were the days! Sadly, I have no record of this, owing to a camera theft on my last day in LA.
Come May 2001 I took my first flight on a Qantas 747, Sydney to Hong Kong, then BA to LHR, and on the return, a QF 747 carried me from Santiago to Auckland. I did similar 2 years later. 2005 I was with KLM's 747's Singapore - Amsterdam return. In 2007 I flew on an Air Pacific 747 (Auckland-Nadi, as well as Air NZ's ZK-SUJ, Hong Kong - Auckland.
The following year turned out to be my final flights on a 747 when I flew with Biman Bangladesh from KL to Dhaka, and return on leased series 300, HS-UTK. The airline was quite kind to me, putting me in the very front section on the outward journey, and in the hump on the return, neither areas of which I'd been seated before.
Despite many subsequent overseas trips since, I've never managed to score being on a 747 again. But I managed to fly the 100, 300 and 400, but not the 200. But the Queen of the Skies was what introduced me to international travel, and it feels a privilege to have flown in the golden age of jet travel, with the now legendary PAN AM and all.
It's been very very sad to watch a childhood inspiration go en mass to the boneyards. I'm very pleased and must congratulate Qantas for having the foresight to save and donate two of their 747's for preservation and indeed I also hope that -338 VH-EBU will also end up in preservation, this meaning Qantas will have all three main types they used, except the -SP. A shame, here in New Zealand, this foresight is only noted by a few good individuals like the main man in Bring our Birds home, with the hope of saving former ZK-NBV, the last 747 built for Air NZ, current in Spain.
Two pics I add of long since lost Qantas 74's show VH-EBL 'City of Ballarat' almost appearing to be treetop level on finals into Christchurch, 6 September 1987. The other shows -338EUD, VH-EBU 'City of Perth' at an Airshow held at Christchurch on 28 March 1987.”