Is this a 747-200? And how long ago was Orient Thai still flying? I’ve never heard of them…
Posted by allaboutthosevibes@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 57 comments
Spotted at DMK, outside the hangers by the northwestern end of the runways. I presume it’s being scrapped for spare parts—and has been for quite some time—considering the paint condition and missing #2 engine.
Sorry I didn’t manage to capture the full registration. (I didn’t even realize I got a part of it until cropping this photo, as the original was much further out.) Is this a -200? And does anyone know when it was last operational…?
Hot_Net_4845@reddit
It's a 747-300. Specifically 747-346 HS-UTW. Orient Thai entered liquidation in 2018
https://www.planespotters.net/airframe/boeing-747-300-hs-utw-orient-thai-airlines/rooxvr?refresh=1
Soft-Incident-86@reddit
THATS A 747-200SUD
Hot_Net_4845@reddit
It's a 747-346.
https://www.planespotters.net/airframe/boeing-747-300-hs-utw-orient-thai-airlines/rooxvr
allaboutthosevibes@reddit (OP)
Very interesting. JW, what constitutes the 46 designation in the -346 part of this model? Are there more specific variants besides the 747-300 type in general that can be distinguished by various digits in place of the last two 0s?
sniper4273@reddit
For Boeing aircraft, the last 2 digits are usually customer codes. Airlines actually get a pretty large amount of customization and options when they buy a new airliner.
Stahi@reddit
Such as these two.
H4 - Southwest (737-7H4)
32 - Delta (737-732)
allaboutthosevibes@reddit (OP)
Does any airline have the customer code 37? Then, if they ordered the same model it would be 737-737. Might actually confuse more people than it would benefit lol!
Stahi@reddit
Air India, but they don't have any 737s.
They've got 777s and 787s, but for that size it's A319/320/321.
allaboutthosevibes@reddit (OP)
That’s such a shame. And no other Boeing type developed a -700 variant, as far as I’m aware. Such a lost opportunity.
WesternBlueRanger@reddit
Boeing used to put in the customer code in their model numbers to indicate which customer orignally ordered the jet as each customer had specific model customizations; in this case, the aircraft was originally ordered by Japan Airlines.
The practice ended with the 787's, and was deleted from the rest of their lineup in 2016.
shaunoffshotgun@reddit
My company bought two new B777F in the past 6 months and there was no customer code in those series numbers
747ER@reddit
I’m really shocked this has so many downvotes; it’s 100% correct. Boeing officially discontinued customer codes in 2016. If you buy a new 777-300ER tomorrow, it will be delivered as a “777-300ER”. The Wikipedia page for customer codes has a bit of history on them and includes a section on Boeing terminating them.
See an example here, any 737NG built after Line Number 6082 has no customer code. This aircraft below should be a 737-8FE, but it is a 737-800 because it was delivered after 2016:
shaunoffshotgun@reddit
I’m not sure what upset people but I thought it was quite funny.
Hot_Net_4845@reddit
Almost always engine type or customer codes/specifications. For example, the A320-211 is an A320-200 with CFM56-5A1 engines, whereas the A320-214 is a -200 with CFM56-5B4 engines.
joebalooka84@reddit
Here is an article on their history.
https://simpleflying.com/orient-thai-airlines-story/
allaboutthosevibes@reddit (OP)
Interesting read, thanks.
joebalooka84@reddit
I flew on that from Bangkok to Chiang Mai one time. It didn't seem like a cost effective plane to use on such a short flight.
allaboutthosevibes@reddit (OP)
How was it compared to other 747s of the day?
joebalooka84@reddit
If I remember correctly, it was about the same as if Southwest was flying 747s. Pretty much a cattle car. Not like any long haul Asian carrier 747s.
allaboutthosevibes@reddit (OP)
Ahh interesting. So like a budget longhaul, before it became “a thing.” Someone else commented that they used to fly into London Gatwick. I wonder where else they flew, if they ever also went to Australia or North America?
HF_Martini6@reddit
Going only by the longer upper deck, no. Looks like a 747-400
allaboutthosevibes@reddit (OP)
Didn’t all the -400s have angled winglets, though, sorta like those on the A330/340?
This one had some sort of spikes protruding back from the wingtips, almost like giant lightning rods. I don’t know what they’re called.
Hot_Net_4845@reddit
The "spikes" were HF radio antenna. They were on the 100, 200, and some 300s. On some 300s and all 400s and -8s the HF radio antenna are in the leading edge of the vertical stabiliser
allaboutthosevibes@reddit (OP)
Ahh, that’s interesting, good to know.
So no 400s had winglets and wingtip spikes?
Hot_Net_4845@reddit
Yes. Only a few 744s had no winglets (747-400D), all of which had the HF antenna in the vertical stabiliser
allaboutthosevibes@reddit (OP)
Were any of them flown by Lufthansa? Specifically trans-Atlantic, like ORD-FRA, in the early 2000s…?
Hot_Net_4845@reddit
It was a special high capacity variant for domestic (D = Domestic) flights within Japan. All 747-400Ds were flown by JAL and ANA
allaboutthosevibes@reddit (OP)
Ahh good to know. That pretty much confirms then that the Lufthansa 747s which used to carry me across the Atlantic when I was a little kid must have been -300s with the HF radio antennas in the vertical stabiliser. Because they had an elongated upper deck (with exit door), didn’t have winglets, and definitely didn’t have the HF antenna wingtip “spikes”. Those were the details I remember clearly.
Good to know, I’ve always wondered haha.
Captain_Mazhar@reddit
The spikes are called static wicks. They discharge accumulated static electricity in a safe manner
flightist@reddit
Static wicks are much, much smaller than that. It’s an HF antenna.
Hot_Net_4845@reddit
The "spikes" were HF radio antenna. They were on the 100, 200, and some 300s. On some 300s and all 400s and -8s the HF radio antenna are in the leading edge of the vertical stabiliser
Practical-Plastic985@reddit
Pretty much, except for the 747-400D for Japan domestic flights, but they have been retired a long time ago.
StockholmParkk@reddit
Look at those engines
Cautious_Use_7442@reddit
The length of the upper deck is not really helping. The 747-300 had the same upper deck as the -400. There were also -100s and -200s that got the stretched upper deck (from factory or as a retrofit).
Engines and wings are slightly different between the different versions
FutureHoo@reddit
It’s a 747-300. The engine is a dead giveaway
TheVoicesSpeakToMe@reddit
I second this. Don’t think the -200 ever had a deck this big, but the -400 has very noticeably different engines then earlier models.
dw444@reddit
KLM had -200s with stretched upper decks that were identical to -300s.
TheVoicesSpeakToMe@reddit
Learn something new everyday. Evidently boeing claimed the stretched upper deck (SUD) only cost a 2% weight penalty.
Boeing367-80@reddit
As is the wing root, which is different on the 747-400.
HF_Martini6@reddit
Thank you, I have a hard time spotting the difference between the 300 and 400
FutureHoo@reddit
The -400 has winglets (except for Japanese airline configurations). The -300 has the stretched upper deck like the -400 and smaller engines like the -200.
SubarcticFarmer@reddit
The gotcha here is that the very last 200s could be ordered with the newer engines, I'm not sure if that happened with any 300s or not.
spddmn77@reddit
The 300s could as well
SubarcticFarmer@reddit
Thanks for that, I was confident that some 300s would have but I only physically knew of 200s. The point is it's dangerous to use jus the engines to classify them as while the old engines can be a sure thing the new engines aren't.
Danoct@reddit
I think it's HS-UTW, a 747-300. And it's been at DMK since 2014.
HF_Martini6@reddit
that's quite a long time to let a Queen sit abandoned
Danoct@reddit
Interestingly it seems that she's only been recently moved. Up until 2024 on Google Earth, she was stored at the south end of the airport.
RogueViator@reddit
747-300. It looks like the 747-400 but without the wingtip canards.
xpiav8r@reddit
I saw a 747-400F once. Looked like a -200 with winglets. Very good looking airplane imo
av8geek@reddit
Winglets. Not canards.
RogueViator@reddit
My bad. The word escaped me.
Gimme-shelter777@reddit
Was this the one that was stuck in Hong Kong for a long time back in about 2018ish?
UpstairsPractical870@reddit
This used to fly to Gatwick LGW. I never flew it, but people who did said it was good for the price
TheVoicesSpeakToMe@reddit
Comparing your photo to this one I found, I believe this is HS-UTW a 747-300. If you look at the hanger in the background, it looks identical. Operated by this airline between 2009 and 2014. Airline went belly up in 2018.
TheVoicesSpeakToMe@reddit
Comparing your photo to this one I found, I believe this is HS-UTW a 747-300. If you look at the hanger in the background, it looks identical. Operated by this airline between 2009 and 2014. Airline went belly up in 2018.
YMMV25@reddit
It's either a -200SUD or a -300. Not much of a way to tell without the reg.
airport-codes@reddit
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