Which airliners do you wish you could have seen/flown on?

[birchesgreen]

Which airliners, now withdrawn from service, do you wish you could have seen in their pomp and/or flown on?

I'd love to have experienced a first generation jetliner like the Convair CV-880 with turbojets taking off on full beans, now that would have been thrash! I saw BMA 707s a few times going into BHX in the late 70s, what a sight. Concorde as well, never experienced a take off though did see it fly overhead once.

I'd also love to have seen the Handley Page HP42 fly overhead, what a sight that must have been.

How about yourselves?

 

[gabrielhj07]

Would have liked Concorde, the VC-10 and BA’s A318 while it was still going.

 

[Airline Man]

I’d love to have flown on the VC-10 or Handley Page Herald. Although still in service I’ve never been on one of the 146 family.

But for the sheer white knuckle ride it’ll have to be the Tupolev Tu-104. The thrill of a high speed landing with a high chance that the most dangerous jetliner in the world would crash sort of appeals to me.

 

[birchesgreen]

I’d love to have flown on the VC-10 or Handley Page Herald. Although still in service I’ve never been on one of the 146 family.

But for the sheer white knuckle ride it’ll have to be the Tupolev Tu-104. The thrill of a high speed landing with a high chance that the most dangerous jetliner in the world would crash sort of appeals to me.

I've been on a Tu-154, that was... different

 

[gordonthemoron]

Tu-154 was bizarre, but obviously I’d like to have flown on Concorde

 

[DanNCL]

Concorde and 747. Was supposed to fly on the latter in 2017 but it was swapped to an A380 last minute.

 

[DustyBin]

Concorde is pretty much a given(!) but other than that, for me it would be the VC-10 and L-1011. A 707 would be pretty cool as well. I’m not actually keen on flying so nothing too, err, “interesting”!

What was different/bizzare about the Tu-154? I’ve always thought it looked fairly normal for a Soviet-era airliner (although normal is a relative term I suppose!).

 

[Jamesrob637]

Concorde
747-100 and 747-200
TriStar
737-200
727
707
A few military aircraft

 

[VauxhallandI]

Concorde
Tri-star
Comet

 

[Tetchytyke]

Concorde, definitely. Saw it at Leeds a few times, always from the park in Yeadon and never from inside though.

Beyond that, not sure. I’ve been on the 747 many times. Maybe something like the Trislander. Probably not the Chinook.

 

[Foxhunter]

One of the (few) advantages of age, is to have had the experience of being in the front of a little Lufthansa Airbus 31x and being next in line for a Heathrow night takeoff, with Concorde in front. You cannot get any closer. It was a sight, sound and body shaking experience I will never forget.

What would I have liked to see? Well, I've been to Kitty Hawk; would love to have been there 17th December 1903.

 

[Iskra]

Concorde and some kind of flying boat airliner would have been cool.

 

[Strathclyder]

Concorde is the first choice obviously. Closely followed by (in no particular order) the VC-10, Convair 880/990, 747, 727, 707, DC-8, Britannia, Trislander, L-1011 & DC-10/MD-11.

What would I have liked to see? Among the many, many examples are the first flights of the Concorde, the Saunders-Roe Princess & the Bristol Brabazon, but one of my eternal regrets when it comes to aviation is not visiting Prestwick Airport in August 2020, which was the last time the An-225 Myria landed there (was a refueling stop IIRC).

 

[VauxhallandI]

My father flew on Concorde, it sounded amazing and we still have the salt and pepper pots as a family air loom

It used to fly over me playing football every Sunday morning in Slough heading over Windsor Castle, I swear half the players used to gaze skywards

 

[Strathclyder]

My father flew on Concorde, it sounded amazing and we still have the salt and pepper pots as a family air loom

It used to fly over me playing football every Sunday morning in Slough heading over Windsor Castle, I swear half the players used to gaze skywards

There are precious few aircraft, past or present, that were capable of making people with little to no interest in aviation as a whole, turn their gaze skyward like that whenever it flew overhead. Concorde was one. The Vulcan was another.

 

[VauxhallandI]

There are precious few aircraft, past or present, that were capable of making people with little to interest in aviation as a whole, turn their gaze skyward like that whenever it flew overhead. Concorde was one. The Vulcan was another.

I agree, we love the Vulcan. First saw it whilst on a castle rampart in the east of England somewhere and have love it since. My father and I have been to air shows to see it since. Oh and he is a former Strathclyder as am I!

 

[Strathclyder]

I agree, we love the Vulcan. First saw it whilst on a castle rampart in the east of England somewhere and have love it since. My father and I have been to air shows to see it since.

Most certainly. Once seen, never forgotten was certainly true with the Vulcan.

Oh and he is a former Strathclyder as am I!

Ah, very nice. Born in Stevenage myself (have no memories of that time), but have spent the majority of my life growing up on the western urban sprawl of Glasgow.

 

[Sorcerer]

Same as pretty much everyone else here. I'd love to have gone on the Concorde and the Queen of the Skies herself (the 747).

 

[birchesgreen]

Well 747 is still available to fly on, Lufthansa over the atlantic operate the 8i is probably the easiest to fly on from the UK.

 

[Deepgreen]

My first-ever flight was rail-related. I was travelling back from cycling in the Scottish highlands in the early 80s and there was a strike on the Anglo-Scottish route (can't recall why not on the West Highland line as well) so I cycled to Glasgow airport and caught a shuttle to Heathrow (with my bike in the hold!). It was the last week of the Tridents before 757s took over. I had a seat in the back row. Also on a school visit to Heathrow we were taken into the cockpit of a then-active Concorde. I was working at Canary Wharf in 2003 when the final Concorde arrivals happened - three Concordes in a row on the approach to Heathrow for the only time ever, and I had a great view from my high floor. Regarding the 747, I've flown on many, including what felt like a very odd flight from Bangkok to Chiang-Mai in Thailand - odd because it only lasted about 50-60 minutes! The 747 has been an amazing story, not least because the same basic aeroplane design has been flying in service for over fifty years - I remember thinking when the BA centenary special-liveried ones were around that the 747 had flown for BA/BOAC for half of the 100 years that they were commemorating!

There are precious few aircraft, past or present, that were capable of making people with little to no interest in aviation as a whole, turn their gaze skyward like that whenever it flew overhead. Concorde was one. The Vulcan was another.

Indeed, but I always found it hard to get a ticket on a Vulcan!

 

[Strathclyder]

Indeed, but I always found it hard to get a ticket on a Vulcan!

Yeah, I may have dragged the thread off-topic a bit with my Vulcan reminiscing lol

I was working at Canary Wharf in 2003 when the final Concorde arrivals happened - three Concordes in a row on the approach to Heathrow for the only time ever, and I had a great view from my high floor.

I honestly couldn't be more jealous of you.

 

[jfollows]

Regarding the 747, I've flown on many, including what felt like a very odd flight from Bangkok to Chiang-Mai in Thailand - odd because it only lasted about 50-60 minutes!

My dad said he flew on JAL123 a number of times; on 12 August 1985 this crashed because of a failure of the rear bulkhead because of a bad repair job, but was a short-haul high-capacity service Tokyo-Osaka (about an hour's duration, a bit like your Bangkok to Chiang-Mai flight) - he wasn't on it on that day fortunately. It was a 747 configured as a "high density" configuration - the one that crashed had 524 people onboard (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Air_Lines_Flight_123).
I myself flew on a VC-10 in 1968 (Lagos-Heathrow) and my last 747 was Virgin Upper Class Gatwick-Havana and return in 2015.
I lived until 1976 in Poynton close to the approach to Woodford Airport and saw many Vulcans land.
I never flew on Concorde but I remember how deafeningly noisy it was taking off at Heathrow, and that it was observed at my sister's house in Sonning (near Reading) when it flew overhead.

 

[Strathclyder]

My dad said he flew on JAL123 a number of times; on 12 August 1985 this crashed because of a failure of the rear bulkhead because of a bad repair job, but was a short-haul high-capacity service Tokyo-Osaka - he wasn't on it on that day fortunately. It was a 747 configured as a "high density" configuration - the one that crashed had 524 people onboard (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Air_Lines_Flight_123).

The deadliest single aircraft crash in history (520 out of those 524 people onboard died; only the Tenerife disaster is worse) and one of the most astonishing/nightmarish when one considers how long the flight crew managed to keep their fatally wounded aircraft in the air after the rear stabilizer had been ripped off: 32 minutes. There is a flight-sim recreation of the sequence of events on YouTube (attached below) and it's one of the most excruciating things I've ever watched on there; knowing what's going to happen and being utterly powerless to stop it, but still hoping beyond hope that the crew will find a way out of this nightmare to end all others. Honestly goes without saying that the bravey and skill they displayed in their fight to keep their tail-less giant in the air for as long as they did will forever have my respect and admiration.

 

[VauxhallandI]

Most certainly. Once seen, never forgotten was certainly true with the Vulcan.


Ah, very nice. Born in Stevenage myself (have no memories of that time), but have spent the majority of my life growing up on the western urban sprawl of Glasgow.

And me stuck not far from Stevenage!

Im very happy I got to go on the top deck of a 747 before they went.

Id like to add a De Haviland Comet to my list, but one with reinforced windows please.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Only Concorde that I have regrets about apart from military aircraft where the SR71 is a given.

 

[Fleetmaster]

Seeing inside a Concorde (and a DeLorean) as an adult in a museum certainly dampened my lingering childhood enthusiasm to have wanted a ride in them. Such magnificent craft, such basic crappy plastic (but at the time surely modern and futuristic) interiors.

For similar reasons, seeing first hand the archaic flight deck of the (still amazingly futuristic looking) Vulcan definitely made me think twice about stowing away for the farewell flights.

 

[DustyBin]

Id like to add a De Haviland Comet to my list, but one with reinforced windows please.

I nearly nominated the Comet, but as per my previous post I’m not actually that keen on flying so thought better of it! Same goes for the DC-10, although to be fair to both aircraft they sorted them out in the end.

 

[Rhinojerry]

I’d love to have flown on the VC-10 or Handley Page Herald. Although still in service I’ve never been on one of the 146 family.

But for the sheer white knuckle ride it’ll have to be the Tupolev Tu-104. The thrill of a high speed landing with a high chance that the most dangerous jetliner in the world would crash sort of appeals to me.

First aircraft i ever flew on was the lovely VC10.
Air experience flight from RAF Waddington Sept 1980,while on recruit training at RAF Swinderby,oh happy days..

 

[Zamracene749]

707, DC3, Trident, Tu154. Or anything with an old school low bypass engine!

 

[AlterEgo]

Well 747 is still available to fly on, Lufthansa over the atlantic operate the 8i is probably the easiest to fly on from the UK.

Lufthansa are running the 747-400 every Sunday in April on the Frankfurt to Palma route.