Any pilots on here?

[MozzchopsThirty]

I have a plane question

I'm a bit of a plane nerd anyway but puzzled by something

Bump for the evening crowd

I'm not but it would be really interesting to have a pilot AMA!

Wasn't there a pilot AMA a while ago? I'm certain there was!

Yeah there was a pilot AMA

I work in aerospace and am currently at a large aerospace manufacturer in a certain German city. Not mentioning names.

If I cant help the engineers I'm seeing tomorrow probably could...

I'm doing a short flight in Thailand
(1 hour 40 mins)
And it's going to be on a 747

I actively choose not to fly 747 because they're mostly old dogs now

Is it weird to use such a massive aircraft for a short hop???

The size of plane will be determined by demand. I once was coming back from Paris (pre Eurostar, I'm old!) and it was a brand new 777 complete with Boeing staff on board, it was the crews first flight in a 777 with passengers, they told us this on landing!

What airline?

Per my DH, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Delta and Lufthansa are really only the airlines flying the newer 747s so would only trust them.

Most 747s are old.

A short flight is not that big of a deal since it is probably coming or going to somewhere else that has a longer journey since this is stoping in Thailand

Hope this helps.

Thai Airways

Thai Airways fly two versions of the 747-400 which is a newer plane so all good.

FYI, Dh is a private pilot for his own recreation and not a commercial pilot

Old dogs? It's a privilege to fly anywhere on a 747. And any plane nerd would know that! My 16yr old pilot in training finds flight routes for us that actively use 747's. Planes that pilots can actually fly.

747's are excellent planes.

Using a plane that size is usually because it's an in demand route or it's part of a multi leg route, so it does a short stop at your destination then Carries on somewhere else

For example I used to regularly get on an a380 from Auckland to Sydney which is 3 hours so it's like using one for London to Greece. However the plane was used for Auckland to Sydney then Dubai and then on to London.

I often get on a 777 between Auckland and Sydney or Melbourne. The plane is full and they use it for their most popular times.

Check out Flyertalk.

www.flyertalk.com/forum/thai-airways-royal-orchid-plus/1909472-thai-747-routes.html

They have threads about actively seeking out 747 routes on Thai! The Short flight you are taking about on the 'jumbo' has many fans!

I once flew with Tupolev from Vientiane to Lhang Prabang. We flew around the clouds as (I was later told this by a RAF pilot) the plane had no radar.

I’m still here.

There’s nothing wrong with Thai 747s! I wouldn’t worry about that. I’m a former Boeing 767 pilot and quite used to people with big opinions and little knowledge telling me my aircraft was an old shed. I happened to really like them, and though they were old they were really nice aircraft to fly.

I fly B777s now and often fly them on very short legs, in particular around the Caribbean and the Middle East, as part of multileg flights. A flight from Nassau to Grand Cayman is only 40 mins but the aircraft route will be Heathrow - Nassau - Cayman, even if you are only flying the short leg.

A 747 is an unusual aircraft to put on a route such as this as it is thirsty and not terribly efficient. But if demand drives the requirement for such a large aircraft then there is no reason why it shouldn’t do it. Thailand relies heavily on tourism for income and most international passengers arrive via Bangkok. They have to get them all out to the beaches and islands somehow, and if take off and landing slots are restricted so that it’s not practical or financially viable to send 2 smaller aircraft then the next best option will be to put a big aircraft on the route.