The high cost of fuel spells the end of reign of the B747, the aircraft that was launched 44 years ago with a mammoth passenger and cargo capacity. It truly democratized air travel, transporting popes and princes, presidents and paupers.

Philippine Airlines, Cathay Pacific, British Airways, Delta Airlines, and Qantas have jettisoned their fleet of B747s for the more fuel-efficient two-engine varieties.

First-class passengers at Philippine Airlines’ Skylounge on the B747 sat in luxurious comfort, 25 feet high while still on the ground. Those seated in economy were some 200 feet away from the front.

It was so huge a fully loaded tank of aviation gas would equal 216,000 liters. It is said that a regular car would not be able to consume this volume during the vehicle’s lifetime!

Which is more fuel efficient, a B747 or a car?

According to Boeing, the B747 uses approximately 1 gallon of fuel (about 4 liters) every second. Over the course of a 10-hour flight, it might burn 36,000 gallons (150,000 liters).

A B747 is transporting 500 people 1 mile using 5 gallons of fuel. That means the plane is burning 0.01 gallons per person per mile. In other words, the plane is getting 100 miles per gallon per person.

The typical car gets about 25 miles per gallon, so the 747, cruising near the speed of sound, is much better than a car carrying one person, and compares favorably even if there are four people in the car.

On the inaugural flight to Chicago on Nov. 17, 1985, PAL flew the complete Philharmonic Orchestra playing onboard to the delight of the passengers.

To be a B747 captain was considered the zenith of a pilot’s flying career. In the early years of the B747, a pilot would require an average of 10,000 flying hours or at least 10 years before he qualified as a B747 captain.

The B747-400 was PAL’s first aircraft to carry more than 400 passengers. It could fly up to more than 13 kilometers.

It said that the entire length of the B747-400 – 231 feet and 10 inches – is approximately the distance flown by Kitty Hawk (the first airplane invented by the Wright Brothers) on its first successful test flight.