Which airliners do you wish you could have seen/flown on?

[PsychoMouse]

The DC 3. Seen plenty, but, never flown in one.

That said, when it comes to heavy piston types, sorry, whilst they do have a nostalgic sound, they are very labour intensive to maintain..

Although being an F/E on a Sunderland would have appealed ...because it has a very spacious galley, which is always useful.

I was lucky enough to fly on an Air Atlantique one as a very small boy in the early 90s, between Coventry and Luton because my grandad was doing some ad-hoc flying for them at the time. Don't remember a thing about it but I have the photo and video proof.

 

[Dr_Paul]

I think the Russian knockoff of the concord Tupolev Tu-144 would be a great experience to fly.
Would of loved to fly on one.

I'm not sure I would have wanted to. One of them pranged the day after I saw it at the Paris Air Show. A pal of mine, now a noted aviation photographer, was convinced he was to blame, as he swore at it because it was parked too close to him to get a decent shot of it.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I was lucky enough to fly on an Air Atlantique one as a very small boy in the early 90s, between Coventry and Luton because my grandad was doing some ad-hoc flying for them at the time. Don't remember a thing about it but I have the photo and video proof.

If that was the one that had the 1950s style interior ( i.e. no paneling, windows just bolted on, wickerwork seats, stewardess using a megaphone for the PA ) then that would have been G-AMRA.

 

[Zamracene749]

Like some of the other older posters above, I've travelled on most airliners from western manufacturers since the '60s, - even though my first ever flight was as late as 1979 in a BCAL BAC111 in 1979. Notable exceptions are DC10, Tristar, Caravelle, Airbus 220, 310, 318 & 350, Boeing 777 and of course Concorde. I have seen all of those from the ground though.
Of those, probably Concorde, Tristar and Caravelle would be the most interesting to fly on. I suspect that the Caravelle would have been much like the BAC111/DC9 experiences.

I managed to bag 1st class on one of TAROMs A318s a few years back from PRG to OTP, 4 hours late after all their ATR broke down! Very nice it was too
Flown on two A220, Air Baltic an Air France. Nice big windows and spacious enough, even for a big fat lad like myself. The Air Baltic one left the runway almost like an EE Lightning, very impressive.

 

[PsychoMouse]

If that was the one that had the 1950s style interior ( i.e. no paneling, windows just bolted on, wickerwork seats, stewardess using a megaphone for the PA ) then that would have been G-AMRA.

Pretty sure you're correct

 

[Irascible]

Concorde, and a VC-10. I've been around long enough to have travelled on a few older airliners & not generally a fan, honestly.

 

[rf_ioliver]

I have loads of flights on those. Used them when AirTran was in existence and then and now on Hawaiin inter-island flights. Delta bought all AirTrans when AT were acquired by Southwest (WN). So now fly them frequently CHA-ATL route and others.

http://my.flightmemory.com/GRALISTAIR

Funny how the 717 caught the imagination around here I managed a Blue1 flight from Copenhagen to Helsinki. I liked that Airline, RJ100s, MD90s and 717s and a really great livery.

 

[zwk500]

I'm fairly sure I've flown on a 747 at least once when I went to the US (With Virgin in 2007 to Washington Dulles and BA in 2009 to JFK, it was before any serious interest in planes and on a school trip so not paying too much attention), Concorde is the only one I regret being unable to fly (A380s still being in service for now). Mind you, even 747s or A380s wouldn't be that special given that every airliner feels largely the same in economy.

 

[Irascible]

I'm fairly sure I've flown on a 747 at least once when I went to the US (With Virgin in 2007 to Washington Dulles and BA in 2009 to JFK, it was before any serious interest in planes and on a school trip so not paying too much attention), Concorde is the only one I regret being unable to fly (A380s still being in service for now). Mind you, even 747s or A380s wouldn't be that special given that every airliner feels largely the same in economy.

I've been on several 747s, and you're right, the only real difference in Economy is the extra engnies in view. The A380 - which I've yet to try - *is* apparently different, not least because it's extremely quiet.

 

[Strathclyder]

Latterly the DC9 family became the 717 when Boeing assumed responsibility for McD's products. Not sure if any are still in service now, but three years ago I saw several in service at Venice airport for Volotea. The 717 gap in the airliner series was always puzzling (especially as they used 720 for the smaller 707 derivative), along with the apparent DC5 gap (which was simply a very unsuccessful and short-lived model).

View attachment 130988

The DC-5 had the misfortune of being developed & first flown in the months leading up to and being introduced after World War II was already well underway, with many airlines cancelling their orders as a direct result (only 4 of the 12 airframes built were intended for civilian customers, the rest ended up in military transport roles). After the war was over, the glut of surplus ex-military C-47s flooding the market meant no orders were forthcoming for the design, and a true successor to the DC-3/C-47 family in Douglas' lineup wouldn't emerge until the DC-6 (itself an evolution of the DC-4, which ultimately got it's start as a military transport - the C-54 - and saw modest success when repurposed as a airliner post-war) first appeared in 1946.

Aside from any weaknesses in the design, the DC-5 was by-and-large a victim of world events overtaking it.

 

[birchesgreen]

DC-9s are still around, were some freighters at Anchorage on the latest Big Jet stream. There was a DC-6 still around too...

 

[Dr_Paul]

Latterly the DC9 family became the 717 when Boeing assumed responsibility for McD's products. Not sure if any are still in service now, but three years ago I saw several in service at Venice airport for Volotea. The 717 gap in the airliner series was always puzzling (especially as they used 720 for the smaller 707 derivative), along with the apparent DC5 gap (which was simply a very unsuccessful and short-lived model).

View attachment 130988

I suspect that Boeing didn't want to use a new number for taking over what was by then a fairly old aeroplane. The 717 hadn't been publicly used for a civil model, but it was the series number for the C-135 range for the USAF, a different design to the 707, although quite similar in appearance. The Boeing 720 was originally included in the 707 series, as the -020, then briefly designated as a 717-020, but at United Airline's insistence became designated as the 720. As it is, I always thought of 717s, along with MD-80s, etc, as DC-9s.

Strathclyder mentioned the DC-5, there's some details about it here. The DC-7 also has an interesting history, as it was originally to be the civilian version of the C-74 Globemaster. However, nobody was interested in buying it, as it was considered too large (the same fate as the Convair 37, a civilian version of the one-off C-99), and the DC-7 that was produced was a slightly enlarged DC-6.

 

[Wolfie]

I’d love to have flown on the VC-10 or Handley Page Herald. Although still in service I’ve never been on one of the 146 family.

But for the sheer white knuckle ride it’ll have to be the Tupolev Tu-104. The thrill of a high speed landing with a high chance that the most dangerous jetliner in the world would crash sort of appeals to me.

I flew "Crab Air" on VC-10s in the 1980s from the "lovely" Brize Norton....

Concorde
Tri-star
Comet

Never flew on a Comet but did on a Nimrod.....

Boeing used the name 717 for the C-135/KC-135 military cargo / tanker range

They recycled the number for the MD-95 (a DC-9 development) when they took over McDonnell Douglas.

I've actually flown many of the Western airliners others have quoted and indeed a TU-154 too (Cubana). Flying over the "Christmas tree" collection at the end of the Havana runway was interesting....

 

[Sm5]

Concorde is the first choice obviously. Closely followed by (in no particular order) the VC-10, Convair 880/990, 747, 727, 707, DC-8, Britannia, Trislander, L-1011 & DC-10/MD-11.

What would I have liked to see? Among the many, many examples are the first flights of the Concorde, the Saunders-Roe Princess & the Bristol Brabazon, but one of my eternal regrets when it comes to aviation is not visiting Prestwick Airport in August 2020, which was the last time the An-225 Myria landed there (was a refueling stop IIRC).

Flew a convair to spain with Spantax in the 1980’s…

omg it would have been safer to make my own wings.

 

[DustyBin]

Flew a convair to spain with Spantax in the 1980’s…

omg it would have been safer to make my own wings.

The funny thing is I’m not actually that keen on flying, so really I should be thankful I didn’t get to fly on half of these contraptions!

 

[birchesgreen]

Quite unfair the 990 only crashed 6 times.

Wait... they only built 37 of them.

 

[Class15]

Concorde
De Havilland Comet (with the modifications please)
Airbus A310
Boeing 747

 

[Wolfie]

Concorde
De Havilland Comet (with the modifications please)
Airbus A310
Boeing 747

Lucky enough to have flown two and a half (RAF Nimrod) of those.

 

[Class15]

Lucky enough to have flown two and a half (RAF Nimrod) of those.

Wow! Nice!

 

[LOL The Irony]

I'd like to have flown on Concorde, a VC10, a Tristar and a Panavia Tornado over the burning oil fields whilst listening to everybody wants to rule the world on a boombox I snuck aboard.

though I do have a complete set of MD aircraft, including the 717 (yes, it's an MD!!).

Every aircraft made after the merger is also an MD, despite what they slap on the side.

 

[nw1]

I did manage the 747 once, from Chicago to Heathrow in 2011.

They definitely seem to have dwindled in recent years: I remember they were still commonplace in the early 2010s and I saw them frequently from various locations in central southern England, often Virgin examples from Gatwick towards North America, flights from Heathrow to South America, or inbound flights from North America to Heathrow (which tended to come in across northern Hampshire while westbound flights went much further north).

I'd have liked to have seen more of the old-school ones, like the 707. In fact I probably did, as a child, but didn't recognise them as such. I did notice planes as a child but not enough to identify them, with the exception of the 747.

Concorde I did see. It was coming into Bournemouth Airport for some reason, probably around 2000, and I saw it from the western New Forest.

 

[gabrielhj07]

I remember they were still commonplace in the early 2010s

They were commonplace right until a certain major event...

 

[Lost property]

They were commonplace right until a certain major event...

Sorry, but, if you are suggesting 9/11 resulted in the 747's reduction in pax service. this isn't correct.

The development of more fuel efficient engines, along with aerodynamic design, led to the development and preference for twin engine, long haul types, both Boeing and Airbus.

BA for example operated their 747 fleet until 2020 and there are still pax operators of the type. Cargo variants are still very common.

 

[Class15]

Sorry, but, if you are suggesting 9/11 resulted in the 747's reduction in pax service. this isn't correct.

The development of more fuel efficient engines, along with aerodynamic design, led to the development and preference for twin engine, long haul types, both Boeing and Airbus.

BA for example operated their 747 fleet until 2020 and there are still pax operators of the type. Cargo variants are still very common.

The Covid event finished off the 747s for many operators. That was no doubt what the poster meant.

 

[zwk500]

Sorry, but, if you are suggesting 9/11 resulted in the 747's reduction in pax service. this isn't correct.

The development of more fuel efficient engines, along with aerodynamic design, led to the development and preference for twin engine, long haul types, both Boeing and Airbus.

BA for example operated their 747 fleet until 2020 and there are still pax operators of the type. Cargo variants are still very common.

No he's suggesting (quite rightly) that the majority of 747s were permanently grounded during COVID.

 

[jfollows]

COVID was my reading also - the 747 had been on a gradual decline in favour of two-engined aircraft which was obvious and inevitable, but airlines only had so many aircraft and had to keep them on. COVID meant that the only services left could all be run by more fuel-efficient aircraft, so the 747s got scrapped.
Yes, they were the aircraft of choice in my experience from 1981 (Gatwick-Hong Kong-Osaka) and wierder routes like Paris-somewhere-Lilongwe (Malawi) in 1984 (UTA was the airline) on to US flights for ages. My last was Gatwick-Havana in 2015.

 

[Spamcan81]

I've been on a Tu-154, that was... different

Did a Tu-134 to Warsaw and back. The coiled rope above the exits was an interesting feature.

 

[jfollows]

I did a Tu-something Irkutsk-Moscow in 1984, it wasn't nice.
A day or so later I saw its sister on display in the "Park of Soviet Economic Achievement" or somesuch in Moscow, it wasn't impressive.
But it was at the time the country was being out-spent by the West in so many ways. With the wisdom of hindsight the collapse of the Soviet Union was inevitable, it's just that I didn't see it at the time.

 

[gabrielhj07]

Sorry, but, if you are suggesting 9/11 resulted in the 747's reduction in pax service. this isn't correct.

The development of more fuel efficient engines, along with aerodynamic design, led to the development and preference for twin engine, long haul types, both Boeing and Airbus.

BA for example operated their 747 fleet until 2020 and there are still pax operators of the type. Cargo variants are still very common.

As others have suggested I was indeed referring to covid.

 

[Jamesrob637]

As others have suggested I was indeed referring to covid.

Many airlines such as KLM and Virgin Atlantic would've retired their Jumbos in 2021 even non COVID