Pan Am 747-200 Departure From LAX (Slow Climb Rate)

Clipper Water Witch performing a long takeoff roll and slow climb.
Shot by my friend Craig Pilkington (Aviation Media ©).
Edited / uploaded by me with the kind permission of Aviation Media ©

[@wunderkinde2]

Oh, wow. "Queen of the skies." I was a flight attendant on the TWA 747-100s back in 1970. They were flights from JFK to western Europe. It was a wonderful and very interesting time to be flying. RIP Pan Am, TWA and EAL.

[@mikebrown614]

Please tell me that the reality was anywhere close to smoking hot as the fiction portrays those days...............

[@747heavyboeing3]

TWA had excellent service as did PanAm.

[@mixedbaggolfer11]

Don't be fooled by the slow looking takeoff roll (telephoto camera angle). Those 747s glued you to the back of your seat all the way down the runway and well into takeoff. Total respect and admiration!

[@747heavyboeing3]

Appears slower as a high takeoff speed is required to rotate.

[@easy08154711]

Well, I remember sitting in a 747 from Johannesburg, it was very hot and the plane was sure at the limit. When the throttle was put in full the accelaration felt like non existant. There was no being pushed in the seat like in smaller planes. The plane took ages to lift his nose, and even with the lifted nose it took a while for the bird to lift of the ground. Once airborne the end of the runway passed only meters below us. In the first 20 minutes of the flight the 747 hardly gained altitude. It took us more then 45 minutes to reach cruising level. I will never forget that it was really scary.

[@jayreiter268]

At heavy weights the 747 and DC10 Step Climbed. They had to burn off weight to climb to altitude. Back in the day there were no fixed slots first to push back was next in line. It was 10min to departure of the JFK Flight. I was clearing the log the Captain told me to hurry it up. "I want to push back before United". "If I get off first I can hold him on the first step and beat him to JFK". The L1011 had the surplus power to climb direct to cruse altitude.

[@peteypete8180]

I miss them😢😢

[@747heavyboeing3]

Fully loaded takeoff speed of 160 knots(184 mph)

[@aviationlba747]

“Every country has an airline. The world has Pan Am”.

[@P42_foamer]

I mean overall it is PAN AMERICAN WORLD airways

[@jetfreak4]

Nothing will ever beat the sound of those JT9Ds spooling up...such a monstrous growl.

[@jodygotyourgirlngone]

Rolls Royce is a close second....

[@mixedbaggolfer11]

I flew Pan Am many times during my youth between LAX and London Heathrow from 1975 to 1984. Each flight, I knew that I was being treated by the VERY BEST! The flight crew would take turns visiting the passengers mid-flight and they were regularly on the intercom giving us information on the landmarks below us - Iceland, Greenland, Hudson Bay, Grand Canyon, etc. I have flown dozens of times since on numerous other carriers and they feel cold and crude by comparison. For those who have flown Pan Am, you know what I'm talking about. For those who never have, I can assure you that they brought America to the world like no other!

[@Twobarpsi]

I completely agree, and can relate. Miss those times.

[@TWA-km9wt]

Well yeah, but we did too.

[@TWA-km9wt]

@@Twobarpsi So do we.

[@747heavyboeing3]

@@TWA-km9wt Teeduba and PanAm were wonderful. Better than any current US carriers today by far.

[@bagelboi66]

This is very enjoyable. The Boeing 747 is the finest four-engine jetliner ever made, so enormous yet never dumpy looking. The 747 has the curves where she needs them. Look how she leaps into the air. It's a modern engineering miracle. I miss Pan Am, they're the airline of a dozen childhood family vacations, when we still dressed up to fly. There was no more civilized place in the world to me than a window seat in Clipper Class. I feel sorry for people who never experienced Pan Am at her best.

[@perezster]

I miss Pan Am, American pride, worldwide.

[@roncromer5899]

I went to work at LAX in the Spring of 1971 (JAL) and for many years you would not have seen a B747 taking off from the southern runways (25L and 25R) because of the Sepuveda Blvd. tunnel which ran underneath both runways. It was not structurally able to support the weight of "heavy" aircraft so the widebody planes were restricted to 24L and 24R. This situation existed thru the decade of the 70's and into the early 80's.

[@flight755]

Ahhh, the growl of those JT9D's at takeoff power.....

[@SDK-im8sl]

A long takeoff roll on LAX Runway 25R, just over a minute long, probably loaded to maximum gross weight and headed on a transpacific journey. Pan Am only had a few passenger 747-200s. Most of their 747s were 747-100s and 747SPs. Great memories.

[@josephmercer9576]

LOVE the growl of those JT-9s!!

[@donalfredisaac]

It took like 55 seconds to be airborne , it was probably fully loaded with passengers, baggage and cargo...used to work at MID airport as passenger services supervisor...up to this date I miss Pan Am.

[@bjoe385]

Alfredo Isaac The early 747s were a bit underpowered, they had 43-46000 lbs of thrust per engine where as the 400s have 62-63000 lbs of thrust per engine.

[@steveib724]

That plan was empty dude

[@Twobarpsi]

When flying was something you looked forward to! Tears in my eyes watching this 😭

[@747heavyboeing3]

Agreed but aren't you glad you experienced it. It was also a better time to be a pilot .

[@thegteam4349]

My first 747 flight was a PanAm, from LAX to Honolulu. I was stunned at how much longer the takeoff roll was versus say a 737 or an MD80. it felt like we traveled miles before lifting into the sky.

[@thomasdaniels6824]

Well, if it took the airplane 55 seconds from the start of the takeoff to get airborne, you probably did travel atleast 1.5 miles.

[@747heavyboeing3]

Max takeoff weight is over 750,000 pounds and higher takeoff speed is required to get airborne.

[@Michael_in_Vt]

When Pan Am ruled the skies....

[@Pagong27]

This aircraft was once operated by Pan Am, the aircraft was later given to Evergreen International Airlines (not the Taiwan-based EVA Air), and it's now stored forever.

[@al-243]

Miss them pan am 747 nice first class planes ✈️✈️

[@astardustparade]

I always rewatch this video. I love Pan Am and I love the 747. Such a beautiful aircraft. I miss seeing her at the airport.

[@onecunningfox]

Pan Am pilots were the best in the world, without a doubt. A long roll and slow rate of climb are all part of thir smooth image. Never in a hurry, always in 1st, always the best; Pan Am was the American Ambassador to the world. (I flew on 37 differnent 747's of their 50+ 747's). Water Witch was one of them. My favorites were Clipper America, Young America and Constitution all as an SP. It was nice flying to New Zealand (or Hong Kong) without having to stop at HNL to re-fuel.

[@joebatters6508]

Thank you for saying Pan Am pilots were the best in the world. I believed that too and so much wanted to fly for them. Somebody was watching over me because I did get that chance in 1986 when I got hired by them on the 727. I flew for them till the very end, Dec 1991. I miss it terribly. Wished I could have flown the 747 but that was not to be. Still, I have great memories of my time with Pan Am and would do it all over again.

[@gerardmoran9560]

PanAm had a lot of great pilots. I flew with some of them after Delta acquired the profitable remnants of PanAm. They didn't change their takeoff profiles to advance some image though. By the book, just like Delta.

[@deltaboy767]

Cant tell you the many times I flew Pan Am across the ocean.

[@TWA-km9wt]

Well, we had some of the best pilots too. John Testrake. Captain HIJACKED TWA 847. He was a hero.

[@onecunningfox]

@@joebatters6508 No need to thank me for saying what is entirely true. My mother worked for PAA as well. She was a Flight Attendant/Stewardess and Pursar. Started in 62 or 63 she was based in these locations: JFK/Idylwylde > lived in Liberia ROB? > JFK until '73 > SFO until '86 > JFK until last day in 1991. She said she was the most senior FA when PAA ended. Cheers to you! If you were based at JFK, surely I flew on yours JFK > SDQ or JFK > POP at least once!

[@rhs3607]

I was a young guy right out of college and hired as a Pan Am flight attendant. Use to work this plane frequently. I can cry remembering the most spectacular days of my life! My heart inside is a big blue ball forever!

[@richardf.s.4409]

"We paid for the whole runway, we're gonna use the whole runway!"

[@markwentworth1902]

AWESOMELY AWESOME. THIRTY YEAR'S AGO LIVING ON VENICE BEACH, I'LL MISS LAX FOR ALL THE BEST PLANE SPOTTING. THANKS AGAIN FOR A MEMORABLE VIDEO.

[@urszulajaskierska3111]

Piękne za każdym razem jak oglądam te starty nie mogę wyjść z podziwu,pewnie nigdy mi nie przejdzie,a chciałabym choć raz przelecieć się takim odrzutowcem 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍🤗

[@VIR092]

Such a wonder! It never fails to impress me how such a huge aircraft like that B742 can be so onimous, yet graceful. That's a real pilot flying that Jumbo! Thanks for posting, I admire PAA.

[@scepta64]

This plane is now the Airforce One Replica in Rhode Island !!!! Great to see it is still in one piece.

[@bridgetbowman8875]

Will always love PanAm ❤❤❤

[@markwentworth1902]

I will say it best, PAN AM was fucking AWESOME ! We flew the 747 in 1986 from L.A.X. to Athens Greece. Almost the whole plane to ourselves. Enjoyd Athens, also stayed on Mykonos a couple of weeks. Back to Athens a few days. Then returning back to L.A.X. THE BEST AIRLINE OF IT'S TIME..

[@Karlthegreat84]

+Mark Wentworth Might have been fun for you, but an empty plane is never good for the airline. :(

[@Moss235]

fact is they lost two 747s over the years, that would be enough to bankrupt a lot of airlines, they were never going to recover after the loss of 103

[@nextup6074]

It was a lot more than 103. Do your homework.

[@AJ67901]

Tenerife and Lockerbie

[@ndmz903]

Mark Wentworth

[@warminator1091]

I love Pan Am.. Their planes never looked like other Boeings or Tristars etc... They all looked unique as "Clippers".

[@SuperBooboo02]

flew Lax to Hnl on Pan Am 747 ....slow climb out too, fully loaded and every seat taken...love the flight, the food, and the crew..

[@missy4335]

Woooow. I wish planes would still sound loud and powerful like this classic! The engines are too quiet and boring now

[@Altenholz]

Always liked the paint work of Pan Am :-)

[@astardustparade]

She’s beautiful

[@Skybolter]

BOEING 747 RULES !!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE IT.

[@karengilbert5233]

Oh, Water Witch, so good to see you again. You took me on my first visit to Europe.

[@yhird]

That was a HEAVY Clipper :D

[@canesguy5]

My first time ever on an airplane was on a Pan Am Boing 747-200 in October 1978 from CCS to MIA. Great Airline would not ever forget those memories.

[@ianlewis2813]

A magnificent plane..

[@Twobarpsi]

Back when planes had real engines!

[@GaCCow]

just listen to the roar of the JT9D´s:)

[@debbifuller6107]

So beautiful! Flew (worked) on Water Witch many times out of JFK. How wonderful to see her take to the skies again. Is it just my imagination or do Pan Am's engines have a unique sound? I guess it's just my nostalgia talking.

[@johnfalkenstine8377]

I repossessed one of these planes on the ramp at Boeing Wichita. They were in terrible condition. Pan Am maintenance sucked, they were pencil whipping the jobcards. In one of these, garbage had coagulated into a morass of goo about 10 inches thick in the aft lower cargo compartment. The entire aft lower cargo door sill and the aux door structure was so corroded it ran out of the rivet holes like sand in an hourglass.

[@melperry3576]

John Falkenstine and what did you do for a living,? scab, let's see your photos, you are full of shit snowflake, never would have been allowed

[@kitsiewr]

I'd guess he's right. I was Pan Am Cabin Crew to nearly the end, and it was amazing we hung on as long as we did. A long slow decline, but grateful I got to share a part of that history. I'm always a "PanAm er" at heart!

[@robertlafnear4865]

COOL....... bet they were a bit under powered back in 1970...... flew on the first United 747's LAX to Honolulu 1971....... still love that plane !

[@INUMIMI28]

I seriously want PAN AM back...miss them so much

[@steveib724]

Amazing liftoff legendary.want to go back to this area

[@monte61]

The old airliners sound better and louder than todays airliners. I wish the GOVT would have bailed them out !

[@cdevin6351]

I actually flew this particular plane from zurich switzerland to ny jfk. It was pan am flight 090. I felt like I could not enjoy it because both my parents got sick. Pan am was a very good airline back in the day. I enjoyed it immensely

[@schxn]

Never rode a Pan Am flight since they went out of business 8 years before I was born, yet it's my Favorite airline of all time and I wish I could fly with them...

[@nick-rs1li]

Beautiful Airplane! I like that old 747 sound more than the new quiet engines.😊😄

[@miaflyer2376]

The video showed Pratt & Whitney engines. The 3-spool Rolls Royce RB524 engines were quieter.

[@aboodmki3]

@@miaflyer2376 Yeah even CF-6s also on the 747-400s were even a little more quieter that both B&W & RR RB but at least all tree engines thankfully still possess that addictive very high pitch sound, the more modern Rolls Royce Trent-1000 however is most rebellious in sound.

[@oldiesmusic76]

HEAVY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@limsniff]

Beauty!! I wanna fly with a pan-am which is no longer possible :(. Tragic accident in March 1977 , two big planes collided on the runway... Clipper Maid of the Seas was blow to pieces in december 1988...RIP

[@rudyho3790]

Tenerife, Canary Isles and Lockerbie, Scotland, respectively, correct?🤔

[@limsniff]

@@rudyho3790 Yes, correct!

[@limsniff]

Beautiful ! :D R.I.P all of the passengers and crew on flight 103 . Clipper Maid of the seas.

[@farizavianto4990]

Because abdelbasset al-megrahi put his bomb that he built to make sure the Clipper Maid of the seas cannot escape.

[@lyub4o69]

Wow Pan Am 747!!! Thanks for this lovely video!!!

[@herbertcarrillo-ramos3772]

Waow. That 747 was extremely heavy

[@jetfreak4]

They didn't repaint all of their planes in the new colorscheme though. Given when all the other videos this user posted were, it's very likely this was the late 1980s or early 1990s.

[@kitsiewr]

Yes, we hated those big tacky letters. This old style was much classier.

[@Kaitydid74]

Pan Am A300 JFK to Barbados in my youth, my favorite airline to fly on to this day

[@Jamlidd]

Amazing sight!

[@erojerisiz1571]

This looks like something you would make but during the 90s

[@RyanBomar]

@Starboard76, thank you so much and I'll let Craig know as well. You actually really helped me because I couldn't quite read which Clipper it was or the N number so I appreciate it and it's now added to the description. Ryan

[@leezinke4351]

Very beautiful plane😊 ✈️

[@flyinghow]

I used to love those long takeoff rolls. Looks like it is barely moving down the runway.

[@stevehofmaster4292]

Wow talk about a slow rate never seen one like this before on 747.

[@hamtuckey]

I remember the Pan Ams 747 landing in Tehran Mehrabad airport and the Iran Air Homa landing in New York during the reign of the Shah back in 1978. Non-stop flight New York to Tehran and vice versa, wow how I miss those days....:-(

[@johnparrott4689]

I know and have flown with several ex-Iran Air B747 pilots. All gentlemen and excellent aviators. IranAir was a class act. A favorite of them was the B747SP that would fly JFK-Tehran, nonstop.

[@katyu16]

That's LAX. 1981. Maybe I was on that flight from LAX - London Heathrow, then on to West Berlin TGL.

[@dutchy1176]

very nice video....looks as if it was shot this week,while we all know that this airline has been gone for almost two decades...

[@Jrvolei16]

What is the year of this video? Top! Pan Am is legendary!

[@HayastAnFedayi]

CWM800 this had to have been filmed in the early 80's due to the fact that PANAM was still flying in it's old livery/paint scheme, they switched in late 80s to big letters and no blue stripe down the fuselage

[@B1970T]

As a controller and a ga pilot for many years, that was not an initial slow climb: i have seen a great many. Long , probabaly rotated in the within the last 1000ft, roll and obviously very heavy and maybe even broke away a little runway and taxiway signage in the days before they were frangible(after EAL66). I'll guarantee the first thing he asked that departure controller for what's called a "high speed climb." That's a deletion of the 250kts restriction below 10k. Looking at that roll he probably requested about a 270kt- 280kt climbout.

[@melperry3576]

B1970T full load, warm day, look at the sky

[@TopaYMuniChannel]

buenas como estan? somos TopayMuni . Que lindos los videos que tienen! Les mandamos abrazo. Hasta luego!

[@robshef718]

must of been a heavy bird!

[@starpawsy]

Wow, look at that shocking 1970s LA smog.

[@ceefax152]

More like late 80s

[@ClipperGoodwill]

Wow, you had enough time to eat lunch from the start of the takeoff roll until rotate LOL... good ol' days man

[@rudyho3790]

V1/V2 t/off speeds wayyyy down that runway for this big bird, lolol😎👍

[@InFltSvc]

When America was still America…We have lost our way

[@cpep747]

great take off........so graceful.......it seemed like a very quiet time at Lax.......can anyone take a guess as to where the "water witch" was heading?

[@dylbeentheplotagonistandra2811]

I was born in ‘03 and never got to know what a Pan Am flight was like

[@mehmetokay7073]

Clipper Water Witch 🧙‍♀️

[@gansdavid]

In the video, it looks like they blurred out the Clipper class from the side of the plane... wonder why?

[@johannesbols57]

I noticed that as well. I thought it was telephoto beard or something.

[@peacelovers23cafesince2007]

Pan Am 　懐かしい！

[@michaelveis4612]

This 727 has new quieter engines

[@beagle7622]

Climbing out of Auckland for Honolulu full plane. Take off roll nearly a minute

[@stevencoenen9126]

Miss the good,old days of f flying our always flew,Pam am new,CEO S mess,things,up,big,time

[@flordia-sf9zg]

where the hell is here a slow climb reate? Absolutly ok for that aircraft.

[@RyanBomar]

I'm trying to read what you wrote, but it's tough, due to all of the errors...

[@flordia-sf9zg]

Sorry, i didn´t notice. So far, that was a normal take off for that heavy aircraft, depending on TOW and climatic conditions in LA at this time. I Know the aircraft because i fly with this aircraft N728PA two times. I have not experienced any problems with it.

[@RyanBomar]

I never stated that there was a problem with it, I actually quite enjoy this type of climb. With modern aircraft engines, you see planes like the 747-8, 787, 777 & A380 departing LAX, at or near MTOW, and they climb like crazy. Back in the day, when this was shot, the climb was very slow when departing heavy.

[@flordia-sf9zg]

OK, thats quite understandable. Here in Frankfurt(Germany) all heavy aircrafts perform a low acceleration - high speed depature. They climb first when speed is minimum 250 or more knots. Some Times you can see an Airbus A380 from Lufthansa, which is only at 10000feet passing bye with 300 knots or more. I do not know why .

[@miaflyer2376]

@@flordia-sf9zg - There's a "speed limit" of 250 knots below 10,000 feet AGL primarily for bird strike protection of the windscreen.

[@Dc9fan]

Water Witch.... I like it, sounds evil.

[@onecunningfox]

@Starboard76 Brought a tear to my eye...love the graceful PAA roll to the end of the tarmac. I will never forget! No doubt she went to HNL, then Kai Tak or AKL or SYD afterwards. (The SP did SYD, Kai Tak and AKL on Wednesdays non-stop on Wednesdays from LAX and SFO)...those were the days. Thanks for the memories :o(...

[@rfactormo]

1. Volume up! 2. Thumbs up!

[@NFSMAN50]

This must be old as hell i see 80's late 70's etc

[@metroplex3k]

Starting in 2024, aircraft manufacturers will be adding active exhaust to their aircraft. This will allow pilots to select the engine sound they wish. For example quiet mode may be changed to legacy mode, where the pilot can further select between p/w, rr or ge sound type. It’s a great technology, can’t wait for it!

[@hanssamson5436]

Same thing with the 4 engine plane such as a340 and a380 about the climb rate

[@charles727727]

What year was this filmed please?

[@RyanBomar]

@onecunningfox, yeah thanks. I put Clipper Water Witch in the tags.

[@oldiesmusic76]

I believe it's local radar interfering with the camera.

[@monte61]

Over 700,000 pounds , sure it is a long take off run.

[@simonpalling3215]

Hmmm..... going the land route, eh?

[@leeharveyoswald5277]

Heavy tow

[@JungleYT]

Would have been nice to know *what year* this was taken?

[@OliverMelonzMPGisNeutral]

Rip pan am

[@davef.2811]

No EGT limited eng's. there.... ha!

[@jayreiter268]

EGT and N2 limited were common writeups in the early days. At lax we used to dispatch the London flight at noon. On one day using 24L they failed #4 HP turbine at rotation. The AC just cleared the dune at the end blowing sand with the running engines. The departure time was changed to later in the afternoon. There was a positive rate climb but as you lost site of the aircraft you wondered. Density altitude is still a factor at sea level.

[@jpnm81]

Why do your videos look stretched out?

[@RyanBomar]

These videos were uploaded several years ago with a box on both sides of screen to keep it the 4:3 format. Years after uploading, KZbin decided to 'stretch' about 1/2 of my VHS videos. I assure you, it's not my fault. Here's an example of what it looked like prior: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rpnThJmFiLeKhM0

[@DragonGodOFAndy]

I wonder why Pan am Stop servicing?

[@TrollMeister_]

Year ?

[@raylsistemlerbir6763]

Kaset kırışmış ses yapıyor . Bu arada uçağın motorunda şimdiki gibi kaplama yok.