Any closet plane-spotters?

[Brandane]

Please, don't get the wrong idea; I'm not into standing at Heathrow airport with my binoculars and notepad! But today as it was clear skies, I looked up flightradar24 to try and identify a 4 engined plane flying overhead while out on a bike ride on the Isle of Cumbrae.
Turns out it was a British Airways 747 returning to London from Vancouver. Then I looked at it's recent flight history and was amazed to find that since New Year's day, only 6 days ago, it has been from London to Vancouver and back, twice; then London to Cape Town and back; London to Phoenix and back, Vancouver and back, again - now it is on it's way to Cape Town after arriving from Vancouver.
That seems like very impressive efficiency of usage for such a complex machine.

 

[classic33]

Get quite a few flying across the country as well as along it here.

 

[winjim]

One person's efficiency of usage is another person's dangerously fast turnaround I guess. Let's hope the maintenance crews aren't cutting corners just to get the planes into their departure slots. Competition for those slots can be ruthless, so I hear.

 

[Bobby Mhor]

Please, don't get the wrong idea; I'm not into standing at Heathrow airport with my binoculars and notepad! But today as it was clear skies, I looked up flightradar24 to try and identify a 4 engined plane flying overhead while out on a bike ride on the Isle of Cumbrae.
Turns out it was a British Airways 747 returning to London from Vancouver. Then I looked at it's recent flight history and was amazed to find that since New Year's day, only 6 days ago, it has been from London to Vancouver and back, twice; then London to Cape Town and back, twice; London to Phoenix and back, Vancouver and back, again - now it is on it's way to Cape Town after arriving from Vancouver.
That seems like very impressive efficiency of usage for such a complex machine.

What one, 654 unique planes flew over today(so far)

 

[Brandane]

What one, 654 unique planes flew over today(so far)

It was a BA 747 reg. number G-BNLN. They come over here quite often going to/from west coast USA/Canada. Even east coast America depending on the weather as I guess they try to hitch a lift on the prevailing winds.

 

[Bobby Mhor]

I feed FR24...
I'm nerdy that way

 

[gbb]

Not really related to OPs story but I did see something I've never seen before....circa midday today, a large 4 engine airliner, could have been military, high altitude headed north...with what appeared to be a fighter in tow about a mile behind, same altitude'ish, same speed, same direction. May not have even been anything at all but never saw the like before.

 

[DaveReading]

That seems like very impressive efficiency of usage for such a complex machine.

BA's 747s each fly around 4,000 hours per year, on average. That's just under 11 hours a day.

 

[Brandane]

BA's 747s each fly around 4,000 hours per year, on average. That's just under 11 hours a day.

Presumably that includes periods of maintenance? So when actually "in service", is the percentage figure considerably higher?

 

[Jenkins]

Not really related to OPs story but I did see something I've never seen before....circa midday today, a large 4 engine airliner, could have been military, high altitude headed north...with what appeared to be a fighter in tow about a mile behind, same altitude'ish, same speed, same direction. May not have even been anything at all but never saw the like before.

You could have a look on Flightradar24. Zoom in (not too closely) on the area where you were at the time, the select the clock icon about 1/3rd of the way down on the right hand side and select the time you saw the plane and it may show up so long as it wasn't military. Having said that' I've occasionally been able to track the RAF tankers and Hawk jets in the past.

 

[skudupnorth]

I used to love sitting for hours at my local airport ( Manchester) back in the late 70's to the mid 90's but aircraft became boring after that era and now they all look the same except for 747's,A380's and A340's. The only excitement I get now is from old stuff that blunders in the odd time such as the Russian transports or military

 

[classic33]

 

[DaveReading]

Presumably that includes periods of maintenance? So when actually "in service", is the percentage figure considerably higher?

That's an overall average. Most maintenance on the 747s is done between flights or overnight, so it doesn't really impact on the flying hours. Even the heavy maintenance checks, which involve 2-3 weeks in the hangar at Cardiff, only happen every few years per aircraft and so don't make much difference to the annual hours.

 

[slowmotion]

We're in Hammersmith which is on the approach to Buckingham Palace when HM gets a fly-past coming in from the west. I've no idea where the planes start, but they are in formation when they are overhead. A Lancaster, Spitfires and The Red Arrows and others. The engine sound from a Lancaster is pure magic.

 

[Brandane]

I used to love sitting for hours at my local airport ( Manchester) back in the late 70's to the mid 90's but aircraft became boring after that era and now they all look the same except for 747's,A380's and A340's. The only excitement I get now is from old stuff that blunders in the odd time such as the Russian transports or military

I remember back in the 80's and maybe into the 90's, Concorde training used to be done on a regular basis at Prestwick airport. They would spend most of the day doing "touch and go" take offs and landings. There was a place where you could go and sit right next to the runway if you wanted. Now you might see the odd Ryanair 737 and that is all - there is progress for you .