San Diego - Phoenix / Boeing 747-400 (N705ML) / IFR

Time to brush up on the wonderful 747-400, always a pleasure to fly. I made a short trip from San Diego to Phoenix on one of my private 747-400s, which required just about exactly 1 hour.

As it happens, 747s are unusual at KSAN, because the runway length and obstacles around the airport place restrictions on maximium weight for the heavies. Most airlines don't want to fly with a partial load, so they don't fly 747s into or out of KSAN. (Airlines are enamored of tiny twin-jets these days, anyway, so domestic 747 service is scarce these days.) Some cargo 747s still come in. Anyway, my 747 was an exception to the rule.

The aircraft flew beautifully and it was nice to have an on-board galley and toilets, although there's not much time to eat on SAN-PHX and it's too short to require a potty break as well.

Winds dictated runway 8 at KPHX, so I had to tweak the FMC on the way in to go direct ALLIS from HYDRR, but everything went smoothly. I parked at Terminal 2.