Originally Posted by og
Only got to fly EBA once (74SP) and that was CNS-DRW-SIN. I fondly remember a delayed start at CNS looking out the window at the guys with their toolbox removing a wing panel and doing "something" inside - muttering, swearing, hitting, adjusting, then refitting everything and driving away. The SP was like a sports car compared to a lumbering 744 on takeoff.
Yes, the -SP's were a real treat. I only managed one ride, MEL-PER in the twighlight of their career. But they were always a treat to watch on takeoff. They had the same RB211-524D4 donks as the 747-238's, although usually de-rated somewhat when operating the hop-skip-jump sectors as we have mentioned here.