DC8-71F or similar over Sussex? 21/08/13

[aviate1138]

Yesterday [ mid afternoon] while consuming a late liquid lunch something flew overhead,

climbing and quite noisy heading in an easterly direction parallel to the coast - we were

inland a bit at Storrington. Treetops above us made the view of something long and slender

with 4 quite tubby engines engines that looked A340 ish but I think was a DC8. Any

movements out of Hurn maybe?

[Cremeegg]

FR24 shows Virgin V810P an A340-600 inbound to Gatwick at around 7000' over Storrington at around 1520Z. FR24 routings are sometimes a little out which if it was shown as slightly north of the actual track it'd fit.

[aviate1138]

Thanks Cremeegg but this aircraft was climbing and sounded rather RB 211 fanlike in its

'timbre'. :)

[DaveReidUK]

Sadly there are no DC-8-71s still flying, and only a couple of -73s, one based in PNG and the other in the Democratic Rupublic of Congo.

[SpringHeeledJack]

Weren't there at least 2 or 3 DC-8's doing military charters and such in recent times ? If memory serves they were on the Ghanian register.



SHJ

[DaveReidUK]

If memory serves they were on the Ghanian register.There's a Ghana-registered -63 still flying, but the OP's "quite tubby engines" don't sound like JT3Ds.

[SpringHeeledJack]

Those JT3D's certainly couldn't be accused of being chubby, more supermodel than anything!



SHJ

[aviate1138]

So if it was an A-340, it was making a hell of a din as it climbed......ah well I had better relegate it to the "Nothing to see here - move on" list of inconsequentialities! :)

[Jn14:6]

An A340-600 WOULD sound RB211-like as it HAS RB211's!

[finncapt]

Funny this should crop up as I was in my garden, long finals for 22L at Helsinki Vantaa, and thought I saw a stretched DC8 pass over.

Sadly I can't remember whether it was the end of last week or this past monday.

My wife said it was an SAS aircraft but I was not so sure and, looking on google, I see that Air Transport International are listed as having a DC8-70 series aircraft.

Their colour scheme could possibly be mistaken for SAS, their both blue, from the ground at least 3000 feet away.

Does anyone know if they have any European charters at the moment.

Another possibility is that it was a Russian built aircraft but I can't think of one that looks like a stretched DC 8

[LukeA346]

Another possibility is that it was a Russian built aircraft but I can't think of one that looks like a stretched DC 8


Ilyushin Il-96? Or am mixing it with something else?
Ilyushin Il-96 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilyushin_Il-96)

[aviate1138]

Jn14:6

Are you sure about RB 211's?

I thought they had CFM International CFM56-5Cs or RR Trents?

[DaveReidUK]

I thought they had CFM International CFM56-5Cs or RR Trents? The CFM56 powers the A340-200/300.

The -500/-600 are powered by the Rolls Royce RB211 Trent 553/556/560.

All Trent engines are certificated with the RB211 designation,

[finncapt]

T'weren't an IL-96, unless they have a variant with a big stretch ahead of the wing.