Get your B747-800 / BA poster...!
 

I was at London Victoria killing time before a train earlier today, and picked up the latest issue (August) of Airliner World. Not a mag I buy very often - probably haven't for a year - but it's got a feature on the 'end of BMI' which I thought might be interesting.

Anyway, the pièce de résistance, is the free Boeing 747-800 poster, which features the best BA bird in the (current) fleet as one of the main images. This is the plane I think most of us secretly wish was fitted with a full complement of passenger seats rather than being stuffed to the rafters with a load of pallets and boxes...

Anyway, well worth picking up a copy of the mag, if this is your thing.

As an aside, the poster shows all the big fleets which have ordered the Boeing 'Super Jumbo'... And Boeing Business Jets is listed as having 9 orders, and a further 15 undisclosed customers. I wonder who these are for - could Air Force One be due an upgrade? Or are some very rich Arabs in need of a new set of wings?

http://i974.photobucket.com/albums/a...0710-00007.jpg

pedant mode; on

There is no such aeroplane as the Boeing 747-800. There is the Boeing 747-8I (passenger version), and the Boeing 747-8F (freighter).

pedant mode; off

Such a beauty. Most unlikely in BA livery for pax :(

Agree. Much, much prefer the 747 series of small cabins as opposed to the 777/380 (based on others layout) dorm effect

But only in Boeing's chosen marketing speak, I believe.

The following airlines have been operating the following actual Boeing models:

747-4R7F: Cargolux
747-8R7F: Cargolux

747-47UF: Global Supply Systems
747-87UF: Global Supply Systems

747-430: Lufthansa
747-830: Lufthansa

The Airliner World editor (Tony Dixon??) was on my tour at the BA Dreamliner day the other month.

My interesting fact of the day :D

"Some very rich Arabs" were the launch customers for the 747-8i. AF1 is overdue for an upgrade, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for it.

Are there any photos of the Arabian privateer 747-800s online?

And as for AF1, am I right in thinking that there are actually two of these birds - both identical?

Yes - two of them, although the aircraft type for the USAF is VC25-A (based on the 747-200). The plane only takes the AF1 callsign when POTUS is on board.

Don't lie! We know you're at the newstand at 5am on the day it comes out each month!! :D

Overdue an upgrade and being reviewed now - which is politician speak for we're getting new 747s but we need to make Airbus think we chose fairly. Airbus also refuse to build them in the US, which is a requirement.

I read somewhere that the only real question regarding AF1 is whether to replace it with a Dreamliner or a 747-8i. The article alleged that Boeing would prefer to supply a Dreamliner in order to boost the prestige of their latest model.

To even pretend that Airbus will receive any consideration is laughable.

I've heard that too but it would be unlikely i think for two reasons. Firstly, traditionally AF1 has been based on a tried and tested aircraft design, which the 787 is not. Secondly, the US military loves redundancies and with a two engined aircraft, if one fails you have to land.

Tehnically AF1 is not a 747, it is a Boeing VC-25.

Also as an interesting point, they are going to buy 3 new planes to help with the maintenance schedules, I guess so they can have 2 planes available at all times (which currently they cannot I supose).