He’s been reporting on aviation for NCS for 25 years, however he’s spent a lifetime as an avgeek — a lover of all issues aviation. There are few airplanes NCS anchor Richard Quest hasn’t set foot on, both as a passenger or in a museum. “Nothing ever stands still in aviation because you’re always trying to improve that which went before,” he says.
But that are his favorites? From childhood recollections on the BAC 1-11 to the glamor of the superjumbo period, he walks us by his top plane of all time, recounting memorable flights on those that made the checklist.
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First passenger flight: April 9, 1965
Current standing: Retired
The British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) was simply 5 years outdated when its ‘One Eleven’ — the primary plane to bear the BAC identify — made its debut passenger flight. It was a powerful begin — the aircraft, powered by rear-mounted Rolls-Royce turbofan engines, roared into Europe’s new jetset period, swiftly turning into the plane of alternative for flights throughout the continent (in addition to throughout the pond, the place American Airlines was a loyal buyer).
Updates into an extended model in 1967, it continued to purchase purchasers throughout the globe, and rivaled the Douglas DC-9 and Boeing 737 in recognition. While it made quite a lot of noise, each actually and reputationally, finally these noisy turbofans led to its demise. In 2003, it fell foul of EU noise restrictions. It rumbled on, however in 2010 its European security certificates was revoked and the final mannequin — owned by US aerospace firm Norfolk Grumman — was retired in 2019.
Quest says: It was a bit aircraft that you simply went on vacation to Spain on. It had two engines on the again and it was extraordinarily noisy and, I’m guessing, environmentally unfriendly. But I can keep in mind coming again as a child, getting off the aircraft at Speke Airport in Liverpool — what they now name John Lennon Airport — coming down the steps, turning round, this BAC 1-11 and considering, “How did it get in the air and stay there?”
And that wonderment has by no means left me.
It’s the identical immediately. Flying again to New York and sitting on an plane, taking off in London, unexpectedly, I believe… “Can I tell the moment when we’re going to take off?” I attempt nonetheless to do it.
It nonetheless has me completely enthralled, the entire enterprise. I can’t consider one thing extra thrilling to cowl than aviation.
First passenger flight: June 25, 1936
Current standing: Retired
In 1929, should you’d needed to fly throughout America coast to coast, it will have meant a collection of hops in sluggish plane — interspersed with prepare rides — on Transcontinental Air Transport, which might change into TWA. That modified in June 1936, when American Airlines began flying the Douglas DC-3 twin-propeller aircraft. This “game changer,” Quest says, “allowed the US carriers to truly open up the domestic United States.”
American Airlines’ introduction of the DC-3 on a New York-Chicago route was the aircraft’s first step towards dominating air journey within the US. More than 13,000 of the airplanes would finally be produced, according to the National Air and Space Museum. Designed as a rival to Boeing’s 247, which may fly 10 passengers at 160mph, the DC-3 swiftly took the lead in significance and recognition. It grew to become so iconic that when Richard Branson launched his short-lived retro-themed Vintage Airways, which flew between Miami and Key West from 1992 to 1995, he used DC-3 plane.
Quest says: It’s a humorous form, however it was an actual workhorse of an plane, propeller-driven lengthy earlier than jets got here alongside. It was an absolute plane for its time and ushered in great development for US aviation.
Memorable flight: I did really get to fly on the DC-3 on Vintage Airways. Richard Branson ran the plane in conventional livery. The flight attendants wore outfits impressed by the Forties. The music of Glenn Miller from that period was performed on board. The meals that you simply obtained was of that point and even the magazines had been from that interval. So it was very a lot a vacationer attraction.
First passenger flight: June 26, 1988
Current standing: In service
As Boeing’s current woes have slowed down its manufacturing line, Airbus has been going from power to power — and the narrowbody A320, the French firm’s reply to the 737, grew to become essentially the most delivered plane in historical past in October 2025.
According to the producer, an A320 takes off or lands someplace on the planet each two seconds. Quest calls it, together with the 737, an “engineering marvel.”
It is in fact robust in its homeland, Europe — KM Malta Airlines opted for a fleet of A320s when it launched in 2024, for instance, whereas the A320 household is the spine of short-haul flights for the likes of easyJet and British Airways. But it’s rightly beloved throughout the globe. In the US, American Airlines is the plane’s largest fan.
It triumphed over its inauspicious beginnings. The first passenger flight — an indication flight on the Habsheim Air Show for Air France, on June 26, 1988 — resulted in a crash which killed three individuals.
Quest says: Airbus knew what it had to do — create a household of planes. It’s a stunning plane. It does have a really unusual noise once you park on the gate — it’s the turbine beneath. But it’s a fully spectacular plane. And one in every of my favorites just because it was an achievement to construct it and to get it going.
First passenger flight: October 26, 1958
Current standing: Retired
The 707 was the primary passenger jet to be designed and produced by Boeing’s business arm. Another coup for Pan Am meant the airline was ready to launch the aircraft’s first service. It even persuaded President Dwight D. Eisenhower to attend the plane’s baptism on October 17, 1958. Nine days later, it made its first business passenger flight from Idlewild, NY, to Paris Le Bourget. The 707 swiftly captured the market.
Quest says: The 707 was the plane that allowed Boeing to achieve supremacy. It grew to become the one you had to have. Pan Am had it, TWA had it — you weren’t a participant throughout the Atlantic except you had the 707. It was a narrowbody, with a single aisle. It had 4 engines — hellishly noisy. If you have a look at the gross sales literature and the journey movies of the time, serving roast beef off the trolley and soup out of the terrine, the 707 was the way in which to go.
Memorable flight: The time that I used to be beginning to fly was the top of the 707 period. I flew on it from Manchester in northern England to Tel Aviv. And it was once more, extremely noisy. But this was state-of-the-art! Those who may afford it, those that knew what they had been doing, they traveled on the 707. It very quickly grew to become the workhorse of the transatlantic.
First passenger flight: September 8, 1982
Current standing: On the way in which out
A gentle employee who will get the job carried out with out fanfare, Boeing’s 767, which debuted for United in 1982, left the glamor to the 747. Boeing’s first widebody twin-jet grew to become the US producer’s workhorse. It’s an uber-popular aircraft that Quest calls “an absolute mainstay of the fleet.” It’s been produced in all types of iterations — longer, and prolonged vary fashions — and constructed a legion of followers thanks to touches of luxurious in economic system class. Its 2-3-2 configuration meant nearly all of seats had been both a window or an aisle.
Most airways have phased them out, although United and Delta plan to fly theirs till 2028.
Quest says: In a sure means, the 777 is comparable to Airbus’s A330. It’s an plane that does wonders for the economics of the airline, however passengers are by no means going to rapturously fall in love with it.
My love of the 767 is private as a result of I usually fly United between New York and London, and so they use 767s. It was the plane that grew to become the usual widebody jet for crossing the Atlantic. On United 767s, enterprise class stretches again past the wing — a worthwhile use of area different airways now emulate.
Memorable flight: On one in every of my current journeys on a 767, the aircraft was 34 years outdated. Thirty-four! Now, in fact, it’s going to fly safely, it’s going to fly magnificently — however that’s getting up there when it comes to plane age.
First passenger flight: June 7, 1995
Current standing: In use
Is this essentially the most stealthily standard widebody ever constructed? Quite probably. The center youngster between the jumbo jet and the 767, the “triple seven” swaggered throughout an ocean for its first business flight, skimming over the Atlantic from London’s Heathrow to Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. The world’s largest twinjet, maybe its recognition could be down to the way in which Boeing crowdsourced a part of its design course of, asking launch airways for enter. After its profitable 1994 check flight, it debuted for United the next 12 months.
It’s nonetheless going robust — so robust, in actual fact, that N777UA, the plane which made that first business flight, continues to be in United’s fleet.
Airlines all over the world, together with Emirates, Singapore Airlines and American Airlines, nonetheless have 777 fleets. And as this technology grows outdated, the legend will proceed through the forthcoming 777X. Designed to problem Airbus’ much-lauded A350, the 777X’s launch has repeatedly been delayed, however has been promised for supply in 2027.
Quest says: I keep in mind speaking to the CEO of Continental Airlines. We had been at a reception and so they had been about to eliminate their 747s for 777s, and I used to be saying, “Oh, but we love the 747.” And he circled and stated, “The 777 is a game-changer.” And it was, and it nonetheless is, in a way, as a result of it gave you vary, it gave you numbers of passengers, and it gave you variance.
I used to be on the 777-200LR when it obtained the Guinness World Record for the longest business flight. There had been 34 of us onboard, and we flew from Hong Kong to London, however we went the good distance, three-quarters of the way in which across the planet, nonstop. It was wonderful. The 777, I believe, is a aircraft that really deserves its accolade as one of many best, as a result of it permits new routes and extra individuals to fly. It was unbelievable and nonetheless is — and the identical can be true of the 777X.
First passenger flight: October 25, 2007
Current standing: No longer in manufacturing, however nonetheless in service on a number of airways
Often dubbed “the whale,” the world’s largest passenger aircraft was Airbus’ try to problem the Boeing 747’s dominance.
Planned for the reason that Nineteen Eighties, its conception was introduced in 1990, and avgeeks feverishly awaited its maiden flight with Singapore Airlines in 2007. To date the one totally double-decker plane within the sky, it immediately grew to become a passenger favourite.
But by the point the aircraft was in manufacturing, airways had been on the lookout for smaller plane. The A380, which was able to accommodating greater than 800 passengers in an all-economy configuration (although it often carried round 500 throughout a number of lessons), was not what airline CEOs needed.
In February 2019, Airbus introduced the top of this system, with the final A380 delivered to Emirates — maybe its largest fan, provided that it had round half the worldwide fleet on the time — on December 16, 2021. Today, 10 airways nonetheless fly the A380, from staunch long-haul specialists Etihad, Qatar, Qantas and Singapore Airlines, to European airways Lufthansa and British Airways.
Quest says: It’s essentially the most extraordinary piece of engineering. Some individuals say it was 20 years too late, some say it was 20 years too early, when it comes to when it was constructed. By the time the A380 got here alongside, there wasn’t the identical want for big plane that will carry massive numbers of individuals. What was wanted extra had been smaller planes that would function with larger frequency and open up new routes — in different phrases, the 787s and the A350s.
But passengers adore the A380. You and I may very well be sitting on the wing subsequent to the engines at full takeoff energy and be speaking like this — a standard dialog as a result of it’s so superbly constructed. And sure, I’ve taken the Emirates bathe, and it’s fairly an expertise.
First passenger flight: January 22, 1970
Current standing: Being phased out
The bulbous hump of the Boeing 747 made her an immediate icon when she debuted for Pan Am on a New York-London route, utilizing one of many 25 plane ordered whereas the aircraft was nonetheless in improvement. The hump, Quest notes, was rumored to have been designed to make conversion right into a cargo plane simpler if the passenger model failed.
Fail it didn’t. TWA swiftly adopted Pan Am. American Airlines was so eager to be a part of the membership that it leased a few of Pan Am’s 747s earlier than its personal arrived. Soon she’d earned the nickname, “queen of the skies.”
Boeing’s long-haul flagship was the primary widebody passenger plane, introducing generations of vacationers to the glories of seating rows that stretched from seat A to Okay. And for elite flyers, its first-class passenger lounge on the higher deck added status.
But it couldn’t final eternally. After 1,574 planes, the final 747 rolled off the manufacturing line in December 2022. The fuel guzzler has steadily been phased out of service, however not all are gone. Just a few stay within the skies, operated by airways together with Lufthansa, Korean Air and Air China.
Quest says: From the very starting, Boeing needed to design a very spectacular plane. And it was Juan Trippe, the then-CEO of Pan Am, who decided this plane was going to be his airline’s flagship. It was going to be like nothing else.
Initially, many individuals thought it was too massive — how are airports going to cope? But it was effectively structured, effectively thought by, and really, in a short time, the 747 grew to become in all probability the jet most individuals needed to fly on, as a result of they beloved it. It was only a magnificent plane.
Only the early fashions had the spiral staircase, however climbing it was the epitome of glamor. It stated “I’ve made it” like nothing else. If you bought to ascend these stairs and sit upstairs, it was fantastic. Continental, which I used to fly throughout the Atlantic, operated the 747 with the spiral staircase. British Airways had it too. I walked up and down the spiral staircases many occasions. It was phenomenal. It actually set the plane aside.
Memorable flight: The first time I went to the United States, I used to be an alternate scholar. I used to be flying out of London Gatwick on People Express, one of many first low-cost carriers within the Nineteen Eighties. I keep in mind waking up within the airport resort, looking of the window and seeing a 747 touchdown. On People Express you paid to your ticket on board the plane. The flight attendant got here together with a type of outdated bank card machines that you simply rolled backwards and forwards with carbon paper. I can nonetheless keep in mind the film — “Chariots of Fire,” and it was proven on the large central display in the midst of the cabin.
First passenger flight: January 21, 1976
Current standing: Retired
All hail the revolution. When Concorde first sailed into the skies on January 21, 1976 — with sibling flights, from London to Bahrain and Paris to Rio de Janeiro — she confirmed that people had been able to touring quicker than the pace of sound in fashion.
Not simply quicker, in actual fact, however twice as quick. Concorde had a most cruising pace of Mach 2.04, or 1,354 mph. Europeans may now attain New York in round three and a half hours — a unprecedented feat when you think about the eight-hour transatlantics that we nonetheless endure 50 years on.
A joint UK-France enterprise — with British Airways and Air France because the launch operators — Concorde’s astronomical improvement prices had been her downfall. The venture by no means broke even, and hemorrhaging funds compelled each airways to in the reduction of their preliminary a number of routes to the only hottest one: throughout the Atlantic to New York. After the July 2000 crash in Paris, which killed 113 individuals, the plane was grounded for over a 12 months, and regardless of resuming service, the writing was on the wall. In May 2003, Air France threw within the towel, and British Airways adopted on October 24, 2003. For Quest, who flew on it a number of occasions, it stays the best plane ever made.
Quest says: It was like nothing else. It didn’t matter how you bought on board the rattling factor, whether or not you robbed, stole, finagled or purchased your ticket. I had a smile from right here to right here the primary time I flew on Concorde. I used to be privileged to be on the final flight, New York to London.
It was small — simply 100 seats — cramped and noisy. The cabin was divided into two sections — they had been precisely the identical, however individuals at all times needed to sit within the first part as a result of it was perceived to be nearer the entrance. The carpet had to be specifically made and it had to have elasticity in it as a result of the fuselage stretched due to the warmth. And should you put your finger into the hole by the door, you would really feel the warmth coming off the plane as you went twice the pace of sound. The seats had been like workplace chairs — they weren’t massive, luxurious issues. And once they took you supersonic, you felt a kick within the again because the aircraft accelerated and also you noticed the Mach meter begin to tick over.
Memorable flight: On the final flight, there have been 100 of us. And it didn’t actually matter who you had been, the star of the story was the aircraft. It was a tragic day as a result of I consider it was the primary time in aviation {that a} technological improvement had not been constructed on — we had been really going backwards. There was no Concorde, there was no substitute, the plans weren’t there. It’s solely within the final 5, 10 years with Boom that it’s change into a possible actuality once more. Yes, I shed a tear. If you ask me what my favourite story of my profession has been, it was the final flight of Concorde.