Thomas Lee with Mr. Shinichiro Ito, the CEO of All Nippon Airways, while flying the inaugural 787 flight. Photo from Thomas Lee.
AirlineReporter.com (AR): Who is Thomas Lee?
Thomas Lee (TL): I am a 60 year old businessman, originally from New York, who earned my Engineering degree from Tulane University and now reside in Orange County, California. I am married to Sally Glenn-Lee, who was President of the first class of flight attendants at Southwest Airlines and has worked her entire career in the airline industry, currently with jetBlue. I am father to Briana Lee, a 28 year old nurse and grandfather of Tatiana, an adorable 3 year old. I am Director of Marketing and Innovation in the Galleys and Equipment Segment of Zodiac Aerospace, a $4B entity with 26,000 employees globally. Every day, I work on developing the aircraft passenger cabin of the future and proudly have dozens of patents.
AR: What inaugural flights have you been on?
TL: I flew on the inaugural flight of the B747 in January 1970, a Pan Am flight from New York to London; the inaugural flight of the A380 in October 2007, a Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore to Sydney, Australia; the inaugural flight of the B787 in October 2011, an All Nippon Airways flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong and the inaugural US domestic B787 flight in November 2012, a United Airlines flight from Houston to Chicago.
AR: What is the allure of going on the inaugural flight of an aircraft?
TL: It is terribly exciting to be amongst the very first passengers to board a brand new aircraft type and experience the magic of flight in the latest aircraft technologies. One can decide for oneself whether new innovations have improved air travel. The atmosphere on these flights is electrifying. Aviation enthusiasts from around the world, airline management and the media all converge to join in the festive nature of each new aircraft launch. It is simply exhilarating.
Thomas’ first inaugural flight was on this PanAm Boeing 747-100 named Victor Clipper (N736PA). Photo by Bob Garrard taken in 1973.
AR: What has been your favorite inaugural flight?
TL: My favorite would have to be the very first inaugural flight, that B747 in 1970. This was the first twin-aisle aircraft, so it was simply overwhelming boarding this behemoth when all past flight experiences had been on narrow body, single aisle planes. And it was no ordinary flight. After boarding the aircraft, every seat was filled and we taxied out for take-off. At nearly full take off speeds, there was a flame-out in engine #3 and the captain had to jam on the brakes aborting the take-off. The plane was rolled back to the gate.
Pan Am had fortunately received a second 747 just the day before from Boeing. It was parked in the hangar and was a completely green airplane with no preparation work done to get it ready for passenger service. To waste as much time as possible, Pan Am arranged for 5 extremely large Greyhound buses to pick us up at Kennedy Airport and take us to an Italian restaurant that they had completely taken over. We had a full sit-down dinner there and a long party waiting for that second aircraft to be prepped for flight.
By the time we got back to Kennedy Airport and boarded the second plane, so much time had elapsed that the first aircraft would have already landed in London. At least 30 passengers refused to board the aircraft, fearing something horrible would happen.
Another memorable part of that flight was that they didn’t have time in the rush to prepare the plane to transfer all the catering carts and equipment. So, the flight attendants laid out a buffet in the galley and we all lined up in the passenger aisles to make our way through the galley and pick up plates of food. What an amazing night.
By the way, that second plane was ’œClipper Victor’ which seven years later was involved in the worst aircraft accident in history. A KLM 747 at full take off speed, while trying to get airborne crashed into Pan Am’s Clipper Victor in Tenerife.
AR: All together, about how many miles have you flown?
TL: I would estimate that I have flown about 7.3 million miles in my life.
AR: When normally flying, what is your favorite aircraft type?
TL: I have been partial to the Boeing 777 aircraft from its inception. This was the first large commercial plane ever developed entirely on computers. The interior space feels great; the way it flies is extremely comfortable, etc. There has never been a fatal accident on a B777 which attests to its amazing design and engineering.
AR: What is your favorite airline?
TL: There are many great airlines in the world. Each creates its own brand based on that airlines ’œpersonality,’ which is driven by their culture, style of service, menus, etc. It would be impossible to pick one and say it is the best.
1977 – British Airways Concorde U.S. Launch Brochure. From Chris Sloan / Airchive.com.
AR: What is the inaugural flight you missed and wish you made?
TL: The Concorde as this was the first supersonic passenger aircraft. I was privileged to fly the Concorde three times and found it fantastic to look out the window at 60,000 feet and see the blackness of space above and the curvature of the earth below.
AR: Why did you not go on the Lufthansa 747-8 inaugural?
TL: I typically like to focus on ’œfirst of aircraft type’ inaugural flights. As the Lufthansa 747-8 was a ’œderivative’ aircraft, I chose not to join this journey. Of course, that doesn’t make any inaugural less exciting, but I have elected to limit my experiences to those aircraft types making their maiden voyages.
AR: What is the next inaugural flight you are planning to make?
TL: I suspect the most likely next inaugural to attempt will be the Qatar A350.
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This story written by…
David Parker Brown, Editor & Founder. David started AirlineReporter.com in the summer of 2008, but has had a passion for aviation since he was a kid. Born and raised in the Seattle area (where he is currently based) has surely had an influence and he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else in the world.
@AirlineReporter | Flickr | YouTube |
LOT’s first Boeing 787 Dreamliner (SP-LRA) takes off from Paine Field. Image from LOT.
Sure, we could talk about the massive delays and frustrating development process of the Boeing 787, but that will all soon fade into forgotten history as production ramps up and airlines across the world begin taking delivery of the next generation of passenger aircraft.
LOT Polish Airlines this month became the first European airline to take delivery of a new Dreamliner, with the first one landing at Warsaw’s Chopin Airport on Nov. 15 after a celebration ceremony at Boeing’s plant in Everett the day before.
BONUS: Behind the scenes look at the LOT delivery + interior shots
Marcin Pirog, CEO of LOT said, “This is a historic moment for LOT. I am convinced that the addition of the Dreamliner to the fleet of one of the world’s oldest airlines is a crucial moment that will launch a new era of European aviation. I believe it is also the beginning of an exciting journey for LOT with the most modern passenger airplane in the world.”
Photo taken Air to Air during the aircraft’s first flight. Photo by Boeing.
This delivery is the first of eight Dreamliners that LOT has on order. The cabin is configured with 18 Elite Club seats (Business Class), 21 Premium Club seats (Premium Economy) and 213 seats in Economy Class. Rest assured, only top-notch flight attendants and crew will staff the Dreamliners, making the passenger experience, well, a dream.
LOT’s 787 (SP-LRA) arrives at Warsaw to a water canon salute. Image from LOT.
Want to experience a LOT Dreamliner? The first flight will begin on Dec. 14 from Warsaw to Prague. Flights will operate in the U.S. and Canada to Warsaw beginning Jan. 16 from Chicago, Feb. 1 from Toronto and Feb. 3 from New York City. Over the next eight months, there are more European cities scheduled for Dreamliner short haul flights including Vienna, Munich, Frankfurt, Hanover, Kiev, Budapest and Brussels.
BONUS: Video of LOT’s 787 Dreamliner taking off from Paine Field
Let the new era of aviation in Europe begin!
ADDITIONAL LOT 787 DREAMLINER DELIVERY PHOTOS:
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This story written by…Travis Griffith.Travis is a published author and professional writer who believes in driving fast, flying high and living today like there’s no tomorrow. Automobiles, aviation and travel top the long list of his varied interests.FaceBook | CarGurus | TSGriffith.com |
It was not surprising that it was raining in Seattle as Qatar’s first 787 left Boeing Field. Photo by Mal Muir / AirlineReporter.com.
This multi-part (PART 1) series was written by AirlineReporter.com correspondent Mal Muir (note: Qatar Airways covered Malcolm’s trip to Doha to cover this story).
It’s grey outside, rain clouds threaten and there is a chill in the air (substantial for this Aussie implant to the USA) to warrant a scarf. I don my properly-themed Boeing scarf and head out into the morning air of this Seattle fall day. The weather cannot dampen my mood, nothing (apart from an inherent lack of coffee) can do that right now. I am about to hitch a ride on a 787 Dreamliner.
Tuesday the 13th of November 2012 is the day that Qatar Airways made their first 787 delivery flight. As we departed downtown for Boeing Field (BFI) we were all excited and restless. Our departure was delayed and this was making some people antsy, but our arrival time to Doha, Qatar had not changed.
Qatar Airways Boeing 787 Business Class seat. Photo: Mal Muir / AirlineReporter.com.
The flight ,QR3787, was to happen on-board A7-BCB, the first Qatar Airways 787. We were set to fly the approximately 7500 miles direct to Doha with only about 90 people on-board, including a mixture of Qatar Airways staff, Boeing staff, contractors (such as Thales, Recaro, OnAir and BE Aerospace) and invited guests & media (the category I fell under).
I was lucky enough to be assigned a Business Class seat (4K), but with only 22 premium seats up front, the remainder of the passengers had to sit in economy. Do not feel too bad for them, each got a full row to themselves and received Business Class level of service.
Although most non-737 delivery flights happen at Paine Field (in Everett), our flight was departing from Boeing Field, just south of downtown Seattle. I assume this was done since LOT Polish Airlines was taking delivery of their first Dreamliner at Paine on the same day.
A souvenir Qatar Airways Boeing 787 key for invited guests. Image: Mal Muir / AirlineReporter.com.
Before boarding, there was no big TSA-style security; although laptops and liquids could stay in, my belt and shoes could not. It was a quick and visually appealing drive along the Boeing Field ramp past rows of 737s before arriving at the 787. As we approached the aircraft, the excitement got the better of me and I was stunned that I was about to set foot on-board my first 787 flight (although I had previously been on United’s 787). If my excitement wasn’t high enough already, I was handed a souvenir key by Boeing staff at the bottom of the stairs, marking the delivery.
On-board was a mix of people taking photos, mingling with the staff and the crew and just starting to relax into what would be a fantastic journey. I had a quick chat with the Captain in charge of the flight, and learned that the day would also mark the line check of the first Qatar Airways 787 pilot. Qatar and Boeing pilots would take turns at the controls of the plane and I was interested in knowing where the crew was planning to rest between shifts.
Even in a 9-abreast configuration, economy did not look too shabby. Although, I was happy I had a business class seat. Image: Mal Muri / AirlineReporter.com.
Qatar designed this variant of their 787s with mid haul flights in mind (flights of 5-7 hours) so there is no crew rest facilities on-board, which have been seen on other Dreamliners. We were looking at a 12-14 hour flight ahead of us (ultra long haul), so how would they rest? The Qatar Captain revealed that a portion of the Economy Cabin was set aside for the cabin crew and 2 business class seats had been set aside for the flight crew.
Soon enough, the door was closed, an announcement was made and we all had to take our seats. As we were about to push back from our parking bay, a United 787 pulled in right next to us as almost to wish us well on our journey.
We taxied to the end of 13R, the two GENx engines spooled up and we were on our way. The engines did not seem to have the force of the GE90, but they were much quieter and were able to easily get us off the ground. Being airborne in the 787 for the first time was surreal. Seeing just how far that composite wing flexes once airborne was a little bit crazy, at one point it seemed it was higher than the aircraft itself. A true work of engineering art.
We climbed out towards the south before turning to track north and on our polar route towards the middle east. Soon the seat belt sign came off and we were free to roam the cabin.
YAY! The first 787 Dreamliner delivered with Wi-Fi ready to go. Image: Mal Muir / AirlineReporter.com.
Qatar selected OnAir to provide on-board Wifi and GSM services on their new 787s. Although a little slow to start (as I’m sure it was due to everyone hammering it at the same time to connect and be the first to say ’œI’m on-board’) the service was pretty consistent. One down fall is you couldn’t have more than one device connected to a single account at any time. This was probably more of an issue during a media event than it would be for a normally scheduled flight.
Without even realizing it, we were almost 90 minutes into the flight before the lunch service began, but to be honest, I had not even noticed. This seemed to be the whole feeling on the flight; time moved quickly.
A successful airline is much more than just a seat and food. It is about the people. Image: Mal Muir / AirlineReporter.com.
The CEO of Qatar Airways, Akbar Al Baker, previously stated that, ’œBusiness Class is the new First Class.’ This was definitely true with amenities provided from Salvatore Ferragamo including slippers, an amenity kit (in a stylish pouch) and even pajamas. This 5 star service (Qatar Airways continues to win many different awards) continued with the menu for lunch being a 5 course, individually plated affair of a mixture of traditional Arabic meals with a mixture of Western and Indian options.
The meal time was also the first chance I got to fully play with the new state of the art Thales IFE system. Touted as cutting edge, this system had what was described as two screens at each seat. The main screen in Business Class is a large 15’ LCD with the second screen being the remote itself. The system is android based so the remote is a touch panel and allows you to be able to navigate menus and edit playlists, all without interrupting the current selection that you have playing on the main screen.
It even had the ability to display a full moving map display on the remote while the main screen was playing a movie. That’s how I knew we were currently somewhere over Canada as I was watching The Dark Knight Rises while enjoying the 5 course meal’¦ that’s the way to fly right?
Two screens are better than one right? IFE in economy. Image: Mal Muir / AirlineReporter.com.
After the filling meal, most people started changing their seat into sleep mode and the crew blacked out all the cabin windows. The cabin became very quiet now as it seemed to be a little bit more quieter compared to a 777 or 747, though not upper-deck on an A380 quiet. I was hoping to catch some sleep, but with all the distractions and excitement, I knew that might have been difficult.
Continue reading with PART 3 of this story…
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This story written by…Malcolm Muir, Lead Correspondent. Mal is an Australian Avgeek now living and working in Seattle. With a passion for aircraft photography, traveling and the fun that combining the two can bring. Insights into the aviation world with a bit of a perspective thanks to working in the travel industry.
@BigMalX | BigMal’s World | Photos |
Air New Zealand Boeing 777-300 (ZK-OKP) coming into LAX. Photo: Brandon Farris / AirlineReporter.com
Story and photos done by Brandon Farris for AirlineReporter.com:
On Saturday November 24th 2012, Air New Zealand unveiled it’s all new Hobbit themed 777-300. The aircraft will operate on the Auckland-Los Angeles-London Heathrow flight (ANZ 2) to showcase the plane that will make its way back to Auckland and onto Wellington in time for the world premier of The Hobbit: an Unexpected Journey on November 28th.
Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Rob Fyfe says the imagery, which extends the full length of the 239-foot long aircraft, is simply stunning. ’œThis aircraft is going to excite passengers and fans of Sir Peter Jackson’s award-winning cinema fantasies alike when it begins regular Air New Zealand services between Auckland, Los Angeles and London from this evening.’
BONUS: B-Roll Video Footage of ANZ’s The Hobbit 777-300
Hundreds of people stopped and stared as the aircraft landed and was pulled into the gate. The decal took approximately 400 hours to apply to the Boeing 777 jet. Besides the special All Black livery this becomes the world’s largest logo jet to date.
A detailed close up of Air New Zealand’s special Hobbit 777. Photo: Brandon Farris / AirlineReporter.com.
’œNew Zealand is the home of Middle-earth and The Hobbit movies will be hugely important to New Zealand’s tourism industry in the next couple of years as international tourists are inspired to come and see and experience for themselves the landscapes which have shaped the movies.’
Air New Zealand has a unique partnership with Warner Bros. and the Lord of the Rings series and this is not the first themed aircraft that the airline has done. Previously, the airline painted a Boeing 747 to promote the original trilogy and ANZ will launch a second flying billboard next year utilizing another of its long haul aircraft to celebrate the second movie in the trilogy, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
EXTRA: Flying in Air New Zealand’s Business Premiere Product
Earlier this month, Air New Zealand released its most popular in-flight safety video to date. An Unexpected Briefing, which was created by the Academy Award-winning Weta Workshop and starred cast and crew members from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, as well as fans and Air New Zealand’s own cabin crew and pilots, has become a global hit with nearly 10 million views on YouTube since its release on October 31st.
MORE PHOTOS OF AIR NEW ZEALAND’S HOBBIT 777:
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I have had tons of fun going around the world and telling you my stories. I will soon be having more help. Malcolm Muir is seen in the bottom right of these photos on Qatar Airway’s 787 delivery flight.
Change happens — sometimes for the good.
I have spent the past four and a half years building this website and creating a brand that has become well respected around the world (still a shock). I have been very lucky having help along the way, but to continue growing, I will need more help.
Over the past few months, you might have noticed that some stories have been written by guest writers. As I move forward this will be more prominent and the site will move away from me being “the Airline Reporter,” to the site providing the same great quality of content, produced by multiple people. Do not worry, I am not going anywhere and will remain in charge and the main person creating content.
These won’t be major changes, but somethings to look out for in the coming weeks/months:
- I have (finally) made a Facebook fan page for AirlineReporter.com. I will slow down my blog postings on my personal account and be using the fan page much more — so be sure to like it.
- For now, I will operate my Twitter account as before and Tweets will only be made by me.
- In the next few weeks, you will start to see stories posted directly by the writers who created them (versus me re-posting them under my account).
- I will continue posting guest stories under my account to buildrelationships with potential future correspondents or to provide one-off stories.
- Additional correspondents will be introduced as I have been able to build a strong relationship of trust and quality.
- I am happy to say that Malcolm Muir (who has written multiple stories for the site and is currently publishing his series on the Qatar Airways 787 delivery) has become my first official correspondent.
- I have upgraded my server to allow for faster load times and less down times to handle the increased traffic and demand.
You will notice other names than just mine sitting at the top of stories.
If you are interested in trying to help out, I would like to hear from you. Either a story idea, a one-time guest blog or even trying to build a longer term relationship.
Writing stories takes quite a bit more than a passion for aviation (although that helps). I am looking for people who can show dedication, ability to write, can take fancy looking photos, has at least a basic understanding of social media, can network and will represent my brand well (aka can network and be professional).
If this sounds like something you might be interested in, send me an email (da***@ai*************.com) with a copy of your resume and give me a story idea or two and we will see where it goes. I can’t make any promises and since this is new, I am not sure how this whole process will work yet, so please have patience.
I feel that this will make AirlineReporter.com bigger, stronger and able to get you additional cool content (without making me go crazy). Change can sometimes be scary, but in this case I am very excited — I hope you enjoy the ride!
