Boeing 747 The Queen of the Skies
Friday, October 13, 2017
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One of the loveliest of the books I read in 2015 was Mark
Vanhoenacker’s slim Skyfaring – a Journey
With a Pilot. I wrote about it here. Vanhoenacker responded to my thank you
email by warning me that in a couple of years Boeing 747s would no longer be
coming to Vancouver. I received this recent communication from him which I
would like to place here. Anything this man writes soars it is so good. In his article for the NY Times (link is below) Vanhoenacker writes about the soon loss of that wonderful ariplane that the 747 was. Perhaps that airplane is why all of us should be jealous of President Trump.
Hi all,
My apologies for this group e-mail to readers of Skyfaring and How to Land a Plane who’ve contacted me.
Many of you were kind enough to send in your window seat pictures (posted at the skyfaring.com gallery)
and stories about flying, and many of you also told me how much one
particular aircraft—the Boeing 747—has meant to you or your families
over its long years of service.
As a result I wanted to share an article I’ve written this week for The New York Times about the 747. In
the article, I talk about how this iconic aircraft changed the world,
and how we might want to remember the ‘Queen of the Skies' as its
eventual retirement from passenger service draws nearer. There’s also a 360 degree video taken in a 747, that I (awkwardly) narrate. Another writer, Dan Saltzstein, has written an accompanying piece about how the NY Times covered the plane over the years, including some great vintage advertisements.
I’m
particularly keen to share my article because I asked several of you
for permission to quote your e-mails about the 747 in it—so the article
is a way for me to thank at least a few of you for having written to me.
If you are a fan of this legendary aircraft, I hope the article will bring back some happy memories of it.
My apologies again for the group e-mail, and all the best,
Mark Vanhoenacker
