Found this rare* mini Boeing 747
Posted by Every-Dimension-1865@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 53 comments
Accidentally found this mini Boeing 747 aside a full size Boeing 747 in Old Mumbai Airport on Google Earth Historical Imagery on 2011, The size is so squeaky and cute, Any more details on this?
agha0013@reddit
747SP is what you're looking at.
Roy4Pris@reddit
Holy shit, I thought this post was a joke. But no, it’s real!
47 feet (14 m) shorter than the OG.
That’s crazy!
Bluemikami@reddit
The real shitpost was the 777max someone made for an April fools. I’ll never forget that
wobblyweasel@reddit
link?
jjw14-1420@reddit
The Wikipedia article says only 45 were produced. I couldn’t find anything on how many are still in operation. Does anyone know?
flapsmcgee@reddit
https://www.747sp.com/
agha0013@reddit
"current operators" section right under the "deliveries" section
P&W is the only operator that still has them, they are engine test beds based at Mirabel airport near Montreal. Before that I think the only other one still operating was Sophia, the NASA/DLR flying observatory, but she has since been retired.
rachbbbbb@reddit
747 Short Plane.
ddadopt@reddit
Must not make "short bus" joke. Must not make "short bus" joke. Must not make "short bus" joke.
djjsteenhoek@reddit
Hey idk how to tell you this, but you're 15 years late for your flight 😜
Coreysurfer@reddit
Heyyyy stubbyyy
Zcube73@reddit
SP for me ❤️
KHWD_av8r@reddit
It’s the short plane for all of the Spirit and Frontier passengers trying to fly internationally.
Nai_Calus@reddit
I love these things they look like the sightly deformed toy planes they used to sell at the airport but big.
xdr567@reddit
Ah .... the SP. The Queen's uglier younger sister.
Nai_Calus@reddit
We love short queens in this house
njsullyalex@reddit
Still a queen even if she’s short
FenPhen@reddit
But also about 2' taller than the 747-100.
mz_groups@reddit
Kind of like the Airbus A318, since the vertical tail/rudder had less lever arm, it needed more area to maintain yaw stability.
Dangerous-Salad-bowl@reddit
Yep "tail volume". Tail area x moment arm.
Dangerous-Salad-bowl@reddit
I once flew on an Iran Air 747SP JFK > LHR back in the late 70s
Suspicious-Lime-8470@reddit
flew on a Pan Am SP from SFO to LAX on the day of the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Olympics. It was going on to Australia.
Real hot rod - jumped into the air like a 757.
Closing ceremony outside the window on approach was a chef's kiss to the flight.
SlowPokeInTexas@reddit
Must have been a cold day when that photo was taken...
lord_flashheart2000@reddit
If you never flew on a Concorde, the SP was as close to experiencing a space shuttle launch as you could get as a civilian
Old_Reserve_1919@reddit
Such an interesting plane that I would love to be able to see one day. To my knowledge, the only one still regularly flying is Pratt and Whitney’s 747SP test bed which is used for engine testing and other things based out of Montreals Mirabel Airport. If you zoom in on Google maps you’ll see it sitting near the runway.
SopSauceBaus@reddit
Pretty sure there is a privately owned one in Vegas that still flies. Owner of the Sands casino or something similar.
josephtrocks191@reddit
Is it still flying? There's a note on the Wikipedia page for the 747SP that one owned by Las Vegas Sands was damaged beyond repair from a hurricane in 2020. Not sure if that's the same one or if they had multiple
Old_Reserve_1919@reddit
They owned 2 up until 2020, Tail number VQ-BMS was scrapped after the damage it received during that storm. VP-BLK is the one remaining
Edit to add according to some different websites, they have VP-BLK marked as “in storage”.
Snookaboom@reddit
I actually saw it listed for sale a few months ago. The remaining sands 747SP. Wish I could find the ad. Looks like somebody totally redid it and is offering it as a business yet.
Speedymcspeeder@reddit
I fly out of Vegas a lot and mentioned it to another pilot who would probably know as i thought it was still flying. They said Sands no longer uses it and it is no longer flying.
UnfortunateSnort12@reddit
A casino used to own a few in Vegas, but I think they are scrapping them in Kansas City now. At least that’s where I last saw them.
Admirable_Nothing@reddit
Their cruising altitude was so high the external windows would etch so you couldn't see out of the plane. I flew it often SFO to HKG when PanAm was active on that route with a NS route.
FrequentFractionator@reddit
How does the high-altitude cause the etching of the windows? Tiny ice crystals?
Admirable_Nothing@reddit
I don't know. But the outer windows looked like frosted glass. My 5 decades old memory vaguely remembers reading that it was due to higher concentrations of ozone (O3) at higher altitudes.
Any_Sale2030@reddit
I flew in these a lot as a passenger in the 80s when I was doing M&A work in Asia. Not really my favorite. Biz class was 8 across and over the wings. Just 3 lavs for 100 biz class seats. These were former Pan Am planes transferred to United when UA bought the Pacific Division of PA. Pan Am really had no clue on how to make a passenger feel welcomed. UA soon replaced the SP with 747-400s.
kraven420@reddit
Any_Sale2030@reddit
Priceless
sjp1980@reddit
That's Quasi!
njsullyalex@reddit
First and likely last time I’ve ever seen a Boeing 747SP flying was seeing SOFIA on final approach to Davis Monthan AFB in December 2022 on her final flight ever.
FunClothes@reddit
SOFIA used to be a regular sight at Christchurch airport. Prior to ETOPs, Qantas used to use 747SPs on trans-tasman routes to Wellington.
https://www.qantasnewsroom.com.au/roo-tales/that-time-we-flew-the-mini-jumbo
sjp1980@reddit
Growing up in Wellington we used to love seeing the Qantas "jumbo" come in.
Years later nobody could tell me it was a shorter version. It looked so big in my young brain!
Crazy__Donkey@reddit
epic or even legendary, but def not rare.
halfty1@reddit
They are definitely rare. Only 45 were made in total, and only 1 or 2 are still active.
Crazy__Donkey@reddit
i was joking
those are even higher class of rarity (and thus higer pay 2 play) in many video games.
Good_Biscotti_9241@reddit
É o 747.rar
gimu_35@reddit
It’s called an SP…
ASolidChad@reddit
747 Short King
Freelance_Gawper@reddit
When I worked at LHR back in the 70’s this Iran Air 747SP was a regular visitor.
lopolow@reddit
The SP here is painted in Iran Air colours.
I was lucky enough to get a flight on a SP back in 1994 with Air Namibia who leased them from South African Airlines, and flew JHB-WDH-LHR all on the type.
ebneter@reddit
i got one in 1990 on a United flight from SFO to ORD when the scheduled aircraft for our flight became unavailable. (SFO is a United hub/maintenance facility, or it was back then, anyway.) It was very cool. I didn't even realize at the time that United owned any SPs and was stoked to fly on it. I think I've been on every Boeing jetliner except the 707 and 787.
rubberdogshitshifter@reddit
There was one parked up in Bournemouth Uk for some time. Apparently it was privately owned by a Middle East prince and was used to ferry his children to school there!!
Texas_Kimchi@reddit
747SP one of my favorites!
ginji@reddit
QANTAS ran the 747SP on the route between Sydney, Aus and Wellington, NZ as Wellington had a runway too short for a full size queen. Though in typical Wellington fashion the first flight to Wellington on the SP got diverted to Auckland due to bad weather.
Pam Am did the first non-stop flight between Sydney and LA on an SP, QANTAS followed afterwards.