Kanye West and Kim Kardashian recently took a ride on an ultra rare Boeing 747SP, owned by the Sands Corporation. Their trip has attracted some scrutiny mainly due to the perceived environmental waste of flying a nearly empty jumbo jet. Twitter lit up with comments about how wasteful their trip was while other comments focused on the fact that they’d love an exclusive 747 ride too.
boarding a fkng 747 big ass plane for just themselves is a disgrace! They’re wasteful twats ruining the environment all so they can brag on the internet about how rich they are. Guess what, we all know! I hope the apocalypse reaps their asses FIRST! @kanyewest @KimKardashian
— Political Junkie (@Bravo_Junkie0) November 28, 2018
Kim Kardashian posted on her story about flying on a private 747.
All I’m thinking is what a waste of jet fuel, resources, environmental harm, etc etc etc.
Smh. So obnoxious and unnecessary.
— Paige Flugge (@Paigeyyybabyy) November 26, 2018
after watching kim kardashian’s instagram story i have decided i want one (1) boeing 747 for christmas
— obj (@obaileyj) November 27, 2018
We at Avgeekery were more excited by the fact that the Kardashians posted video of the inside of the classic VIP aircraft. To our knowledge, no other videos of the interior of this particular jumbo jet are available online. In the Instagram video, Kim highlights the many bedrooms inside the jet along with a section of the jet configured with mid-2000s style first class seats. In addition to the tour of the main cabin and the seating area on the second deck, she also shows Kanye sitting at one of the many lounge areas behind a large desk. While the jet appears far from new, it looks like it is incredible shape for being a nearly 40 year old aircraft. The interior configuration resembles another VIP configuration, Air Force One. That modified Boeing 747-200 is the President of the United States personal aircraft.
Tail number VP-BLK is one of the few remaining airworthy Boeing 747SP aircraft in the world. It is configured in a VVIP (that’s very VIP) configuration that is estimated to very comfortably sit around 60 people. The jet was originally designed for a three-cabin configuration with around 330 people. The Boeing 747SP has the characteristic features of a Boeing 747 but is significantly shorter, features a taller tail for stability purposes and has a modified wing with a simpler flap design to save weight. The jet was designed in the early 1970s as a way to offer jumbo jet amenities on routes that were too distant for the early Boeing 747-100s and -200s. Only 45 of the Special Performance version of the 747 were ever built, far below the expectations of Boeing. Today, there are less than 10 still in service, primarily serving as VIP aircraft for government officials.
Below is a video by YouTube user Speedbird of tail VP-BLK arriving a departing from Las Vegas, Nevada where the aircraft is based.
