strangest freight
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Was in Alice Springs , Central Australia years ago and saw a battered Irish Dc8 or 707 which was loading camels bound for Saudi Arabia. Aparently the aussie models were pretty quick on the racetrack and were highly sought by the odd Oil Shiek or 3.
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Two chain wrapped garbage dumpsters, each filled with $80 million in cold cash, on a B-747 military charter from Travis AFB to Yakota, Japan. . There were two armed military MP’s aboard, but both quickly fell asleep during cruise over the North Pacific. I spent the entire flight fantasizing on how/where to divert.
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Private charter for one very Large and very expensive bangladeshy, curried tigerfish!
To be flown across the atlantic !
Plane was a bit wiffy on landing !
To be flown across the atlantic !
Plane was a bit wiffy on landing !
Coppula eam se non posit acceptera jocularum
Join Date: Jun 2000
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Didn't fly it, but I reckon the strangest thing I've seen was a fully operational Main line Diesel locomotive for Irish Rail that was shipped across the Atlantic on on of the Russian heavy lifters (an AN124 I think).
It took quite some work to get it out of the hold and on to the transporter that took it through Dublin to the maintenance base.
As to why it was flown over rather than coming by ship, as the rest of the order did, we never found out the reason for that.
It took quite some work to get it out of the hold and on to the transporter that took it through Dublin to the maintenance base.
As to why it was flown over rather than coming by ship, as the rest of the order did, we never found out the reason for that.

Join Date: Mar 2005
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Just landing on this post...Did somebody here spoke about General Electric Dash 9-44 CWs diesel locomotives (180 tons) that were ferried from GE factory (Ohio?) to Australia on board of an An 225 a few years ago?
Dom
Dom
Join Date: Nov 2004
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Highly unlikely. There is just no reason or need for any Dash 9's to be airfreighted to Australia from the U.S. The charter cost over that distance would be astronomical.
They are West Australian Iron Ore loco's .. the Iron Ore Co's plan ahead, and any imported from the U.S. (new or used) are shipped by sea.
Can't even recall an AN225 ever landing at Perth .. however my memory has been faulty, once ..
Maybe this is one you're thinking of?? ..
http://www.historyofaircargo.com/i-T...ane-takes.html
They are West Australian Iron Ore loco's .. the Iron Ore Co's plan ahead, and any imported from the U.S. (new or used) are shipped by sea.
Can't even recall an AN225 ever landing at Perth .. however my memory has been faulty, once ..

Maybe this is one you're thinking of?? ..
http://www.historyofaircargo.com/i-T...ane-takes.html
Sending the Irish locomotive (which you linked to) by Antonov was all part of planning ahead. It allowed the maintenance teams to get up to speed on an example before the bulk of the delivery arrived by sea so they could be deployed immediately on arrival. All calculated out, it gave the best return on investment.
StandupfortheUlstermen
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Thousands of cubic feet of stale air, how's that for strange? I kid you not, it happened 21st Sept TOM2017 Cardiff-Sanford. They offloaded every pax hold bag in favour of transporting a load of old manky stale Welsh air. Airlines eh, aren't they just fab!!
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Strange, lead lined, canisters into a grass strip in Holland, A BMW would turn up, swap the canisters over, then drive off.
I should imagine all was perfectly legal, but there always seemed to be a lack of paperwork.
I should imagine all was perfectly legal, but there always seemed to be a lack of paperwork.
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Strange Freight To Remember
Strangest freight carried.....
A DC-10 load of silver bricks from Switzerland to Mambi India as an F/O for Gemini Air Cargo, and a 3/4 load of dead chickens delivered to Venezuella in a 727 while Captain for Capital Cargo. (No Ground A/C in Miami during a departure delay) Man were they ticked down there....
Back in the early 80's, transportating a load of Bahamian Defense Force soldier/drug types delivered to an out island at night in a DC-3, and consequently heard popping sounds in the plane's metal airframe after take-off. That was fun!
Jackie Onasis's race horse delivered to a tiny airport in Northwest France, with a taxiway too narrow for the DC-8, and a perfect single trench on both sides of the taxiway, from the outer main wheels, as we took out all their taxi lights.
Cheers!
Capt. Dave Bertrand (Ret.)
A DC-10 load of silver bricks from Switzerland to Mambi India as an F/O for Gemini Air Cargo, and a 3/4 load of dead chickens delivered to Venezuella in a 727 while Captain for Capital Cargo. (No Ground A/C in Miami during a departure delay) Man were they ticked down there....
Back in the early 80's, transportating a load of Bahamian Defense Force soldier/drug types delivered to an out island at night in a DC-3, and consequently heard popping sounds in the plane's metal airframe after take-off. That was fun!
Jackie Onasis's race horse delivered to a tiny airport in Northwest France, with a taxiway too narrow for the DC-8, and a perfect single trench on both sides of the taxiway, from the outer main wheels, as we took out all their taxi lights.
Cheers!
Capt. Dave Bertrand (Ret.)
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Myself;$16,000 USD worth of caviar for a well known singer/artist couple's breakfast in StBarths. 10kg box with its own handler!
My co-worker: 2 150lb endangered Turtles for a certain owner of a record company/airline/soft drink brand.
X
My co-worker: 2 150lb endangered Turtles for a certain owner of a record company/airline/soft drink brand.
X
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Apologoies for jumping, I am an ex freight forwarder, and could not resist the opportunity to post.
Back in the late 80's I worked for a forwarder at Gatwick who was tasked with the importation of a 28ft python constrictor for a tv ad. ( was the follow up to the real fires "the cat, the dog and the mouse" which someof you may remember.
Anyway, the said snake was packed in a crate with instructions to be loaded loose in the hold on arrival @ lgw due to the cold temperatues (jan in UK is never warm), these instructions were totally ignored, and the result being, that when said snake was delivered to cargo warehouse door, the vet who was looking after him looked at him and said snake was suffering from Hypothermia. We loaded crate into the back of a transit van, and headed for the nearest hotel, screeched up outside, and asked the hotel reception for a room with a hot bath for our dangerously cold snake! Anyway, all had a happy ending, advert was shown (just the once before it was banned, apparently a snake in the bath with a small child was deemed unsafe...)
Back in the late 80's I worked for a forwarder at Gatwick who was tasked with the importation of a 28ft python constrictor for a tv ad. ( was the follow up to the real fires "the cat, the dog and the mouse" which someof you may remember.
Anyway, the said snake was packed in a crate with instructions to be loaded loose in the hold on arrival @ lgw due to the cold temperatues (jan in UK is never warm), these instructions were totally ignored, and the result being, that when said snake was delivered to cargo warehouse door, the vet who was looking after him looked at him and said snake was suffering from Hypothermia. We loaded crate into the back of a transit van, and headed for the nearest hotel, screeched up outside, and asked the hotel reception for a room with a hot bath for our dangerously cold snake! Anyway, all had a happy ending, advert was shown (just the once before it was banned, apparently a snake in the bath with a small child was deemed unsafe...)