Riding in a 747

skier

skier

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So I just booked a flight for a vacation later this year and got really excited that one way is scheduled to be in a 747-400. I've never been on a 747 before, but have always loved seeing them at the terminal.

I saw a thread on here earlier this year about asking to see the cockpit. Does anyone know if similarly asking a flight attendant about the second floor would allow a visit up there after landing?

Is it bad to be more excited about flying on a 747 than the vacation itself?
 
You can see the cockpit, but it’s far from the most impressive cockpit out there. Certainly a bit small for my taste, as the Airbus has by far the largest cockpits overall.
 
It definitely has the 'you're riding in a very big airplane' feel to it, particularly if you're in the upper deck. Which, up until Cathay Pacific ditched their 747's for 777's on the HK to SFO route, is where I would reside.
 
Kritchlow said:
You can see the cockpit, but it’s far from the most impressive cockpit out there. Certainly a bit small for my taste, as the Airbus has by far the largest cockpits overall.
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Maybe not, but you're ~25 feet off the ground while sitting in that cockpit. That's like sitting on the roof of a 2 story house. Pretty cool.
 
skier said:
Maybe not, but you're ~25 feet off the ground while sitting in that cockpit. That's like sitting on the roof of a 2 story house. Pretty cool.
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That’s true, but many other aircraft you are also high as compared to a C172.
Not as high as a 747, but I truly don’t think the cockpit is as impressive as the A321 that sits 13 feet high.
JMHO.
 
So I'm taxing in to the terminal, and another of our flights is taxing outbound. I know the crew, 2 cool ladies, so I ask on company frequency if they still call it a cockpit. Captain was quick, "negative it's a box office" in her best NYC accent.
 
Several origins take your pick:

The word cockpit was originally a sailing term for the coxswain's station in a Royal Navy ship, and later the location of the ship's rudder controls.

By the 1700's, "cockpit" was being used as a metaphor for any scene of combat, especially areas (such as parts of Belgium and France) known as traditional battlefields. "Cockpit" was then adopted by pilots in World War I.

The first known reference to the term "cockpit" comes from the rather barbaric sport of cockfighting and refers to the pit in which the fights occurred. ... Even today, a room on the lower deck of a yacht or motor boat where the crew quarters are located is often called a cockpit.
 
Kritchlow said:
but I truly don’t think the cockpit is as impressive
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I flew on the 747 a few times.. got to see cockpit twice actually. And I remember being disappointed. It was small, and other than the knobs on the overhead it was just a couple CRT displays. I kind of thought "that's it?" Maybe if I'd seen pre -400 I'd have thought different. The "manliest" LOOKING cockpits to me are what you find on the MD-88. Look uncomfortable as all hell, but it's got that proper old school feel to it

Zeldman said:
So, do you like movies about gladiators..??
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No, but I have spent time in a Turkish prison
 
Sac Arrow said:
you're riding in a very big airplane' feel
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Yeah... they really do. Haven't felt that feeling on any other "big" airplane.. wonder if the A380 feels the same way? Even "rough" turbulence is more just like the sensation of turbulence as the wings flex like madd rather than any hard or heavy jolts. Definitely feels unstoppable.
 
I still call it a cockpit (unless it happens to be a box office), and I recently found out that they use the same terminology on a boat.

I knew someone who called it the "flight station". We were flying a Lear. Flight station? That sounds like something larger than the airplane. A 747 could have a flight station...
 
Maybe someone should swing a curve ball one day and call it "the bridge" when maybe a PA announcement. Cue Picard

upload_2018-1-22_21-23-34.png

PS, I still can't believe in Season 1 they had Deanna Troi in that outfit. Seemed very "un Star Trek"
 
Always wanted to sit in the forward most seat on the main level. I understand that due to the curvature of the nose/angle of the window you can actually look forward and see where you are going.

Alas I could never afford the seats that were usually located in that area.

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
 
Everskyward said:
I still call it a cockpit (unless it happens to be a box office), and I recently found out that they use the same terminology on a boat.

I knew someone who called it the "flight station". We were flying a Lear. Flight station? That sounds like something larger than the airplane. A 747 could have a flight station...
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Oh snap! You went there!
 
Kritchlow said:
That’s true, but many other aircraft you are also high as compared to a C172.
Not as high as a 747, but I truly don’t think the cockpit is as impressive as the A321 that sits 13 feet high.
JMHO.
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No, no, monsieur, nussing is aff is impwesseev as an Arrboose, oui? Smelly chee-yezz et la foofoo, n’est-ce pas? Doze petite Zessna aircwaft avv tiny pits for des cocks, no? And zay are so close to zuh gwound, zose teeny cocks, oui?
 
Lachlan said:
No, no, monsieur, nussing is aff is impwesseev as an Arrboose, oui? Smelly chee-yezz et la foofoo, n’est-ce pas? Doze petite Zessna aircwaft avv tiny pits for des cocks, no? And zay are so close to zuh gwound, zose teeny cocks, oui?
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Nobody wants your smart ass crap. I’m just telling you as it is.
Keep your immaturity to a low level.
 
Kritchlow said:
Nobody wants your smart ass crap. I’m just telling you as it is.
Keep your immaturity to a low level.
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Yes, I wouldn’t want to try to attain your lofty heights of cockpittiness, would I? I mean, come on, man... until you told us “as it is,” not a soul around would have thought that a 747 is taller than a C172. Thanks for clearing that up. ;) <golf clap>
 
Lachlan said:
Yes, I wouldn’t want to try to attain your lofty heights of cockpittiness, would I? I mean, come on, man... until you told us “as it is,” not a soul around would have thought that a 747 is taller than a C172. Thanks for clearing that up. ;) <golf clap>
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I’ve reread all relavent posts and I still fail to see your point. I wasn’t snarky to you in the slightest until you felt the need to give me crap.
So what’s your point?? If none I’ll just bow out here... unless you have something of value to add to the thread.
 
Kritchlow said:
I’ve reread all relavent posts and I still fail to see your point. I wasn’t snarky to you in the slightest until you felt the need to give me crap.
So what’s your point?? If none I’ll just bow out here... unless you have something of value to add to the thread.
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Trying to add a little sunshine to your life, that’s all. You seem sad. :) And I got to fly in a 747 all the way from Newark to Frankfurt once. It was cool. And taller than everything else.
 
Tantalum said:
I flew on the 747 a few times.. got to see cockpit twice actually. And I remember being disappointed. It was small, and other than the knobs on the overhead it was just a couple CRT displays. I kind of thought "that's it?" Maybe if I'd seen pre -400 I'd have thought different. The "manliest" LOOKING cockpits to me are what you find on the MD-88. Look uncomfortable as all hell, but it's got that proper old school feel to it
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Agreed, the 747-400 cockpit does look a bit sterile and boring, but... if you wanna see a busy, "manly" cockpit, do some Google-fu and look up cockpit shots of the old "rope start" 747-100/200s. There's a lot going on in those old beasts. The front seat panels, lotta round dials going on up there. Then there's the Flight Engineer panel, holy crap, it's huuuge.

For my first ever flight in a 747 I was in the FE seat, setting takeoff power launching outta Guam headed to Tokyo Narita. Man, the sound of those Pratt JT-9Ds at full blow... so cool. And then, that was it; I was a Guam based 747 engineer for one year and maybe 200 hours, then onward to the right seat of a 737. My last ride on a 747 was a UAL -400 back in 2001.
 
"Does anyone know if similarly asking a flight attendant about the second floor would allow a visit up there after landing? "

Are you just trying to visit the second floor, or trying to visit the cockpit? Visiting just the second floor shouldn't be difficult if you're one of the last guys coming off a plane, and not look like you're carrying 2 weeks of supplies in your carry-on.

It's not that impressive though, but I guess bucket list and all.
 
I just don't think I'll ever get worked up about flying on any airliner. Yeah, they look different form the outside, but on the inside I know I'm going to be crammed between the world's most obese traveler and noisiest toddler no matter the airframe.
 
steingar said:
I just don't think I'll ever get worked up about flying on any airliner. Yeah, they look different form the outside, but on the inside I know I'm going to be crammed between the world's most obese traveler and noisiest toddler no matter the airframe.
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Don’t forget the flu virus emitter sneezing on you...
 
I walked up the stairs to the second floor to get a peek (not at the cockpit, just the second floor), and was promptly intercepted by a flight attendant. I did get my peek, though. Not that exciting.
 
Kritchlow said:
I still use cockpit on all my announcements simply to be anti PC.

That said, do you know how the term cockpit cane to be??
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Is that why people started calling it the "flight deck", I've always called it the clockpit too, but because that's what it's called, if it offends weak minded people that's even better!

Perhaps I should start inserting a slight pause between cock and pit
 
jrollf said:
Always wanted to sit in the forward most seat on the main level. I understand that due to the curvature of the nose/angle of the window you can actually look forward and see where you are going.

Alas I could never afford the seats that were usually located in that area.

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
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I flew from San Francisco to Okinawa in row 2 lower deck. Not enough curvature there to actually see where you're going but a great movie seat. I think with all my trips across both ponds, all but one in 747s, I probably have about a week in one.
 
Kritchlow said:
I’ve reread all relavent posts and I still fail to see your point. I wasn’t snarky to you in the slightest until you felt the need to give me crap.
So what’s your point?? If none I’ll just bow out here... unless you have something of value to add to the thread.
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Wow...
 
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