What airliner do you wish you could have flown on but never got the chance?

convair880mfan · Thu Jul 29, 2021 11:54 pm

When I was younger, I wanted to fly on every airline type but missed out on flights on some retired types. I never got to the fly on the Convair 880 or the Boeing 720. Oh and Concorde. I was just a little too late for the 880 and 720 and I couldn't afford a Concorde flight.

Are there any airliner types you would have liked to fly on but were not able.

PI4EVR · Fri Jul 30, 2021 12:26 am

I am aging :old:

myself, and while I got to go in a couple and watched them at airports, I never got to fly on a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser. I wormed my way on both Pan Am and Transocean aircraft, but ended up flying on Constellations or Douglas equipment when my military parents were stationed overseas and we flew to/from our overseas bases. I remember my Dad trying to explain to me why we couldn't fly a Pan American Strato home and had to fly on a USAF C-121G Connie riding backwards and eating box lunches, when visions of big seats and berths, hot meals and ice cream served by a pretty "stewardess" in that downstairs lounge was burned in my brain.
I did not want to understand it was cheaper for MATS to fly us back stateside than fly "a fancy airline" that cost so much more money, and that the "government" would not spend that much money on us! A kid in love with that big beautiful machine had no idea what money had to do with it!

EAARbrat · Fri Jul 30, 2021 3:00 am

Caravelle, Comet, Concorde, Constellation, IL-62, TU-144, VC10, 747SP to name a few.

TheEuphorian · Fri Jul 30, 2021 3:06 am

A 767.

Considering that I live in Asia, and the 767 is rare in this part of the world, I actually want to fly one of them before they are all gone.

I almost got a chance to fly one of them, a NH 767-300 between HND-HKD back in 2018, but I ended up taking the Shinkansen instead.

Max Q · Fri Jul 30, 2021 3:42 am

Concorde

TWA772LR · Fri Jul 30, 2021 5:08 am

DC10, MD11

FlapOperator · Fri Jul 30, 2021 5:21 am

Concorde. There will likely never be another one in my lifetime.

classicjets · Fri Jul 30, 2021 10:46 am

I also want to fly on as many aircraft types as possible, but the one I've missed and missed the most is the L-1011 - not that I really ever had a chance.

A trijet (the best engine configuration), the only jet airliner made by Lockheed, and one which always seems to get rave reviews from pax and pilots.

At least, aside from the Tristar and Trident, I have been fortunate to fly on all other trijet airliners.

Aaron747 · Fri Jul 30, 2021 10:58 am

Concorde and MD-11. Was fortunate to catch older types before they were retired in late 1990s/early 2000s.

bunumuring · Fri Jul 30, 2021 11:49 am

Hey guys,
VC10
VC10
VC10
And then maybe Concorde...
I never had the opportunity to fly on a VC10 (my absolute favourite jet) as I was not born early enough.
I had a chance of paying an extra $400 Australian dollars once to upgrade my UK-North America leg of a joint QF-BA-AA round the world flight to Concorde but stupidly decided to save the money and fly via Canadian Pacific DC-10 into Vancouver instead (one of my worst flights ever and DEFINITELY my worst ever aviation-related decision!)
When the Concorde retirement was announced, I desperately tried to book tto fly from Sydney to LHR and onto JFK via Concorde but couldn't arrange it.
Take care
Bunumuring

727tiger · Fri Jul 30, 2021 11:58 am

Concorde, VC-10, Convair 990, Caravelle, Trident

vedatil4 · Fri Jul 30, 2021 12:31 pm

A Boeing Stratocruiser, a 747SP, and a TU-114.

CV990A · Fri Jul 30, 2021 12:57 pm

Short answer? Anything that's been retired.

Long answer: BAC 1-11, Boeing 377, 707 / 720, 747SP, Caravelle, Comet, Constellation, Convair propliners, CV-880, CV-990, DC-8, F-27, F-28, HP Herald, IL-62, IL-86, L-1011, Martin 404, Trident, TU-104, TU-134, TU-154. VC-10... the list goes on.

FlapOperator · Fri Jul 30, 2021 2:52 pm

Aaron747 wrote:
Concorde and MD-11. Was fortunate to catch older types before they were retired in late 1990s/early 2000s.

The pilots who master the -11 talk about it in glowing terms.

conaly · Sat Jul 31, 2021 7:51 am

CV990A wrote:
Short answer? Anything that's been retired.

Same goes for me. Any type I've never flown on and probably won't get the chance to. Some specials mentions: Tu-134, Tu-144, Concorde, any 747 before the -400, 727, 737-200, MD-11.

I'd also love to fly on a Super Constellation, so I was really disappointed, when Lufthansa cancelled their restoration project a few years ago.

BawliBooch · Sat Jul 31, 2021 12:58 pm

Long list -

L749/1049 Constellation
Boeing 727
Tu-134

Have a bit of bad luck in planning avgeek trips to catch these birds. Planned a trip to Bangladesh just catch the DC10 and Bae ATP. Our BOM-DAC flight was delayed by 24 hours and eventually operated by an A310. The DAC-CGP segment which was to be operated by ATP was also swapped out with A310.

Years later tried to get on a A310 before those went extinct. But by the date of the flight, equipment had been changed to A321NEO.

Philippine747 · Sat Jul 31, 2021 2:34 pm

MD-80! Was looking at Far Eastern Air Transport for a possible day trip to Penghu, but a few days before I flew to Taipei, the airline folded. Thankfully never booked tickets but still miffed about it.

WesternDC6B · Sat Jul 31, 2021 8:17 pm

Caravelle, Comet, Concorde, Constellation including the 1649, IL-62, TU-144, VC10, Convair 880/990, airliner version of the Bear bomber, IL-18, Bristol Britannia, Dornier X (!), the Hindenburg (before the fire) just to try playing the aluminum piano, any four-engine pre-war German airliner (Condor for example), Airspeed Ambassador, and any 40s-50s French-made piston Airliner. Some were fine-looking planes and were from a time of "If it looks good, it will fly good".

TangoandCash · Sat Jul 31, 2021 9:38 pm

Concorde and Constellation for me. And in a different category altogether, I never got to see a space shuttle launch.

CarlosSi · Mon Aug 02, 2021 3:19 am

The DC9. Flew on a handful of MD80s though. I hope the 717 doesn't join the list (dang u Covid; Delta said to at least 2030 right before you came!!). The a340-600 will probably join that list. Oh, and the a300. I realize with the latter ones I mention there's nothing really too special about it from the inside, but just getting to ride something you like from outside is cool enough.

If I had flown more consistently when I was a kid, would've had the chance to fly on more diverse stuff, like perhaps some 737 originals and 727s even.

SkyVoice · Mon Aug 02, 2021 3:57 am

Quite a few of them, actually, but specifically I'll mention the Boeing 747. Three years ago, I posted a story in the Trip Reports forum about having to miss out on a flight aboard a 747.

Here is a link to that post . . . viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1410725

After my wife & I had been married a few years, I wanted us to take a trip to Minneapolis/St. Paul to visit family. And, I wanted us to fly a segment from Chicago ORD to MSP aboard a Northwest 747. It was the mid-1980s, so I called Northwest reservation's 800 number to inquire about availability and price. The reservations agent gave me a price. I gulped, since it was more than I wanted to spend--not a lot more, but still more than I had budgeted. Then, while I was giving the agent my information, she informed me that the price had just increased, and considerably! Feeling like I was about to be the victim of a bait-and-switch, I thanked her for her time & ended the call. That was the closest that I ever came to boarding a 747!

Kent350787 · Mon Aug 02, 2021 4:42 am

Probably the DC-9 line. Given the 717 is still aregualr at my home port, I should just book before it goes.

None of the oldies - I've long been a nervous flyer, btu I've toured many.

redzeppelin · Mon Aug 02, 2021 8:14 pm

Among the aircraft that have been in broad service during my adult life, the A340 remains conspicuously absent from my log. I fear that I may never get one at this point.
I've never caught an A380 yet either. I assumed for a long time that they would be around for a long time and that I'd get plenty of chances, but that one is also slipping away from me.
When AF was still flying 343s and 388s I tried a few times to create itineraries to get both in one trip to Europe, but I could never quite make it work with a competitive fare price. My job changed, and I haven't been to Europe now in over 6 years... Not sure when I'll get another good chance to grab one of these.
Of course there are many classic models that I would like to experience, but most of those were never realistic for me.

Kent350787 · Mon Aug 02, 2021 10:55 pm

redzeppelin wrote:
Among the aircraft that have been in broad service during my adult life, the A340 remains conspicuously absent from my log. I fear that I may never get one at this point.
I've never caught an A380 yet either. I assumed for a long time that they would be around for a long time and that I'd get plenty of chances, but that one is also slipping away from me.
When AF was still flying 343s and 388s I tried a few times to create itineraries to get both in one trip to Europe, but I could never quite make it work with a competitive fare price. My job changed, and I haven't been to Europe now in over 6 years... Not sure when I'll get another good chance to grab one of these.
Of course there are many classic models that I would like to experience, but most of those were never realistic for me.

How did I forget the A380? I've done a tour, but never flown one. It's the only major modern type (ie. last 20 years) I haven't logged. It either hasn't been on routes I've wanted to fly, or fares were better on other types.

AntonioMartin · Tue Aug 03, 2021 6:22 am

Three numbers..(and I know I still have a chance but considering how poor I am)....7.4.7.

AntonioMartin · Tue Aug 03, 2021 6:24 am

Kent350787 wrote:
Probably the DC-9 line. Given the 717 is still aregualr at my home port, I should just book before it goes.

None of the oldies - I've long been a nervous flyer, btu I've toured many.

Luckily I got both on the 9 and the 727!

TheFlyingDisk · Tue Aug 03, 2021 10:23 am

I missed flying on an MD-80 simply because I didn't realize it was about to be retired and to take the MD-80 I needed to connect in Chicago. I chose a direct flight on a bloody 737 instead!

I'm still kicking myself for this.

BubbleFrog · Tue Aug 03, 2021 2:31 pm

Missed the MD-11 by a few weeks, that bugs me.

And considering that I now live in Munich, the 346 stayed out of reach, unfortunately.

Would love to go on a 727, but that is so far away from my time that I can't regret this.

MEA-707 · Tue Aug 03, 2021 2:51 pm

Some people here are dramaqueens... they can easily book an A380, 767 or A340-600 without even leaving their continent.

I miss most: Caravelle, Fairchild 27/FH-227 (had some Fokker F-27s), Nord 262, G-159, Concorde, Tu 104/114/124/144, Comet, VC-10, Trident, Convair 880/990, Convair 240/340/440 (piston engined)/600/640, Vanguard, Britannia, Ambassador, Herald, Viking, Stratocruiser, DC-2, Martin 404. Most were before my time but the first 6 I mentioned I was close on getting one, contemplating, actually booked on some etc but it never happened.

flipdewaf · Tue Aug 03, 2021 3:02 pm

I'm in my mid 30's so being reasonable about what I could have flown (not going to be getting on a 707 or VC10 or concorde) but my list misses the big tri-jets (L1011 DC10/MD11) which I think is unlikely but also annoyingly for me the A340 remains illusive. I hope that I get the chance after covid to get on an A340 but I fear that may never happen.

Fred

seat1a · Tue Aug 03, 2021 7:27 pm

Concorde, VC10, BAC111 .. and anything that Braniff flew to check out the interiors, the Pucci, the Girard, Halston .. the whole thing!

zebfly2 · Wed Aug 04, 2021 1:26 am

Concorde, MD-11 (was scheduled to fly on a DL MD-11 from JFK-ATL but was subbed out for a 764), A-310 (my personal favorite looking aircraft), & A-340

fanofjets · Fri Aug 13, 2021 3:42 am

Any of the propliners! They were loud and uncomfortable - not a great choice for a long flight, but I would love to have sampled a short ride in one of these. Of the modern jetliners, I never got to fly aboard the Lockheed TriStar. The DC-10 was very nice; I would have loved the L-1011. Pity.

ElroyJetson · Fri Aug 13, 2021 4:43 am

L1011. I have flown on just about every other type.

DL_Mech · Fri Aug 13, 2021 5:24 am

WesternDC6B wrote:
the Hindenburg (before the fire) just to try playing the aluminum piano,

You can get pretty close here:

http://youtu.be/FCDIbobCM9U

From:https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/25/ef/4b/zeppelin-from-outside.jpg

WesternDC6B · Fri Aug 13, 2021 2:30 pm

DL_Mech wrote:
WesternDC6B wrote:
the Hindenburg (before the fire) just to try playing the aluminum piano,

You can get pretty close here:

Thank you. I know the piano of which I spoke was not aboard when the Hindenburg was lost. It was destroyed when the piano factory was bombed.

Thaide · Fri Aug 13, 2021 4:50 pm

I've always wanted to visit the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, fly with it and in it ...

Yflyer · Fri Aug 13, 2021 6:23 pm

I'm not going to count stuff that was already retired or extremely rare before I took my first flight; only types I realistically could have flown on, but never did.

DC-10 and MD-11
DC-9 -- I've flown on the MD-80/90 and 717, but never the original DC-9.
737-200 -- same as above

teachpdx · Fri Aug 13, 2021 10:32 pm

747. Just never had the opportunity, and probably won’t at this point. Maybe I’ll grab an -8 flight someday (most likely with KE), but nothing on the horizon.
I’ve been on just about everything else that was in US passenger service after 2000 except the 747. And the A300/A310, but I don’t care much about them.

alggag · Sat Aug 14, 2021 12:37 am

707, 727, and Concorde.

Of those the 727 would have been the most realistic but family trips back as a kid in the 1990s always seemed to be on a 737, A320, or MD-80.

blandy62 · Sat Aug 14, 2021 2:23 am

727, DC-9, DC-8, Mercure, any Soviet area planes

afcjets · Sat Aug 14, 2021 7:44 pm

DC8, 707, 747SP

DeltaPSCFlyer · Sun Aug 15, 2021 7:41 pm

MD-11
L10-11
747SP
Concorde

jb1087xna · Tue Aug 17, 2021 11:37 pm

Always liked the aggressive look of the MD11. Never got the chance to catch one.

BoeingERJ1000 · Fri Aug 27, 2021 3:16 pm

I was born after the age of the Concorde, the Convair 880 & 990 were already pretty much retired, and the 707 & DC-8 were now freighters/largely retired. I would've loved to fly on those, but I was born too late for them. That said, I would've liked to go on a 747, 757, or 767. One time I flew from Madrid to Heathrow on a BA flight. I thought it'd be on a 767 (it was still in service then), but alas, it was an A321 with poorly aligned windows. Oh well. At least I flew on a 787-8 afterwards (to MSY). I'd also like to go on a DC-3. Maybe Buffalo Airways. I've been wanting to fly them ever since I learned they had a passenger service on Ice Pilots NWT. Hopefully I'll also go on a Boom Overture.

AWACSooner · Fri Aug 27, 2021 7:07 pm

L1011...my wife still taunts me that she flew on it and I never did. It's by far the sexiest airliner ever designed, and that's not up for debate.

Mortyman · Fri Aug 27, 2021 8:22 pm

Concorde
Boeing 707
Ilyushin Il-62
Tupolev TU-154

Wish I could fly again:

L-1011 Tristar
Boeing 727-200

Boeing757100 · Fri Aug 27, 2021 9:05 pm

For me, it's like a literal laundry list, but I'm just gonna limit it to ones that I could have had the chance to fly on just 10-12 years ago

- DC-9-50
- MD-11
- DC-10
- DC-8
- Any classic 747 (100,200,300)
- 707
-A300/310

And there's like a plethora of other types that I could have had a much increased chance to be on 10-13 years ago, like the 767-200, 757, 747-400, A300, etc

PSAatSAN4Ever · Fri Aug 27, 2021 9:06 pm

All of them.

No, seriously. I really do wish I could have flown on all of them.

MISSING BOEINGS: I have been on every Boeing product except the 720.

MISSING DOUGLAS/MD: DC-3, DC-4, DC-6, DC-7, DC-8, DC-9 (classic), MD-11

MISSING LOCKHEED: Constellation, Electra

MISSING AIRBUS: A300, A310, A380 (I thought the A380 would be around forever!)

Anything British.

Anything Soviet.

hh3800 · Sat Aug 28, 2021 8:15 am

It's probably a fairly long list, but here it is:

- Concorde (of course)
- MD-11 / DC-10
- DC-9 / MD-80 / Boeing 717
- Boeing 727
- L-1011
- Boeing 707
- A380 (I wonder why so few are flying now?)
- Caravelle
- BAC One-Eleven
- Boeing 314 Clipper
- A340

Of course, I'm not old enough or rich enough to have ever flown on most of these anyway.

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