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Comment by devb | Hacker News Reader

That reminds me of the Iron Maiden 747, piloted by their singer:

https://simpleflying.com/iron-maiden-747/

I'm not a fan of Iron Maiden's music but from all I read they sound like absolute top blokes. They also licensed "Eddie" to Robinsons Brewery, a smallish company based in Stockport, to produce their "Trooper" beer - which is actually pretty fine.

Spent some time in Brimingham. Worked crazy hours, but would wander at night.

Local beer was a little rare in the places around our hotel (probably because we were near Broad Street), but they had "Trooper" at Malt House. It was actually really great.

That may also be influenced by the fact that I mostly only could get foreign light lagers everywhere else, and Malt House was a great place to relax on the canal a little away from the Hen Party craziness.

The owners of the now defunct Fry's Electronics also owned the Arena Football team the San Jose SaberCats and additionally owned/leased/rented/sponsored various aircraft including a 747 SP.

1968 GULFSTREAM G1159B N24YS (still owned by the Fry family)

1976 ROCKWELL NA-265-60 N607CF (now owned by an airshow)

1955 PIPER PA-23 N3494B (owned by someone else)

1971 GULFSTREAM G1159B N44YS (still owned by the Fry family)

1976 ROCKWELL NA-265-60 N39CB (now owned by an airshow)

1977 DEHAVILLAND CANADA DHC-6-300 N814BC (still owned by the Fry family)

1978 BOEING 727-281(A)(RE) N724YS (now registered to a UK blind trust)

1980 BOEING 747SP-27 N747A (now owned by NASA)

1981 ROCKWELL NA-265-65 N88BF (still owned by the Fry family)

1981 ROCKWELL NA-265-65 N654YS (still owned by the Fry family)

1992 BEECH B300 N4YS (still owned by the Fry family)

2011 GULFSTREAM G280 N38GL (now owned by a casino corporation)

Wow this reminded me, I saw the fry's 747 at an airshow. I was pretty young at the time, but it was crazy seeing a 747 fly so low.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08G4z63PShc

I thought the camera was distorted as hell until I realized that no, the 747SP is just... super stumpy hahaha.

That is -insane- low for a craft like that.

Fry is defunct? That's so sad!

I bought a number of things there on a few trips I made to Cali back in... 2013! Well, that explains it.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/24/business/frys-electronics-clo...

Edit: Yes, the electronics store chain and not just the grocery store that was at Kooser and Camden many, many years.

Yeah! Bruce Dickinson is an amazingly talented person. And Iron Maiden is one of the greatest rock bands of all time.

And John Travolta with a 707.

He has donated it to a great aircraft museum in Australia - it should be making its way down this year.

They have spent years getting it back to spec to make the trans-pacfic flight back home

The irony of not being able to the transport the thing that usually transports the things.

Would have been easier to ship by boat, even without dismounting it, since it’s the cheapest transportation. But it seems I’m wrong, since they didn’t do it.

Well, if the aim is to make it fly anyway (not just show on the ground)...

IIRC, he had it parked right up to his house.

Yup.

Description of property: https://www.aerotime.aero/22859-john-travoltas-house

Photo of house w/ 707 in "car-port" from above article: https://www.aerotime.aero/upload/files/john-travoltas-house-...

403 Forbidden :(

ha - works ok from here

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