Aernat 747-100

By the mid-60’s, the Jet Age had, for the first time, made air travel accessible to everyone. Demand skyrocketed everywhere, and even jets couldn’t keep up. The airlines needed a plane that was at least twice as large as any airliner flying at that point. Boeing answered with the 747. The new airliner was so huge, it almost killed the company. It was the first “wide-body” aircraft, with two passenger decks and and two isles on the lower floor. Powered by the JT9D, the Queen of the Skies made its maiden flight on February 9th, 1969, and entered service the following year.

Aernat was among the first operators to receive theirs. The new aircraft was introduced in December of 1970 in the livery seen above. They were originally supposed to fly the trans-Atlantic routes, but they were too expensive to operate for the still-relatively-small airline, and three of its five jets were leased out to other airlines fairly quickly.

Despite their poor profitability, the type stayed in service with Aernat for 25 years, and changed hands a few times afterwards before meeting their own individual fates. The aircraft pictured above, St. Patrick (EI-GDA), was the first of the 5 747’s delivered delivered to Aernat. After her retirement from the Irish airline, she went on to serve as a charter jet for several years until she was stored. In 2007, Aernat bought her cockpit section, which was removed and shipped to Ireland to be restored, while the rest of the aircraft was scrapped.

She was intended to be restored and put on display by 2009 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the airline, but this plan did not fully materialize and the cockpit has remained partially completed in one of Aernat’s maintenance hangars at Dublin. Plans allegedly still exist to restore the cockpit by the airline’s 90th anniversary.

Feedback is appreciated as always!