DC-8.

Used to fly Sea World charters around the USA. Fairly standard load:

seals
sharks
penguins
dolphins
-all on the same load

whales
polar bears
etc.

Great times!

22,000 pounds of dynamite from Ilopango to CHS during the Salvadoran war in a Herc. Military contract. We didn't worry about it, because if it had gone off, we wouldn't have heard a thing.

Four hundred fifty kg of distilled water in 5 gallon jugs going from the the mid east to the USA. I guess they couldn't boil water in the the US at that time.

A courier with five carry on bags. each with 75kg of gold. From a Middle Eastern country to Libya.

29,000 chicks. DC3. Pipes from cabin to our side windows to vent the poor things. 16 hours and our necks red from the particles of feathers.


Worse, more boxes than you could shake a stick at on DC3 SEN to Rochester. Full of WORMS. When hearing came back on shutdown. (it did then) you could hear a kind of slime noise. You think slime doesn't have a noise? Fly a million worms and say that. Bloody fishermen.


6 X 40 gal drums of Petrol to a colleague who's fuel had not covered his surprise diversion. Got permission to do allsorts when we needed to get the oil out of the sea.

And I thought BA were generous with 2 x 23 kg !

Did he really carry them on ?

More to the point, did he stow them correctly in the overhead lockers or underneath the seat infront of him ? :cool:

A human head on ice. For medical research rather than transplant I supposed.

saw a photo from a friend flying cargo posting a photo on facebook with cash only in the back of his A330
crazy stuff

Most memorable flight I've ever done has to be 900 pigs on the main deck of a 744F on their way to China. I can still smell them to this day :{

About a ton of polish (in lots of little bottles, boxed) for onward shipment to an Iranian car manufacturer. Flew it from ACI to GCI on three flights in a PA28. It had missed the boat to Guernsey and was already late, so that got it on its way fairly promptly.

6 Indian guys that had bought out the whole busines class. (12 seats) Each had two massive suitcases that were too heavy to carry by one person. 6 seats had this massive suitcase on them and the rest between those 6 seats as they were too heavy and big for the overhead bins. Content: cash money. :ok:

5 Live Zambezi sharks in a massive water tank from JNB to AMS

Gold and Lions
 

800kg of Gold from a gold mine strip to the international airport on a weekly basis in Ghana in a L410!

And a friend of mine carried 2 baby lions on a Hawker800 from Dubai to Sana and they destroy part of the aircraft interior, while playing and p...

Happy days!

Not really strange but unique and carried in a 20 tonne jet--

A paper bag with 5 Rolex watches and a cell phone

A small envelope with 50,000 Euro in 500 euro notes

Fergie - the then Duchess of York on an Emery DC8 from STN.

My job was to show her around the AC and introduce her to the crew. The main deck was full of relief supplies.

Once I'd given her a quick tour - we got back on the ramp to meet some local dignitaries and the airport managers.

Discretely she then asked me 'What do I do if I need the bathroom?'

The thoughtful crew hastily erected a little curtain to protect her modesty in said on board facility.

Unless you are being particularly unkind, the D of Y counts as baggage rather than freight.

RHRP

:D:D:D:D:D

Strangest freight
 

I did the trials to get Mrs Thatcher to the Falklands after the conflict. Internal fuel tank at the front, and caravan in the back for her. No probs until the fuel tank was filled!
Put ballast on the ramp, was OK until the internal tank was empty!
The LM had to move weight during the flight to FI to keep the a/c in trim!

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - Original Car (always wondered why ti wasnt just flown over on it own maybe ETOPS regs :ok:)

Basking Sharks in a tank

Nobbled Race Horses (well they were once i fed them polo mints)

Pigs and I agree with 750XL on his comment - BTW word of advice you cant tell which direction a pig is gonna pee due to its curly wurly bits :uhoh:

Big Cats going to from zoo - those AVI boxes physically rocked when being loaded...

US Military Rescue Submarine complete with its own MACK truck and trailer. The trailer was lined with snap on type tool boxes all brand new (very nice)...

And while in Military the famous "bucket of sunshine" (those that know, know. Those that dont, dont :mad:)

Capt Chaos

Was inflight refuelling not consideed if VIP aboard?

John

Hi,
I was at Accra in July 1960 with the Beverleys and Britannias, in charge of the RAF Ground Crew-- we were doing the Airlift to the Congo--I would really like to swap notes with you. Alan luto

[email protected]

300 Kgs of pure Columbian Cocaine in Bulk Hold 5 with an RAF Police Alsatian guarding it. Oh & a former Chief of The Defence Staff with his good lady wife, all on the same flight... MPN-ASI.

And before the dissenters start, it was part of a seizure from a Chilean trawler that put into Fitzroy with engine trouble on its way up to Europe.

800 kgs of condoms on a UN-WFP flight from Kinshasa to Bukavu, DRC on a L410. :}

The surprise came the next day when on our way back to the airport from the hotel saw local kids selling peanuts wrapped in condoms... :ugh:

We basically flew just over 7 hrs there and back, burnt 2100 kgs of JetA1, paid an average of 800-1200USD worth of landing/navigation/parking fees at each fuel stop (3 in total) and wasted 2 full days in the midst of a Ebola pandemic where all the resources would've been needed to provide humanitarian flights planned by the same organization.

All for 800 kgs worth of plastic wrap for black market peanuts - founded by the United Nations. Go figure... :D

BOEING 727

A sole PMC palet with a box 80cm x 80cm...guess what it was

Dan Dare took Haile Selassie's silver throne to Addis

Two convicted murderers from Kalemi to Lubumbashi. They were trussed up like Buxted chickens, with fence wire, handcuffs, nylon cord and covered by an armed guard. The guards weapon was empty as was the magazine, orders from me, but the guy stood steadfast pointing his AK at them for the whole flight. These two had boarded a Tanzanian ferry from a small boat at night to rob passengers, many jumped overboard in panic and were never seen again. If I remember right they were responsible for 14 peoples demise.

A case of live bees.

Of course, half of them escaped and took their anger out on the loaders.

strangest freight
 

Several Times a 20 tons Pay load of ...... Euros bills ...... From the european central bank to various european countrys !

And also Many Times 10 tons ...... Of Breitlings !
From Basel to Bruxels or Leipzig !

..... Guessed who was the carrier ?

The emperor
 

Had Emperor Bokassa on board mit grand coach.
He shook hands on completion of flight and Capt counted his fingers after
to ensure he still all of 'em
Not long after Bosakka was 'done' for cannibalism
Main course ?

Diamonds from Dundo to Luanda during the Angolan civil war...I think. :cool:

Live sharks being transported from Brisbane to Melbourne, Australia.

My niece worked for a freight forwarder on the phone lines, and said she'd dealt with a live shark missing in transit. Maybe I should hook you two up and see if its the same one...

Had three Ostriches today?

Just a pax flight.

But accompanied by 56Kg gold and 230Kg bank notes.

halas

Two live dolphins from Rimini to Exeter in a C-47 Dakota.

That is criminal! That is worse than the economy cabin of an EK A380!

Emirites? or Oman?

A jerry can of Diesel. Vienna to Dresden. Both cities well equipped with petrol stations.

Horse semen.

PortVale, is there anything to stop those camels from moving around and shifting the CG? How many gallons of urine did you drain out of the belly after that flight?