727 stolen from Angola
GunsssR4ever
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From the AFRICAN FORUM
... Some more info from the same thread on the African Forum : 
The only building this bird damaged was the domestic pax terminal in Luanda.
It was stuck in the mud and the tug could not budge it so buddy gets in and powers it out.
727 at full power, tail to the terminal......
It coated everything with mud then blew the roof off the baggage area before then taking the tug for a ride.
Oh africa.....
Cheers,
Gunnssss
The only building this bird damaged was the domestic pax terminal in Luanda.
It was stuck in the mud and the tug could not budge it so buddy gets in and powers it out.
727 at full power, tail to the terminal......
It coated everything with mud then blew the roof off the baggage area before then taking the tug for a ride.
Oh africa.....
Cheers,
Gunnssss
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"airport employee Luis Lopes, said he saw a white man start the empty plane and then take off after a few dangerous land manoeuvres."
In the US the article describing a thief would be "airport employee Luis Lopes, said he saw a black man start the empty plane and then take off after a few dangerous land manoeuvres."
All sounds a touch racist.
In the US the article describing a thief would be "airport employee Luis Lopes, said he saw a black man start the empty plane and then take off after a few dangerous land manoeuvres."
All sounds a touch racist.
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I think you guys are getting paranoid, up there in the real world and obviously some of you have never worked in the third world.
If and I stress the word “IF” this was a terrorist type thing then I can think of a lot more countries with a lot more aircraft scattered around them that are closer to Europe and North America.
Check out the African forum and read into what has been said and “may” get an understanding about what happened.
The reality of what goes on is these places will astound some of you in the oversensitive, tree hugging nandy pandy, nimby, ‘free’ world.
Airside security does not exist to those that are determined, think of the shoe shine kids and hangar rats everywhere in Africa, the families that were living in the grass beside the runway in manila, and the millions of places out there that jets go to where the runway is simply a wide pedestrian crossing built through the middle of town.
You don’t need to ask what goes on, you don’t publicise that stuff in public forum people like to sit back in there chairs and say ooohh, isn’t that bad, doesn’t the world need to fix that.
Gimme a break, in southwest Africa alone billions of dollars go missing every year from government coffers, more than enough than enough to run the whole WFP program for ever.
The day that the WFP are making food drops by Herc and 727 in France is that day that people will understand the third world having never been there.
Ok rant over, wake up and smell the coffee, it has nothing to do with osama bin hiding.
If and I stress the word “IF” this was a terrorist type thing then I can think of a lot more countries with a lot more aircraft scattered around them that are closer to Europe and North America.
Check out the African forum and read into what has been said and “may” get an understanding about what happened.
The reality of what goes on is these places will astound some of you in the oversensitive, tree hugging nandy pandy, nimby, ‘free’ world.
Airside security does not exist to those that are determined, think of the shoe shine kids and hangar rats everywhere in Africa, the families that were living in the grass beside the runway in manila, and the millions of places out there that jets go to where the runway is simply a wide pedestrian crossing built through the middle of town.
You don’t need to ask what goes on, you don’t publicise that stuff in public forum people like to sit back in there chairs and say ooohh, isn’t that bad, doesn’t the world need to fix that.
Gimme a break, in southwest Africa alone billions of dollars go missing every year from government coffers, more than enough than enough to run the whole WFP program for ever.
The day that the WFP are making food drops by Herc and 727 in France is that day that people will understand the third world having never been there.
Ok rant over, wake up and smell the coffee, it has nothing to do with osama bin hiding.
I am a figment of my own imagination
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Hey Con just thinking the same thing. Pressures up, essential switched, change seats, start one, quick peep start valve engaged pressure rising, N1 fuel shut off, actualy, apart from nipping back for a sec just to have a quick set up and the pole and bubble gum would probably do it. Nice to have an autopilot that halfway works, some of these junk birds in the Dark Continent have been a bit neglected! Where the hell was he parked? last time I was in Luanda they still had a smidgen of tarmac though there were some holes. Getting rid of the tug might have been tricky before blasting off into the blue though.
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CBC here in Canada ran a feature yesterdays in their news bulletin about that plane. Seems that the US State department is very interest in finding out what happened to it. A 'leading aviation expert' interviewed by the network said that the plane could fly to the US and be 'invisible' to FAA radars until it crashed into a building (I guess he meant the crew could turn the transponder off)...
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Has that "leading aviation expert" ever heard about a big plane with four engines and a big frisbee on the roof, called AWACS ?
Well, these planes didn't spend much time on the ground since September 12th so nobody can blame him.
I don't know who paid that guy to talk to the mass media, but I hope it was not much. What's the point of scaring people when you have no idea how real is the threat ?
Well, these planes didn't spend much time on the ground since September 12th so nobody can blame him.
I don't know who paid that guy to talk to the mass media, but I hope it was not much. What's the point of scaring people when you have no idea how real is the threat ?
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How close would a fully fueled 727 have to be to CONUS to have a go? Surely there is a watch out for this 727s like this in Europe?
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Well if they are terrorists they made a good choice of aircraft. Besides a military jet there are no big jets that can keep up with the 727.
In reality, the 727 airframe could have been the "Sonic Cruiser" with a bit of a nip and tuck and some new quiet fuel efficient engines. With the JT8Ds she will hit Mach .98 in level flight.
Load the belly with extra fuel tanks and the cabin with Semetex. If she left Algeria and flew really low across the pond she could be in France or the UK in no time at all. They would be even smarter if they stole a transponder from another aircraft that nobody is going to notice for awhile and by the time the UK military figured it out Buckinham Palace would be a war zone.
Don't get me wrong I for sure do not want ANY more airplanes used in the manner that the terrorists like to use them.
In reality, the 727 airframe could have been the "Sonic Cruiser" with a bit of a nip and tuck and some new quiet fuel efficient engines. With the JT8Ds she will hit Mach .98 in level flight.
Load the belly with extra fuel tanks and the cabin with Semetex. If she left Algeria and flew really low across the pond she could be in France or the UK in no time at all. They would be even smarter if they stole a transponder from another aircraft that nobody is going to notice for awhile and by the time the UK military figured it out Buckinham Palace would be a war zone.
Don't get me wrong I for sure do not want ANY more airplanes used in the manner that the terrorists like to use them.
GunsssR4ever
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"FLYING BOMB" over Africa !
Today's Newspaper Headline ...
A missing passenger jet that appears to have been converted into a fuel tanker has not entered South African airspace, officials here said on Wednesday.
South Africa was asked by US officials via Interpol to help trace the aircraft, said Mary Martins-Engelbrecht, spokesperson for the South African police.
There were, however, reports that the Boeing 727, missing since it took from an airport in Angola, may be in West Africa, said Trevor Abrahams, commissioner of South Africa's civil aviation authority.
Abrahams said that the plane is known to be an American registered plane and that there were no reports that it had picked up new fuel, suggesting that it had not travelled far.
Engelbrecht said she could not confirm the reports.
US officials in Washington said that the plane was probably being used for criminal purposes, and has not been linked to a terrorist plot.
Chris Yates, the Janes Aviation and Security editor, said in a phone interview from London that the plane was chartered from an Angolan company with a history of having planes vanish for gun running or other illegal activities.
Yates said it was "extremely worrisome" to have such an aircraft go missing, whether it was in the hands of terrorists or gun runners.
"It concerns me because this is by all accounts a tanker conversion and if one follows that through effectively, what you have is a flying bomb," said Yates.
The US Embassy in South Africa was working alongside other embassies in the region to gather information on the plane's possible whereabouts, said the embassy's spokesperson Judy Moon.
A missing passenger jet that appears to have been converted into a fuel tanker has not entered South African airspace, officials here said on Wednesday. South Africa was asked by US officials via Interpol to help trace the aircraft, said Mary Martins-Engelbrecht, spokesperson for the South African police.
There were, however, reports that the Boeing 727, missing since it took from an airport in Angola, may be in West Africa, said Trevor Abrahams, commissioner of South Africa's civil aviation authority.
Abrahams said that the plane is known to be an American registered plane and that there were no reports that it had picked up new fuel, suggesting that it had not travelled far.
Engelbrecht said she could not confirm the reports.
US officials in Washington said that the plane was probably being used for criminal purposes, and has not been linked to a terrorist plot.
Chris Yates, the Janes Aviation and Security editor, said in a phone interview from London that the plane was chartered from an Angolan company with a history of having planes vanish for gun running or other illegal activities.
Yates said it was "extremely worrisome" to have such an aircraft go missing, whether it was in the hands of terrorists or gun runners.
"It concerns me because this is by all accounts a tanker conversion and if one follows that through effectively, what you have is a flying bomb," said Yates.
The US Embassy in South Africa was working alongside other embassies in the region to gather information on the plane's possible whereabouts, said the embassy's spokesperson Judy Moon.
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Like I said previously folks, If that was a US registered X American Airlines B-727 reg.#N844AA , and it was converted to a fuel tanker last year. It has ten 500 gallon aluminum tanks bolted to the floor with 4 inch valves on each tank joined together by 4 inch high pressure hoses leading to the aft where refueling is accomplished. There is also a very unique vent system which allows almost zero fumes into the aircraft. The tanks are held to the seat tracks in four corners buy half inch bolts.(I would hate to see where the tanks would end up if a few G's were pulled) The aircraft was delivered to Luanda by a South African man known as Keith Irwin. Sorry I had to repeat his name again.
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US aircraft missing in Africa??
Hi all,
THIS IS PURELY A RUMOUR
Anyone know anything of a US a/c missing in Africa?
That's all I've heard - nought about whether civil or mil or anything else.
Thanks
TD67.
THIS IS PURELY A RUMOUR
Anyone know anything of a US a/c missing in Africa?
That's all I've heard - nought about whether civil or mil or anything else.
Thanks
TD67.
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Thanks 747FOCAL but that was a couple of weeks ago... hearing about something possibly more recent.
But thanks
Actually a bit of word-eating to be done here.
Seems like ABC in the States has picked up on this and that the 727 involved apparently was ex-AA and had lots of fuel tanks. The ABC story apparently says the nice young chaps from Langley are on the hunt.
But thanks
Actually a bit of word-eating to be done here.
Seems like ABC in the States has picked up on this and that the 727 involved apparently was ex-AA and had lots of fuel tanks. The ABC story apparently says the nice young chaps from Langley are on the hunt.
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HAVE YOU SEEN THIS AIRCRAFT??
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/215616
MMM..... I wondetr if there is a reward??
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/215616
MMM..... I wondetr if there is a reward??
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No, it's the same one. Just the usual delay in US news media picking up anything that happens elsewhere. Oh yes, and the possibility of a 'terrorist' angle is good for ratings/circulation.
And I now extend the same criticism (only moreso) to the BBC who have only picked up this 'item' today (June 19). Proves they don't monitor PPRuNe I suppose.
And I now extend the same criticism (only moreso) to the BBC who have only picked up this 'item' today (June 19). Proves they don't monitor PPRuNe I suppose.
Last edited by PaperTiger; 20th Jun 2003 at 01:08.