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Interesting aircraft - what have you seen on your computer today?

Spectators Balcony (Spotters Corner) If you're not a professional pilot but want to discuss issues about the job, this is the best place to loiter. You won't be moved on by 'security' and there'll be plenty of experts to answer any questions.

Interesting aircraft - what have you seen on your computer today?

Old 20th Feb 2021, 15:13
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VP-BAT apparently went to storage at Marana, AZ in October 2019 and was reported to still be present in December 2020.
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Old 20th Feb 2021, 15:49
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Perhaps NASA will buy it as SOFIA"S sister ? ;-)
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Old 20th Feb 2021, 18:01
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They've got a second ex Pan Am SP which is stored at Mojave - I assume they acquired it for spares...
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Old 20th Feb 2021, 21:16
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Originally Posted by treadigraph
They've got a second ex Pan Am SP which is stored at Mojave - I assume they acquired it for spares...
I don't believe there are that many spares which are unique to the SP rather than being standards of a normal 747-200B of the same era. It was one of the upsides of the SP development programme.

In contrast, the scheme to rebuild and enlarge a normal 747-200B to have the same extended upper deck as the subsequent 747-300 ran into some very considerable cost issues which somehow the Boeing designers of the scheme hadn't foreseen in detail, principally because the 747 control runs are up inside the cabin roof which was being replaced. As the increase in seats was not that much anyway the cost was not really worth it, and Boeing still lost a packet on the limited number actually done.

Last edited by WHBM; 21st Feb 2021 at 10:18.
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Old 21st Feb 2021, 09:28
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I read that N747A's engines have been removed for use with N747NA, though the most recent Google shots of Mojave (2017) show it looking intact. I imagine investment in the SOFIA kit will mean NASA will want to keep N747NA flying as long as possible.

I see also that it began life with Braniff - trying to recall if I ever saw one in their colours. Did they ever visit Gatwick?
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Old 21st Feb 2021, 09:35
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Did they ever visit Gatwick?
Yes....

https://images.app.goo.gl/vzhgXBgCC5JgwNEN7
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Old 21st Feb 2021, 10:00
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Ahhhh... may have see one then, sure I did but it may have been a photo... Ta.
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Old 21st Feb 2021, 11:37
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EK 201 DXB-JFK descended to 20k over the North Sea,held for a while and is now pointing at AMS
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Old 21st Feb 2021, 14:04
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Quote:
Did they ever visit Gatwick?
Yes....

https://images.app.goo.gl/vzhgXBgCC5JgwNEN7


Those photos bring back nice memories, not just of the Braniff 747SP's, but also the other long gone airlines and airliners in the background at LGW.
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Old 21st Feb 2021, 21:59
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Originally Posted by treadigraph
Planespotters lists just four as active, NASA, two with Pratt & Whitney and one based at Las Vegas. Three written off, one preserved and of the remainder, roughly half are listed as scrapped, the rest stored or parked.
Isn't A4O-SO Oman Royal Flight still active? Although it doesn't fly much but then it never did fly that much..
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Old 21st Feb 2021, 22:59
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Originally Posted by MAC 40612
Isn't A4O-SO Oman Royal Flight still active? Although it doesn't fly much but then it never did fly that much..
I can't find any evidence of it having flown in the last 12 months.
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Old 22nd Feb 2021, 08:23
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Originally Posted by SpringHeeledJack
Those photos bring back nice memories, not just of the Braniff 747SP's, but also the other long gone airlines and airliners in the background at LGW.
There are three 707s and a Britannia top right of that picture. The tip of the tail just poking out behind the Braniff 747SP tail is Tradewinds by the look of it. I recall the Britannia tail logo but can't for the life of me remember the name of the operator, ditto for the 707 nearest the camera in the same compound. Any offers?
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Old 22nd Feb 2021, 08:40
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Britannia is actually the Cyprus Airways CL-44 5B-DAN (might have had more than one) and I think the 707 is a Korean Airlines freighter if I recall my colour schemes aright. Pretty certain I saw them there on several occasions.

I'm not actually sure who's the third 707 is - Pelican Airways? A partial Dan-Air scheme?

I lover seeing old pics of airports - American airport pics from the 50s/60s/70s are often a treasure trove of background gems, sadly mostly smelted now.
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Old 22nd Feb 2021, 08:53
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Originally Posted by treadigraph
Britannia is actually the Cyprus Airways CL-44 5B-DAN (might have had more than one) and I think the 707 is a Korean Airlines freighter if I recall my colour schemes aright. Pretty certain I saw them there on several occasions.

I'm not actually sure who's the third 707 is - Pelican Airways? A partial Dan-Air scheme?

I lover seeing old pics of airports - American airport pics from the 50s/60s/70s are often a treasure trove of background gems, sadly mostly smelted now.
I think the Cyprus Airways CL-44 must have passed me by completely, but the tail scheme does look right. What were they carrying, fruit and veg perhaps, or textiles - probably a bit too early for the latter, I recall back then the UK still had a pretty big textile industry, especially around these parts. I agree, the 707 tail does look like Korean now you come to mention it.
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Old 22nd Feb 2021, 09:05
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Looks like Cyprus only had 'DAN (ex-Tradewinds) for around two years between '78 and '80 when it was written off at Akrotiri. Not sure what it would have freighted to Cyprus regularly, British food and beers for the services/expat/holiday population of Cyprus perhaps!
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Old 22nd Feb 2021, 11:31
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Originally Posted by treadigraph
Looks like Cyprus only had 'DAN (ex-Tradewinds) for around two years between '78 and '80 when it was written off at Akrotiri. Not sure what it would have freighted to Cyprus regularly, British food and beers for the services/expat/holiday population of Cyprus perhaps!
There was a longstanding airfreight export of fruit/vegetables from Cyprus to the UK/Western Europe; back in the 1960s British Eagle were dominant with cargo Britannias but it originated in the pioneer days of Avro Yorks etc. If you ever saw "Cyprus early season new potatoes" in the greengrocer's shop in Spring, they would be airfreighted ones; ship would take too long.

Although registered to Cyprus Airways, the CL-44s were actually operated by Tradewinds, who it was purchased from, and as the aircraft was lost when it was doing a training flight they were likely getting local (who were probably British expats anyway) crews trained, a couple of years after it was bought. It was operating out of Larnaca, undercarriage jammed, and it was diverted to a foamed runway at Akrotiri. Tradewinds had leased them various Canadairs previously.

There's a second Tradewinds 707 behind the Wardair 747-200B.
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Old 22nd Feb 2021, 11:44
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I'd noticed the Tradewinds 707 behind the Wardair 747 but not the one behind the Braniff SP! The other 707 is indeed Pelican Cargo...

Blimey, Pelican are still trading and based in Crawley, albeit as Icelandic owned freight forwarders rather than an air transport operator!
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Old 22nd Feb 2021, 14:00
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AN-12b

AN-12 UR -CKM .
Airborne EMA en-route AGP at approx 14.50
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Old 22nd Feb 2021, 14:14
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15.15 AN12 o/head Bicester heading East, quite low, really good view.
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Old 22nd Feb 2021, 18:45
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Behind the Braniff SP photo the 707 on the extreme right looks like Air Algerie. I believe Dan-Air/IAS had a lease arrangement with them at the time and partially painted a 707 in the livery.
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