The Boeing 747 - the first jumbo jet - barely could fit on a football field. This was my plane - a British Airways 4 engine jet with the Union Jack painted on its tail.
Last Sunday - I boarded a Boeing 747 for the first time. They have been making them for 43 years - they are easily recognized by the second floor hump on their back. This was the first jumbo jet - it can be configured to hold 660 people. It flies 570 MPH - and can go 8000 miles on one tank of fuel.
Originally the upper deck was a first class lounge - but they have since squeezed more seats up there to help the bottom line. The planes cost $200 million to $330 million to build. They have made 1400 of them. The most famous 747 was Korean Airline Flight 007. It strayed off course going from Alaska to Korea and was shot down by a Russian Mig fighter jet.
For the record - I was flying first class because Lulu bought my ticket with frequent flyer miles. I would never pay the $3000 price for a round ticket to Europe on one. In my case - the plane left Boston around 10 PM - a made my bed and fell asleep right away. Next morning at 9 AM I woke circling London.
In my berth - I had a TV and a little desk and dining table.
There is a big drawer to store your goodies - like a computer - camera - shoes - etc. It also had a 120 volt outlet where I charged my laptop and phone.
In the day time you had a recliner chair - my feet could not touch the wall in front of me.
At night - you press a button and the seat turns into a flat bed. A small wall comes up for complete privacy.
I had 4 windows to watch the world go by . There were 8 empty berths - I had no neighbors.
When I got to England - there was a line of 500 people waiting to go thru customs. The line for first class was empty - I walked up - handed them my passport - and was welcomed to London. I picked up my bag and after a quick shower and breakfast in the lounge - I walked into a subway train - and got out about a block from our apartment.
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