Midex 747

[Hairbus]

Have Midex got all their 747s flying yet?

[ErwinS]

F-GCBM and GCBL are still waiting delivery at Schiphol......
Seems not going to happen in the near future.

JetPhotos.Net Photo » F-GCBL (CN: 24735) Midex Airlines Boeing 747-228F(SCD) by Dutch (http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6858034)


JetPhotos.Net Photo » F-GCBM (CN: 24879) Midex Airlines Boeing 747-228F(SCD) by Dutch (http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6858032)

[WhaleDriver]

Seems not going to happen in the near future.

What has happened to change all the excitement over the new aircraft arrivals?

[ErwinS]

Both had their new id's painted on their nose gear doors (MDH/MDI) but this is removed now......

The first was scheduled to be delivered halfway may....

[tomjonesca]

The main reason for the delay is a paperwork problem between the UAE, the French and the Dutch. It is in the process of being sorted out and only the powers that be know when it will happen. We are all looking forward to their arrival.

[aeroground]

Is Midex still flying the B4 into Camp Bastion?

[Hairbus]

So when will the paperwork be completed?:hmm:

[Kitsune]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 27, 2010
SB-10-20
FOUR RECENT UNCONTAINED ENGINE FAILURE EVENTS PROMPT NTSB TO ISSUE URGENT SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS TO FAA
Washington, DC - The National Transportation Safety Board today issued two urgent safety recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The first recommendation asks that the FAA require operators of aircraft equipped with a particular model engine to immediately perform blade borescope inspections (BSI) of the high pressure turbine rotor at specific intervals until the current turbine disk can be redesigned and replaced with one that can withstand the unbalance vibration forces from the high pressure rotor. The second recommendation asks the FAA to require the engine manufacturer to immediately redesign the disk. The NTSB issued an additional recommendation for a requirement that operators perform a second type of inspection and another recommendation related to the engine manufacturer regarding the installation of the replacement disk.
All four recommendations apply to the low pressure turbine (LPT) stage 3 (S3) rotor disk in the General Electric (GE) CF6-45/50 series turbofan engines that can fail unexpectedly when excited by high-pressure (HP) rotor unbalance.
An uncontained engine event occurs when an engine failure results in fragments of rotating engine parts penetrating and exiting through the engine case. Uncontained turbine engine disk failures within an aircraft engine present a direct hazard to an airplane and its passengers because high-energy disk fragments can penetrate the cabin or fuel tanks, damage flight control surfaces, or sever flammable fluid or hydraulic lines. Engine cases are not designed to contain failed turbine disks. Instead, the risk of uncontained disk failure is mitigated by designating disks as safety-critical parts, defined as the parts of an engine whose failure is likely to present a direct hazard to the aircraft.
In its safety recommendations to the FAA, the NTSB cited four foreign accidents, which the NTSB is either investigating or participating in an investigation led by another nation, in which the aircraft experienced an uncontained engine failure of its GE CF6-45/50 series engine.
The date, location, and circumstances of these four events (none had injuries or fatalities) are as follows:
On July 4, 2008, a Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) Boeing 747-300 experienced an engine failure during initial climb after takeoff from Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This investigation has been delegated to the NTSB.
On March 26, 2009, an Arrow Cargo McDonnell Douglas DC-10F, about 30 minutes after takeoff from Manaus, Brazil, experienced loss of oil pressure in one engine. The pilots shut down the engine and diverted to Medellin, Columbia. This investigation has been delegated to the NTSB.
On December 17, 2009, a Jett8 Cargo Boeing 747-200F airplane was passing through 7,000 feet above ground level (agl) when the flight crewmembers heard a muffled explosion and immediately applied left rudder. With one engine losing oil pressure, the airplane returned to land at Changi, Singapore. The NTSB is participating in the investigation that is being led by the Air Accident Investigation Bureau of Singapore.
On April 10, 2010, an ACT Cargo Airbus A300B4 experienced an engine failure while accelerating for takeoff at Manama, Bahrain. The crew declared an emergency, rejected the takeoff, activated the fire suppression system, and evacuated the airplane. The NTSB is participating in the investigation that is being led by the Bahrain Ministry of Transportation - Civil Aviation.
The four recommendations to the FAA are as follows:
Immediately require operators of CF6-45/50-powered airplanes to perform high pressure turbine rotor blade borescope inspections every 15 flight cycles until the low pressure turbine stage 3 disk is replaced with a redesigned disk that can withstand the unbalance vibration forces from the high pressure rotor. (Urgent)
Require operators of CF6-45/50-powered airplanes to perform fluorescent penetrant inspections of CF6-45- 50- low pressure turbine stage 3 disks at every engine shop visit until the low pressure turbine stage 3 disk is replaced with a redesigned disk that can withstand the unbalance vibration forces from the high pressure rotor.
Immediately require General Electric Company to redesign the CF6-45/50 low pressure turbine stage 3 disk so that it will not fail when exposed to high pressure rotor unbalance forces. (Urgent)
Once General Electric Company has redesigned the CF6- 45/50 low pressure turbine (LPT) stage 3 disk in accordance with Safety Recommendation [3], require all operators of CF6-45/50-powered airplanes to install the newly designed LPT S3 at the next maintenance opportunity.

[Hairbus]

Looks very expensive and time consuming:hmm:

[WhaleDriver]

This is gonna kick Southern in the A$$. They have 17 GE powered classics!

[Earl]

http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/333810-phuket-engine-failure-jed-04-jul-08-a-2.html

This maybe true concerning this A/D.
But I do know I operated this aircraft with the Asian carrier ACMI for Saudia, many times.
Phuket Air.HS VAC registration.
This engine and operator is listed in FAA A/D.
This engine was signed off by MX many times for severe overheating and vibrations.
It should have been changed long before it came apart.
It was not a surprise and a known issue when it finally disintegrated.
To have such a change for operators that tries to follow the rules is just a bad judgment call.
A normal operator would have changed this engine weeks before it came apart.
So for those that operate incorrectly, the rest of us has to pay the price.
Any airline worth is salt would have changed this engine weeks before it came apart.
So carriers have to do this now, just because some other low life carriers did not do an engine change when problems started, or follow the MX procedures.
Just to keep the aircraft in service with a risk of losing the Saudia contract was what was in place here, look what happened as an end result.

Then tried to blame it on G/E when they continued to operate like this with known documented tech log out of tolerance writeup.
Sorry if the truth hurts, but the excuse is total B/S.

[Hairbus]

So whats the latest? Are the new 747s flying yet?:hmm:

[ErwinS]

Negative, both are still at AMS......

[aeroground]

Understand the GCAA have concerns over them operating more than 1 747 and are holding up the approval

[747Comet]

Interesting they are being held up by the GCAA if this is true:confused:

[Wickerbill]

The rumour is that all is not well at Midex. I dont think the comapny is making any money (or more likely losing more than the owners would like). A freind told me their B4's are under-utilised - why would they need so much extra 74 capacity?

[jethrotull]

Quite obvious, with EY operating A340-600 with payload equivalent to that of A300B4, i will be surprised if these B4s make any money at all todays OIL PRICE.

TNT have got rid of their fleet DHL are managing due to german subsidies @ LEIPZIG. Midex to me never made sense.

Whats the score on the ADAT contract with Midex, any ADAT employess here ? They were recruiting for a immediate start last month, world wide, incl here in Jo'berg.

[SassyPilotsWife]

Rumour has it a crew went to AMS to bring back one of the two 74's to the UAE. Anyone see if one or both are still parked ?

[ErwinS]

F-GCBL is inside being worked on. F-GCBM is still parked outside.

[justwhenyouthought..]

the GCAA's permission is required to import aircraft to the UAE. This implies some sort of decent relationship with the authorities.......

[Hairbus]

I hear from a good source that the second a/c has arrived in the sandpit.:ok:

[MrIkea]

@ jethrotull (http://www.pprune.org/members/145802-jethrotull)

TNT got rid of them because of the maintenance costs.

As you maybe know, payload is not so important in a company like DHL or TNT. It's mainly volume which matters (hence the heavy utilisation, especially on short routes). And there is no cheap alternative for the A300B4 volume wise.

Maintenance costs will ultimately cost the B4 it's job at DHL as well, (pretty soon)

And the subsidies , that's a different story... But they are not used to keep unnecessary planes in the air. That's for sure.

If get your point Midex wise though. And share your opinion.

[ErwinS]

F-GCBM should be now at AAN. Ferried the 30th from AMS as F-WCZX. She should become A6-MDI.

[Hairbus]

Now two a/c are in the sandpit, are they both flying to exotic places?:confused:

[ElyFly]

Hey guys...
is Midex hiring for the B747??? are they in operation???
or are they grounded????
thanks for all the info you can share...

[ErwinS]

Today scheduled to depart to AAN from AMS is F-WCZY(ex F-GCBL). Should become A6-MDH.

So soon the third 747 will arrive at MidEx hq.

[tomjonesca]

Just so you all know and won't have to ask any longer, all three 747-228F's are on the property. I flew #2 (Midex 9) from AMS to AAN on the 30th of June and #3 (Midex 8) arrived on the property July 26th. Both planes are in the process of getting registared in the UAE. Some emergency equipment is on order to replace a few items the GCA would prefer us to use. As of this morning, it is my understanding that a 4th plane has been purchased and that possibly a 5th could be on the way later in the year. These last two are only a rumor... don't hold me to it.

Several good things have come to us over the past month. Things are slowly getting better here for all of us. One item... we are now at 60 days on duty (instead of 70) and 18 days off (instead of 21). But... we now travel on our days on so its really like working 56 and 22. This is a big boost to the moral of the crew members... and with any luck at all, maybe next year we could get another increase in the days off time.

Another good thing... perdiem has been raised to $60.00 per day at all locations. We were getting $25.00 for everywhere except Europe, that was $50.00. So this is a very good thing for us as there were many places we went to that a sandwich cost us $30.00.

Another good things... all flights will now be catered. We have waiting a long time for this to happen and trust me when I say this was a very good thing to happen for us.

There are some other good things in the works but I can't say anything because its only a rumor at this point, even though it has been discussed at the upper management level.

I personally moved from the Al Ain apartment complex to a very nice apartment in Dubai. The company is paying a housing allowance that doesn't cover all the cost but my quality of life went up 1000%. I can only hope that in the future we can get an increase in our housing allowance that would be more inline with the cost of living in Dubai.

They say all good things come to those that wait. Good things are slow to come but they are coming. Midex is realizing that if they want to have good crew members work here, they have to do a few things to attact them. With that said, I know the company is still hiring for the 747. As of my last contact, you still have to be quailfied within the past 2 years. This could have changed so don't hold me to it. I have no idea who you should write too, please don't send things to me. The company is still having a time at getting work permits and residence visas... it can take a long time.

I can't say what the future business is going to be... right now most of my flying has been to the War Zone. We hear things about contacts but its a wait and see game.

I hope this helps all were looking for info. When I come back on here again in six months, I'll post whatever new things I know about. See you all then...

Tom

[theloady]

Ciao Tom !! How are you doin long time!!

good to hear that you guys have catering for all the flights now..:ok:

finally It seems they're moving on the right way

I'm still asking why they don't wanna change some bloody things even for the loadies..
and of course i had such a good time overthere.

cheers and regards to all the 74guys
Andrew

[LandingCheckComplete]

Can anybody tell me what the T&C's are for a suitably qualified 747-200 F/E and are Midex looking to recruit any more 747 crews in the future?

[CargoOne]

Are those 2nd and 3rd 747s already in operation?

[Lion 01]

Midex Airlines 2nd B747 made its maiden voyage yesterday and it appears that the 3rd aircraft will be operational in the next several weeks.

[justwhenyouthought..]

another change at the top in al ain then ? the firings will continue until morale improves ...

[freeborn]

new d o what cha mean dont get it:ugh:

[CargoMatatu]

My guess is Director of Operations.

Is there a prize if we get it right? :p

[theXfactor]

J Casey vs clod of dirt for Dir of Ops position


Advantage......clod of dirt

[2 Dogs]

Midex seems to have been very quiet of late.
i heard a rumor that you are relocating to Sharjah, True or False?
If true will there not be many more problems finding parking for the aircraft there?
What is the problem with Al Ayn?

[mutt]

Midex seems to have been very quiet of late. Saw 2 of their A300s in Bahrain last night and a 747 in Kuwait few days ago, so they cant be that quiet?

Mutt

(Corrected to A300, not 330's.... )

[411A]

One of our L10 First Officers has just completed his 747 training for Midex, and he says...they will put him on the line shortly.
However, I have no idea how long 'shortly' might be...and neither does he:hmm:

[superspotter]

Midex do not have A330's, one assumes you meant A300's??

[Guru8904]

It's true they are moving to Sharjah. Could somebody confirm the package details of a A300B4 FO?

[Mariner]

I see their A/C in SHj all the time. 2 or 3 742's, and some A300's.
Mainly flying roundtrips to Afganistan.
The 74's also fly to Europe (AMS) and Africa, an engineer said.

[ErwinS]

They do not fly to AMS. Only a 2 charters some months ago and for maintenance they visited KLM. There is no regular service by MidEx...........

[3pointlanding]

Do you really want to work for a company with suspect maintenance? They were audited by a major carrier (mine) for possible charter work and were dropped like a hot rock, all over maintenance. Ask them if they have passed an IOSA audit. I doubt it.

[CargoOne]

3pointlanding

Ask them if they have passed an IOSA audit. I doubt it.

It is not uncommon that all-cargo carriers are not going for IOSA audit, as this is a purely commerical excersize invented by IATA.

As an example I don't think that Air Contractors or EAT are IOSA. Same time, PIA, Sundan Airways, Yemenia and numerous others have passed IOSA. So what? (This have nothing to do with Midex, only to point ref IOSA).

[ErwinS]

IOSA is not for cargo airlines yet. Only pax. So MidEx have nothing to do with IOSA, same as all other cargo airlines.

[WhaleDriver]

Interesting....since I know Atlas and Polar are IOSA certified. In fact, Atlas did it's two year review/renewal earlier this year. :hmm:

[CargoOne]

Atlas, Polar, FedEx, Cargolux, ABX, DHL Air, LH Cargo, MNG, TNT, UPS etc are IOSA.

But IOSA certificate has nothing to do with the real safety & quality level, and absense of IOSA more often reflects unwillingness to spend money for another piece of IATA paper. Too many airlines realized that, IATA started to invent more rules around it, setting IOSA as a requirement for codeshares and interlines, so those who involved in scheduled business of a certain scale have not much choice any longer.

[ErwinS]

Well my bad then. At my current CT training I was told that our Cargo division doesn't have IOSA because it isn't valid for cargo ops. Only our pax div has IOSA certification.