*Looks around*
Well, no better time to drop this off, then. Buckle up for a special 2-part MEGAFACT™.
So for today’s episode of learning, we’re going to explore what’s behind a number. Specifically, we’re gonna look at what’s in a 5-digit number: 21441.
Got that memorized? Good. It’s a bit uninspiring, especially without context (and yes, I promise that’s coming). But today’s subject has gone by many names and numbers, and only one has stuck with it for its whole life. We’re going to have a look at serial number 21441 – a 747 that rolled off the assembly line with a remarkable future ahead of it.
The 747 plant in Everett, Washington, circa 1979
Now 21441 was a Boeing 747-SP (or more specifically, a 747-SP21). The 747 itself was a remarkable aircraft on its own, being the largest commercial airliner to enter service and creating its own genre – the widebody airliner. The 747 was a colossal sales success when it launched in 1966, for obvious reasons. Boeing had created a plane with such an unmatched presence that it practically sold itself as the
only choice on the market if you wanted a flagship. This plane had an unmatched presence anywhere it went, and it oozed luxury, opulence, and comfort in spades. Airlines the world over wanted their hands on one.
But just being the biggest wasn’t always enough, and some more well-to-do customers were clamoring for their own variants. Japan Air Lines, for example, commissioned the 747-100SR (for Short Range) – a unique variant that traded range for capacity to meet JAL’s high domestic passenger volume. Pan Am, on the other hand, wanted the opposite tradeoff. They wanted a 747 with the range to make New York to Tehran non-stop, giving them the longest route in the world when service started. From this, Boeing took a 747-100 and shortened the fuselage, trimming away any unnecessary reinforcements that were needed on heavier versions like the 747-100SR. This new variant was called the SP, or Special Performance. The lightweight diet gave the 747-SP the best range and cruising speed of any of contemporary variant.
Size comparison of the 747-200 vs. the 747SP
And this is where our story starts. On April 25, 1977, 21441 rolled off the assembly line and took flight for the first time, lifting off from the new manufacturing facility at Boeing field in Everett, Washington. She was one of four SPs built that year, one of 45 SP variants ever to be made, and the 306th 747 ever built. Satisfied with the quality of their work, Boeing handed 21441 over to Pan Am on May 6, 1977, where she was given two new names: a tail number (T/N) N536PA, and the name
Clipper Lindbergh, in honour of Charles Lindbergh and his historic transatlantic crossing. Two weeks later on May 20, Anne Lindbergh (Charles’ widow) officially christened the plane as such on the 50th anniversary of his historic flight, and 21441 officially entered service.
21441 in the background of this Pratt and Whitney Ad
To say Pan Am adored the 747 is a little bit of a severe understatement. Pan Am was the launch customer of the type, after all. Following the 747’s official service launch in 1970, Pan Am carried 11 million passengers over 20 billion miles. Pan Am couldn’t have done it without the 747, and Boeing couldn’t have had a better launch customer. The two companies revolutionized air travel, and business would boom for Pan Am. They’d fly under the slogan “The World’s Most Experienced Airline,” servicing over 150 countries on every continent except Antarctica.
21441 in her Pan Am days
The 60s and 70s were the golden age of Pan Am, when revenue was plentiful, and the company could afford luxuries like college-educated staff and gourmet on-board catering inspired by Paris’ best restaurants. With over $1Bn USD in cash reserves for a good portion of these decades, Pan Am grew bold, commissioning the Pan Am (now MetLife) Tower in Manhattan, and purchasing a computer called PANAMAC from IBM to handle reservations
– in 1964. Pan Am was peerless for their cutting-edge tech and modern fleet. The company had created for themselves an image of unparalleled luxury and service, untouchable by any other airline in the world.
But then, 1973 rolled around, and with it came the oil crisis. If we recall our lesson on Honda, fuel consumption was becoming more of a priority across all transportation industries for the EPA and consumers alike. While Pan Am would continue to see good business for some time, it marked the beginning of the company’s decline. Except for the takeover of National Airlines to try and gain some more profitable domestic routes, Pan Am suddenly found themselves shedding assets to stay afloat. After selling off 25% of their routes and downsizing their fleet, 21441 wound up on the chopping block, and was sold to United Airlines on February 13, 1986. Pan Am would continue on a steady downward trajectory with failed attempt after failed attempt to stay afloat. But the collapse was inevitable, and Pan Am filed for bankruptcy protection at the start of 1991.
With the sale to United, 21441 saw a few nifty changes to help her blend in. Namely, a snazzy new set of stripes and a name change. To shed the references to its former owner, 21441 was re-registered with a new tail number: N145UA, and
Clipper Lindbergh was erased from her nose. 21441 would continue to faithfully serve United in a rather uneventful manner, routinely crisscrossing the Pacific and Atlantic.
21441 in United colours
But the plane was showing its age by the time United got their hands on her, and with the 747-400 entering production in 1989, the advantages that the SP once held had all but diminished. 21441 would be the only one of United’s 747-SPs to see United’s new modern livery in 1993, but it was only hiding the inevitable. United didn’t see much point in painting the other 747-SPs when they were doomed for the scrapheap. With age and obsolescence staring her down, 21441 was brought out to the Las Vegas desert and officially retired in December of 1995.
21441’s final resting place wasn’t quite clear, as the most I could find for a description was “in the vicinity of Las Vegas.” A few boneyards exist, including Kingman Airport and Mojave (though that’s in California). A few inconclusive hints even seem to indicate it was simply stored at McCarran International. But regardless, the general southwest region of the US has always been a choice location for such boneyards – the dry, arid weather helps preserve planes since they can’t be stored indoors due to sheer volume. The lack of humidity helps keep sensitive electronics and structural parts safe from corrosion, lest they be needed to repair another plane. I’ve tried tracking down a few historic planes, including Air Canada’s Gimli Glider (a Boeing 767, T/N C-GAUN), only to see their trails end at KMHV, and their last known pictures leaving them in a sorry state, if they’re even intact at all.
21441 at rest, somewhere in the vicinity of Las Vegas
It’s one of these boneyards at which 21441 sat, continually watching the sun go down over the Nevada desert, waiting until the day that the last of her serviceable parts were stripped out, and the jaws would come and break her back down to nothing.
E: Hi,
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