Those NIMBYs had beeter watch out tonight if the weather holds !! I hear it could be on its way.

And I believe it has arrived?

Presumably before the 747, the C-133s picking up trhe first USMC Harriers were the largest aeroplanes in there any pictures of them ? I could have dreamt it though.

Just passed Dunsfold on my way to work, it's definately arrived!

And some pictures from Dunsfold!

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/846659/L/

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/846660/L/

I seem to remember bidding for (and being awarded) an overtime trip to fly a Trident from Heathrow to Dunsfold but scheduling later took the trip off me stating, I quote, "Your Technical Manager suggests it's (Dunsfold) very difficult to find and rather a short runway so he will be doing the trip".... I kept the overtime payment and spent the afternoon in the garden.

Here is the thread from the Africa Forum giving all the details and some great photos of the 747 landing at Rand Airport. And to think I battled to keep a C-150 away from the runway edge when I started my PPL there :uhoh:

Regards
Stoney

Hanna

They used C141s to pick up the initial USMC Harriers

Are you related to my heroine?

JF

John.

Named after but no relation. I flew a Grunau Baby once though. She was spelt without the "t" though I've read articles which used it.

Obviously you were there and I just imagined it. Maybe someone just said they'd use 133s. Only of interest because they were such rare visitors to the UK.

Hanna.

According to the books(!!!!!!!) at a max landing weight of 285 tons, 6,500 is required for the 747 to land and stop.

Hanna

You should have a PM from me

John

John, Hanna

C-133's did pick up the USMC AV-8A's then were replaced with the C-141's..
I lived in Cranleigh not far from You John and watched the 133's fly over then rush down after school to see them on the ground..
happy days......
Was at Dunsfold on Saturday (28th) for the airfield meeting for the Wing's and Wheels event there on the 4th June.. Was like visiting an old friend !!..
747 looks empressive there !!

Nik Read
Brooklands Museum Volunteer..

(used to look after G-VTOL)

The SAA plane was retired to Rand Airport. The pilot practised on a sim for a month before the final flight and did several VERY low fly-by's in the week leading up to the last flight. (I believe he actually touched down a couple of times)

The flight from JHB Int (Jan Smuts) to Rand would have been the shortest if he'd flown direct, but he didn't - he was in the air for a while.

Notice full flaps and spoilers etc? Pilot was not alowed to use rev thrust because the engines were removed and returned to service on other planes and rev thrust would have ingested dirt because the engines all overhang the runway.

I've been on a tour of the plane (Lebombo). It's cool. You get to crawl all over it and my sister took some nice pictures of me sitting inside an engine cowl and on the main landing gear etc.

Well worth a visit if your nearby.

:-)

If they were at all worried, they could always have asked Captain Khayyat to assist. After all, he has landed a fully-laden 747 on a runway of length 4,800 feet!
:p

Also glimpsed at Dunsfold during this series of Top Gear - the Red Arrows.

NW, that's the length of the runway in Guernsey, C.I... Are you sure...that'd be incredible!

:eek: :eek:

FTO, think "India" and 1997!