I've always been fascinated with aviation. My family, friends and colleagues know I'm an avgeek and proud of it. That fascination started as a kid when our family would take trips once a year. Every time I got on an airplane I was curious about my surroundings. I'd stare at the clouds amazed as houses below me turned in to specks, helping me realize at a young age just how small we are in this world.
My fascination with flight also comes from my father. We'd sit on our Northwest Airlines (NWA) flights and he'd tell me how fast we were traveling, what kind of plane we were on, how many engines it had and so on. His office at work had model planes lined up on a shelf. I remember the stories he'd tell me from his NWA pilot friends about their worldly travels. I was in awe of it all.
Today, I'm obsessed with traveling and seeing what this world has to offer. Most flights I'm sitting by the window taking photos of what's outside of our metal tube. My favorite moments are seeing beautiful sunrises, sunsets and the geography like the top of Mount Rainier encased in clouds or the moments on a trans-Atlantic flight when you see solid ground for the first time in hours. The places we are able to go amazes me.
I knew the Boeing 747 was going into retirement in the U.S. The aircraft was decades old, not very fuel efficient and too costly to maintain. I followed along the social media posts last month when United Airlines did its farewell flight and I wondered when Delta's would happen. So, I called Delta and said "I know you're going to retire your 747s next month and I heard about this farewell tour. Can you get me on that flight to MSP?"
I remember my first flight on a 747 like it was yesterday. I was in sixth grade with my family on a direct flight from MSP to Honolulu. I remember walking on the plane and seeing the two aisles, large TV screens, the seemingly endless rows of seats and I was amazed. Most of our flight there my father went missing. He was up walking around, hanging out in the back of the plane chatting with the flight attendants probably asking them all sorts of questions about their jobs and where its taken them. So going into this assignment, the final commercial 747 flight in the U.S., I knew everyone on that plane would have stories of their own and I knew there would be nostalgia for Minnesotans connected with NWA. But I didn't realize the emotional connections people have to this aircraft, until I arrived at our gate Wednesday morning.
Tuesday afternoon I arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and got a tour of the Delta Flight Museum. This year, it opened a new exhibit, old NWA 747. Inside, you'll see the exposed parts of the plane where in one section, you're standing on glass and looking down at the guts of the plane.
The aisles were widened for movies to be shot inside of it and you can walk up to that iconic second floor to walk inside of the cockpit. The team even built a ramp on a wing that you can walk on. That airplane is staying put, literally, it's cemented to the ground.
You can see the wheels are off the ground so that the wind doesn't carry it away. Imagine that!
To give you a brief history, Delta initially flew the 747 in the 1970s. It wasn't until the merger with Northwest in 2008 that it started flying the 747 once again. Northwest Airlines had dozens of these planes and that's where the Minnesota connection comes in. I was talking with Bill Lentsch, he's a longtime Delta/NWA employee and is from the Twin Cities. He's the Senior VP of Delta Connection and Delta Global Services. He talked about how the 747 opened up MSP to the rest of the world because the aircraft allowed us to take flights halfway around the world on one airplane.
NWA's time has come and gone, but it's history is not forgotten especially among Minnesotans.
Timothy Frilingos brought me to a back room to show me some of the NWA uniforms and pins they have saved. It reminded me of my vacations as a kid boarding flights and getting pins from the flight attendants. Always a highlight.
Fast-forward to Tuesday night, the hangar party at the airport. I walked into the massive building and the music was rockin' with people celebrating beneath a 747. Speeches were given with the spirit of nostalgia and celebration. My favorite moment happened beside the plane's massive engines. Current and former employees, and their families signed their names in silver ink against the blue paint. Their names forever marked on a plane that's logged millions of miles.
I spoke with Delta's CEO Ed Bastian. He told me it's sad to see the 747 go, but it's time for a new chapter.
I woke up Wednesday morning full of anticipation. This was it. I was going to be on the last commercial 747 flight on a U.S. carrier. Flight 9771. I arrived at the airport early, and as I made my way to our gate, I could see our bird from a ways away. Yes, it's that big.
Shortly after I sat down, our captain Steve Hanlon showed up and so did the flight attendants working the flight. Hanlon said he was happy to be a part of the flight, but is sad about the retirement. He was hired by NWA and flew the 747 for a large part of his career. He was smiling ear to ear. I could tell he loves his job.
I sat back down to take stock of my camera gear. Next thing I know I'm talking with Emily and Donald Filiowich of St. Paul. Emily is a flight attendant with Delta based in the Twin Cities. She wrote an essay as to why she and her father should be on the flight, and was awarded two tickets. Don told me as a kid his father would take him to Post Road at MSP Airport to watch the airplanes. He says in the 1970s, he saw the first 747 land at MSP Airport. Now, he regularly travels, but had never been on a 747 before. This was Don's first and final flight on a 747.
Emily surprised her father with his plane ticket just hours before the flight.
Their love for this airplane was clear while in-flight, Emily, along with other passengers, kissed the overhead bin as a salute to the "Queen of the Skies."
The heartfelt stories don't stop with Emily and Don. On the flight, I noticed a woman wearing NWA name tags and a red uniform. It was Annette Herman, of the Twin Cities.She took the flight in honor of her late husband.
As I interviewed each person, I came to realize the emotional connection people have with this aircraft. That became evident when the lead flight attendant Christine (from St. Paul) looked at me and said "You've got to hear this story." That's when I met Ruth and Kyle Dorsty. Ruth adopted Kyle from Korea 20-some years ago. His flight to America was on a 747. Wednesday's flight was a big deal for them.
It had been so long since I had been on a 747 that I forgot about the monstrosity of this aircraft. 321 people were on our flight, but it wasn't even full. I made my way to the very last row, seat 67D, next to the coffee pot. One of the greatest parts of the flight was takeoff.
One of the flight attendants said to me "Look straight ahead as we takeoff. Because you're in the back, you'll notice the front of the plane will be in the air for a few seconds, but you'll still be on the ground."
Sure enough, I watched and it happened as one of the flight attendants next to me was cheering and clapping during takeoff. The sheer power of those engines amazed me as water sprayed back from the plane and we shot through a rain-soaked Georgia.
Most of the flight, people were not in their seats. It was a smooth flight, so we were able to walk around and go up to the second level lounge. Passengers got champagne, a hot towel and a meal. The flight attendants hosted a game of trivia, people were laughing, smiling, taking pictures and taking in every moment.
At one point, lead flight attendant Christine made a farewell speech remembering her days working on a 747. She told stories of bringing back refugees from Asia and transporting U.S. troops back home. I could see the nostalgia in her eyes as she peered down at her hand-written notes.
Now let's get to the flyby portion of the flight because it took me and others by surprise. We circled the metro first. Captain Hanlon said it was to salute the Twin Cities for all of its years of service with the 747. But before we touched down, we did a low pass over the runway. I thought we were landing as I saw us approach the runway so very close, but then we didn't land, we hovered and shot back up into sky with so much force. The cabin erupted in cheers and applause. What a rush!
We circled around again and actually landed. I could see airport workers stopped with phones in hand and recording our final landing. It hit me then. This was it. No more 747.
What's next for the plane we were in? It will be flown to the Arizona desert, known as the "airplane boneyard" where it will sit. Delta is replacing its 747 fleet with a more fuel efficient, wide-body, twin-engine Airbus A350.
This was one of my favorite assignments. Not just because I got to travel for a fun story, but because of the people. To all the people I met on this flight; Emily, Don, Bill, Christine, Kyle, Ruth, Annette and so many others; hearing their connection to this aircraft and how it played a role in their lives was the highlight of this trip. The 747 may be done flying, but the people will keep its story alive.
Farewell, "Queen of the Skies."
