#Scrap boeing 747 cockpit full#
#Scrap boeing 747 cockpit registration#

#Scrap boeing 747 cockpit registration#

However, even if Boeing does buy it back, there is little interest in such a large aircraft right now for commercial purposes, since the international health crisis sealed the fate of the 747 as a commercial plane.Īt the 3.16-minute mark, the Boeing 747-8 registration number N458BJ takes off from Basel, Switzerland, destination Pinal Airpark. There is a chance that it might be repurposed if Boeing buys it back, and the move to the U.S.

The same media outlet notes that N458BJ is probably scheduled for part-out, which means it will be disassembled and sold piece by piece. Pinal Airpark is a single-runway airfield outside of Tucson, Arizona, which also happens to be one of the most famous aircraft graveyards in the world and, because of it, home of some of the most iconic flying machines ever. The video below shows the final takeoff of this brand-new, majestic aircraft that never got put to proper usage, but which is believed to have cost over $300 million. Last week, the 2012 Boeing took off for what will most likely become its final flight, arriving at the Pinal Airpark in the Marana desert 11 hours later.

N458BJ only ever clocked 42 hours of flight time, which, according to Simple Flying, is what a commercial airline totals in a matter of days and a private jet in weeks – and they consisted mostly of test flights.

#Scrap boeing 747 cockpit full#

The Sultan passed away before the customization was complete, so the jumbo jet was abandoned – and seemingly forgotten – at the Basel airport in Switzerland for a full decade. The Boeing 747-8 was ordered new, but that was never enough for royal heads, so it was sent for a full VIP refit. Boeing Founded in Seattle, Washington, in 1916 by William Boeing and now headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Boeing is a giant in the aircraft industry, employing over 80,000 people worldwide. The last of the 200s were retired in 2004 with ZS-SAM scrapped in Johannesburg.Delivered in 2012 to the Saudi Arabian Royal Flight group for the personal use of prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, N458BJ was never even used as it was meant to.

The first of these being the Lebombo. These aircraft have been scrapped or preserved, with one of the aircraft - ZS-SAS- written off after an in-flight fire caused a crash over the Indian Ocean in 1987. A former Delta Boeing 747's parts are up for sale on the e-commerce site, eBay, and, depending on your budget, you can own anything from a part of a flight control panel to a full cut-out of the plane. SAA acquired ten Boeing 747-200 aircraft between 19. ZS-SPF made a return to SAA, but was written off after a crash over Mozambique in 1998. In total, 15 SP44 aircraft were moved on to other airlines around the world, ranging from Air Namibia tot Luxair. SAA operated a total of 19 Boeing 747-SP44 aircraft between 1976 and the early 2000s. The large-sized Boeing 747-400 has been designed based upon previous versions of the 747 line, however, this resulted in the absolutely different jetliner with technology concepts. Two 747-SP44 aircraft were moved on to Luxair in 1980, ZS-SPA and ZS-SPF. Over the following decades the airline continued to grow its 747 fleet, adding a further 11 aircraft before its first retirements. In 1976 SAA took on a further five 747-SP44 aircraft to this effect, with one of these setting a record for the longest non-stop commercial flight when it flew from Seattle to Cape Town in 17 hours and 22 minutes. One of the last British Airways Boeing 747-400 aircraft was partly saved from scrap during 2022. The 747B was registered as ZS-SAN, and dubbed the Lebombo, and signaled the intent of the carrier to expand its routes and services. With the number of 747s in the sky continuing to decrease, it is always good to hear of more being preserved.

South African Airways received the first of its Boeing 747s in October of 1971.