Boeing 747-SPs

[Speedbird1]

I was thinking of those adorable B747-SPs that used to come to JFK. I only recall China Air, RAM, PanAm, TWA and Saudia aircraft. What did I forget? When did they stop flying into JFK? Do any still fly today around the world or have they all been scrapped?

[T-Bird76]

American had SP's aswell, although they were leased from TWA. They used them out of DFW to Gatwick and NRT. The only passenger SP I know of fly's with Iran Air. The rest are either private, with Gov't, or used are research platforms. United also had SPs.

[Idlewild]

SAA , CAAC, United, AA and Braniff flew them in as well. I don't think RAM had SP's. I believe Syrian and Iran Air fly regular SP flights.

[Ari707]

RAM had SP's before the 767's and 744's I may even have a slide of one at home. I beleive Korean used to fly them in also, South Africian had but I don;t think there were regular to JFK more LHR, as well as QANTAS to LAX,

[lijk604]

United ran the 747-SP's JFK-NRT for approx 3 years from 1988-1990. They were replaced with the 747-200's until UA received the 747-400's. Somewhere around 2000 they switched that route to the 777, until it was discontinued in 2006.

[adam613]

Wait hold on...did you just call them "adorable"???

I mean, they're pretty funny-looking, but...

[Derf]

Wait hold on...did you just call them "adorable"???

I mean, they're pretty funny-looking, but...
Hey, Don't talk smack about the SP... I once was in one empty on JFK's longest runway.....why, I have no idea.....but there was nothing to see by sky from the jumpseat...... "aircraft climbs like a home sick angel" (I heard that only one time from a pilot while in an aircraft....and it was not from an A340 flightdeck!)

[cancidas]

Wait hold on...did you just call them "adorable"???

I mean, they're pretty funny-looking, but...
hey... i'll agree with him, even go as far as calling the airplane "sexy!"

[Speedbird1]

How could I forget SAA? My former boss flew the 747 SP to Johannesburg in the 80's I think and raved about it. Royal Air Maroc definitely had an SP; I took movies of it once taxying about. Its registration was CN-RMS. It came every Sat. and Tuesday for a while. Yes, Braniff had the regular 747 named "Big Orange" but they also had 1 or 2 SP's. I once saw it landing on 22L. It was returning from Buenos Aires, I believe. The benefit of the SP was a longer range and probably a smaller fuel cost. With the cost of fuel so high now, maybe Boeing should consider manufacturing the SPs or a variation again. According to Wikipedia, 17 SPs are still flying, 15 were scrapped and 13 are in storage.

[moose135]

Reaching into the Wayback Machine, here's a scan of a slide I shot at JFK back around 1980 or so:

http://moose135.smugmug.com/photos/141280755_8JwkG-L.jpg

[jran225]

Moose, that's great! I wish I had been alive to see those.

Greets,
-Omar S.

[Ari707]

I remember seeing the UA birds in a hybird Pan-Am/ United

[727C47]

moose great shot ! i remember seeing them round jfk round '76, always liked them !

[Idlewild]

Here are mine from '81 or '82 from on Top of the World back then. It just goes to show how mom was right about hermetically sealing my 25 ASA Kodachromes.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2008-4/1304606/paasp1981jfk.jpg
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2008-4/1304606/saudispjfk81.jpg

[Art at ISP]

Actually, the 2 747 SP's from TWA were sold or transferred to AA with the Heathrow route authorities--I don't think they were ever returned to TWA, they were disposed of directly by AA.....it was a long time ago.

The SP's were used to Heathrow from JFK before NRT.

[Skymonster]

American had SP's aswell, although they were leased from TWA. They used them out of DFW to Gatwick and NRT. The only passenger SP I know of fly's with Iran Air. The rest are either private, with Gov't, or used are research platforms. United also had SPs.

SPs were the best looking 747s IMHO... We were quite lucky at LHR as we got quite a lot of them

* American Airlines
* Iran Air
* Iraqi (occasionally)
* Pan Am
* Saudia (occasionally, more usually an L10)
* Syrian Arab Airlines (now Syrianair, just in the last few weeks retired their last SP, I photo'd one last year)
* South African Airways
* TWA
* United

I also remember Braniff, Alliance ans several others at LGW, Aerolineas Argentinas in Paris, and Namib Air/Air Namibia at FRA. The RAM machine was very rare, but the A4O-, A9C- and A7- VIP machines have also been very regular at LHR. The Corsair SP used to visit MAN fairly regularly, and outside of the UK I caught both of the Korean SPs in ANC, the China Arrlines and Qantas SPs at LAX a few years back

Strangely, my SP pics always got quite a lot of hits on a.net...

Andy

[SeriouslyFunny]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't there two SP's based in the US now? One in LAS and the other in SJC?

Any info on these would be great. I think it's time I went 'SP hunting'. :mrgreen:

B