jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I was glad to hear that Boeing is redesigning the 747. It will be more modern, with a nicer interior, a more modern flight deck, and offer better fuel efficiency. Let's hope this goes better than Boeings recent efforts.

BebuLamar

I guess they also eliminate the flight engineer from the crew. Airbus tried to beat the 747 with the A380 but the A380 was a failure as many airlines now stopped flying them. There is nothing wrong with the A380 just that airlines can't make money with them.

ecblackiii Loc: Maryland

You seem to hear or read a lot of things that are not true. Boeing is NOT redesigning the 747.

AndyBob Loc: St. Louis

This video from Aviation future seems to indicate that it will be redesigned...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dURIW4XPjZQ

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Not that I've heard of in 2023. That may have been 1990s news.

BebuLamar

I didn't hear anything directly from Boeing but hear a lot of news about the new 747. 2 things I heard about it are:
1. Eliminate the position of the flight engineer. (to save money).
2. Has 2 large, high bypass engines instead of 4 smaller ones.(To save fuel and of course money).

Equus Loc: Puget Sound

I am sure that modernization will include cramming an extra hundred or so passengers in. Anything to make it more comfortable for the flying public.

ELNikkor

It will be built in the new, redesigned Studebaker plant...

Red6

Both the Boeing 747 and Airbus 380 were very good airplanes. Good solid airplanes that carried a lot of people and freight in the case of the 747.

However, they have one issue that cannot be changed. They both have two too many engines. Four-engine commercial aircraft are a dying breed. There are a few still flying but for the most part they will most likely be gone from passenger service in a few more years. The four-engine aircraft cannot compete cost-wise with the newer twin-engine models from Boeing and Airbus. The twins are more cost-efficient in almost every metric. The B747 and A380 may be around a little longer for freight purposes but the twin-engine models are slowly taking over in that area also. Fuel costs and carbon emissions are the big drivers of their demise.

What you may have heard about the B747 redesign are some possible modifications to make the B747 a better, more efficient freight hauler. Many have become available at good prices since being replaced in passenger service. So their lower cost may give them a second life hauling more "stuff" from China.

At least a couple of low-time B747s may get snapped up by the US Air Force who are responsible for Air Force One. I think Air Force One is required to be a four-engine aircraft for maximum reliability in the transport of the president. The current Air Force aircraft is getting to be high time and there is talk of having a newer one modified for the role. However, there are no new four-engine aircraft being built, so a low-time used aircraft may be selected. It may be possible that the requirement for four engines could be waived allowing the use of one of the newer more efficient twin engine transports. The Air Force does use twin-engine VIP transport aircraft for other officials other than the president. I am not sure statistics support the supposition that four engines are safer than two. Twin-engine transports are very reliable and hundreds are in service all over the world.

Red6

Watched the video but I could not find a date on it. It said three weeks ago, but three weeks from when? Also, it was kind of odd that the video was about the 747 but a good percentage of it showed the newer twin designs in operation.

Boeing caught a lot of bad press over the 737 Max fiasco for a lot of reasons. One was that the 737 was an old design, with its first flight in 1967, that just kept being tweaked and redesigned rather than new clean sheet designs as Airbus was doing. As the 737 Max issues revealed, some design issues and limitations are baked in and cannot be tweaked or modified away.

The 747 first flew in 1969 and like the 737 is over 50 years old. I do not think Boeing will make the same mistake again by trying to revamp an old design. As good as they are the customers, including airline execs and passengers, want the new experience and feel. This is a lesson the auto industry learned long ago.

Bunko.T Loc: Western Australia.

The A380 is a very popular aircraft still. America sees very few of them, because they’re a Boeing country.
I look at Flightradar24, most nights here in Australia, & count the A380s coming to or leaving Aust, & found 12-13 most nights.
When filtering for only A380s, there are hundreds in the global air at almost any time of day. The dear old 747 is reduced to cargo carriers in recent times. But it would be nice to see them up there again, always a handsome craft.

Bridge Loc: Southern New Hampshire

Jerry
I agree, I have flown on 747’s for many years and have always enjoyed the comfort, space, and safety of this great plane. Not traveling so much any more but glad to see that they want to upgrade it.
Bridge

Mduffy910 Loc: Michigan

The Queen of The Sky...she really is, I have so many miles on her! Miss that airplane so much!!

jlg1000 Loc: Uruguay / South America

First: Boeing already eliminated the Flight Engineer in the 747-400 model... In 1988.

Second: Boeing scrapped all plans for new 747s due to lack of customers of four engine planes.

Loved the plane... have to let go.

BTW: the A380 is even more dead than the 747.

Bottom line: no more of those big birds... Not until Lockheed Martin makes them nuclear. *THEN* they'll become real *BIG*

twb930s Loc: Aldie, Virginia

The YouTube description leads one to think two new GE engines are being designed meaning the Queen goes to two engines? Why not??