HOOB747 From United States of America, joined Nov 2006, 420 posts, RR: 0 Posted (3 years 1 month 3 weeks 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 1656 times:
Hello, I posted this question about my adoption flight a couple years ago, but without the carrier or flight number details. So the answers were rather vague. But I now have my itinerary from 39 years ago (thanks Mom!), and have more details to narrow the search. You see, I am obsessed with the 747, and it has always been my favorite plane. And I have ridden aboard the 742, 743 and 744. I always wondered how I arrived in the United States after my adoption at the age of 2, in 1971. I had always hoped it was a 747-100, but couldn't be sure. Here is my itinerary:
Tuesday, April 6, 1971. 4 p.m. departure
NWA #22 Seoul to Tokyo.
Tuesday, April 6, 1971. 8 p.m. departure
NWA #4 Tokyo to Seattle
Tuesday, April 6, 1971. 1:10 p.m. departure
NWA #4 Seattle to Chicago (Flight #4 terminating in New York)
If anyone has the aircraft types for any of these flights, I would be so grateful! It has been an emotional day looking through the adoption folder my mother gave me, complete with all the files, letters and photos of my past. I love planes. Love them more than anything. Any assistance would be a blessing, frankly. I love this site, for it's community and knowledge. Mike.
MSPNWA From United States of America, joined Apr 2009, 1565 posts, RR: 4 Reply 1, posted (3 years 1 month 3 weeks 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 1551 times:
I can't give you a 100% definitive answer, but the chances are extremely high that you flew a 747-100. NW's first 747-200 (the first 742 ever built), N611US, was delivered just days before your flight, on March 26 of 1971. At the time of your flights, NW had 10 741s already. So even if N611US was in normal service by April 6th, the chances are 10/11 that it was a 741. Looking at the routing, that looks like a likely 741 route if I remember right. I think SEA-NRT was a 741 until the late '90s. I believe it was one of the last 741 routes for NW.
Hopefully someone else can confirm this for you 100%.
HOOB747 From United States of America, joined Nov 2006, 420 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (3 years 1 month 3 weeks 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 1522 times:
Thank you MSPNWA! I know it is a long-shot to match flight numbers with long-ago dates, but I appreciate the extensive knowledge this site has. Thanks for taking the time to respond! And boy, those -200's came along pretty quick! Thank you.
dtw9 From United States of America, joined Sep 2003, 1042 posts, RR: 2 Reply 3, posted (3 years 1 month 3 weeks 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 1410 times:
Northwest wasn't much for changing flight numbers back in the 70's, keeping the same ones for years. This is a link to oag's 1974 timetable which shows the same flight numbers http://www.departedflights.com/NW121874p27.html
timz From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 6465 posts, RR: 8 Reply 4, posted (3 years 1 month 3 weeks 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 1345 times:
HOOB747 From United States of America, joined Nov 2006, 420 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (3 years 1 month 3 weeks 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 1300 times:
Thank you dtw9 and timz, it looks promising! Thank you for you help! And nothing like adding a new aircraft type to one's collection!
bobnwa From United States of America, joined Dec 2000, 5974 posts, RR: 9 Reply 6, posted (3 years 1 month 3 weeks 1 day 3 hours ago) and read 1055 times:
Quoting MSPNWA (Reply 1): I can't give you a 100% definitive answer, but the chances are extremely high that you flew a 747-100. NW's first 747-200 (the first 742 ever built), N611US, was delivered just days before your flight, on March 26 of 1971. At the time of your flights, NW had 10 741s already. So even if N611US was in normal service by April 6th, the chances are 10/11 that it was a 741. Looking at the routing, that looks like a likely 741 route if I remember right. I think SEA-NRT was a 741 until the late '90s. I believe it was one of the last 741 routes for NW.
Hopefully someone else can confirm this for you 100%.
I agree with MSPNWA. Your itinerary was flown was flown by 747-100 aircraft, since that was the only wide bodied aircraft that NWA owned. As MSONWA says, NWA received a 747-200 just days before your flight, so the chance that it being used on one of yours is very small .
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From United States of America, joined Nov 2006, 420 posts, 
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