4. Boeing 747-400 | N121MA

In the early 1980s, faced with declining orders for Boeing 747 aircraft, Boeing secretly asked multiple airlines to join a consultive group and advise the manufacturer on specific improvements to its Boeing 747 model. The invited airlines, East Australian (Australia), Hanseatic (Germany), British Atlantic (United Kingdom), Internederland (Netherlands), MidAmerican (USA), Pearsonian (Canada), Air Thailand (Thailand), and Vanguard (USA) narrowed down their ideas to five definitive improvements: new technologies as implemented on the Boeing 757 and 767, an enhanced interior, at least a 1,000 nautical mile range increase, more efficient engines, and a 10% reduction in operating costs. At the 1984 Farnborough Airshow, Boeing announced development of the “Advanced Series 300” aircraft, and in 1985, MidAmerican and Vanguard became joint launch customers with orders for 15 aircraft each.

On January 26th, 1988, the first Boeing 747-400 was rolled out at the Everett factory, and took its first flight on April 29th. By early 1989, the first aircraft were ready for delivery, and were handed over to the launch customers in mid-January. On February 9th, 1989, two Boeing 747-400s in different liveries took off from Chicago O’Hare and Memphis, ushering in a new era for the Queen of the Skies.

At its peak, MidAmerican’s Boeing 747 fleet numbered 56 aircraft, with flights to all six continents. The Boeing 747-400 allowed MidAmerican to operate more non-stop flights between the United States and Asia, as well as operate non-stop flights to Australia for the first time. The oldest examples in the fleet began retirement in 2015, with the last example scheduled to leave the fleet in 2021. A number of -400 aircraft previously operated by MidAmerican’s passenger division have been converted to freighters and fly with MidAmerican Cargo today.