Greetings guys,

I know this is a bit of a strange question, but do you guys think there's any hope left for a normal guy like me to get some photos from a 747-400 flight deck?

I've been chasing it for a few years now. First on Virgin Atlantic, where I was denied access because someone in front fell ill, and obviously medical emergencies take priority. The second time around, Thomas Cook went bankrupt the day before and ticket prices shot up for Virgin. Third time around, well... COVID. Is there still any hope left for me to have a fourth chance? At this point, I'm honestly ready to pay for a ticket, go take a picture of the flight deck, and leave.

My source of information is limited to Google, so I decided to turn up here for some help from other enthusiasts and maybe people within the industry. Do you guys think there's still a chance for people like me to get access, or has my opportunities come and gone? My only hope is Lufthansa not retiring the 747-400 - which is a very slim hope. That or ask a cargo airline to let me into their flight deck during their turnaround.

I would love to see everyone's outlook and information about this. Thanks!

Check this thread out:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1455989&start=50&hilit=747+retirement

unfortunately flying a passenger 744 post covid will be very unlikely. In Europe they will most likely all be gone. In Asia, CA still have a couple on domestic trunk route but I highly doubt you can get access to the fly deck. OZ still l have 2 I believe, but for how long? TG is an interesting case. They said they will sell them but knowing TG everything is possible.... Beside that you will probably have to settle for ta 748, hopfuly...

Not clear.

Do you want to take pictures of the cockpit of a B747-400 or from the cockpit of a B747-400.

889091 wrote:

Check this thread out:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1455989&start=50&hilit=747+retirement

I did come across this one a couple of days ago, and it looks bleaker and bleaker the further you scroll down. I'm just hoping that airlines find the need to bring some back into service when the demand picks up, but it's looking very unlikely that demand will shoot up immediately.

blandy62 wrote:

TG is an interesting case. They said they will sell them but knowing TG everything is possible.... Beside that you will probably have to settle for ta 748, hopfuly...

I do hope Thai keep to their words. They also have a lot of reasons to keep the 747. For one, they have some very dense international routes, and they don't have the A380 capacity to fill them all like Singapore or Emirates. Thailand is also a hugely popular holiday destination, so if anything, I'd expect them to recover the quickest in passenger demands.

CA still have a couple on domestic trunk route but I highly doubt you can get access to the fly deck.

I am in China at the moment, so I will definitely try it. COVID is basically stomped out in China now and traveling between minimal risk areas is quite easy. I'm almost 100% confident they won't let me into the flight deck at any time, but that won't stop me from asking (and maybe begging ).

bennett123 wrote:

Not clear.

Do you want to take pictures of the cockpit of a B747-400 or from the cockpit of a B747-400.

Take pictures of a B747-400 flight deck. You know, just stand in the doorway after landing and take some pictures of the panels themselves. I personally have no interest in sitting in a pilot's seat and have my picture taken - never had and probably never will.

lightblueyonder wrote:

blandy62 wrote:

TG is an interesting case. They said they will sell them but knowing TG everything is possible.... Beside that you will probably have to settle for ta 748, hopfuly...

I do hope Thai keep to their words. They also have a lot of reasons to keep the 747. For one, they have some very dense international routes, and they don't have the A380 capacity to fill them all like Singapore or Emirates. Thailand is also a hugely popular holiday destination, so if anything, I'd expect them to recover the quickest in passenger demands.

CA still have a couple on domestic trunk route but I highly doubt you can get access to the fly deck.

I am in China at the moment, so I will definitely try it. COVID is basically stomped out in China now and traveling between minimal risk areas is quite easy. I'm almost 100% confident they won't let me into the flight deck at any time, but that won't stop me from asking (and maybe begging ).

TG even used them extensively on BKK-HKT and BKK-CNX. I had many segments on those routes and they were always full

For CA, PEK-SHA, PEK-SZX and PEK-CAN are good routes to start with but equipment changes happen frequently, so don't book too far in advance... Also the 748 fly those routes. My wife flew the 748 4 times in the past two months on CAN-PEK .

https://www.corendonhotels.com/corendon ... oeing-747/

Would something like this be a possibility.

There are also B747-400 preserved in the UK, USA and Australia which might be possibilities.

Clearly your location will be a factor.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_74 ... on_display

Maybe become a pilot for Atlas, Polar, UPS?

Should you travel to Australia one day, give the Historical Aviation Restoration Society museum at Illawarra Regional Airport at Wollongong, NSW a try. They have a Qantas 747 preserved and are a really friendly bunch of people You can tour the facility with volunteers in very small groups, they are happy to show enthusiasts around and you can take pictures. I don't remember the 747-400 cockpit though as I was more fascinated about the business class section in the nose section...

Dont worry, Avatar Airlines will be flying soon. They are gonna have a bunch of 744's ready to go...

https://avatarairlines.com/

Once COVID is over, you'll be able to tour the first 747-400 at the Delta museum in ATL, including being able to stand at the entrance to the flight deck to take pictures.

lightblueyonder wrote:

blandy62 wrote:

TG is an interesting case. They said they will sell them but knowing TG everything is possible.... Beside that you will probably have to settle for ta 748, hopfuly...

I do hope Thai keep to their words. They also have a lot of reasons to keep the 747. For one, they have some very dense international routes, and they don't have the A380 capacity to fill them all like Singapore or Emirates. Thailand is also a hugely popular holiday destination, so if anything, I'd expect them to recover the quickest in passenger demands.

CA still have a couple on domestic trunk route but I highly doubt you can get access to the fly deck.

I am in China at the moment, so I will definitely try it. COVID is basically stomped out in China now and traveling between minimal risk areas is quite easy. I'm almost 100% confident they won't let me into the flight deck at any time, but that won't stop me from asking (and maybe begging ).

If you want to try CA's 747, I can 100% tell you that it is impossible to enter the cockpit during the flight time, or the cabin crew would be punished by CAAC (lost their job as pilot and steward, forever). You can have a try after the aircraft landed, wait until every passenger leaves the plane. The regulations now is very strict, thanks to some troublemakers in the past. And, if you succeed in doing that, do not post the picture on any platform, just keep it yourself. You don't want to ruin other people's work, right?

lightblueyonder wrote:

blandy62 wrote:

TG is an interesting case. They said they will sell them but knowing TG everything is possible.... Beside that you will probably have to settle for ta 748, hopfuly...

I do hope Thai keep to their words. They also have a lot of reasons to keep the 747. For one, they have some very dense international routes, and they don't have the A380 capacity to fill them all like Singapore or Emirates. Thailand is also a hugely popular holiday destination, so if anything, I'd expect them to recover the quickest in passenger demands.

CA still have a couple on domestic trunk route but I highly doubt you can get access to the fly deck.

I am in China at the moment, so I will definitely try it. COVID is basically stomped out in China now and traveling between minimal risk areas is quite easy. I'm almost 100% confident they won't let me into the flight deck at any time, but that won't stop me from asking (and maybe begging ).

Oh I forget a thing, CA do not have any plan to retire their 744s in the next 3 years, as revealed in their report in FY2020.

MischaLiu wrote:

If you want to try CA's 747, I can 100% tell you that it is impossible to enter the cockpit during the flight time

I think these days, this would be the case with most airlines.