747 to Dunsfold

[Halcyon Days]

Air Atlanta are planning to deliver G-BDXJ 747-200 to Dunsfold sometime early next week subject to weather. It was due to go last Thursday but was cancelled due to poor weather.
Runway is only just over 6000 feet in length and aircraft will ideally need a dry runway to make the most of its braking and thrust reversing capabilities.
Sadly it is to be scrapped and turned into tin cans or whatever the metal is used for.
If anyone who lives locally can get photos of it landing and paste them I am sure it would be appreciated.
Does anyone know if this will be the largest a/c to have used Dunsfold? or have 747s been in before?

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Post any updates - I can be there in an hour.

[Right Way Up]

Could it also be the worlds shortest 747 planned flight?

[Mark Lewis]

I believe it is going to be there for a few years before being scrapped, and used for TV work.

[PPRuNe Radar]

Could it also be the worlds shortest 747 planned flight?

The delivery of the SAA 747-200 from Johannesburg to Jo'Burg Rand would be hard to beat for this title. It's also got to be one of the shortest and narrowest runways to put a 747 down on as well. This airport has an elevation of 5568 feet and runway dimensions of 4898 feet long by 50 feet wide. The aircraft's outer-to-outer main gear width is 41.33 feet, so not too much room for error !!

Dunsfold ? .... would be a piece of cake to these guys :ok: :)

Short Final (http://www.fototime.com/ftweb/bin/ft.dll/standard?pictid={F49FDB4E-8363-45BB-8728-ADBBE913D83F}&exp=f&moddt=38390.6956519097)

Flare (http://www.capeaeroclub.co.za/photogallery/B747%20Landing03.jpg)

Narrow Runway !! (http://www.fototime.com/ftweb/bin/ft.dll/standard?pictid={F5886EE6-9A91-4B15-97B9-49453D928C21}&exp=f&moddt=38390.6956598611)

Tight Fit !! (http://www.fototime.com/ftweb/bin/ft.dll/standard?pictid={5F1D431F-21DD-46BF-B7EB-81827FA99532}&exp=f&moddt=38390.6956434028)

[BOAC]

Now that IS neat! Nice bit of flying.

[Right Way Up]

Pprune Radar,
Those are some mighty impressive pics!

[pulse1]

Mark,

When you say it is going to be used for TV work, has that got anything to do with Top Gear which is fimed at Dunsfold. I can imagine Jeremy Clarkson dreaming up something interesting to do with a defunct 747. p1

[opsjockey]

The air Atlanta machine is already there!! went earlier in the week!

[cirrus01]

Top Gear have now re-located to Enstone in Oxfordshire.;)

[Mark Lewis]

AFAIK Top Gear are still there, but apparently that isnt who are using it. There is lots of demand for cabin shots for movies, and the 747 will be used for doing those.

I dont believe there will be any antics similar to the Virgin 744 at PIK last year!

[Flyer 719]

When did it arrive at Dunsfold?

And just out of curiosity, how long was the flight compare the the one the Pprune Radar mentioned with the South African Airlines flight?

719

[wub]

G-BDXF is in Edinburgh today for the Heineken Rugby Cup final (from Orly)
http://www.pbase.com/image/43691796.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/43691665.jpg

[Dash-7 lover]

The SAA pics are impressive - must have been an ex bush pilot with a bottle of Jack Daniels in one hand! What was the reason behind it?

[Goforfun]

Good to see the EAL jumbo's. I believe they can't keep with demand for them now they only have 2.......

G-BDXJ was a good ship in BA is she really retired to Dunsfold?

[PPRuNe Radar]

The Jo'burg 747 was on delivery to the South African Airways Museum Society.

Full information here:

SAA Museum Soc. (http://www.saamuseum.co.za/saams_aircraft.htm#BOEING)

[TheOddOne]

As of the time of writing, G-BDXJ is still on stand 152, here at LGW...

Cheers,
The Odd One

[Halcyon Days]

As per my original posting the aircraft was waiting for good vis and good braking action. Dont know what Ops jockey saw or heard about. Also as per original posting. Does anybody know if a 747 has been to Dunsfold before?

[Dr Illitout]

From what I remember the "NIMBY's" used to moan about the odd Hawk flying around. What are they going to say about a 747 arriving!!!!.

Rgd Dr I

[blackbox]

The SAA pics where great!!!


cirrus01- The topgear deal to move to enstone, fell apart and as such is still being filmed at dunsfold, hence no change to the track in the new series which started on Sunday 22nd May...:cool:

[ifonly]

Those NIMBYs had beeter watch out tonight if the weather holds !! I hear it could be on its way.

[Mark Lewis]

And I believe it has arrived?

[Hanna Reitsch]

Presumably before the 747, the C-133s picking up trhe first USMC Harriers were the largest aeroplanes in there any pictures of them ? I could have dreamt it though.

[GBNGH]

Just passed Dunsfold on my way to work, it's definately arrived!

[mighluss]

And some pictures from Dunsfold!

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/846659/L/

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/846660/L/

[woodpecker]

I seem to remember bidding for (and being awarded) an overtime trip to fly a Trident from Heathrow to Dunsfold but scheduling later took the trip off me stating, I quote, "Your Technical Manager suggests it's (Dunsfold) very difficult to find and rather a short runway so he will be doing the trip".... I kept the overtime payment and spent the afternoon in the garden.

[Stoney X]

Here (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=121600) is the thread from the Africa Forum giving all the details and some great photos of the 747 landing at Rand Airport. And to think I battled to keep a C-150 away from the runway edge when I started my PPL there :uhoh:

Regards
Stoney

[John Farley]

Hanna

They used C141s to pick up the initial USMC Harriers

Are you related to my heroine?

JF

[Hanna Reitsch]

John.

Named after but no relation. I flew a Grunau Baby once though. She was spelt without the "t" though I've read articles which used it.

Obviously you were there and I just imagined it. Maybe someone just said they'd use 133s. Only of interest because they were such rare visitors to the UK.

Hanna.

[BlueEagle]

According to the books(!!!!!!!) at a max landing weight of 285 tons, 6,500 is required for the 747 to land and stop.

[John Farley]

Hanna

You should have a PM from me

John

[m5dnd]

John, Hanna

C-133's did pick up the USMC AV-8A's then were replaced with the C-141's..
I lived in Cranleigh not far from You John and watched the 133's fly over then rush down after school to see them on the ground..
happy days......
Was at Dunsfold on Saturday (28th) for the airfield meeting for the Wing's and Wheels event there on the 4th June.. Was like visiting an old friend !!..
747 looks empressive there !!

Nik Read
Brooklands Museum Volunteer..

(used to look after G-VTOL)

[747-444]

The SAA plane was retired to Rand Airport. The pilot practised on a sim for a month before the final flight and did several VERY low fly-by's in the week leading up to the last flight. (I believe he actually touched down a couple of times)

The flight from JHB Int (Jan Smuts) to Rand would have been the shortest if he'd flown direct, but he didn't - he was in the air for a while.

Notice full flaps and spoilers etc? Pilot was not alowed to use rev thrust because the engines were removed and returned to service on other planes and rev thrust would have ingested dirt because the engines all overhang the runway.

I've been on a tour of the plane (Lebombo). It's cool. You get to crawl all over it and my sister took some nice pictures of me sitting inside an engine cowl and on the main landing gear etc.

Well worth a visit if your nearby.

:-)

[newswatcher]

If they were at all worried, they could always have asked Captain Khayyat to assist. After all, he has landed a fully-laden 747 on a runway of length 4,800 feet!
:p

Also glimpsed at Dunsfold during this series of Top Gear - the Red Arrows.

[fox_trot_oscar]

NW, that's the length of the runway in Guernsey, C.I... Are you sure...that'd be incredible!

:eek: :eek:

[newswatcher]

FTO, think "India" and 1997!