Freight DogsFinally a forum for those midnight prowler types who utilise the unglamorous parts of airports that many of us never get to see. Freight Dogs is for pilots and crew who operate mostly without SLF.
Just a little more info, it's the same stab tank fitted to all -400s and some late model classics however it's just missing the plumbing and has blank plates fitted where required.
I believe the first B744F, which was delivered to Air France, was to have the stab tank fitted. Whether or not it was used or deactivated, perhaps an Air France person can reveal. Joe Sutter's book 747 states that the stab tank was one of a range of new ideas for the -400, therefore I think it unlikely that any of the late Classics were fitted with one, unless an operator specified extra fuel tanks as a 'one-off'. As has been stated, payload takes priority over range and also 10 tonnes of fuel in the stab might make load-and-balance very difficult and time consuming, to prevent the a/c tipping onto its' tail when the tail-strut is removed.
Quote: I believe the first B744F, which was delivered to Air France, was to have the stab tank fitted. Whether or not it was used or deactivated, perhaps an Air France person can reveal. Joe Sutter's book 747 states that the stab tank was one of a range of new ideas for the -400, therefore I think it unlikely that any of the late Classics were fitted with one, unless an operator specified extra fuel tanks as a 'one-off'. As has been stated, payload takes priority over range and also 10 tonnes of fuel in the stab might make load-and-balance very difficult and time consuming, to prevent the a/c tipping onto its' tail when the tail-strut is removed
#1 Atlas Air was the launch customer for the 400F (no stab tanks)
Atlas only commenced operations in 1992 with one 747-200 on lease to China Airlines. Air France was the launch customer for the -400f, but it appears that Cargolux became the customer for the first one. What info do you have that the later Classics were fitted with a stab tank?
Quote: Atlas only commenced operations in 1992 with one 747-200 on lease to China Airlines. Air France was the launch customer for the -400f, but it appears that Cargolux became the customer for the first one. What info do you have that the later Classics were fitted with a stab tank?
#1 The Cargolux A/C came after the first 400 freighter that came off the line at Boeing as a freighter, not a converted A/C.
#2 I fly them and 2 of our 200's and our remaining 300 had the stab tank but have had them removed.
L/N 968 The prototype -400F was built for Air France and first flew in 5/93 but was never delivered (allegedly due to the refusal of the AF pilots union to fly a 747 2 crew) and was stored in Marana until delivery to Cargolux in 9/95.
The first commercial operator was Cargolux who took delivery of L/Nos 1002 and 1003 in 11/93 and 12/93.
Atlas received their first aircraft, L/N 1165 in 9/98 some 5 years later.
None of the first 3 aircraft, including the prototype has or ever had the stab tank activated in commercial service.
The classics after line number 703 (first -400 line number 696) have the -400 stab except without the plumbing required to make it a "tank", which is the same as the -400Fs which have a no "tank" stab, the stab is exactly the same the only thing that differs is it's either with or without the plumbing, and as I said blank plates fitted where required like on the right hand underside where the vent and positive and negative relief valves are normally fitted.
These classics also have the same hydraulic architecture for the elevators as the -400 which is different from the earlier classic models, due to the cable runs that run though the internals of the stab on the earlier classics.
I've been in the stab of line number 711 it's a -300 and saw all the various points where the pumps and plumbing would have been installed had that particular stab been destined for a pax -400.
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