![Virgin Atlantic G-VIRG by Steve Fitzgerald.](https://avgeekery.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/virgin747-1024x683.jpg)
It takes professional pilots and crew to safely fly jumbo jets across the Atlantic.
The Boeing 747 is slowly disappearing from the skies. With a major shift to two-engine wide bodies like the 777, A330, 787 and A350, the 4-engined 747 is starting to fade from the skies. Major Asian airlines, United and Delta have already started to retire the more advanced 747-400 series in recent years. The ‘classics’ are becoming even more rare. Today, only a few cargo operators and Iran Air continue to operate the original 747 series. Outside of the US Air Force (they operate the E-4B and the VC-25), there are only 29 active 747-200s left in the world today.
Yet, there is something very beautiful about the ‘classic’ Boeing 747. With it’s small hump and elegant winding staircase, the plane evokes memories of a more exciting time in aviation. With a very analog cockpit, this YouTube video will go over every feature of the 747-200 in painstakingly detail, It captures every aspect of a Virgin Atlantic 747-200 flight during an Atlantic crossing. If you’ve ever wondered how one works or wondered about the complex instrumentation in the cockpit of the Queen of the Skies, this video is for you. Enjoy!