LOS ANGELES - It's the ultimate piggyback ride: a space shuttle perched atop a Boeing 747 as the pair crisscrosses the country.
For three decades, this was how NASA transported shuttles that landed in the California desert to their Florida home base. But it's coming to an end.
This week, four pilots took turns flying a jumbo jet mounted with space shuttle Endeavour on a multi-leg journey bound for Los Angeles where it will go on display in a museum next month.
With the shuttle fleet retired, it's the final ferry mission for a group of highly specialized aviators. The elite pilots over the years have included former astronauts, including famed pilot Gordon Fullerton.
Scores have asked what it's like to haul a 170,000-pound shuttle.
"That's a tough thing to answer," said pilot Jeff Moultrie, who will be in command when Endeavour performs an aerial tour over several California landmarks Friday. "What do you tell somebody? It's different. It's unique."
That's for sure.
For one thing, there's the noise. It is decibels louder inside the shuttle carrier aircraft compared with a commercial airliner because the interior is hollowed out to keep it as light as possible. Aside from a few seats, there are no galleys, overhead bins or even air conditioning.