North America West Coast 747 type: always a megatop?

[maxmin]

Just wondering if the 747-312 ("Big Top") ever flies US West Coast routes, or is it always a Megatop (9V-SF*, 9V-SM*, 9V-SP*) ?

[Lobster]

The Big Tops are no more - SQ only has 747-400s now aka Mega Tops

[maxmin]

Of course! I misread something quite completely on another site.

Of the Megatops, are they all used interchangeably or are there subcategories that stick to certain routes/regions?

[Singapore_Air]

All MEGATOP Boeing 747-412s are used interchangeably on SQ001 / SQ002 / SQ 011 / SQ012 / SQ025 / SQ026

[SQflyergirl]

Am I the only one who found the earlier nicknames palatable and the later ones just getting ridiculous?

I can understand why they called their 743's "big tops" because of the stretched upper deck. That was a tangible difference, clearly and visibly differentiated from the 212's.

To call the 744's "megatops" sounded like a bit of one-upmanship since the "top" on the "megatop" is no more "mega" than the "top" on the "big" top.

[Singapore_Air]

I know you don't like my name calling SQFlyerGirl but I am still a flag-waver for the name GIGATOP

[DeltaFlyingProf]

That's been renamed to WHALETOP!

[Sankaps]

To call the 744's "megatops" sounded like a bit of one-upmanship since the "top" on the "megatop" is no more "mega" than the "top" on the "big" top.

To compensate, shouldn't they just call the 77Ws, which are replacing many of the 744s, "Topless"?

[MegatopLover]

Am I the only one who found the earlier nicknames palatable and the later ones just getting ridiculous?

I can understand why they called their 743's "big tops" because of the stretched upper deck. That was a tangible difference, clearly and visibly differentiated from the 212's.

To call the 744's "megatops" sounded like a bit of one-upmanship since the "top" on the "megatop" is no more "mega" than the "top" on the "big" top.

I thought the whole point was that the 747-400 had an even more stretched upper deck than the 747-300. No?

[StarG]

The -400 and -300 both have the same upper deck length AFAIK.

[banx007]

The Difference between the -300 and -400 is that the -400 have a longer range, 2 man tech crew, better avionics, winglets and much more. But overall there is not much difference in the shape of the fuselage. They have the same length of upper deck and also the same pax load.

[SQTalker]

Just wondering if the 747-312 ("Big Top") ever flies US West Coast routes, or is it always a Megatop (9V-SF*, 9V-SM*, 9V-SP*) ?

Just not to go off the topic, yes, Big Top was served during 1983 till 1989 when SQ received the 1st Big Top, it was flown on the SQ12/11...
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Singa...312/0651480/M/

then SQ 2/1 to SFO via HKG & HNL, & later it was deployed on SQ16/15 to LAX via TPE & HNL where the passenger from HKG can transit at HNL & onward to LAX, similarly to those TPE passengers, they also got the same 1 hour stop at Honolulu to transit & onward to SFO. Both planes arrived almost the same morning hour at HNL & depart roughly the same time heading to the west coast.

The 1st SQ aircraft to the U.S. was DC-10 where it was painted "California Here We Come" during 1979 where the SQ2/1 had to stop at Guam in between HKG & HNL,
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Singa...-30/0334961/M/


the later on when SQ deployed the 747-200 "Super B", Guam was omitted & only Honolulu left,
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Singa...12B/0127395/M/

when 747-400 "MegaTop" was introduced, HNL station was completely closed down, which I missed very much...!

B747-212 "Super B" on SQ12/11
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Singa...12B/0667187/M/

Plus the B747-212 "Super B" carrying the "California Here We Come" title all over the world:
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Singa...12B/0068552/M/

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Singa...12B/0355412/M/

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Singa...12B/0512731/M/

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Singa...12B/0690917/M/

& the last interesting photo by carrying the 5th engine at HKG...
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Singa...12B/0799698/M/

B747-300 "Big Top" was famous within SQ even though when they retired on its last flight, SQ compliment all those "Big Top"s on its in-house magazine "Outlook" by saying they are the great "Work Horse" for SQ during the 80s...

I particularly like the Big Top went to Maldives...where it was the largest aircraft ever landed on such a small island...!
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Singa...312/0336469/M/


No taxiway available so aircrafts have to make a 180 degree turn on the runway in order to enter the ramp in front of the terminal.
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Singa...312/0336470/M/

[SQflyergirl]

I thought the whole point was that the 747-400 had an even more stretched upper deck than the 747-300. No?

The -400 and -300 both have the same upper deck length AFAIK.

The 400 and 300 have exactly the same stretched upper deck.

The Difference between the -300 and -400 is that the -400 have a longer range, 2 man tech crew, better avionics, winglets and much more.
But overall there is not much difference in the shape of the fuselage. They have the same length of upper deck and also the same pax load.

Besides the obvious winglets, the 400 has a more optimised leading edge wing root fairing (where the wing joins the fuselage)

Some 400 exceptions to the rule:
400F - Same wing as the 400, but no stretched upper deck.
400D - Same stretched upper deck and wing root fairing as the 400, but no wingets.

AFAIK, the only 747 with a larger "top" than the 300/400 is the as yet unborn 748i.

[Sankaps]

I particularly like the Big Top went to Maldives...where it was the largest aircraft ever landed on such a small island...!

I am amazed at the route it flew: AMS-BAH-MLE-SIN...! How times have changed... can't imagine such hopping flights anymore these days.

[StarG]

Just not to go off the topic, yes, Big Top was served during 1983 till 1989 when SQ received the 1st Big Top, it was flown on the SQ12/11...[/IMG]

Actually the Big Top served SQ12/11 until several years after the introduction of Megatops into SQ's fleet.
If I remember correctly, in 1993 SQ12/11 was still a Big Top.