First 747-400 Takes a Bough in Japan Before Sweeping Into LAX

The first Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet delivered for commercial use prepares to touch down at Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday after a flight from Tokyo. The journey began with a blessing by a Shinto priest, who waved an evergreen branch over an altar covered with vegetables, seaweed and dried squid to send the jet on its way with prayers for prosperity for its owner, Northwest Airlines. Capt. Richard Dodge, right, who flew the 420-passenger jet on the return leg of its test flight to Japan, shows off video displays that replace many of the usual cockpit gauges. Computers monitor sensors throughout the aircraft and display the plane’s location--keeping track of radio signals from checkpoints along the route. Airlines have eagerly awaited the jet--distinctive for its curved wing tips and extra-long upper deck--because it consumes less fuel and requires two-member flight crews instead of the crew of three needed on other 747s. Northwest plans to put the 747-400 into service after test flights are completed, probably in the spring. Northwest’s order of 10 planes, including spare parts, is valued at about $2 billion.