End may be near for new 747s

I vividly remember the first time I saw a 747 when they were new, low over the bay coming in to SFO.  It appeared to be going too slowly to stay in the air, so much bigger than anything I'd seen before.  My dad, a Lockheed engineer/designer & airplane nut since childhood, was with me and probably more thrilled than I was.  As he might say, after all these years the 747 doesn't owe Boeing a thing.

I remember seeing my first 747 when in my early teens.  My father made a special trip to Winnipeg so that we could see one land and take off.  Hundreds of people there to catch the sight.  Still remember that day.

I'm not sure I remember the first time I saw one, but I certainly remember my first flight. I think the largest plane I'd been on up to that time was a 707, and between the vast expanses and (relatively) high ceiling, I felt a little like Alice just after falling into the rabbit hole.

When you compare the thoughtful ways, over the years, in which the 747 developed and the new uses developed for it with the way the 737 appears to have just grown like Topsy...well, I think there's something there for all of us to think about.

Years since my last time on a 747, but even in 'cattle class' it seemed much more special than a ride in an A380.