The unusual afterlife of the Boeing 747: wedding venue, film set, cockpit capers – everyone’s favorite airliner is still in operation

I’m stretched out in my business class seat, drink in hand, beginning to relax on a flight to New York when suddenly the unthinkable happens.

A member of the flight attendant tapped me on the shoulder insistently, “Sir, we need you in the cockpit.”

Within seconds, I’m jumping into the captain’s seat, sweating on my brow, and I’m ordered to take control. With zero flying experience, suddenly I’m in charge of a giant Boeing 747 jet.

But this is not a “horror at 30,000 feet” nightmare. Instead, it’s a “thrill at 3 feet” – and one of the most surreal days in the country.

Instead of traveling across the Atlantic, I’m in a large, unassuming barn next to the stables in rural Cheshire. This strange experience takes place on board a real decommissioned British Airways airliner, which has now been transformed into a flight simulator and lunch firmly anchored to the ground.

In 2020, BA and Virgin Atlantic put forward plans to retire the Boeing 747, a plane much loved by passengers for its instantly recognizable hump and double-decker design.

Nicknamed the “Queen of the Skies,” Boeing’s beast first took flight in 1969 and made flying accessible to millions of people. But after 50 years, the classic design was replaced by less voracious aircraft.

Aviation enthusiast Dan Chang and two friends saved the original BA 747 cabin and the entire upper deck business class cabin. “It’s such a unique aircraft,” says Dan, who flies the 744 Experience near Tattenhall, Cheshire.

The confusing name is due to the fact that the cabin is from the 747-400 model, and 744 is the abbreviation for this type.

The final journey of these huge pieces of aircraft (minus the wings) had to be made on a low-loader truck from a scrap yard in Cardiff.

Escorted by police, the Boeing 747 slowly moved along country roads to its final resting place.

In one particularly narrow area, the wide fuselage slightly touched the wall of the house. “I spoke to the homeowner and said I would be happy to pay for any damage.” Dan recalls.

“But he said, ‘No way, I want to keep the evidence when I tell my friends that a giant crashed into my house.’

The state-of-the-art 220-degree viewing angle screen provides visibility almost as good as the real thing, while hidden speakers reproduce the hum and whine of the engines.

The computer allows you to take off and land anywhere in the world. Fly over Vegas at night or try the notorious approach to Hong Kong’s old Kai Tak Airport.

So how do I pay for my own “flight”? As I descend into New York’s Kennedy Airport, the jumbo computer counts down the altitude, clammy hands clenching on the yoke: “40, 30, 20…”

I landed a little unevenly, but we managed. All souls are saved. And what a trip.

How to do it: 90-minute experiences from £249, including helm control, light refreshments and up to two non-flying guests watching your performance/flight from the cockpit (744experience.co.uk).

So where else can you enjoy jumbo…

COTSWOLDS COCKPIT

You can visit a retired Boeing 747 at Cotswold Airport in Kemble, Gloucestershire, where plane tours are offered. In anticipation of the festive season, two-hour “Flying Before Christmas” events are taking place. These include the opportunity to meet Father Frost in his grotto, gifts, pies, gingerbread and mulled wine.

The aircraft can also be booked for weddings, birthdays and corporate events.

How to do it: Excursions from £12.50; Flight Before Christmas tickets from £29 (negus747.com).

MANCHESTER CAR

At the city’s Barton Airfield, The Deck is another flight simulator on an old Boeing 747.

When planes began to break down due to airlines abandoning the jetliners, Drew Hanna started his business, Doors2Manual, selling parts such as windows and cockpit switches to souvenir hunters.

He then went further by purchasing the front end of a Boeing 747 and opening it to the public.

How to do it: 20 minutes on The Deck simulator costs from £74.95 (thedeck747.com).