Last Caravelle in Kinshasa scrapped?
 

Apparently the last Waltair Caravelle parked at Kinshasa since 2004 is no longer (last sighting was in June). Can any FIH regulars confirm it has been scrapped, and a date?

MTIA

Don't think the one in Burundi has flown in years. It was already a pile of junk rusting away on the apron in the mid to late '90s.

The end of an era. Farewell to the majestic old bird.

Yes, the poor old BJM Caravelle was parked in mid-1992.

The noisiest turboprop engines ever.
Nothing else made that screaming noise.

Except for the BAC 1-11.....

Turboprop?

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...gK3DfWMf3LsRqA

Hmmmm - that was a branefart:eek:, does anyone remember the aircraft I was thinking of. French? turboprop with a very distinctive high pitched screaming noise like the whistle of a turbine but MUCH loader.

When you talk about a turboprop with a high pitch scream, the Rolls Royce Dart engine comes to mind first. It was fitted to a lot of things, HS748, G159, F27. All of them made soooo much noise you would scramble for cover with you fingers in your ears and begging for mercy. Then there was a Britannia that had 4 of them tied to it, the noise was indescribable.

Can't remember of anything French though that had them.

Couple of noisy buggers about - Nord 262, Dassault-Breguet Atlantique, F27, HS748.

Didn't the Brittania use RR Tynes, Mr Lager, or was that only on the later CL44 resurrection?

Google to the rescue.

It seems a Britannia had four Bristol Proteus engines dragging it through the sky. The aircraft I was thinking of was a Vickers Viscount with the 4 Darts.

The beastie I had in mind made a much worse noise than any of the R-R engines. The Nord 262 sounds like a possibility with Bastan VI-C engines, wikipedia says that they were operated by Dan Air which would have had them operating out of Bristol at about the right time.

There certainly was at least one Caravelle still airworthy somewhere around '96, '97. I came across one at Rundu, Namibia, then. Picking up a load of soft drinks it was. The name 'Ruth' was emblazoned under God's window, and when His Lordship permitted me to have a look at his bridge I was amazed at the Piper Aztecuesque instruments, the cockpit in the C404 I was trundling around in had a more up-to-date look. Le Capitaine was french, of course, and as unique as his aircraft, what a character, wonderful! :D

Probably out of Kinshasa then.

Doodlebug

That was one of the three former French Air Force Caravelles from Papeete that made their way to Africa; Ruth had originally flown for Transeuropa/Iberia.

In 1997, Transair Cargo was the operator.

Eventually found its way to Kinshasa and expired there.

To answer my own original question, false alarm. The Caravelle in question is still parked at FIH.

Ed,

Meaning parked as in no longer airworthy?

It hasn't flown since 2004 so whether it could be considered airworthy is subjective, although it is supposedly 'being worked on'. Photos show it with and without JT8Ds over the years, and overall intact.

Not sure why it would be worked on, because the type certificate for the Caravelle has been retired by EADS (I know, it's Africa...) and owner Waltair lost its operating licence in 2005.