Old Timer's Airline Quiz and Discussion.
Apr 20, 2020, 10:48 am
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I seem to remember PHL-DEN being an early route for UA's 767s so depending on when in 1983 this happened, the delayed PHL-DEN nonstop could have been a UA 767. As a bonus, was the delayed nonstop I won't be taking flight 629? (I did not look this up. I just remember UA629 as a PHL-DEN flight number. There are some flight numbers I will always remember i.e. UA 32/33 SFO-PHL-SFO, UA 98/99 LAX-PHL-LAX. UA22 SFO-JFK, AA21 JFK-LAX, etc.)
damn, I was not expecting anyone to cite a flight number ... much less the correct one!UA is correct, 767 is correct
Anyway, as for the alternate connecting flight instead of the delayed nonstop, it would have had to have been a pretty efficient routing with a 5pm departure and arrival around 8pm or so (assuming nonstop would be about a 4 hour block time). Let me guess that the backup plan is Delta via CVG with 727-200s operating both PHL-CVG and CVG-DEN.
CVG is incorrect
72S is incorrect for one leg, correct for the other
Apr 20, 2020, 10:55 am
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damn, I was not expecting anyone to cite a flight number ... much less the correct one!UA is correct, 767 is correct
Another flight number I remember though I never took it: for years UA711 was always an ORD-LAS flight! And I believe AA1776 flew DFW-PHL.
DL is incorrect
CVG is incorrect
72S is incorrect for one leg, correct for the other
CVG is incorrect
72S is incorrect for one leg, correct for the other
How about NW PHL-MSP D9S connecting to MSP-DEN 72S?
Apr 20, 2020, 11:09 am
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It's funny how some flight numbers stick in your head. I know I took that flight a couple of times as either a 767, DC-8-71, or DC-10. To get home to SFO when UA33 was not operating (there was a period of time UA didn't operate SFO-PHL nonstop).
Another flight number I remember though I never took it: for years UA711 was always an ORD-LAS flight! And I believe AA1776 flew DFW-PHL.
Another flight number I remember though I never took it: for years UA711 was always an ORD-LAS flight! And I believe AA1776 flew DFW-PHL.
NW incorrect, MSP incorrect, D9S incorrect
HINT: look at the details in the first part of the question, and then look at a map of the greater Philadelphia area
Apr 20, 2020, 11:21 am
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And for me it's American 606 operated with a DC-10-10 from Los Angeles to San Juan via a stop at DFW back in the mid 1980's. It was my very first trip to the Caribbean as well as outside of the continental U.S. One could listen to ATC transmissions on AA back then and there was even a camera up in the flight deck for a live view of the takeoffs and landings. I was in first class the whole way on AA 606 and American's front cabin service back then was superb. 
Apr 20, 2020, 11:28 am
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here's my first post (# 2775) on this thread, back in June of 2013
I also knew those without looking at my log, from having taken them easily half a dozen times each in the ~1988-94 timeframe
NW incorrect, MSP incorrect, D9S incorrect
HINT: look at the details in the first part of the question, and then look at a map of the greater Philadelphia area
I also knew those without looking at my log, from having taken them easily half a dozen times each in the ~1988-94 timeframe
NW incorrect, MSP incorrect, D9S incorrect
HINT: look at the details in the first part of the question, and then look at a map of the greater Philadelphia area
How about UA ABE-ORD 72S connecting to ORD-DEN D10?
Apr 20, 2020, 11:33 am
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however ...
UA is incorrect
ORD is incorrect
D10 is incorrect
Apr 20, 2020, 11:56 am
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Originally Posted by Herb687 View Post
It's funny how some flight numbers stick in your head.....
It's funny how some flight numbers stick in your head.....
Another flight number I remember well is Continental 615, my first 747 flight taken on June 15, 1971.
And finally, CO 600, which for many years back in the 1970s was my go-to flight from LAX to Denver. It was a DC-10 that departed LAX at 500pm.
As to the discussion in the posts above, when I think of eastern PA - much less Pennsylvania in general - I think of Allegheny Airlines - or US Air as it was then known. How about an AL DC-9-30 Vistajet from ABE to PIT connecting to an AL 727-200 into Denver? Sorry, I can't quote flight numbers on this one...
Apr 20, 2020, 12:27 pm
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.... I can doubtless come up with *many* others ... mainly from my teenage visits to DCA when one or more friends and I would ask gate agents (and occasionally crew members) if we could go on board for a few minutes to look around and/or take photos
- UA485 was about the only Caravelle that came through DCA (BWI-DCA-CMH-DAY-ORD ... GAs weren't usually too keen on letting us on a flight that already had passengers on board, though)
- AA704 was an Electra that operated ORD-IND-CVG-CRW-DCA and then turned to AA789 DCA-MEM
- TW247 was one of the last Constellation flights
- NA105 was a midafternoon 727 to MIA
Last edited by jrl767; May 11, 2020 at 6:35 pm
Apr 20, 2020, 12:41 pm
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Apr 20, 2020, 12:53 pm
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Apr 20, 2020, 1:14 pm
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Hmm... that is a surprise. ABE-PIT seems a bit too long for a commuter flight. The ex-UA 727-100s would have been leaving the fleet about this time, but then being a 727 would they have warranted mention? Being a different variant, perhaps not. Let's go with one of the relatively new 737-2B7s. These stood out because I believe they were amongst the last factory built 737-200s delivered to a major US airline. Well, them and Delta. The next year US Air would be the launch customer for the 737-300.
Last edited by Seat 2A; Apr 20, 2020 at 1:20 pm
Apr 20, 2020, 1:26 pm
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Hmm... that is a surprise. ABE-PIT seems a bit too long for a commuter flight. The ex-UA 727-100s would have been leaving the fleet about this time, but then being a 727 would they have warranted mention? Being a different variant, perhaps not. Let's go with one of the relatively new 737-2B7s. ...
Apr 21, 2020, 10:16 am
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1983 “fill-in-the-gap” questions
38A: You’ve arranged to rendezvous with a colleague for an early afternoon scenic flight to Grand Canyon before a dinner meeting in Boulder City. There’s a 1040am nonstop from SJC that lands at LAS at 1155am, but what’s the fun in that? Hmmmmm ... here’s a 733am departure that starts an intriguing three-segment itinerary featuring aircraft with two, three, and four engines. Can you change airlines at a major airport in 36 minutes? Sure; then you’ll spend about that much time in the air on the second segment, and you’ll still arrive into LAS at noon.
Please identify the airline and equipment on the nonstop, as well as the two connecting cities, three airlines, and three equipment types on your less direct route.
38A: You’ve arranged to rendezvous with a colleague for an early afternoon scenic flight to Grand Canyon before a dinner meeting in Boulder City. There’s a 1040am nonstop from SJC that lands at LAS at 1155am, but what’s the fun in that? Hmmmmm ... here’s a 733am departure that starts an intriguing three-segment itinerary featuring aircraft with two, three, and four engines. Can you change airlines at a major airport in 36 minutes? Sure; then you’ll spend about that much time in the air on the second segment, and you’ll still arrive into LAS at noon.
Please identify the airline and equipment on the nonstop, as well as the two connecting cities, three airlines, and three equipment types on your less direct route.
PS SJC-SFO 722
UA SFO-SMF 767
OC SMF-FAT-LAS BAe 146 ("the world's only four-APU aircraft!")
Apr 21, 2020, 10:51 am
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This looks like it could be a fun one. We know the second segment departs from a "major" airport and is fairly short. There were a few mainline flights between NorCal airports back in 1983. So, maybe something like:
PS SJC-SFO 722
UA SFO-SMF 767
OC SMF-FAT-LAS BAe 146 ("the world's only four-APU aircraft!")
PS SJC-SFO 722
UA SFO-SMF 767
OC SMF-FAT-LAS BAe 146 ("the world's only four-APU aircraft!")
PS incorrect, SFO correct, 72S correct -- as an aside, to my recollection, UA was the only carrier that referred to the stretch 727 as "722" and that was only internally for tail numbers N7621U thru N7649U; the later deliveries of Advanced 727-200s (N7250U and up, N7440U and up) were known as 72S)
UA correct, SMF incorrect, 767 incorrect
OC incorrect, FAT incorrect (the flight from the connecting city to LAS was a nonstop), 146 incorrect
Apr 21, 2020, 11:20 am
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you're off to a good start!
PS incorrect, SFO correct, 72S correct -- as an aside, to my recollection, UA was the only carrier that referred to the stretch 727 as "722" and that was only internally for tail numbers N7621U thru N7649U; the later deliveries of Advanced 727-200s (N7250U and up, N7440U and up) were known as 72S)
UA correct, SMF incorrect, 767 incorrect
OC incorrect, FAT incorrect (the flight from the connecting city to LAS was a nonstop), 146 incorrect
PS incorrect, SFO correct, 72S correct -- as an aside, to my recollection, UA was the only carrier that referred to the stretch 727 as "722" and that was only internally for tail numbers N7621U thru N7649U; the later deliveries of Advanced 727-200s (N7250U and up, N7440U and up) were known as 72S)
UA correct, SMF incorrect, 767 incorrect
OC incorrect, FAT incorrect (the flight from the connecting city to LAS was a nonstop), 146 incorrect
So the second segment departed SFO on UA and was not a 767. We know that there's a four-engine aircraft somewhere on the itinerary. About a 36 minute flight on segment 2 but not to SMF... And I also see now that I reread this is a three segment itinerary, not a three stop one.
For segment 2 let's go with a UA D8S SFO-RNO to take care of the four-engine equipment
And segment 3 how about RC RNO-LAS with a DC-9 of some flavor.