when was the boeing 747 first used for commercial service
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A double-deck aircraft has two decks for passengers; the second deck may be only a partial deck, and may be above or below the main deck. Most commercial aircraft have one passenger deck and one cargo deck for luggage and ULD containers, but a few have two decks for passengers, typically above or below a third deck for cargo. History Many early flying boat airliners, such as the Boeing 314 Clipper and Short Sandringham, had two decks. Following World War II the Stratocruiser, a partially double-decked derivative of the B-29 Superfortress, became popular with airlines around the world. The first full double-deck aircraft was the French Breguet Deux-Ponts, in service from 1953. The first partial double-deck jet airliner was the widebody Boeing 747, in service from 1970, with the top deck smaller than the main deck. Boeing originally designed the distinctive 747 bubble top with air cargo usage in mind. The small top deck permitted the cockpit and a few passengers and nose doors with unobstructed access to the full length of the hold. Most 747s are passenger jets, and a small percentage are cargo jets with nose doors. The first full double-deck jet airliner is the Airbus A380, which has two passenger decks extending the full length of the fuselage, as well as a full-length lower third deck for cargo. It entered regular service in late-October 2007. List of double-deck aircraft Double-deck flying boats Latécoère 521/522 Martin M-130 Latécoère 631 Sud-Est SE.200 Amphitrite Boeing 314 Clipper Dornier Do-X Short Sandringham Short Empire C-Class and the related G-class Saunders-Roe Princess - did not enter service. Partial second passenger deck Caproni Ca.48/58 Extra seats on top of the passenger cabin. Airbus A330 and Airbus A340 Optional lower deck lavatories and crew rest Boeing 377 Stratocruiser Lower deck could be configured for lounge areas or additional seating Boeing 747 Partial upper deck lounge areas or seating Optional upper deck crew rest and galleys Boeing 767 Optional lower level crew rest area sleeps six Boeing 777 Optional lower deck lavatories and galley Optional upper deck crew rest Junkers G.38 Ilyushin Il-86 Lower deck galley Lower deck "self loading luggage storage" Lockheed L-1011 Tristar Lower deck galley Lower deck lounge (Pacific Southwest Airlines) (LTU International) McDonnell Douglas DC-10 Lower deck galleys Tupolev Tu-114 Lower deck galleys. Lower deck aircrew rest area. Full second passenger deck Breguet 761, 763 and 765 Airbus A380 Cargo aircraft with a separate passenger deck Antonov An-225 Mriya Antonov An-124 Ruslan Lockheed C-5 Galaxy Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter Douglas C-124 Globemaster II Short Belfast Lockheed R6V Constitution Blackburn Beverley - military transport, the main deck could be used for cargo or troops Double-deck cargo aircraft Aviation Traders Carvair Armstrong Whitworth AW.660 Argosy Bristol Freighter Convair XC-99 Douglas C-124 Globemaster II Canceled projects for double-deck passenger aircraft Bach Super Transport McDonnell Douglas MD-12 Sukhoi KR-860 Vickers VC-10 Superb: see See also Large aircraft Wide-body aircraft References Aircraft configurations
Double-deck aircraft
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N747GE is a Boeing 747 aircraft that was used by General Electric Aircraft Engines (now known as GE Aerospace) as a testbed for several of the companies jet engines between 1992 and 2017, including the GE90 for the Boeing 777, at the time, the world’s largest jet engine. Before being purchased by GE, the aircraft was owned by Pan Am and registered N744PA. It was named Clipper Star of the Union between 1970 and 1982 and Clipper Ocean Spray between 1982 and 1992. History Service with Pan Am The Boeing 747-121 rolled off of Boeing's assembly line in 1969 as the 25th Boeing 747 constructed. Originally registered as N744PA, the aircraft was delivered to Pan American World Airways (Pan Am). N744PA remained under the ownership of Pan Am until 1991, when the airline declared bankruptcy on January 8, 1991. The aircraft was first named Clipper Star of the Union when delivered to Pan Am in 1970 and operated with that name until 1982 when it was renamed to Clipper Ocean Spray. Service with General Electric General Electric Aircraft Engines (now known as GE Aerospace) purchased the aircraft after Pan Am’s bankruptcy to serve as an airborne laboratory, specifically for testing jet engines from GE and its joint venture partners. The aircraft received several modifications, including removing seats, strengthening the left wing and tail for flight testing and installing data systems. Ironically, the aircraft was powered with Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines instead of the General Electric CF6. The company said at the time, there were no GE-powered 747s economically available for purchase. Using a four-engine aircraft allowed GE to swap out the engine on the #2 pylon for an engine under test. The company could then measure fuel burn and engine performance while also subjecting the test engine to difficult conditions such as a high angle of attack during aircraft stalls, zero-G operations, large sideslips and sustained flight in icing conditions. The aircraft first began flight testing out of Mojave Airport in California. In 2003, GE's flight test operations moved into a new hangar at the nearby Victorville Airport. They used a total of eleven engine models and a total of thirty-nine different kinds of engine builds, beginning with the massive General Electric GE90 for the Boeing 777. Other notable tests include the CFM International CFM56 and it's successor the CFM International LEAP for narrow-bodies, the Engine Alliance GP7000 for the Airbus A380, the General Electric GEnx for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 747-8, the General Electric CF34 for regional jets and the General Electric Passport for business jets. GE acquired another testbed aircraft in 2010, a newer 747-400. Facing growing maintenance costs, difficulty obtaining parts and a lack of modern navigation systems, GE made the decision to retire the aircraft. The aircraft made its last test flight with a GEnx engine under evaluation on January 25, 2017. The final flight of the aircraft occurred on November 15, 2018, when the aircraft departed from GE's test center Victorville and landed
N747GE
1068090
Lufthansa Flight 540 was a scheduled commercial flight for Lufthansa, serving the Frankfurt–Nairobi–Johannesburg route. On 20 November 1974, the Boeing 747-130 that was operating as Flight 540 was carrying 157 people (140 passengers and 17 crew members) crashed and caught fire shortly after taking off from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi for the last leg of the flight, resulting in the deaths of 55 passengers and 4 crew members. This was the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 747. Aircraft and crew Aircraft The aircraft involved was a Boeing 747-130 registered as D-ABYB and was named Hessen. It was the second 747 to be delivered to Lufthansa. It made its first flight on 30 March 1970 and was delivered to Lufthansa on 13 April the same year. The aircraft was powered by four Pratt and Whitney JT9D-7 turbofan engines. The aircraft had 16,781 flying hours at the time of the accident. Crew The flight crew consisted of 53-year-old Captain Christian Krack (who had more than 10,000 flight hours, with 1,619 hours on the Boeing 747), 35-year-old First Officer Hans-Joachim Schacke (3,418 flight hours, with more than 2,000 hours on the Boeing 747) and 51-year-old Flight Engineer Rudolf "Rudi" Hahn (13,000 hours of flying experience). Accident As the aircraft was making its takeoff from runway 24 at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, the pilots felt a buffeting vibration. The captain continued the climb and retracted the landing gear. However, as this was being done, the aircraft started to descend and the stall warning system light came on. The aircraft continued to descend and approximately from the end of the runway, the 747 airplane crashed in the grass. It then struck an elevated access road and broke up. The left wing exploded and fire spread to the fuselage. 55 of the 140 passengers and 4 of the 17 crew members died. Cause The cause of the crash was determined to be a stall caused by the leading edge slats (strictly speaking, outboard variable camber leading-edge slats and inboard Krueger flaps) having been left in the retracted position. Even though the trailing edge flaps were deployed, without the slats being extended the aircraft's stall speed was higher and the maximum angle of attack was lower. As a result, the aircraft was unable to climb out of ground effect. The flight engineer was found to have failed to open the slat system bleed air valves as required on the pre-flight checklist. This prevented bleed air from flowing to the 747's pneumatic slat system and, since the leading edge slats on the 747 are pneumatically driven, kept it from deploying the leading edge slats for takeoff. The takeoff warning system, which would have sounded an alarm if the flaps had not been set for takeoff, did not have a separate warning that the slats' pneumatic valve had not been opened by the flight engineer. The faulty state of the slats should by design have been indicated by yellow warning lights: one for
Lufthansa Flight 540
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This article lists the deadliest aircraft accidents and incidents involving commercial passenger and cargo flights, military passenger and cargo flights, or general aviation flights that have been involved in a ground or mid-air collision. As of , 206 accidents and incidents have resulted in at least 100 fatalities, 34 at least 200 fatalities, eight at least 300 fatalities, and four at least 500 fatalities. History On 17 September 1908, nearly five years after the pioneering flight of the Wright brothers on 17 December 1903, Thomas Selfridge became the first fatality of powered flight while flying as a passenger with Orville Wright during a demonstration of the Wright Model A at Fort Myer, Virginia. On 7 September 1909, Eugène Lefebvre was the first to be killed while piloting a powered airplane, while the first fatal mid-air collision occurred on 19 June 1912, near Douai, France, killing the pilot of each aircraft. Since the deaths of these early aviation pioneers, the scale of fatal aircraft accidents has increased in proportion to the size and capacity of airplanes. The greatest number of passenger fatalities involving one airline in a single calendar year occurred in 2014 with Malaysia Airlines, when 537 people died (presumably - with the wreckage unrecovered, the death toll is not entirely confirmed) in the disappearance of Flight 370 on 8 March and the shootdown of Flight 17 on 17 July. When including ground fatalities, American Airlines holds this distinction, with the 2001 crashes of Flight 11 and Flight 77 on 11 September, and Flight 587 on 12 November, with a combined total of approximately 2,000 deaths, including 416 people on the three aircraft. The deliberate crashes of the aforementioned American Airlines Flight 11, as well as United Airlines Flight 175 at the World Trade Center, and the subsequent collapse of both towers on 11 September 2001 caused 2,606 ground fatalities in addition to the deaths of the 157 people on board both flights, making it the deadliest aviation disaster in history. The most fatalities in any aviation accident in history occurred at the Tenerife North–Ciudad de La Laguna Airport (then Los Rodeos Airport) in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, on 27 March 1977, when a KLM Boeing 747-206B and a Pan Am Boeing 747-121 collided on a runway, killing 583 people. The largest number of fatalities from the accidental crash of a single aircraft occurred on 12 August 1985, when Japan Airlines Flight 123, a Boeing 747SR-46 en route from Tokyo to Osaka, crashed at Mount Takamagahara in Ueno, Gunma Prefecture, Japan, killing 520 people. The greatest number of fatalities from a mid-air collision occurred to the west of New Delhi, India, on 12 November 1996, when a Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747-168B en route from Delhi to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, collided with a Kazakhstan Airlines Ilyushin Il-76TD en route from Shymkent, Kazakhstan, to Delhi, killing all 349 people aboard both aircraft. In 2012, Boeing released a study of worldwide commercial jet airplane accidents between 1959 and 2011, reporting 1,798 accidents,
List of deadliest aircraft accidents and incidents
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Regentair was an airline with its headquarters in Westchester, Los Angeles, California. The airline, founded in October 1982 as Firstair, operated scheduled flights as Regent Air between Newark Airport (EWR) in the New York City area and Los Angeles (LAX) with Boeing 727-100 jetliners with their schedules appearing in the Feb. 15, 1985 Official Airline Guide (OAG) with one round trip flight a day except on Saturdays being operated between Newark and L.A. at this time. According to a Regent Air service brochure, its 727 aircraft were configured to carry just 30 passengers in an all first class cabin with the statement that "Regent Air is an experience in luxury that has no parallel in travel". The airline's aircraft were also available for charter. The airline offered complimentary limousine as well as connecting helicopter service for their flights, but fares were 50% higher than their competition's prices. From 1982 to 1985, when the Transportation Department approved its operation as a scheduled carrier, it had operated entirely as a charter service. Approval had been withheld because of the corporation's ties to persons alleged to have ties to organized crime. Regent Tours International acquired the airline in January 1986. Shortly after this acquisition, Regentair announced plans to initiate operations to Honolulu, Hawaii using Boeing 747s from Los Angeles and other United States cities. However, it appears the 747 service to Hawaii never got off the ground according to flight schedules in the OAG at the time. Fleet in 1985 The airline was operating the following aircraft in 1985: Three (3) Boeing 727-100 (B727-191 aircraft: registrations N502RA, N503RA and N504RA) References External links (Photo of Regent Boeing 727) (Photo of Regent Boeing 727) Companies based in Los Angeles
Regentair
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People Express Airlines, stylized as PEOPLExpress, was a low-cost airline in the United States that operated from 1981 to 1987, when it was merged into Continental Airlines. The airline's headquarters was in the North Terminal (later Terminal C) of Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in Newark, New Jersey. History Founding and rapid expansion The company was founded by Don Burr, and several others, who resigned from Frank Lorenzo's Texas International in order to do so. Burr was influenced by British airline entrepreneur Freddie Laker, whose forays into low-cost air travel attracted much press in the 1970s. Terminal space was leased at Newark Airport's North Terminal. The North Terminal was the primary passenger building at the airport until 1974 when Terminal A opened. Prior to People Express, the North Terminal was used by World Airways, and prior to the opening of Terminal C, North Terminal was used for international arrivals. People Express was launched on April 30, 1981, with Boeing 737 flights from Newark to Buffalo, Columbus and Norfolk; Jacksonville and Cleveland Hopkins were added a month later. In December PE had 42 weekday departures from EWR to Baltimore/Washington, Boston Logan, Burlington, Buffalo Niagara, Port Columbus, Jacksonville, Norfolk, Sarasota-Bradenton, Syracuse Hancock and Palm Beach plus some flights around the periphery of the hub-and-spokes. On May 26, 1983, People Express began non-stop flights from Newark to London's Gatwick Airport with a leased Boeing 747-227B previously operated by Braniff International Airways. Flights started at $149 each way. The route was an instant success with all flights sold out. The airline used a simplified fare structure. All seats on a route were offered at the same price except for slightly lower "off-peak" fares. All seats were in economy class except for "Premium Class" on Boeing 747 flights which featured two class service. Fares were paid in cash aboard the aircraft early in the flight. Passengers were permitted to bring one carry-on bag for free and each checked bag cost $3.00. People Express was the first United States airline to charge a fee for each checked bag. People Express also charged modest amounts for customers wanting food or beverages. Sodas cost 50¢ per can, beer cost $1 per can, honey-roasted peanuts and Rachel's brownies were also 50¢, and the People Express "snak-pak" (an assortment of cheeses, crackers, and salami) cost $2. By 1986, People Express was offering first class in addition to coach seating on all of its Boeing 747 aircraft. A full color print ad at the time stated: "AHHH....THE THINGS SOME PEOPLE HAVE TO DO TO SAVE MONEY. Introducing People Express First Class. Spacious leather seats, two abreast. Service beyond compare. Fine china, crystal and linen. Fresh flowers....A price lower than most standard coach fares on other airlines." This first class service was available on transatlantic flights between Newark and Europe, on transcontinental flights between Newark and California, and on 747 flights between Newark and Denver. Acquisitions of other airlines In 1985 People Express bought out Denver-based Frontier Airlines. The cover of the
People Express Airlines (1980s)
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Christchurch Airport is the main airport that serves Christchurch, New Zealand. It is located to the northwest of the city centre, in the suburb of Harewood. Christchurch (Harewood) Airport officially opened on 18 May 1940 and became New Zealand's first international airport on 16 December 1950. It is the second busiest airport in New Zealand, after Auckland and before Wellington by annual passengers, and the second busiest, after Auckland, by aircraft movements. Christchurch and Auckland are the only airports in New Zealand that regularly handle Boeing 747 and Airbus A380 aircraft. The airport is curfew free, operating 24 hours a day. The prevailing wind in Christchurch is from the north-east and to a lesser extent from the south-west, but the city is also affected by Canterbury's nor'wester foehn wind. As a result, the airport has two perpendicular runways: a primary runway (02/20) oriented with the north-easterly and south-westerly prevailing winds, and a secondary runway (11/29) oriented for use during nor'westers. The airport also has a third grass runway, parallel to the primary runway, for use by general aviation. To serve an increasing number of passengers, the airport has completed construction of a major terminal upgrade. The new construction's primary wing opened in 2011 and the upgrade was completed in 2013. History In 1935, the local council decided to locate a new aerodrome at Harewood as the best site for Christchurch. Development of the aerodrome at Harewood commenced in 1936 when 227 hectares of land was purchased. In 1937, a 915-metre runway and a 60 square metre terminal were constructed. In 1940, the airport became RNZAF Station Harewood. By 1946 the form of the terminal area development was established with hangars, a small terminal building, the water tower and some barracks buildings. In 1950, Christchurch Airport received clearance for international operations from the government. The two runways and parallel taxiway concept was established in 1953–runway 02/20 at 2,012 metres and 11/29 at 1,741 metres. In 1954, TEAL introduced Douglas DC-6 aircraft to its trans-Tasman services. In February 1960, a new terminal building, designed by architect Paul Pascoe, was brought into operation. A southwest extension to runway 02/20 opened in November 1963, extending the runway to and providing for commercial jet operations. In April 1965, scheduled jet services were launched by Qantas to Sydney using the Boeing 707. Later in 1966, an international wing was added to the domestic terminal. In October 1968, NAC operated its first Boeing 737 to the airport. SAFE Air introduced a Chatham Island air link to Christchurch in December 1969. In 1972 the north-west runway was completely resealed and repainted. The first scheduled Boeing 747 service to land in New Zealand arrived on 3 December 1972, a Qantas flight from Sydney. Air New Zealand introduced its McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft to trans-Tasman services from 31 October 1973. Extensions to the domestic terminal were completed in September 1975 with a new two level pier added, more than doubling the total floor area. In October that year, Air New
Christchurch Airport
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Connexion by Boeing (CBB) was an in-flight online internet connectivity service from Boeing. This service allowed travellers to access a high-speed internet connection while on board a plane in flight through a wired Ethernet or a wireless 802.11 Wi-Fi connection. Connexion by Boeing was formed as a separate business unit of The Boeing Company. Major development on the service commenced with a partnership agreement between United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines on June 13, 2001. Lufthansa joined the partnership as the International launch customer on June 17, 2001. United, Delta, and American subsequently withdrew from the partnership after the 9/11 terrorist attacks due to the severe drop in airline travel that occurred after the attacks. Infrastructure The infrastructure initially used a phased array Ku band antenna manufactured by Boeing and later a reflector antenna developed and manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation on the aircraft, leased satellite transponders, and ground stations. The service provided downlink speeds of up to 20 Mbit/s and uplink speeds up to 2 Mbit/s. Speed varied due to many factors including resource availability, aircraft location, and regulatory restrictions. A license from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was first received on December 27, 2001. The United Kingdom subsequently on July 24, 2002 granted Boeing a license for operating over its territory. Other nations followed in granting operating licenses for the service. The service coverage included North America, North Atlantic, Europe, the Middle East, Northern Pacific, Australia, and Asia. While other providers have provided in-flight internet, Connexion by Boeing accomplished it first for flights over water. Ground stations were located in Vancouver Island Canada, Ibaraki Japan, Moscow Russia, Littleton, Colorado US, and Leuk Switzerland. Two supporting data centers were also used to control the service. These were located in Kent, Washington and Irvine, California. First run The service was first commercially demonstrated onboard two Boeing 747 aircraft that were operated by Lufthansa and British Airways in 2003. Service was provided between Frankfurt Airport - Washington Dulles and London Heathrow - New York JFK. Connexion by Boeing was first launched as a commercial service May 17, 2004 with Lufthansa German Airlines. Later in 2004, ANA, Japan Airlines, and SAS signed on to the service. Other airlines which launched Connexion by Boeing service in 2005 include China Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Asiana Airlines, and Korean Air. In the later months of 2005, El-Al Israel Airlines and Etihad Airlines offered the service. In 2005 Connexion by Boeing launched the first in-flight live streaming TV service on an international route on Singapore Airlines, to be expanded to all current airlines in the first quarter of 2006. The service provided four channels of live TV to each aircraft, and available TV programming varied depending on geographical location. Flying out of Germany, the service provided access to live streaming TV for CNBC (Europe), EurosportNews, BBC World and EuroNews. MSNBC was available for flights over North America. Microsoft's Windows Media technology was used to generate the multicast TV streams, and users had to have
Connexion by Boeing
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Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport (, ) is an international airport serving the area of Barranquilla, the capital city of the Atlántico department in Colombia. The airport is located in the suburban municipality of Soledad. It owes its name to one of the pioneers of Colombian aviation, Ernesto Cortissoz. The airport serves as a focus city for Avianca, the flag carrier of Colombia. It is capable of accepting widebody aircraft such as the Boeing 747, Boeing 767, and Airbus A350. It is the most important airport in terms of infrastructure in the northern part of the country and the first in terms of cargo movements. Description The airport is located in the municipality of Soledad, from the center of Barranquilla. It is capable of receiving widebody aircraft such as the Boeing 747, McDonnell Douglas DC-10, and Airbus A350. In fact, it was once the largest airport in Colombia. Currently, the airport is fifth in number of passengers and cargo in the country. The airport has two terminals: the domestic terminal, with gates 6-13, and international, with gates 1-5 and 5A. In July 2007, the Aeronautica Civil gave the airport "open skies" designation, meaning that any airline in the world could fly to Barranquilla on any route with any frequency. This action was taken largely to promote tourism as Barranquilla is a key access point to the Caribbean. History At the dawn of commercial aviation in Colombia, airport construction was delegated to airlines wishing to serve that particular city. Thus, the construction of major airports in Colombia mainly fell to SCADTA, among these being Soledad International Airport. Soledad Airport soon became the main center of operations and maintenance of SCADTA for their domestic operations. International services were operated by Pan American Airways, which maintained scheduled DC-3 service, later supplemented by Boeing 307 Stratoliners, to Panama City, Kingston, and Miami. In 1946, international service at Soledad Airport resumed with Avianca DC-4s, first to Miami and later to Kingston and New York. British South American Airways also began operating to Barranquilla 1946, using Lancastrians to provide a once-weekly flight to London via Bermuda. The service took 26 hours and was referred to as "The Lightning Route to Europe". Also that year, a number of special flights with DC-4 aircraft were operated from Barranquilla to Miami and New York under contract with the airline Transocean Airlines. KLM (Department of the West Indies) began operating in Barranquilla with DC-4 aircraft, giving passengers the opportunity to connect with scheduled flights to Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Trinidad. In the early fifties LANSA inaugurated a service from Barranquilla to Havana, but never won permission to fly to Miami. However, in the sixties, TAXADER established a service to Miami, but only for a few months. Soledad Airport soon established itself as the premier international airport in Colombia and the first hub in the country. In the mid-50s, Avianca built one of the most important aviation maintenance shops in Latin America at the airport, two large
Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport
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Kabo Air was a Nigerian charter airline headquartered in Kano, Kano State and based at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport. History Kabo Air was established in February 1980 by Dr. Alhaji Muhammadu Adamu Dankabo and started operations in April 1981. It is currently wholly owned by Kabo Holdings. Kabo Air originally operated special charter services for corporate bodies, executives, and government officials. The company stopped operating domestic services in 2001 when they focus solely on Hajj flights and international charters. However, in 2009 the airline received approval to start international scheduled services. Traffic rights were given to Kabo Air for operating scheduled services to Rome, Nairobi and N'Djamena, but have not been used. The airline operated scheduled flights from Kano to Abuja, Cairo, Dubai and Jeddah for a short period. Kabo Air met the requirements set by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for re-capitalization in May 2007. On 3 March 2017, the offices of Kabo Air were sealed by the Nigerian Federal Inland Revenue Service due to unpaid tax liabilities. It has been reported that Kabo Air owes over 149 million Nigerian naira (approx. US-$460,000) in taxes. Destinations As of March 2017, Kabo Air did not operate any scheduled services and focused on charter operations only, especially for pilgrim flights under its own name and on behalf of other airlines. Fleet Current fleet As of August 2019, the Kabo Air fleet consists of the following aircraft: Former fleet The Kabo Air fleet previously included the following aircraft: 3 Boeing 737-200 (1983–1986) 11 Boeing 747-100 (1993–2003) 9 Boeing 747-200 (1982–2008) 1 further Boeing 747-400 (2015–2016) 1 Boeing 757-200 (2009–2010) 1 Boeing 767-300ER (2009) 2 Douglas DC-8 (1988–1994) Incidents and accidents On 6 August 1986, a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III overran the runway at Calabar Airport, Nigeria. Passengers and crew survived but the aircraft was written off. On 16 September 1991, a BAC 1-11 landed at Port Harcourt Airport, Nigeria without lowering its gear. All passengers and crew survived but the aircraft was written off. On March 31 1992, Flight 671, operated by Trans-Air Service as a Kabo Air flight, lost two engines on the right wing in flight. The Boeing 707 made a successful emergency landing at Istres-Le Tubé Air Base and all aboard survived. On 23 August 1992, a BAC 1–11 overran the runway at Sokoto Airport, Nigeria. None of the 53 passengers and 4 crew were killed but the aircraft was written off. On 12 January 2010, a Middle East Airlines Airbus A330 collided with a parked Kabo Air Boeing 747 while taxiing to its arrival gate at Kano International Airport, Nigeria; none of the passengers or crew were injured. The Boeing 747 left-wing and main fuel tank were badly damaged and the right-wing of the Airbus A330 was damaged. Officials believe the accident could have been avoided if there was more ground lighting to help the pilots of the Airbus A330 to see. In September 2013, a Kabo Air Boeing 747-200 operated on a Hajj charter
Kabo Air
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CargoLogicAir, Ltd. (CLA) was a British cargo airline with its headquarters at London Heathrow Airport. The airline's fleet of Boeing 747 freight aircraft operated scheduled and chartered freight services on routes between the UK, Asia, Africa and the Americas. CargoLogicAir ceased operations in November 2022 and went into administration after suspending operations intermittently since 2020. History Foundation After the Global Supply Systems' contract with British Airways World Cargo was terminated in January 2014, CLA effectively became the only British all-cargo airline, absorbing some of the Global Supply Systems staff. The airline was established on 3 March 2015 and received its first aircraft, a Boeing 747-400F from Aircastle in October 2015. It received its Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) from the UK Civil Aviation Authority in December 2015 and commenced operations soon after. Chapman Freeborn Italia became CLA's first charter service customer after contracting them in February 2016 to deliver 113 tonnes of automotive parts to Bari, Italy. CLA initiated its first scheduled services with AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) through an aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI) wet lease. The service flew from the United Kingdom to Africa twice per week, from 14 February 2016 through 30 November. CLA took hold of its second aircraft and first Boeing 747-8F at the 2016 Farnborough Airshow. This aircraft was used to transport over 100 tonnes of fresh flowers from Bogotá, Colombia to London Stansted Airport for Mother's Day in 2017. Within 18 months of starting operations the airline received a second Boeing 747-400F from AerCap in April 2017. Becoming the third in the fleet, this aircraft flew charter services through an ACMI wet lease agreement for AirBridgeCargo. CLA aimed to eventually have a core fleet of five aircraft. In 2019, CLA planned to reduce its operations and restructure in response to weakening market conditions. Demise The airline temporarily suspended services on 9 February 2020 citing a downturn in demand. Their 747-8 and one of their 747-400s were returned to lessors in January 2020. On 9 February, CLA grounded the remainder of their fleet and laid off some of their workforce. On 24 February 2020, the airline announced the termination of all operations until further notice. However, services recommenced on 23 April 2020 with the high demand of air freight capacity, plus the downturn of oil prices due to the COVID-19 pandemic. CLA regained its AOC on 22 April 2020 and started immediately with PPE supply flights from China to the UK for the NHS on 23 April 2020. Flights were then operated with their two B747-400 freighters. In July, after 6 months, as the COO Nadeem Sultan was appointed as the new CEO. Under its new leadership and post restructuring, the company announced a $42 million profit for 2020, its first profit in its history. In November 2022, CargoLogicAir went into administration and ceased operations for good due to a negative business outlook in the wake of sanctions against Russian owned businesses. Destinations The airline launched its first scheduled operation on 19 August 2017 with
CargoLogicAir
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Spirit of Mojave, previously Cosmic Girl is a Boeing 747-400 aircraft. A former passenger airliner operated by Virgin Atlantic, it was purchased by Virgin Galactic in 2015 to be used as the first stage launch platform (or mothership launch pad) for the air launch stage of the smallsat orbital launch vehicle, the LauncherOne. In 2017, the aircraft was transferred to the orbital launch subsidiary, Virgin Orbit, and its livery updated to Virgin Orbit. LauncherOne attempted its first launch on 25 May 2020; the launch was a failure. The first successful launch (second launch in total) took place on 17 January 2021. Its parent, Virgin Orbit, declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 4, 2023. It was subsequently sold at auction to Stratolaunch to complement their existing Roc launch platform for their Talon Hypersonic testbed vehicle. It is renamed as "Spirit of Mojave". Airliner Cosmic Girl was assembled in 2001 at the Boeing Everett Factory. It was configured as a 44/32/310 B747-41R, c/n. 32745. The aircraft's first flight was on 29 September 2001, and it was delivered to Virgin Atlantic on 31 October 2001, where it was registered as G-VWOW. On 3 November 2005, the aircraft was landing at Runway 27R at Heathrow Airport when a crosswind caused it to roll to the left, and the left-most (No. 1) engine struck the ground. The plane was transferred to Virgin Galactic in 2015 and re-registered in the United States as N744VG. Cosmic Girl is currently based at Long Beach Airport. For the second operational flight of the LauncherOne vehicle, however, the plane took off for a launch (which failed) from Newquay Airport, United Kingdom, on 9 January 2023. Launch platform The jetliner was in service with the airline until October 2015. The airliner, previously leased by Virgin Atlantic, was purchased outright by Virgin Group for Virgin Galactic, and registered as N744VG, in November 2015. A 747 was selected due to its carrying capacity. The acquisition of the 747 allowed the use of separate carrying aircraft for SpaceShipTwo and LauncherOne. With the spinoff of Virgin Orbit in 2017, Cosmic Girl was also transferred. The air launch to orbit LauncherOne rocket was originally envisioned to operate from the smaller airplane WhiteKnightTwo (WK2) launch platform, used for the suborbital Tier 1b system of WK2 and SpaceShipTwo (SS2). As the size of LauncherOne expanded to better encompass the marketplace and acquire marketshare of small launches, the rocket outgrew WK2, leading to the evaluation of bigger launch aircraft, and the acquisition of Cosmic Girl for LauncherOne operations. The use of a larger airplane allows doubling of LauncherOne payload capacity to , though with the selection of a 747, ultimately, may be supported. 747s have previously been used to air launch other craft, including the Space Shuttle Enterprise. The use of Cosmic Girl marks the first use of a 747 as a space launch platform. The LauncherOne attachment pylon is situated on the left wing, where on a normal 747, the fifth engine attachment point is located for ferrying
Spirit of Mojave
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Evergreen International Aviation, Inc. was a global aviation services company based in McMinnville, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1960, Evergreen was primarily known publicly for commercial helicopter operations in agricultural and forestry applications. The airline division, Evergreen International Airlines, operated worldwide, in 168 countries, and by the end had been reduced to a fleet of all-cargo Boeing 747 freighters. The company also operated a helicopter division, Evergreen Helicopters which was sold to Erickson Air-Crane, an Oregon-based helicopter operator, for $250 million in 2013. Faced with bankruptcy and tax investigations, Evergreen ceased all aviation-related operations in 2013 and shut down in 2014. History Delford M. Smith founded the company as Evergreen Helicopters in 1960. Smith was involved in the development of the commercial use of helicopters, and his company was one of the first to use helicopters for spraying fertilizer and herbicides, spreading seeds and fighting forest fires. Smith helped develop a helicopter spray system called the "PaceSpreader" which permitted accurate, fast delivery of granular agents over large areas. The PaceSpreader allowed the helicopter to operate at relatively high speeds while still delivering the product evenly and with measured precision. In 1972 the company expanded into the use of heavy lift helicopters, acquiring a number of Sikorsky S-61. In March 1973 the massive Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane was added to the fleet, with a lift capacity of 20,000 pounds. In 1974 Smith became aware that the Johnson Flying Service was looking to sell its assets. The business was a small supplemental carrier that had two 94-passenger Lockheed L-188 Electra four-engine turbo-prop passenger aircraft. More importantly, it held a supplemental air carrier operating certificate which allowed it to operate as an airline. After significant deliberation, the Civil Aeronautics Board approved the transfer in 1975. Evergreen International Airlines was officially formed and incorporated on 16 April 1975 as a subsidiary of Evergreen Helicopters, Inc. The business subsequently continued to expand and split into a number of subsidiary divisions. The main subsidiary was Evergreen International Airlines which operated the Boeing 747 as a cargo or tanker aircraft to locations around the world. The 747-200 "Evergreen Supertanker" was capable of delivering 20,000 gallons of water on wildfires, nearly ten times what could be delivered by a conventional U.S. Forest Service firefighting air tanker such as the Lockheed P-3 Orion turboprop. Scheduled passenger airline operations The airline division conducted some scheduled passenger operations with Douglas DC-8 jet and Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprop aircraft with Detroit (DTW), Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP), Seattle (SEA) and Spokane (GEG) being served in 1978. The company also operated a commuter airline, Evergreen Airspur, in southern California with de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter STOL turboprops in 1985. U.S. government work Evergreen was part of the US Civil Reserve Air Fleet and the International Peace Operations Association. It was known to do work for the United States federal government, including fire suppression for the U.S. Forest Service, troop transportation in the Gulf War of 1991, as well as helicopter transportation for oil rig firefighters
Evergreen International Aviation
45335601
The City of Canberra is a preserved Boeing 747-438 delivered to Qantas in 1989 and now on display at the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society museum at Shellharbour Airport, Albion Park Rail, Australia. On 16–17 August 1989, whilst en route from the Boeing Everett Factory in the United States following its registration as a newly completed Qantas aircraft, the City of Canberra made a non-stop delivery flight from London Heathrow to Qantas' headquarters in Sydney. , the month of the aircraft's final passenger-carrying flight, this was still the longest non-stop un-refuelled delivery flight by an airliner. Aircraft The City of Canberra, registered VH-OJA, named after Australia's capital city, was the first Boeing 747-400 delivered to Qantas. It was not modified for the flight in any way – such as by the installation of extra fuel tanks – but some items of equipment were removed from the galleys and cargo compartments to save weight. Record-breaking flight The 747-438 took 20 hours and 9 minutes to fly a distance of 9,720 nautical miles (18,001 km) from London Heathrow to Sydney. The elapsed time was six minutes longer than the quickest non-stop England to Australia flight, which was made by an Avro Vulcan of the Royal Air Force in 1961. The City of Canberra set a record for the longest un-refuelled flight by a commercial aircraft, as the Vulcan was a military aircraft and had to be refuelled in flight several times while flying from RAF Scampton to RAAF Base Richmond near Sydney. City of Canberra also set the record for the shortest ever 747 flight. In March 2015, it flew from Sydney to Shellharbour, with a flight time of 12 minutes. This record was beaten by a British Airways 747-400 that made a nine minute flight from Cardiff to MOD St Athan in November 2019. Subsequent history Service with Qantas The City of Canberra remained in service with Qantas until January 2015, when it was retired as part of the draw-down of the airline's fleet of 747s. While in service with Qantas, the aircraft operated more than 13,000 flights, and carried more than three million passengers. Its last passenger-carrying flight was from Johannesburg to Sydney on 13–14 January 2015. Leased by Ansett In October 1994, VH-OJA was wet leased by Qantas' then-main domestic competitor Ansett after its Boeing 747-300, VH-INH, was damaged while landing at Sydney Airport. Another Qantas 747, VH-OJL, was also leased by Ansett to cover VH-INH's flights while it was repaired. Final flight The aircraft was subsequently donated to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society at Shellharbour Airport via a delivery flight on 8 March 2015. Pilots trained on simulators for the landing and reduced the aircraft's weight including reducing the tyre pressure to 120 pounds per square inch from the typical 208, and carrying 25,400 litres of fuel, versus the maximum of 217,000 litres. Public display The City of Canberra was placed on public display after a short period of decommissioning. On a tour of the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society
City of Canberra (aircraft)
57848849
The turbofan engine market is dominated by General Electric, Rolls-Royce plc and Pratt & Whitney, in order of market share. General Electric and Safran of France have a joint venture, CFM International. Pratt & Whitney also have a joint venture, International Aero Engines with Japanese Aero Engine Corporation and MTU Aero Engines of Germany, specializing in engines for the Airbus A320 family. Pratt & Whitney and General Electric have a joint venture, Engine Alliance selling a range of engines for aircraft such as the Airbus A380. For airliners and cargo aircraft, the in-service fleet in 2016 is 60,000 engines and should grow to 103,000 in 2035 with 86,500 deliveries according to Flight Global. A majority will be medium-thrust engines for narrow-body aircraft with 54,000 deliveries, for a fleet growing from 28,500 to 61,000. High-thrust engines for wide-body aircraft, worth 40–45% of the market by value, will grow from 12,700 engines to over 21,000 with 18,500 deliveries. The regional jet engines below 20,000 lb (89 kN) fleet will grow from 7,500 to 9,000 and the fleet of turboprops for airliners will increase from 9,400 to 10,200. The manufacturers market share should be led by CFM with 44% followed by Pratt & Whitney with 29% and then Rolls-Royce and General Electric with 10% each. USA General Electric GE Aviation, part of the General Electric conglomerate, currently has the largest share of the turbofan engine market. Some of their engine models include the CF6 (available on the Boeing 767, Boeing 747, Airbus A330 and more), GE90 (only the Boeing 777) and GEnx (developed for the Boeing 747-8 & Boeing 787 Dreamliner and proposed for the Airbus A350) engines. On the military side, GE engines power many U.S. military aircraft, including the F110, powering 80% of the US Air Force's F-16 Fighting Falcons, and the F404 and F414 engines, which power the Navy's F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet. Rolls-Royce and General Electric were jointly developing the F136 engine to power the Joint Strike Fighter, however, due to government budget cuts, the program has been eliminated. Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is third behind GE and Rolls-Royce in market share. The JT9D has the distinction of being chosen by Boeing to power the original Boeing 747 "Jumbo jet". The PW4000 series is the successor to the JT9D, and powers some Airbus A310, Airbus A300, Boeing 747, Boeing 767, Boeing 777, Airbus A330 and MD-11 aircraft. The PW4000 is certified for 180-minute ETOPS when used in twinjets. The first family has a fan diameter and is designed to power the Boeing 767, Boeing 747, MD-11, and the Airbus A300. The second family is the 100 inch (2.5 m) fan engine developed specifically for the Airbus A330 twinjet, and the third family has a diameter of designed to power Boeing 777. The Pratt & Whitney F119 and its derivative, the F135, power the United States Air Force's F-22 Raptor and the international F-35 Lightning II, respectively. Rolls-Royce are responsible for the lift fan which provides the
List of turbofan manufacturers
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Qantas is Australia's largest airline. Qantas was founded in Winton, Queensland, on 16 November 1920 as Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited by Paul McGinness, Sir Hudson Fysh and Sir Fergus McMaster, the latter of whom was chairman. Arthur Baird was employed as a chief aircraft engineer. McGinness left QANTAS for other interests, and Hudson Fysh remained with the company as General Manager & Managing Director. He retired as Sir Hudson Fysh KBE DFC, Chairman of QANTAS in 1966. Initially, the airline operated taxi and joy flights, as well as airmail services subsidised by the Australian government, linking railheads in western Queensland. Between 1926 and 1928 Qantas built several aircraft in Longreach and made the inaugural flight of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, departing from Cloncurry. Qantas Empire Airways Limited (QEA) was formed by Qantas and Britain's Imperial Airways in 1934. They flew internationally from May 1935, when the service from Darwin was extended to Singapore. As operations expanded with flying boat services, World War II disrupted air travel until 1943. In 1947, QEA was nationalised, with the Australian Labor government buying the shares. In the same year, the airline took delivery of Lockheed L-749 Constellations and these took over the trunk route to London. In 1958, Qantas became the second round-the-world airline, flying Super Constellations westward from Australia to London through Asia and the Middle East. In 1956, Qantas ordered the Boeing 707-138 jet airliner, and the first was delivered in June 1959. The first jet service operated by Qantas was on 29 July 1959 from Sydney to San Francisco via Nadi and Honolulu. On 5 September 1959 Qantas became the third airline to fly jets across the North Atlantic. In 1966, the airline diversified its business by opening the 450-room Wentworth Hotel in Sydney. In 1967, the airline placed orders for the Boeing 747, and Qantas Empire Airways changed its name to Qantas Airways. When Cyclone Tracy devastated the town of Darwin at Christmas 1974, Qantas established a world record for the most people ever embarked on a single aircraft when it evacuated 673 people on a single Boeing 747 flight. In March 1979, Qantas operated its final Boeing 707 flight from Auckland to Sydney, and until the delivery of the first Boeing 767 in 1985 became the only national airline in the world to have a fleet consisting of a single aircraft type. The Boeing 747 fleet was upgraded from 1989 with the arrival of the new Boeing 747-400 series. The delivery flight of the first 747-400 was a world record for commercial aircraft, flying the from London to Sydney non-stop. The Australian Government sold the domestic carrier Australian Airlines to Qantas in August 1992. This provided Qantas access to the Australian domestic market for the first time in its history. Qantas was privatised in two stages, first by a sale of 25% to British Airways in 1993 and the remaining 75% by public float in mid-1995. Qantas ordered twelve Airbus A380-800s in 2000
History of Qantas
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Upington Airport is an airport located in Upington, Northern Cape, South Africa. At , runway 17/35 is one of the longest runways in the world. The high elevation of the airport, extremely high summer temperatures and the fact that it was designed for the Boeing 747 necessitated the extreme length of the main runway. History With the fall of the Portuguese regime in Angola, South African Airways lost its landing rights in Luanda. In addition to restrictions to overflying African states, there was concern that the country would lose its landing rights at the Ivory Coast and Ilha do Sal (Cape Verde). Upington Airport's runway was built to accommodate a Boeing 747 with a full load of passengers, cargo and fuel, so that it could take off for Europe without having to stop along the way. Upington was chosen because of its strategic position, availability of land and comparatively lower height above sea level than Johannesburg. Upington Airport was opened in 1968 as Pierre van Ryneveld Airport. In 1974, a corrugated iron fire station was erected but this structure was converted into administrative offices for airport management and other administrative staff in 1996 and the fire station was relocated. From August 1976 to December 1982, South African Airways made use of Upington as a refuelling station for two weekly scheduled Boeing 747 flights to London and Zürich. , Upington Airport was to be developed into a major cargo hub that will serve sub-Saharan Africa directly from South Africa's Northern Cape Province. As well as improvements to the airport itself, ACSA will be preparing land around the airport for development to support the inevitable boost to the local economy. As of 2009, planning was also under way at Upington Airport to construct a facility for the long-term parking of mothballed (decommissioned) aircraft. Airlines and destinations Non-scheduled services Upington Airport serves as an international cargo hub. Most flights are non-scheduled chartered flights operating in the months of November to January to export grapes from the region directly to Europe and other countries. As much as 1,000,000 tonnes of grapes are exported every year. Many major car manufacturers bring their cars and commercial vehicles to Upington to test them in the hot dry and sunny conditions, when there is winter in Europe. These cars and test teams are flown into and out of Upington Airport using chartered planes. Cars used the N14 between Pofadder and Kakamas. The road has a speed limit of for authorized vehicles Airport services and capacity Services at Upington Airport include: One terminal building (combined arrival and departure hall) Information desk Conference room accommodating up to 12 persons Five different car rental companies Public parking for up to 58 cars Basic first aid facilities Statistics for the 2007 financial year at Upington Airport: 19,961 departing passengers 3,694 arriving air traffic movements Current consolidated capacity: 40,000 passengers Aircraft parking bays: 20 Flying services include: Control tower (frequency 121.30) Apron services (frequency 122.65) Refuelling service by Engen Aviation providing Avgas and
Upington Airport
244525
Juan Terry Trippe (June 27, 1899 – April 3, 1981) was an American commercial aviation pioneer, entrepreneur and the founder of Pan American World Airways, one of the iconic airlines of the 20th century. He was involved in the introduction of the Sikorsky S-42, which opened trans-Pacific airline travel, the Boeing 307 Stratoliner which introduced cabin pressurization to airline operations, the Boeing 707 which started a new era in low cost jet transportation, and the Boeing 747 jumbo jets. Trippe's signing of the 747 contract coincided with the 50th anniversary of Boeing. He also founded InterContinental Hotels & Resorts. Early life and education Trippe was born in Sea Bright, New Jersey, on June 27, 1899, the great-great-grandson of Lieutenant John Trippe, captain of the . Because he was named "Juan", he is widely assumed to have been of Hispanic descent, but his family was actually Northern European in ancestry and settled in Maryland in 1664. He was named after Juanita Terry, the Venezuelan wife of his great uncle. Trippe attended the Bovea School and graduated from The Hill School in 1917. He enrolled at Yale University but left to apply for flight training with the United States Navy when the United States entered World War I. After completing training in June 1918, he was designated as a Naval Aviator and was commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy Reserve. However, the end of World War I precluded him from flying in combat. Demobilized from active duty, he returned to Yale, graduating in 1921. While there, he was a member of St. Anthony Hall and of the Skull and Bones society. Trippe was treasurer at the first meeting of the National Intercollegiate Flying Association in 1920. Career After graduation from Yale, Trippe began working on Wall Street, but soon became bored. In 1922 he raised money from his old Yale classmates, selling them stock in his new airline, an air-taxi service for the rich and powerful called Long Island Airways. Once again tapping his wealthy friends from Yale, Trippe invested in an airline named Colonial Air Transport, which was awarded a new route and an airmail contract on October 7, 1925. Interested in operating to the Caribbean, Trippe created the Aviation Corporation of the Americas. Based in Florida, the company would evolve into the unofficial United States flag carrier, Pan American Airways, commonly known as Pan Am. Pan Am's first flight took off on October 19, 1927, from Key West, Florida, to Havana, Cuba, in a hired Fairchild FC-2 floatplane being delivered to West Indian Aerial Express in the Dominican Republic. The return flight from Havana to Key West, in a Pan Am Fokker F.VII, took place October 29, being delayed from October 28 by rain. Later, Trippe bought the China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC) to provide domestic air service in the Republic of China, and became a partner in Panagra. In the 1930s. Pan Am became the first airline to cross the Pacific Ocean with the China Clipper.
Juan Trippe
485893
Air Gabon was the national, state-owned airline of Gabon, operating out of Libreville International Airport to a variety of destinations across western and southern Africa, as well as to Europe. Founded in 1951, the airline went bankrupt in 2006. History Air Gabon was founded in 1951 as Compagnie Aerienne Gabonaise operating regional flights out of Libreville using Beechcraft and De Havilland aircraft. It became the national flag carrier in 1968, then renamed Société Nationale Transgabon. Compagnie Nationale Air Gabon was established in May 1977, after Gabon withdrew from the Air Afrique consortium in December 1976. The new airline was formed from the nucleus of Société Nationale Transgabon with the mandate to operate long-haul international services from Libreville. At the time of the airline's foundation, the fleet comprised three Fokker F-28s, two Douglas DC-6s, one Douglas DC-4, one de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo, and one Sud Aviation Caravelle. Ownership in the airline was shared between the Gabonese government (70%) and Sofepag (30%), an Air France-associated company. In April 1977, the airline placed an order for a Boeing 747-200 and Boeing 737 at a cost of approximately US$55 million. In 1978 President of Gabon Omar Bongo gave the airline his personal transport, a Fokker F-28, for use on services. On 5 October the airline's Boeing 747, named President Léon M'ba, arrived as part of the wet lease agreement signed the previous year. On 26 February 1979 one of the airline's Douglas DC-6s crashed into a swamp from Moanda, killing the aircraft's three occupants. The DC-6s and DC-4 were replaced in 1979 by two Vickers Vanguard turboprops, and the airline's international route network was expanded to Marseille, Nice, Paris and Rome. Regionally, Air Gabon operated to ten African countries, and served 26 destinations on its domestic network. The airline leased and chartered various single engine aircraft in the early 1980s to operate services to domestic destinations which saw sporadic service, and in 1982 a CASA C-212 Aviocar operated with the airline for a short time. The airline ordered a Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules in 1984 after it was given a loan by the Export-Import Bank, which when delivered in late 1985 replaced the Vickers Vanguards. In 1986, the airline underwent recapitalisation efforts, which saw the government's stake increase to eighty percent, with the French Sofepag's share decreasing to twenty percent. In 1989 the airline acquired a Fokker 100 and in 1993 two ATR 72s were ordered to replace the Fokker F28s. The airline commenced services to Johannesburg in South Africa in late 1993. By 1996, the airline had commenced direct services to London with the Boeing 747 Combi, and its international network saw services being operated from Libreville to Abidjan, Bamako, Bangui, Cotonou, Dakar, Douala, Geneva, Kinshasa, Johannesburg, Lagos, Lomé, Malabo, Marseille, Nice, Paris, Pointe-Noire and Rome. The first flight for the reshaped airline went from Libreville to Lomé and Abidjan. The launch of European services from Libreville followed suit, with the inauguration of a regular flight to Paris (which was later dropped again).
Air Gabon
44847807
AerSale, Inc. is a Doral, Florida-based global supplier of aftermarket commercial jet aircraft, engines, used serviceable materials, and aeronautical engineering services to passenger and cargo airlines, government entities, leasing companies, multinational OEMs, and independent MROs. History Founded in Coral Gables, Florida in 2008, AerSale employs approximately 500 people in 5 countries worldwide. A private equity firm and the two founders invested US$250 million in equity in January 2010. In July 2010, AerSale delivered a specially modified Boeing 737-400 aircraft to the National Nuclear Security Administration to fly depleted nuclear waste to disposal sites. It supplied low-cost, used, serviceable turbine blades to the Department of Defense for use on the Air Force's KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft, enabling the government to save US$36 million. Lines of business AerSale operates three integrated lines of business: Aircraft & Engine Leasing; Material Sales; and Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO). AerSale sells and leases engines and aircraft, both commercial passenger and cargo aircraft. It has purchased Boeing 737-300, Boeing 737-400, Boeing 737-500, Boeing 747-400, Boeing 757-200, and Boeing 767-300 passenger and freighter aircraft; Airbus A300-600R, Airbus A310-200, Airbus A320-200, and Airbus A330-300 passenger aircraft; and McDonnell Douglas MD-90 passenger and McDonnell Douglas DC-8-70 series freighter aircraft. These aircraft are powered by a variety of engines, including the CFM International CFM56, General Electric CF6-80C2, International Aero Engines V2500, Pratt & Whitney PW4000 and Rolls-Royce RB211. The company is an aftermarket seller of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) used serviceable material. This material comes from aircraft which have been dismantled and their parts recycled and refurbished for commercial use. Recycling of aircraft for their component parts has become a significant source of used serviceable material to the airline industry, as about 12,500 aircraft will reach their end of life over the next 25 years. AerSale is a member of Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association, a not-for-profit industry group whose members maintain an environmentally friendly standard for aircraft recycling. AerSale's heavy airframe MRO business is performed primarily at its two FAA-approved Certified Repair Stations located at the Roswell International Air Center, Roswell, New Mexico and the Phoenix Goodyear Airport in Phoenix, Arizona. In November 2013, it completed a major maintenance check for NASA on its flying laboratory, a specially modified McDonnell Douglas DC-8-70 series aircraft. In July 2015, AerSale acquired Aero Mechanical Industries, Inc., located in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, to expand its component overhaul services to include aero structures. Certifications On March 12, 2010, the Aviation Suppliers Association certified AerSale's quality system to meet the requirements of ASA-100 and FAA Advisory Circular 00-56A. On June 14, 2011, AerSale was certified by the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association for maintaining "best management practices for disassembly of aircraft, powerplants, and other aerospace materials". On February 24, 2014, it received a U.S. Approval Certificate from the European Aviation Safety Agency ("EASA"). In December 2023, the FAA approved the AerAware headset device SKYLENS as part of a enhanced flight vision system. This mixed reality headset allows transport pilots better situational awareness, particularly in low visibility situations.
AerSale
76336466
N661US is an aircraft that was built by Boeing as the prototype of the Boeing 747-400, a modernized version of the Boeing 747. The plane rolled off the assembly line on January 26, 1988, and had its first flight on April 29, 1988. After the conclusion of the 747-400 flight testing program, Boeing delivered the aircraft to Northwest Airlines on December 8, 1989. The aircraft was involved in the Northwest Airlines Flight 85 incident, in which it experienced a lower rudder hardover event. This occurs when an aircraft's rudder deflects to its travel limit without crew input. The pilots were able to overcome the issue and land safely. The problem was blame on metal fatigue, and an airworthiness directive was issued to prevent the possibility of a future accident. The aircraft was eventually transferred to Delta Air Lines, which merged Northwest in 2009. While in service with the airline, it was known as Delta Ship 6301. It continued in passenger service until it was retired on September 9, 2015. It was transferred to the Delta Flight Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, where it remains on display. History Construction and flight testing This Boeing 747-451 was the first 747-400, an improved version of Boeing's successful jumbo jet. The aircraft was the 696th Boeing 747 built and carried manufacturer's serial number 23719. Final assembly began at the Boeing Everett Factory, the longtime site of 747 production, in September 1987. Assembly was completed over the winter months of late 1987, and the aircraft rolled out of the factory on January 26, 1988. Compared to earlier 747s, the -400 series had a two-crew glass cockpit, eliminating the need for a flight engineer. It carried over the stretched upper deck first introduced for the 747-300 and offered a choice of improved turbofan engines. Boeing assigned this aircraft test registration N401PW, as it would test the Pratt & Whitney PW4056 engine option. The aircraft flew for the first time on April 29, 1988, under the command of test pilot James Loesch and co-pilot Kenneth Higgins. The first flight was six weeks behind schedule owing to subcontractor delays in supplying components and extra troubleshooting on the aircraft's electronics systems. The maiden flight took off from Paine Field, the site of the Everett factory, and landed at Boeing Field, south of Seattle, after an uneventful 2 hours and 26 minutes. Boeing used the aircraft for several months for test flying duties until the type was certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on January 10, 1989. Commercial service The aircraft was delivered to Northwest Airlines on December 8, 1989. When Northwest merged with Delta in 2009, N661US became Delta Ship 6301 and continued passenger operations for Delta until it was retired on September 9, 2015, making its final flight from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, having logged more than of flight over its lifetime. Northwest Airlines Flight 85 N661US was the aircraft involved in Northwest Airlines Flight 85, an incident that occurred
N661US
148475
Air Force One is the official air traffic control designated call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. In common parlance, the term is used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modified and used to transport the president and a metonym for the primary presidential aircraft, VC-25, although it can be used to refer to any Air Force aircraft the president travels on. The idea of designating specific military aircraft to transport the president arose during World War II when military advisors in the War Department were concerned about the risk of using commercial airlines for presidential travel. A C-54 Skymaster was then converted for presidential use; dubbed the Sacred Cow, it carried President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Yalta Conference in February 1945 and was used for another two years by President Harry S. Truman. The "Air Force One" call sign was created in 1953, after a Lockheed Constellation carrying President Dwight D. Eisenhower entered the same airspace as a commercial airline flight using the same flight number. Since the introduction of SAM 26000 in 1962, the primary presidential aircraft has carried the distinctive livery designed by Raymond Loewy. Other aircraft designated as Air Force One have included another Lockheed Constellation, Columbine III, three Boeing 707s, introduced in the 1960s and 1970s, and the current Boeing VC-25As. Since 1990, the presidential fleet has consisted of two highly customized Boeing 747-200B (VC-25A) aircraft. The USAF has ordered two Boeing 747-8s to serve as the next presidential aircraft, with designation VC-25B. History 20th century On 11 October 1910, Theodore Roosevelt became the first US president to fly in an aircraft, an early Wright Flyer from Kinloch Field near St. Louis, Missouri. He was no longer in office at the time, having been succeeded by William Howard Taft. The record-making occasion was a brief overflight of the crowd at a county fair but was nonetheless the beginning of presidential air travel. First presidential aircraft Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president to fly in an aircraft while in office. The first aircraft obtained specifically for presidential travel was a Douglas Dolphin amphibian delivered in 1933 which was designated RD-2 by the US Navy and based at the naval base at Anacostia D.C. The Dolphin was modified with luxury upholstery for four passengers and a small separate sleeping compartment. The aircraft remained in service as a presidential transport from 1933 until 1939. During World War II, Roosevelt traveled on the Dixie Clipper, a Pan Am-crewed Boeing 314 flying boat to the 1943 Casablanca Conference in Morocco, a flight that covered 5,500 miles (8,890 km) in three legs. The threat from the German submarines throughout the Battle of the Atlantic made air travel the preferred method of VIP transatlantic transportation. Concerned about relying upon commercial airlines to transport the president, officials of the United States Army Air Forces, the predecessor to the US Air Force, ordered the conversion of a military aircraft to accommodate the special
Air Force One
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Doomsday plane is an unofficial denomination of a class of aircraft which is used as an airborne command post in an event of nuclear war, disaster or other large scale conflict that threatens key military and government infrastructure. The only countries known to have designed and manufactured such aircraft are the United States and the Russian Federation. About the planes Known officially to the United States as National Airborne Operations Centers (NAOC), these planes allow leaders to issue commands and wage war from the sky. They also feature a vast array of defense mechanisms, including the ability to withstand electromagnetic pulses. The jet's crews also use traditional analog flight instruments to navigate as they are less susceptible to cyberattack. The planes, while not technically secret, are rarely mentioned; the United States Air Force, for example, will not even publicly acknowledge owning some of them. In operation since the 1970s, these airborne command posts were long considered the best chance for a Cold War president to survive a nuclear attack. Unlike the ceremonial and comfort-focused Air Force One, the doomsday planes are flying war rooms staffed by dozens of military analysts, strategists and communication aides who would guide the president through the first days of a nuclear war. United States Boeing E-4B The Boeing E-4 is an Advanced Airborne Command Post, with the project name "Nightwatch", and is a strategic command and control military aircraft operated by the United States Air Force. The E-4 series was specially modified from the Boeing 747-200B for the National Emergency Airborne Command Post (NEACP) program. The E-4 serves as a survivable mobile command post for the National Command Authority, namely the President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, and successors. Boeing E-6 Mercury The Boeing E-6 Mercury (formerly E-6 Hermes) is an airborne command post and communications relay based on the Boeing 707-320. The original E-6A manufactured by Boeing's defense division entered service with the United States Navy in July 1989, replacing the EC-130Q. This platform, now modified to the E-6B standard, conveys instructions from the National Command Authority to fleet ballistic missile submarines, a mission known as TACAMO (Take Charge And Move Out). The E-6B model deployed in October 1998 can also remotely control Minuteman ICBMs using the Airborne Launch Control System. With production lasting until 1991, the E-6 was the final new derivative of the Boeing 707 to be built. Northrop Grumman E-10 MC2A The Northrop Grumman E-10 MC2A was planned as a multi-role military aircraft to replace the Boeing 707-based E-3 Sentry and E-8 Joint STARS, the Boeing 747-based E-4B, and the RC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft in US service. The E-10 was based on the Boeing 767-400ER commercial airplane. In 2003, the Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and Raytheon MC2A team was awarded a $215 million contract for pre-System Development and Demonstration for the aircraft. It would have been the central command authority for all air, land, and sea forces in a combat theater. The E-10 was also considered for use as
Doomsday plane
4694654
Highland Express Airways was an airline based in Scotland. Its main base was at Glasgow Prestwick Airport. It ceased operations in 1987. History The airline was formed in 1984 by Randolph Fields and operated a daily transatlantic nonstop service between Glasgow and Newark. Fields had been involved with the concept and start up of Virgin Atlantic, bringing Branson to the table as backer. Highland Express planned to officially launch on the day of the Scottish International Airshow in Glasgow on Saturday, 30 May 1987 to Newark and Toronto. However, the first scheduled flight using a Highland Express flight number actually took place a few days earlier. That flight used a hired Cargolux Boeing 747-200 as the airline's own Boeing 747 had not yet been delivered. Highland Express cabin crew were specially trained to operate this version of the 747 in time for this inaugural flight and wore the airline's tartan and green uniforms. Fields was on board the inaugural flight, and complimentary refreshments were served to celebrate. Many of the passengers with return tickets on that flight were forced to return using the Northwest Airlines service with the booking paid for by Highland Express. Things continued to go wrong when the Toronto route licence was not forthcoming and their sole Boeing 747 was delivered weeks late. Operations finally began with flight VY201 from London Stansted Airport to Newark via Glasgow on 30 June 1987. Operations out of Birmingham Airport began 4 July 1987 on flight VY211. Initially, four Stansted and three Birmingham rotations were planned weekly. However, after a few weeks the Monday morning flight from Newark to Stansted via Prestwick routed onto Brussels for maintenance with Sabena, returning on a Tuesday. Cabin crew for the start up operation were recruited locally in Ayrshire and Glasgow. Senior crew members were recruited from experienced British crew. Passengers could purchase a one-way economy ticket from Prestwick to Stansted for £19 and could travel first class for an extra fee. This made Highland Express the first scheduled low-cost carrier from Prestwick, Stansted and Birmingham. With passenger numbers not meeting targets and debts mounting, a short-lived service from Gatwick Airport to Newark via Prestwick was launched in November. But some three weeks later the lessors of the aircraft, Citicorp, repossessed the aircraft while it was in Brussels for maintenance. Scheduled routes in 1987 According to the 30 May 1987 Highland Express system timetable, the airline was operating scheduled round trip Boeing 747 passenger service on the following routes: VY 201/202: London Stansted Airport (STN) - Glasgow Prestwick Airport (PIK) - New York Newark Airport (EWR) - operated four days a week VY 211/212: Birmingham (BHX) - Glasgow Prestwick Airport (PIK) - New York Newark Airport (EWR) - operated three days a week Fleet The Highland Express fleet consisted of one aircraft which was eventually bought by Virgin Atlantic before being scrapped. 1 Boeing 747-100 (G-HIHO) See also List of defunct airlines of the United Kingdom References External links Photos of Highland Express aircraft Defunct
Highland Express Airways
18332687
The 747 Supertanker is a retired aerial firefighting airtanker derived from various Boeing 747 models. The aircraft is rated to carry up to of fire retardant or water. It is the largest aerial firefighting aircraft in the world. Initially developed by Evergreen International Aviation, the first Supertanker was based on a 747-200 (N470EV, tanker/tail number 947), but never entered service. The second Supertanker (N479EV, tanker/tail number 979) was based on a 747-100 originally manufactured by Boeing in 1971 for Delta Air Lines. It entered service for the first time in 2009, fighting a fire in Cuenca, Spain, and made its first American operation on August 31, 2009 at the Oak Glen Fire in California. It is no longer in service. The third 747 Supertanker was developed by Global Supertanker Services (which acquired most of Evergreen's assets), who owns and operates the aircraft currently. The Global Supertanker (N744ST, tanker/tail number 944) is a Boeing 747-400 dubbed the Spirit of John Muir. It was certified for firefighting flights by the Federal Aviation Administration in September 2016 and fought fires in Chile and Israel before being contracted by U.S. officials to fight California wildfires in 2017. It also took part in firefighting in Bolivia in August 2019. It was retired in 2021. Development Development started after the 2002 fire season, which saw the fatal crashes of two air tankers in the United States. The accidents, involving a Lockheed C-130 Hercules and a Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer, prompted the US Department of Interior to issue an official request for information on next-generation airtankers. Evergreen proposed to convert up to four of its Boeing 747-200 Freighters into Supertankers. The first converted Boeing 747 (N470EV) made its maiden flight on February 19, 2004. By June 2006, Evergreen had spent $40 million on the project and was waiting for both US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification and an evaluation contract from the US Forest Service. In October 2006 the FAA issued Evergreen a supplementary type certificate for the "installation and removal" of internal tanks, associated systems and the support structure for the aerial dispersal of liquids. Design The Global Supertanker was equipped with a pressurized liquid drop system, which could disperse fire retardant under high pressure or drop retardant at the speed of falling rain. Using the pressurized system, the aircraft could deliver retardant to the scene of a fire while flying at a height of , at approximately , configured as if it were on approach for landing. The Supertanker's tank system could be configured for segmented drops, allowing the contents of the tank to be released at multiple intervals while in flight. According to the company, the aircraft was capable of laying down a swath of fire retardant long and as wide as . A top speed of nearly allowed it to be almost anywhere in the U.S. in approximately 5 hours and reach most of the world in under 20 hours. Operation The Supertanker can operate from any airport with an long runway and suitable
747 Supertanker
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Victor Attah International Airport , is an airport serving Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria. The airport is Southeast of Uyo, and northwest of the river port of Oron. The Akwa Ibom non-directional beacon (Ident: AI) and Uyo VOR-DME (Ident: AKW) are located on the field. The first phase of airport construction began in 2006 and was completed in the year 2009. Akwa Ibom Airport opened on September 23, 2009, and the first scheduled passenger service commenced on December 2, 2009, when Arik Air began offering flights to Abuja and Lagos. The second construction phase began in May 2012, and included the completion of a maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility, the construction of an international terminal, and additional taxiways. The airport was renamed after former Governor Obong Victor Attah by Governor Udom Emmanuel at a Banquet to honor the 80th birthday of Obong Attah on 24 November 2018, the airport which was previously named Akwa Ibom International Airport has now been renamed to Victor Attah International Airport. Airlines and destinations The airport also serves as the hub for CRJ-900 operator, Ibom Air. Ibom Air is a state-owned carrier based at Victor Attah International Airport. The carrier operates regional services to destinations in Africa, using CRJ900 aircraft. The airline is wholly owned and operated by Akwa Ibom State Government. Ibom air launched its maiden flight on 7 June 2019. The event was graced by the deputy governor, Moses Ekpo in company of other Akwa Ibomites. A Bombardier CRJ 900 Series with registration number 5N-BWM took off by 12pm for the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. Ibom air took delivery of its first set of aircraft in the form of two Bombardier CRJ-900s. The Akwa Ibom State Government took delivery of the fourth aircraft in the fleet of Ibom Air on 19 May 2020. The Airline then took over two Airbus A220-300s from Air Sinai with an order for ten more to be delivered directly from Airbus. Ibom Air now has seven aircraft in its fleet. Infrastructure MRO Akwa Ibom International airport has a constructed Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facility capable of handling aircraft maintenance and overhaul of heavy commercial aircraft. The facility can conduct the A, B, C and D check. The facility, specifically designed for the Boeing 747, can accommodate two Boeing 747-400 parked juxtaposed, nose-in, fully contained within the building. The facility equipment, arrangement, clearance and supporting workshops allow flexibility for servicing a wide range of commercial aircraft. Runways The airport has a 3.6 km runway with designation 03/21. Operational facilities The airport has a category 9 aircraft rescue and fire-fighting facility, a category II instrument landing system, an air traffic control tower, a technical and administrative building, emergency operating centre, aviation fuel farm, health clinic, police station, perimeter roads and fencing. Future expansion and plans Akwa Ibom International airport has plans for expansion. There are plans to build a cargo terminal with an accompanying apron, a permanent international passenger terminal building, a 3 to 5-star
Akwa Ibom Airport
1752433
Seattle Paine Field International Airport , also known as Paine Field and Snohomish County Airport, is a commercial and general aviation airport serving the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located in unincorporated Snohomish County, Washington, between the cities of Mukilteo and Everett, about north of Seattle. PAE covers of land. The airport was built in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration and began commercial service in 1939. It was named for Topliff Olin Paine in 1941, shortly before the Army Air Corps began the occupation of Paine Field for military use. The airport briefly returned to civilian use in the late 1940s, before conversion into an air force base during the Korean War. In 1966, the Boeing Company selected Paine Field for the site of its Everett assembly plant as part of the Boeing 747 program. By the 1970s, the airport had grown into a hub for light aviation and manufacturing, lacking commercial service. The county government sought to begin commercial service at Paine Field as early as the 1980s but was halted by opposition from neighboring cities. In March 2019, Paine Field resumed commercial service at a newly constructed terminal. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2023–2027 categorized it as a non-hub primary commercial service facility. Description Paine Field has two runways: 16R-34L and 16L-34R. 16R-34L, at in length, is suited for the majority of aircraft and sees occasional heavy traffic. The first 1,000 feet of runway 16R is concrete, while the remainder is asphalt. It is in very good condition. Runway 16L-34R is in length, and suitable only for small aircraft. Its pavement is in fair condition, with a noticeable rise in elevation mid-field, when compared with the ends. Runway 11-29 was decommissioned on September 10, 2020, and Boeing is leasing some of the former runway space to park partially completed aircraft. The Paine (PAE) VOR/DME is located on the field. It is unusually mounted on top of a Boeing hangar. The airport has 456 general aviation hangars, of which 326 are leased by the County, and 130 are "condominium" hangars. Wait time for a hangar currently ranges between 6 months and 5 years, depending on type. Paine Field is home to the Boeing Everett Factory, the world's largest building by volume, and the primary assembly location for Boeing's wide-body 767 and 777, although the facility also produced the 747 and the 787, with the former ending production in 2022 and the latter being moved to Boeing South Carolina in March 2021. Paine Field is also home to Aviation Technical Services (ATS), one of the nation's largest aviation maintenance facilities. ATS operates a facility, formerly operated by Goodrich (formerly known as Tramco), and sold to ATS in the fall of 2007. ATS does 'heavy' checks for a number of airlines and cargo companies. According to their web page, they average 443 aircraft redeliveries each year. Paine Field is home to four flight schools – Chinook Flight
Paine Field
41165646
Qantas Flight 7 (QF7/QFA7) and Qantas Flight 8 (QF8/QFA8) are flights operated by Australian airline Qantas between Sydney Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, which, from 2013 to 2016, were the longest regularly scheduled non-stop commercial flights in the world. As of January 2024, they are the 11th longest regularly scheduled non-stop commercial flights in the world as measured by great-circle distance—, which is over one third of the distance around Earth. Background Qantas and American Airlines (AA) were two of the co-founding members of the Oneworld airline alliance, which was launched in 1999. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) has long been American's headquarters and largest hub and is centrally located in the United States. Dallas is less than four hours flying time from all cities in the continental United States and AA serves more of these airports from DFW than from Los Angeles, Qantas's main gateway to the United States. Los Angeles is also an AA hub, but is significantly smaller in terms of departures and destinations and located 4–5 hours flying time from most east coast cities. In 2012, American operated nearly 500 departing flights daily from DFW, but fewer than 100 from Los Angeles. Dallas would be a logical destination for Qantas to serve, but it only had six aircraft with the range needed to reach Dallas and they were needed for the Melbourne-Los Angeles and Sydney-Buenos Aires routes. The Boeing 747-400ER has a range of , although winds aloft and fuel needed for holding can trim that figure. Qantas had studied the feasibility of the Dallas route for years. At the time of the Great Recession, Qantas' Sydney-San Francisco service became unprofitable, while an open skies agreement between Australia & the US flooded the market with more capacity. In the meantime, the Boeing 747-400ER aircraft were replaced with A380s on the Melbourne-LA route. According to Qantas CEO Alan Joyce: "a lot of things clicked on this and it made absolute sense for us to devote aircraft resources to this destination." By flying to Dallas, Qantas can offer passengers a 70-minute connection to domestic flights, which means onwards connections to cities like New York City, Chicago, Boston, and Miami can be up to two hours faster than transiting through Los Angeles. At launch, Qantas had codeshare agreements on 54 AA flights from DFW to cities in the US, Canada, & Mexico. When announcing the launch of A380 service, Qantas notes that DFW offers more than 30 codeshare destinations beyond the network available from Los Angeles. According to Qantas in 2014, the most popular destinations for connections with QF7 are Orlando, Boston, Houston, Dallas and New York's LaGuardia Airport. History 747 service to London and Singapore In March 1974, Qantas launched Flights 7 outbound and 8 returning, between Sydney and London Heathrow Airport, via Melbourne, Perth and Bombay. Initially, Qantas operated the flight pair three times each week using Boeing 747-200Bs, with a journey time of approximately 20 hours. The two flights were promoted as a faster alternative
Qantas Flights 7 and 8
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Virgin Atlantic operates a fleet consisting exclusively of wide-body twinjet aircraft from both Airbus and Boeing. Current fleet , Virgin Atlantic operates the following aircraft: Gallery Historical fleet Fleet development Throughout the airline's history, Virgin Atlantic has operated a mix of widebody aircraft from Airbus and Boeing, as well as a limited number of narrowbody Airbus aircraft. Initially launching with a fleet of Boeing 747-200 aircraft in 1984, the airline's fleet continued to be composed entirely of four-engined widebody aircraft with the incorporation of a single Boeing 747-100 in 1990, the Airbus A340-300 in 1993, and the larger Boeing 747-400 in 1994. Between 1995 and 2000, the airline began operating the twin-engined Airbus A320 family and Boeing 767. In August 2002, Virgin Atlantic became the first airline to operate the larger Airbus A340-600 variant of the A340. By 2005, the airline retired its Boeing 747-100 and 747-200 aircraft, retaining the 747-400s. On 27 September 2006, Richard Branson announced plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by cutting aircraft weight and fuel consumption. There was also an experiment in 2007 in partnership with Boeing to have aircraft towed to the runway to save fuel, as a potential change to future operational procedures. Virgin Atlantic also volunteered a Boeing 747 for a test of biofuels in February 2008. The aircraft flew without passengers from Heathrow to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, with 20% of the power for one engine provided by plant-based biofuel. Virgin Atlantic said that it expected to use algae-based biofuels in the future. On 24 April 2007, Virgin Atlantic announced it had ordered the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, for a total of 15 Boeing 787-9s, with options on eight more. The exercised options, later making for a total fleet of 17 Boeing 787-9s, were planned replace the Heathrow-based 747 fleet during 2015 and 2016. The 787s were due to be delivered in 2011, but by 2008 were expected to be delayed to at least 2013. The following year on 22 June 2009, the airline announced an order for ten Airbus A330-300s, which would enter service initially in 2011, ahead of its delayed Boeing 787s. The announcement of the orders and subsequent induction of the two aircraft types notably ended the airline's four-engined aircraft fleet composition, as the airline previously marketed itself with the "4 engines 4 long haul" slogan. While its first two Airbus A330-300s would operate on leisure-oriented routes following delivery in 2011, Virgin Atlantic would begin operating A330s on its premium routes from Heathrow in April 2012. Virgin Atlantic had also ordered six Airbus A380-800 aircraft, with options on a further six, delivery initially due in 2006, but the deliveries repeatedly deferred. The A380 order was officially cancelled in March 2018, with deposits transferred to A330 and A350 aircraft orders. In March 2013, Virgin Atlantic resumed operations of narrowbody Airbus A320 family aircraft, with four Airbus A320-200s wet-leased from Aer Lingus to operate short-haul, domestic services from its Heathrow hub. The services were operated by Virgin Atlantic Little Red, a new
Virgin Atlantic fleet
9241567
Nador International Airport (; ), , is an international airport serving Nador, a city in the Oriental region in Morocco. It is also known as Arwi Airport. Location The original location at Taouima moved to El Aroui, some 14 miles (24 km) south-southwest of Nador city. The airport lies nearly directly along the N2 national road. There is no public transport to the airport. Directly in front of the terminal there is a large (paid) parking-place which is mainly used for people bringing or picking up passengers. Also outside the terminal there are many Grand Taxis offering shared connections with most major destinations for people flying to Nador. The taxis are also often offered for private-hire: thus where there is only one (group of) passenger(s). Petit Taxis are available to come or go to the town of Al Aroui only. Overview An initial airport was created in 1931 in the village of Tawima (south of Nador town) and was the primary airport for Melilla, since 1947 a Spanish enclave to the north. Following the independence of Morocco, Melilla began steps in creating an airport within Spanish control. In 1969 Melilla Airport opened to provide air travel between the Spanish enclave and mainland Spain. Nador is a small international airport (Inaugurated in 1999) with links to Morocco's main airports and some European destinations such as Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain. In the summer season it becomes a very busy airport when many Moroccan nationals living in Western Europe and originating from the Rif region (Riffian people) travel through it. The Nador airport is owned and run by the state company ONDA. The main user is Royal Air Maroc but also low-cost carriers like Ryanair, Airarabia, Tuifly, Transavia fly to Nador. Although most flights are operated using the smaller Boeing 737 or similar, in the summer months the demand for seats is so high that Royal Air Maroc operated weekly flights from Amsterdam Schiphol and Brussels using their Boeing 747; however, in 2012, these flights were replaced by "normal" Boeing 737 flights. The runway and stand are designed to handle jumbos but the facilities like passport control get overwhelmed when a full B-747 arrives. Following the high number of travelers and flights, an extension Terminal work began in 2016. The old airport was demolished to rebuild the new airport which was inaugurated on July 9, 2021. In 2009, the airport handled over 307,000 passengers. Facilities Nador International Airport has a single terminal, divided into arrivals and departures, both on the ground floor. Check-in terminals are located at one side of the main terminal hall, while the other side is for baggage retrieval for arriving customers. The airport has one runway, approximately 3,000 metres long and 45 metres wide. It can handle commercial aircraft up to a Boeing 747. Total aircraft parking space is 54,000 m2, enough for two Boeing 747s or four Boeing 737s. The airport has an ILS Class 1 certification and offers the following radionavigational aids: VOR – DME
Nador International Airport
8133115
Southern Air Inc. was a global air cargo carrier headquartered in Florence, Kentucky. It was the first airline to provide ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, Insurance) service for the wide-body Boeing 777F. On November 17, 2021, Southern Air ceased operations upon its merger into Atlas Air. The airline operated an all-Boeing fleet of aircraft, including the Boeing 777F and the Boeing 737-800BCF. Its wide range of services included long-term ACMI, on-demand commercial charters, and Department of Defense Civil Reserve Air Fleet. Southern Air’s operations also supported some of the world’s largest combination carriers as well as government agencies and non-government organizations. History The airline was established on March 5, 1999, by James Neff, out of the assets of Southern Air Transport. The carrier started operations in November 1999. On September 7, 2007, Oak Hill Capital Partners acquired majority ownership of Southern Air and merged Cargo 360 into the airline. In early 2010, Southern Air took delivery of two Boeing 777 freighters. At the same time, Southern Air introduced a new aircraft livery as well as new corporate branding. In early 2011, Southern Air entered into a multiple year contract with DHL Aviation; by utilizing the Boeing 777, Southern Air was able to augment DHL's overnight express package delivery service through hubs in Cincinnati, Bahrain, Hong Kong and Anchorage, increasing package delivery options provided by DHL to its customers. The same year, Southern Air gradually retired its fleet of Boeing 747-200, 747-300 and 747-400BDSF models. On 28 September 2012, Southern Air filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and emerged from bankruptcy in early 2013. In 2014, Southern Air took delivery of five 737-400SF passenger-to-cargo converted aircraft. On April 7, 2016, Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings purchased Southern Air for $110 million in an all-cash deal. The transaction included Worldwide Air Logistics Group, Inc. and its two operating subsidiaries, Southern Air, Inc. and Florida West International Airways, Inc. On November 17, 2021, Southern Air became fully integrated into Atlas Air through an airline merger, ending a long history of airline operations. Fleet Southern Air operated the following aircraft: References External links Official website (archived February 23, 2017) Defunct airlines of the United States Airlines established in 1947 Airlines disestablished in 2021 Defunct cargo airlines 1947 establishments in the United States 2021 disestablishments in Kentucky Airlines based in Kentucky Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2012 Transportation in Boone County, Kentucky Florence, Kentucky Companies based in Boone County, Kentucky
Southern Air
1166776
Flying Tiger Line, also known as Flying Tigers, was the first scheduled cargo airline in the United States and a major military charter operator during the Cold War era for both cargo and personnel (the latter with leased aircraft). The airline was bought by Federal Express in 1988. History The company was started by Robert William Prescott. It was headquartered on the grounds of Los Angeles International Airport in Westchester, Los Angeles, California. The airline was named after the Flying Tigers fighter unit of World War II, officially the 1st American Volunteer Group. Ten former AVG pilots, after returning to the United States in 1945, formed the Flying Tiger Line established on 24 June 1945 as National Freight Service known under the name of National Skyway Freight using a small fleet of 14 Budd Conestoga freighters purchased as war surplus from the United States Navy. The pilots and two ground crew provided half of the initial investment, with the balance coming from California oil tycoon Samuel B. Mosher. For the next four years, Flying Tiger Line carried air freight on contract throughout the U.S. and, as the airline expanded, carrying supplies to U.S. troops under Gen. Douglas MacArthur during the occupation of Japan. In 1949, the Civil Aeronautics Board awarded Flying Tiger Line the first commercial air cargo route in the U.S., a transcontinental route from Los Angeles and San Francisco, California to Boston, Massachusetts. Shortly afterward, the company began chartering passenger aircraft for group travel as well; its Lockheed Super Constellation, Douglas DC-4 and DC-6 fleet comprised the largest trans-Atlantic charter operation through the 1950s. Operations During the Korean War, Flying Tiger aircraft were chartered to transport troops and supplies from the United States to Asia; Flying Tigers later received a cargo route award to Japan, China, and Southeast Asia. The airline also played a major role in the construction of the Distant Early Warning Line, flying equipment to remote outposts in northern Canada and Alaska. Flying Tiger Line adopted the Canadair CL-44 swing-tail aircraft in 1961, becoming one of the first carriers in the world to offer aerial pallet shipping service. In 1965, Flying Tiger Line began operating jet aircraft on September 27, when the first (as N322F) of four Boeing 707s was delivered. The Boeing 707 remained in the fleet only few years, until the arrival of the higher-payload Douglas DC-8, the largest civilian airliner until the Boeing 747 entered service. The first Douglas DC-8-63F, registered as N779FT, was delivered to the airline on June 26, 1968, and the other eighteen followed until 1972. In 1974, the airline took delivery of its first Boeing 747. The Flying Tiger Line then put in orders for brand-new Boeing 747-200F freighters designated the Boeing 747-249F, which at the time were among the heaviest commercial airplanes flying, weighing . These aircraft had the powerful "Q" (Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7Q) engines and heavy landing gear and could simultaneously carry both of fuel and of cargo loaded through both the nose door and
Flying Tiger Line
61171304
Code One is the name of the Republic of Korea Air Force aircraft which carries the President of South Korea. The current aircraft is a specially upgraded Boeing 747-8I leased from Korean Air. Historically, the lease for Code One has been filled by either Korean Air or Asiana Airlines. It was reported in 2018 that Korean Air's lease expires in March 2021 and that a bidding process was open to secure a new lease. Government officials said that low-cost carriers might be requested to submit bids, in addition to those requested by Asiana Airlines and Korean Air. The aircraft has undergone a "full-scale renovation" which will include "decorating the exterior", as well as customising the interior to include a sleeping area and office, as well as reinforcement to protect the president's security. The current presidential plane has been in service since January 2022 after extensive retrofitting and inspection. There is also an identical plane of the same type that will travel with the president at all times for security purposes and to act as a backup in case of an emergency. Acquisition In 2010 as part of the VC-X program the Republic of Korea Air Force along with the Presidential Security Service leased a Boeing 747-400 from Korean Air to serve as Code One. The contract was extended until 2021 due to an administrative problem. In March 2020, the lease for Code One ended and the bidding process from Korean Air and Asiana Airlines began. When the bidding process was concluded the South Korean Air Force and the Presidential Security Service decided that Korean Air would get the contract to provide the new Code One aircraft. Other Presidential Aircraft Before 2010, the President would travel in a reconfigured Boeing 747 provided by either Korean Air or Asiana Airlines which would temporarily serve as Code One with the Presidential seal displayed. When official use was over, the aircraft was reverted to normal and used once again as a commercial aircraft. Security Code One has a vast array of security measures most of which are highly classified. Code One is equipped with advanced communications and defense systems including radar-signal jammers and flares to defend against heat-seeking missiles. Interior The interior of the aircraft is mostly unknown and classified, but what is known, is that the aircraft is reconfigured with an office and a bedroom among other amenities. Code One is not only meant for travel and comfort but also as a command post, that is used for the president to lead the country from anywhere in the world. It is also meant for them to fulfill their duties as the Commander-in-Chief and supreme authority of the armed forces. See also Air transports of heads of state and government List of official vehicles of the president of South Korea President of South Korea Presidential Helicopter of South Korea Presidential State Car of South Korea Transportation of the President of South Korea References Call signs South Korean military aircraft Air transport of heads of
Code One
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The Boeing 777 is a long-range wide-body twin-engine jet airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the commercial business unit of Boeing. Commonly referred to as the "Triple Seven", it is the largest twinjet. The 777 can accommodate between 301 and 450 (Air Canada High Density) passengers in a three-class layout, and has a range of , depending on the model. Developed in consultation with eight major airlines, the 777 was designed to replace older wide-body airliners and bridge the capacity difference between the 767 and 747. The 777 is produced in two fuselage lengths. The original 777-200 model first entered service in 1995, followed by the extended-range 777-200ER in 1997. The stretched 777-300, which is longer, began service in 1998. The longer-range 777-300ER and 777-200LR variants entered service in 2004 and 2006, respectively, while a freighter version, the 777F, debuted in 2009. United Airlines first placed the 777 into commercial airline service in 1995. The most successful variant is the 777-300ER with 799 aircraft delivered and over 844 orders to date. Emirates operates the largest 777 fleet with 148 aircraft. FedEx Express operates the largest fleet of the 777F cargo aircraft. As of June 2019, 2,033 Boeing 777s, of all variants, have been ordered and 1,598 have been delivered. Model summary United Airlines placed the launch order for the 777 program on October 14, 1990 when it purchased 34 Pratt & Whitney PW4084-powered 777-200s valued at US$11 billion with options on an additional 34. The 777-200 entered into service with United Airlines on June 7, 1995 with its first flight from London Heathrow Airport to Dulles International Airport. From day one, the 777 was awarded 180-minute ETOPS clearance by the Federal Aviation Administration, making it the first airliner to carry an ETOPS-180 clearance into service. This would later be increased to 207 minutes by October 1996. British Airways placed the first model with General Electric GE90-77B engines into service on November 17, 1995. The first Rolls-Royce Trent 877-powered aircraft was delivered to Thai Airways International on March 31, 1996, completing the introduction of the three power-plants initially developed for the airliner. Subsequent versions of the 777, including the 777-200ER, 777-200LR, 777-300, 777-300ER, 777F and the upcoming 777-8X and -9X, have been launched by Air France, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). The following table lists milestone dates for each model of the aircraft. In July 2009, Emirates surpassed Singapore Airlines as the biggest 777 operator, when the 78th aircraft was delivered. Since 2010, Emirates is the largest Boeing 777 operator, with 152 aircraft; the carrier began phasing out older −200s, −200ERs and −300s in February 2011, but as of May 2011 has 47 additional −300ER orders scheduled for delivery. Other primary operators are United Airlines (96), Qatar Airways (81), Air France (70), American Airlines (67), and Cathay Pacific (65). As of November 2011, 62 airline customers operated variants of the Boeing 777. Current, former and future operators The following table lists of active operators of
List of Boeing 777 operators
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The General Electric GEnx ("General Electric Next-generation") is an advanced dual rotor, axial flow, high-bypass turbofan jet engine in production by GE Aerospace for the Boeing 747-8 and 787. The GEnx succeeded the CF6 in GE's product line. Development As of 2016, the GEnx and the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 were selected by Boeing following a run-off between the three big engine manufacturers. The GEnx uses some technology from the GE90 turbofan, including swept composite fan blades and the 10-stage high-pressure compressor (HPC) featured in earlier variants of the engine. The engine carries composite technology into the fan case. The engine market for the 787 is estimated at US$40 billion over the next 25 years. A first is the elimination of bleed air systems using high temperature/high pressure air from the propulsion engines to power aircraft systems such as the starting, air-conditioning and anti-ice systems. Both engines enable the move towards the More Electric Aircraft, that is, the concept of replacing previously hydraulic and pneumatic systems with electrical ones to reduce weight, increase efficiency, and reduce maintenance requirements. The GEnx was expected to produce thrust from with first tests commencing in 2006 and service entry by 2008 (delayed by 787 deliveries). Boeing predicts reduced fuel consumption of up to 20% and significantly quieter engines than current turbofans. A thrust version (GEnx-2B67) will be used on the 747-8. Unlike the initial version for the 787, this version has a traditional bleed air system to power internal pneumatic and ventilation systems. It will also have a smaller overall diameter than the initial model to accommodate installation on the 747. In March 2006 General Electric began initial test runs of the bleedless GEnx variant. The first flight with one of these engines took place on 22 February 2007, using a Boeing 747-100, fitted with one GEnx engine in the number 2 (inboard left hand side) position. By fall 2019, General Electric was offering the GEnx-2B, developed for the 747-8, for the revised 767-XF variant based on the 767-400ER, but needed enough volume to cover the new product certification. Operational history Introduced in late 2011 on a 747-8 freighter, Cargolux surpassed one million flight hours in early 2017. On July 28, 2012, the NTSB initiated an investigation of an engine failure that occurred on a Boeing 787 during a pre-delivery taxi test in Charleston, South Carolina. On August 31, 2012, a GEnx-1B engine installed on a Boeing 787 that had not yet flown was found to have an indication of a similar crack on the fan midshaft. The fan midshaft was removed from the engine for further inspection and examination. As a result of investigative work the NTSB has determined that the fan midshafts on the GEnx engines fractured or cracked at the forward end of the shaft where the retaining nut is installed. On September 11, 2012, an AirBridgeCargo 747-8F experienced a major engine malfunction that spread a significant amount of metallic debris on the runway when the low-pressure turbine shaft separated and shifted
General Electric GEnx
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British Airways World Cargo, formerly British Airways Cargo, was a division of IAG Cargo, operating air cargo services under the British Airways brand. It was the twelfth-largest cargo airline in the world by total freight tonne-kilometres flown. Freight services were provided using the main British Airways fleet, as well as dedicated freighter aircraft operating under a wet lease agreement with Global Supply Systems. History British Airways first opened a World Cargo centre at Heathrow in the late 1990s; it was an automated freight handling centre capable of handling unusual and premium cargo, and fresh produce, of which it handled over 80,000 tons per year. BA World Cargo also handled freight at London's Gatwick and Stansted airports, and, through its partner British Airways Regional Cargo, at all of the main regional airports throughout the UK. The company ended operations on 30 April 2014, having been fully merged into IAG Cargo, however without continuing dedicated cargo flights. BA World Cargo also operated an automated cargo centre at London Heathrow Airport, and had a base for long-haul freighter services at London Stansted Airport. Following the shuttering of British Airways World Cargo, a new all-cargo airline, CargoLogicAir, commenced operations in 2015, receiving some staff from Global Supply Systems. Destinations BA World Cargo operated dedicated freighter aircraft services to Africa, the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent, East Asia, North America and Europe from their London-Stansted base. BA World Cargo operates using the main BA fleet. Until the end of March 2014 they also operated three Boeing 747-8 freighter aircraft providing dedicated long-haul services under a wet lease arrangement from Global Supply Systems. Fleet BA World Cargo fleet as at April 2014 consisted of: Boeing 747-8F (total of 3 were wet-leased from Global Supply Systems and phased out gradually) BA World Cargo also used space on dedicated freighters operated by other carriers. Previously operated Boeing 707-320C Boeing 747-200F Boeing 747-400F Vickers 953c Merchantman See also List of defunct airlines of the United Kingdom References External links IAG Cargo British Airways Defunct cargo airlines Cargo airlines of the United Kingdom
British Airways World Cargo
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L3Harris Commercial Aviation Solutions (L3 CTS) is a flight training provider and manufacturer of civil flight simulators based in Crawley, England. It is part of L3Harris, and was formed as L-3 Link Simulation & Training UK in 2012, when L3 acquired the civil fixed-wing simulation division of Thales Training & Simulation (TTS). History L3 CTS was incorporated in 2006 as "L-3 Communications Group Limited", acting as holding company for the L-3 group in the United Kingdom. In 2012, when TTS was partially acquired, the company's name was changed to "L-3 Communications Link Simulation and Training UK Limited" (L-3 Link UK). In May 2015, the subsidiary L-3 CTC was formed, following the acquisition of British flight training provider CTC aviation, and in July 2016, L-3 Link UK and L-3 CTC were consolidated into L3 Commercial Training Solutions. L3 CTS and TTS are still co-located on the same site in Manor Royal, Crawley, and share the same ancestry, rooted in the US simulation business created by Ed Link in the 1930s and in the British simulator manufacturer Redifon (later Rediffusion). Recently, L3 Airline Academy has been granted the contract to train the RAF (Royal Air Forces) Multi Engine Aircraft pilots. In November 2023, L3Harris Commercial Aviation Solutions was sold to TJC for $800 million. Products and services L3 CTS's core product is the RealitySeven line of full flight simulators, which covers a wide range of aircraft types: from turboprop ATR72 to single-aisle Embraer E2, A320, Boeing 737 and wide-bodies Boeing 747, Boeing 767, Boeing 777, Boeing 787 and Airbus A330, A350 and Airbus A380. A major part of the business is also the provision of flight training services, including cadet selection, ab initio training and airline training, both in the UK and in Bangkok, Thailand, through the controlled Asian Aviation Training Center, which was acquired as part of the TTS deal. References External links Company website Companies based in Crawley Flight training in the United Kingdom L3Harris Technologies
L3 Commercial Training Solutions
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The Boeing Dreamlifter, officially the 747-400 Large Cargo Freighter (LCF), is a wide-body cargo aircraft modified extensively from the Boeing 747-400 airliner. With a volume of it can hold three times that of a 747-400F freighter. The outsized aircraft was designed to transport Boeing 787 Dreamliner parts between Italy, Japan, and the U.S., but has also flown medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Development Boeing Commercial Airplanes announced on October 13, 2003, that, due to the length of time required by land and marine shipping, air transport would be the main method of transporting parts for the assembly of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner (then known as the 7E7). Boeing 787 parts were deemed too large for standard marine shipping containers as well as the Boeing 747-400F, Antonov An-124 and An-225. Initially, three used passenger 747-400 aircraft were to be converted into an outsize configuration in order to ferry sub-assemblies from Japan and Italy to North Charleston, South Carolina, and then to Washington state for final assembly, but a fourth was subsequently added to the program. The Large Cargo Freighter has a bulging fuselage similar in concept to the Super Guppy and the Airbus Beluga and BelugaXL outsize cargo aircraft, which are also used for transporting wings and fuselage sections. The LCF conversion was partially designed by Boeing's Moscow bureau and Boeing Rocketdyne with the swing tail designed in partnership with Gamesa Aeronáutica of Spain. The cargo portion of the aircraft is unpressurized. Unlike the hydraulically supported nose section on a 747 Freighter, the tail is opened and closed by a modified shipping container handling truck, and locked to the rear fuselage with 21 electronic actuators. Modifications were carried out in Taiwan by Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corporation, a joint venture of Evergreen Group's EVA Air and General Electric. Boeing reacquired the four 747-400s; one former Air China aircraft, two former China Airlines aircraft, and one former Malaysia Airlines aircraft. The first 747 Large Cargo Freighter (LCF) was rolled out of the hangar at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport on August 17, 2006. It successfully completed its first test flight on September 9, 2006, from this airport. The 787 Dreamliner parts are placed in the aircraft by the DBL-100 cargo loader, the world's longest cargo loader. In June 2006, the first DBL-100 cargo loader was completed. The 747 LCF's unusual appearance has drawn comparisons to the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile and the Hughes H-4 Hercules ("Spruce Goose"). Due to its ungainly form—exacerbated in that the first airplane remained unpainted for some time, due to the need for immediate testing—Boeing Commercial Airplanes president Scott Carson jokingly apologized to 747 designer Joe Sutter that he was "sorry for what we did to your plane." Operational history Flight testing On September 16, 2006, N747BC arrived at Boeing Field, Seattle to complete the flight test program. Swing-tail testing was done at the Boeing factory in Everett. The second airplane, N780BA, made its inaugural test flight on February 16, 2007. The third began modification in 2007. The first two
Boeing Dreamlifter
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Emirates SkyCargo () is a cargo airline based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. As of 2020, it is the fourth largest cargo airline worldwide in terms of the total freight tonne-kilometres flown and international freight tonne-kilometres flown. Emirates SkyCargo is the air freight division of Emirates, which started operations in October 1985, the same year Emirates was formed. Since then, it has been the main cargo division of Emirates, and the anchor cargo airline at Al Maktoum International Airport, its main hub. Emirates SkyCargo operates dedicated cargo flights to 26 destinations from Al Maktoum International Airport, and through the Emirates passenger network has access to additional 61 destinations. Whilst using belly hold capacity in the Emirates' passenger fleet, it also operates freighter aircraft. Emirates SkyCargo is a subsidiary of The Emirates Group which has over 100,000 employees. Furthermore, it is wholly owned by the Government of Dubai directly under the Investment Corporation of Dubai. The company slogan is, "Delivering the highest standards of product quality." History Early years Emirates SkyCargo was established in October 1985, at the same time as Emirates was launched, operating as a separate entity from its parent company. In its first year, SkyCargo handled over 10,000 tonnes of freight. SkyCargo leased the entire freighter fleet from Emirates while also taking over management of the cargo holds in all of Emirates' passenger aircraft. The airline received its first award in 1989. Since then, Emirates SkyCargo has received more than 100 international awards – including Best Cargo Airline to the Middle East for 20 years in a row. On October 3, 1993, Emirates SkyCargo signed an agreement with EC International to handle all cargo shipments from the United States to 24 countries serviced by Emirates – the Middle East, Indian sub-continent, Europe and the Far East. New routes were launched when both Emirates began growing. Amsterdam was launched in 1997, the same year EmiratesSkyCargo was experiencing growth, and accounting for 16% of The Emirates Groups revenue. Development since the 2000s In May 2003, the airline took delivery of a Boeing 747-400 freighter taking the freighter fleet to three Boeing 747s. Emirates SkyCargo was operating two Boeing 747-400s with capacity for 120 tonnes and a Boeing 747-200 with capacity for 110 tonnes. In September 2004, the airline launched freighter services to Johannesburg and Lahore. On November 20, 2005, Emirates announced orders for eight Boeing 777 Freighters, with the first aircraft scheduled for delivery in 2007, at the Dubai Airshow. In 2005, Emirates SkyCargo and Korean Air Cargo signed an agreement to codeshare cargo capacity on two routes from India – Delhi and Mumbai. In the financial year ending March 2006, SkyCargo announced revenues of over $1 billion and carried over one million tonnes of cargo. The freighter fleet included four freighters: one Boeing 747-400F and three A310-300Fs. In the same year, the airline also launched a freighter service to Barcelona using the Airbus A310 Freighter. During the Farnborough Air Show in July 2006, Emirates signed a Heads of Agreement
Emirates SkyCargo
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The Boeing VC-25 is a military version of the Boeing 747 airliner, modified for presidential transport and commonly operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) as Air Force One, the call sign of any U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. Only two examples of this aircraft type are in service; they are highly modified Boeing 747-200Bs, designated VC-25A and having tail numbers 28000 and 29000. Although technically the Air Force One designation applies to the aircraft only while the president is on board, the term is commonly used to refer to the VC-25 in general. The two aircraft often operate in conjunction with Marine One helicopters, which ferry the president to airports whenever a vehicle motorcade would be inappropriate. Two new aircraft, based on the Boeing 747-8I and designated VC-25B, have been ordered by the USAF to replace the aging VC-25As. Development By 1985, the pair of Boeing 707-based VC-137s used as the presidential aircraft had been in service for 23 and 13 years respectively, and the USAF began searching for an eventual replacement. The Request for Proposal issued stated that the aircraft to be selected should have at least three engines and an unrefueled range of at least . Both Boeing with its 747 and McDonnell Douglas with the DC-10 were in competition to be selected, with the Boeing entry the eventual winner. The fabrication of the current 747s began during the presidency of Ronald Reagan (1981–1989). The VC-25s were completed in 1986 and first flew in 1987. The interior designs were created by First Lady Nancy Reagan, who used designs reminiscent of the American Southwest. Problems with interior wiring for communication systems delayed delivery of the two aircraft until 1990, during the administration of George H. W. Bush. The Air Force reported that the operating cost for each VC-25A in 2014 was $210,877 (~$ in ) per hour. Design and configuration The VC-25 is capable of flying 7,800 miles (12,600 km)—roughly one-third the distance around the world—without refueling. The VC-25A can accommodate more than 70 passengers. Each VC-25A cost approximately $325 million. While the VC-25 has two main decks and a cargo area, like a regular Boeing 747, its 4,000 square feet (370 m2) of floor space has been reconfigured for presidential duties. Its lowest level is mostly cargo space, carrying luggage and the onboard food supply. The main passenger area is on the second floor or main deck. The upper deck contains the cockpit and the communications center. Typically, the president boards and disembarks from the front, main deck entrance using a mobile stairway, while journalists and other passengers enter at the rear door of the main deck. However, the aircraft also has built-in airstairs that lead to the lower deck, typically used when security concerns make the use of a mobile stairway impractical. The "White House" The front section of the aircraft is informally called the "White House", a reference to the president's official residence in Washington, D.C. The president's
Boeing VC-25
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The Boeing NLA, or New Large Airplane, was a 1990s concept for an all-new quadjet airliner in the 500+ seat market. Somewhat larger than the 747, this aircraft was similar in concept to the McDonnell Douglas MD-12 and later Airbus A380. In 1993, Boeing chose not to pursue development of this concept, focusing instead on the Boeing 747-500X and -600X, and then on the 747X and 747X Stretch, and subsequently on the Boeing 747-8. The project names for this aircraft were NLA and Boeing 763-246C. History The Boeing New Large Airplane was one of several projects started by Boeing in the late 20th century as a way to compete with rival aircraft corporations like Airbus. The Airbus A380 project began to be publicized in 1990 in order to try and turn the commercial aviation market away from the then very prevalent Boeing 747. Boeing sought to combat this and began working up designs for the NLA at some point in the early 1990s, with a scheduled service entry date of before 2000 in order to beat the Airbus A380. The goal of the NLA project was to create an airplane capable of traveling primarily long-haul routes and carrying vast amounts of passengers or cargo. At the time of design, ETOPS had not been introduced, and twinjet aircraft were not considered suitable for transpacific flights, so the NLA was designed with a four-jet layout (two on each wing), much like the 747 or A380. It was designed to fly long-haul, high-demand flights such as Sydney to Dubai or London to New York can take anywhere from 8 to 14 hours. Because the project was designed with the goal of beating competitors based on sheer passenger volume, the NLA was designed with a full-length two deck configuration. This would allow for 600–1000 passengers (depending on airline and class seating configurations), about 50 more passengers than the A380 per configuration. However, after only a few years of working on the project, Boeing decided that the NLA model was unsustainable with the way the commercial aviation market was trending. Instead of larger, higher capacity aircraft with the ability to make long hub-to-hub routes in a single go, Boeing decided the future was in smaller, more direct flights. As a result, they cancelled the NLA project to focus on 747 expansion models. Specifications (NLA, as designed) Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer See also References Abandoned civil aircraft projects of the United States NLA Quadjets
Boeing New Large Airplane
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The Boeing Yellowstone Project was a Boeing Commercial Airplanes project to replace its entire civil aircraft portfolio with advanced technology aircraft. New technologies to be introduced include composite aerostructures, more electrical systems (instead of hydraulic systems), and more fuel-efficient turbofan engines (such as the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G, General Electric GEnx, the CFM International CFM56, and the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000). The term "Yellowstone" refers to the technologies, while "Y1" through "Y3" refer to the actual aircraft. The first of these projects, Y2, entered service as the Boeing 787. The second project, Y3, is expected to enter service as the Boeing 777X. The Y1 project was cancelled in favor of the re-engined Boeing 737 MAX. Yellowstone projects Yellowstone is divided into three projects: Boeing Y1, to replace the 737 and 757 product lines. The Y1 covers the 100- to 250-passenger market, and is expected to be the second Yellowstone Project aircraft to be developed. Boeing submitted a patent application in November 2009, that was released to the public in August 2010, that envisions an elliptical composite fuselage, and likely signals the company's planning for the 737 successor. In early 2011, Boeing outlined plans for a 737 replacement that would arrive in 2020. In August 2011, Boeing announced the 737 MAX, an updated and re-engined version of the 737, rather than progress with Y1 concepts. Boeing Y2, to replace the 767 product line. It covers the 250- to 350-passenger market, and was the first completed Yellowstone project, coming to fruition as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Y2 initially referred to the highly efficient, more conventional, baseline aircraft for the Sonic Cruiser, which was project "Glacier". The Dreamliner competes with the Airbus A330neo. Boeing Y3, to replace the 777 and 747 product lines. Y3 covers the 350–600+ passenger market. The Boeing 777X is largely considered the end result of the Y3 program, which was launched by Boeing on November 16, 2013. The 777X competes with the Airbus A350. See also Boeing 7X7 series References External links March 2001 Newsletter, Richard Aboulafia, March, 2001. "Future Airliners", Aerospaceweb.org, January 5, 2003. (refers to Yellowstone as the project name for the future Boeing 787) "Not if... but when", Flight International, July 6, 2005. Yellowstone
Boeing Yellowstone Project
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Virgin Orbit was a company within the Virgin Group that provided launch services for small satellites. The company was formed in 2017 as a spin-off of Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic space tourism venture to develop and market the LauncherOne rocket, which had previously been a project under Virgin Galactic. LauncherOne was a two-stage launch vehicle, air-launched from a Boeing 747 carrier aircraft, designed to deliver 300 kg of payload to low Earth orbit. On December 30, 2021, Virgin Orbit underwent a SPAC merger with NextGen Acquisition Corp, and became a publicly traded company (symbol VORB) at the NASDAQ stock exchange. Upon listing Virgin Orbit was valued at $3.7 billion. LauncherOne made six flights from 2020 to 2023, resulting in four successes and two failures. After the second failure in January 2023 and amid an inability to secure additional financing, the company laid off staff and suspended operations in March 2023, finalizing Chapter 11 bankruptcy auction on May 22, 2023. Remaining assets were divested for $36 million, less than 1% of the company's valuation upon IPO. Vehicles LauncherOne On May 25, 2020, LauncherOne's first launch failed to reach orbit. On January 17, 2021, LauncherOne became the first Virgin Orbit vehicle to reach orbit, successfully deploying 10 CubeSats into Low Earth Orbit for NASA on its final demonstration mission. LauncherOne was deployed from the left (port) wing of a retrofitted Boeing 747, 33,000 feet (10 kilometers) above the Pacific Ocean. The rocket was dedicated to the memory of the mother of Richard Branson, founder of Virgin - Eve Branson, who died from COVID-19 on January 8, 2021. On June 30, 2021, LauncherOne successfully delivered its first commercial payload to space. On January 13, 2022, LauncherOne successfully delivered seven cubesats for three customers into orbit. On July 2, 2022, LauncherOne flew a successful mission. On January 9, 2023, LauncherOne failed to orbit despite a nominal drop from the aircraft, with Virgin Orbit citing "an anomaly" with the upper stage. The failed payload included nine satellites from seven different customers. This was Virgin Orbit's first attempted launch from the UK at Spaceport Cornwall; previous launches were from Mojave Air and Space Port. Cosmic Girl Cosmic Girl was the name of the modified Boeing 747-400 that Virgin Orbit used to launch its rockets. In 2022, Virgin Orbit announced plans to acquire additional 747s with the ability to transport the rocket and ground support equipment internally. Operations and financials Based in Long Beach, California, at its founding in 2017, Virgin Orbit had more than 300 employees led by president Dan Hart, a former vice president of government satellite systems at Boeing. The company from which it was spun off, Virgin Galactic, continued to focus on two other capabilities: human suborbital spaceflight operations and advanced aerospace design, manufacturing, and testing. In October 2019, Virgin Orbit announced that Matthew Stannard was joining as a pilot on a three-year contract. Stannard had previously served in the Royal Air Force as a test and evaluation pilot notably on Typhoon jets.
Virgin Orbit
508965
Transaero (), officially OJSC Transaero Airlines () was a Russian airline that operated scheduled and charter flights to over 150 domestic and international destinations. Transaero's main hubs were Moscow Vnukovo Airport and Saint Petersburg Airport, with further bases throughout Russia. For much of its history the head office was at Domodedovo International Airport, and towards the end its head office was in Saint Petersburg. Transaero filed for bankruptcy on 1 October 2015, and announced that it would cease all operations by 15 December the same year. However, Russian authorities revoked its operating license on 25 October. In September 2021, the Moscow Commercial Court extended Transaero's business failure until March 2022 following a motion by the airline's bankruptcy supervisor Alexey Belokopyt. History Early years Transaero began as a charter airline with aircraft leased from Aeroflot. It was incorporated as a joint-stock company on 28 December 1990 and was the first private company approved for scheduled passenger services in the Soviet Union. Its first charter service was Moscow to Tel Aviv on 5 November 1991. In July 1992, Transaero received its own Ilyushin Il-86. It became the first privately owned airline to operate scheduled flights in Russia when it launched its Moscow–Alykel Airport, Norilsk flight in January 1993 followed by Kiev, Sochi and Almaty later the same year. Its first international scheduled route outside the former Soviet Union was from Moscow to Tel Aviv in November 1993. In April 1993, Transaero started operating Western-made aircraft when it received its first Boeing 737-200, followed by its first Boeing 757-200 in April 1994. Transaero was also the first Russian airline with a frequent flyer program, which it established in 1995. It was also the first Russian airline with a Federal Aviation Administration aircraft maintenance certificate, which it obtained in 1997. In December 1998 a weekly service between Moscow and London Gatwick commenced. Transaero operated its first Boeing 737-700 in 1998, followed by Boeing 767-200 and Boeing 737-300 in 2002 and Boeing 767-300 and Boeing 737-400 in 2003. An agreement was signed to purchase 10 Tupolev Tu-214-300 in the same year. In 2005, Transaero became the first Russian passenger airline to operate the Boeing 747 when it started services on 11 July 2005 with a leased, ex-Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-200 on scheduled services from Moscow to Tel Aviv. The aircraft would also operate summer charter flights to holiday destinations. In May 2005, Transaero added a flight between Moscow and Montreal, marking the first time the airline flew to Canada. On 21 June 2006, Transaero also began operating nonstop flights between Moscow and Toronto. The service to Toronto was temporarily suspended in September 2008, but was later restored, whereas the service to Montreal was cancelled in 2009. It was reported in 2007 that Transaero negotiated a deal with Continental Airlines to purchase 10 of the Boeing 737-500 aircraft still in Continental's fleet. In November 2007 the airline announced a new scheduled bi-weekly service between Moscow and Sydney, Australia via Hong Kong, using Boeing 767-300 aircraft; commencing
Transaero
10981339
Pan Am Cargo or Clipper Cargo was a subsidiary cargo airline of Pan American World Airways. Pan Am Cargo first used piston-engined aircraft such as the Douglas DC-4. On 5 January 1952 the larger DC-6 model was used on the company's first transatlantic all-cargo service. In 1963, Pan Am's all-cargo jet service began with Boeing 707-321Cs that henceforth dominated Pan Am's freight operations. Pan Am stopped Pan Am Cargo operations in 1983. Fleet As of its end in 1983, Pan Am Cargo fleet included: 4 Boeing 727 (1 in Mexico City) 2 Boeing 747-123F 2 Boeing 747-221F 1 Boeing 747-273C (Leased from World Airways) See also List of defunct airlines of the United States References Pan Am Defunct cargo airlines Defunct airlines of the United States Airlines disestablished in 1983
Pan Am Cargo
144925
Atlas Air, Inc. is a major American cargo airline, passenger charter airline, and aircraft lessor based in Purchase, New York. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings. Atlas Air is the world's largest operator of the Boeing 747 aircraft, with a total fleet of 54 of this specific fleet type. In 2021, the airline had 4,056 employees and operated to more than 300 global destinations. History In 1992, Atlas Air began operations when the airline's founder, Michael Chowdry, started leasing aircraft to airlines. In 1993, China Airlines, the first customer, initiated operations with Atlas Air with one airplane on an aircraft and crew, maintenance, and insurance (CMI) agreement. By 1995, Atlas Air began trading publicly. In 1997, Atlas placed an order for 10 new Boeing 747-400F aircraft with another two orders for 747-400Fs placed in 1998. On January 30, 2004, Atlas Air Worldwide entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In July 2004, the parent company completed its restructuring plan and emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In 2006, Amnesty International released a report on extraordinary rendition, stating that Atlas Air was one of the airlines used by the US government for rendering detainees. This was the basis for the song "Atlas Air" recorded by Massive Attack for the album Heligoland. In 2007, Atlas Air began a multiyear training contract with the United States Air Force to provide training for the pilots of Air Force One. The contract also provided training for the Presidential Airlift Group. This program has been renewed several times and remains in place as of 2022. In March 2010, Atlas Air was awarded the contract to operate the Boeing Dreamlifter (officially the Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter), transporting aircraft parts to Boeing from suppliers around the world. It commenced operation in September 2010 under a CMI contract. In 2011, Atlas Air took the first North American delivery of the Boeing 747-8 Freighter (Boeing 747-8F). On April 7, 2016, Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings purchased Southern Air for in an all-cash deal. The transaction included Worldwide Air Logistics Group, Inc. and its two operating subsidiaries, Southern Air, Inc. and Florida West International Airways, Inc. On May 5, 2016, Amazon.com and Atlas Air announced a deal for Amazon.com to lease 20 Boeing 767s to fuel growth of its new Amazon air-freight service, branded as Amazon Air. The deal also warranted Amazon the ability to buy up to 30% stake in the company over the next seven years. Under the agreement, Atlas Air Inc. would provide aircraft and CMI for seven years. This move came after Amazon's similar deal with Air Transport Services Group for 20 aircraft, also to be branded under Amazon Air. In March 2017, Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings shut down Florida West International Airways and cancelled the operating certificate. In January 2021, Atlas Air announced the purchase of an additional four 747-8 freighters from Boeing. They were the final four 747s to be built. These were to be delivered in 2022, when Boeing planned to shut
Atlas Air
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Air India One (also referred to as AI1 AIC1 or INDIA 1) is the air traffic control call sign of any Special Extra Section Flight (SESF) operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF) for the President, Vice-President or Prime Minister of India. Ministry of Defence and AHQCS, based at Palam Air Force Station, New Delhi are responsible for coordinating and carrying out the missions. History Previously, Air India One was one of two dual-use civilian Air India Boeing 747-400s. In 2016, the Boeing 777-300ER was selected as SESF (VVIP transport). The new aircraft, with specially-designed liveries, entered service in October 2020, replacing the Boeing 747-400s operated for the missions by Air India. Unlike the 747s which were commercial aircraft, the newly inducted aircraft are military vessels formally owned and operated by the Indian Air Force. They bear no Air India markings and have no commercial dual-use. However, under a special contract, they will be maintained by Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL), which has experience maintaining the Boeing 777 series aircraft for Air India's commercial fleet. The aircraft are fitted with encrypted satellite communication facilities and advanced navigation aids, an advanced missile warning system, a missile deflecting shield and electronic countermeasures so as to provide protection from any ground-based or airborne threats and flares and glares for misleading the missile. They are capable of long-range travel removing the need for air-to-air refuelling (which is a feature on the VC-25As though they have not been used at all in their service) . The 777-300ER's onboard electronics include about 238 miles of wiring (twice the amount found in a normal 777). The heavy shielding is crucial to protect the wiring and crucial electronics from the electromagnetic pulse associated with a nuclear blast. At a Boeing facility in Fort Worth, Texas, two ex- Air India aircraft (VT-ALV and VT-ALW, now registered as K7066 and K7067 respectively) were specially outfitted with missile defence and countermeasures dispensing systems, including large aircraft infrared countermeasures (LAIRCM) self-protection suites (SPS). On Air India One flights, the President is designated as VIP-1, the Vice-President as VIP-2, and the Prime Minister as VIP-3. The BBJs have a four class configuration. For VIPs 1, 2 and 3, an executive enclosure in the aircraft includes an office and a bedroom. All other passengers aboard Air India One are required to wear colour-coded identity cards at all times. Members of the official delegation (at the rank of Joint Secretary to the Government of India and above) are tagged in purple and sit in first class. Personnel of the Special Protection Group are also tagged in purple to provide proximate security to the Prime Minister, and may carry close combat weapons for the duration of flights. Accompanying officials (passengers of rank below Joint Secretary) are tagged in pink, and sit in business class equivalent seats. Support staff, including cooks and butlers, and other security personnel (not including the Special Protection Group) are tagged in red, while journalists in the press pool are tagged in
Air India One
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AirBridgeCargo Airlines, LLC (Russian: ООО Авиакомпания «ЭйрБриджКарго»), part of Volga-Dnepr Group, is the largest Russian cargo airline with its head office in Moscow. It operates scheduled cargo services on routes between Russia, Asia, Europe and North America, covering more than 30 destinations worldwide. All flights connect to their hub at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow and Krasnoyarsk. It was forced to suspend all operations in the wake of sanctions against Russia as of March 2022. History The company entered the scheduled cargo market on 1 April 2004, when the first AirBridgeCargo branded Boeing 747 made its inaugural commercial flight on route from Beijing to Luxembourg. As of March 2022, AirBridgeCargo was forced to suspend all operations due to sanctions against Russia which rendered the entire fleet unusable. In July 2022, the airline announced it will comply with sanctions and prepare to return 14 leased aircraft - which make out the majority of its fleet - to its lessors. In March 2023, it became known that the company planned to resume flights using Ilyushin Il-96 aircraft. Volga-Dnepr has already begun searching for pilots with appropriate training. However, by late 2023 these plans were abandoned with two Il-96 formerly stored and already prepared for AirBridgeCargo being delivered to Sky Gates Airlines instead. Destinations Prior to the suspension of all services, ABC had been present in Asia, Europe and North America. It operates a scheduled freighter route network of 37 destinations as of November 2019 focused on Europe, Asia and the United States. Fleet Current fleet As of March 2024, AirBridgeCargo currently no longer operates any aircraft after returning their fleet to its lessors. Former fleet AirBridgeCargo formerly operated the following aircraft: Accidents and incidents On September 11, 2012, an AirBridgeCargo Boeing 747-8F experienced a major engine malfunction that spread a significant amount of metallic debris on the runway. Like in a similar event during pre-flight taxi tests, the low pressure turbine shaft separated and moved the low pressure turbine (by design to avoid turbine overspeed) backwards braking on surrounding hardware. On July 31, 2013, an AirBridgeCargo Boeing 747-8F experienced core engine icing that caused engine malfunctions and damage to three engines near Chengdu, China, while en route to Hong Kong; the aircraft landed safely at its destination. Boeing and General Electric are working on software changes to mitigate the effects of core engine icing. References External links Companies based in Moscow Airlines established in 2003 Cargo airlines of Russia Russian companies established in 2003
AirBridgeCargo
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The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) are two retired extensively modified Boeing 747 airliners that NASA used to transport Space Shuttle orbiters. One (N905NA) is a 747-100 model, while the other (N911NA) is a short-range 747-100SR. The SCAs were used to ferry Space Shuttles from landing sites back to the Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center. The orbiters were placed on top of the SCAs by Mate-Demate Devices, large gantry-like structures that hoisted the orbiters off the ground for post-flight servicing then mated them with the SCAs for ferry flights. In approach and landing test flights conducted in 1977, the test shuttle Enterprise was released from an SCA during flight and glided to a landing under its own control. Design and development The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy was considered for the shuttle-carrier role by NASA but rejected in favor of the 747. This was due to the 747's low-wing design in comparison to the C-5's high-wing design, and also because the U.S. Air Force would have retained ownership of the C-5, while NASA could own the 747s outright. The first aircraft, a Boeing 747-123 registered N905NA, was originally manufactured for American Airlines. With a decline in air traffic and failure to fill their 747s, American Airlines sold it to NASA. It still wore the visible American cheatlines while testing Enterprise in the 1970s. It was acquired in 1974 and initially used for trailing wake vortex research as part of a broader study by NASA Dryden, as well as Shuttle tests involving an F-104 flying in close formation and simulating a release from the 747. The aircraft was extensively modified for NASA by Boeing in 1976. While first-class seats were kept for NASA passengers, its main cabin and insulation were stripped, and the fuselage was strengthened. Mounting struts were added on top of the 747, located to match the fittings on the Shuttle that attach it to the external fuel tank for launch. With the Shuttle riding on top, the center of gravity was altered. Vertical stabilizers were added to the tail to improve stability when the Orbiter was being carried. The avionics and engines were also upgraded. An internal escape slide was added behind the flight deck in case of catastrophic failure mid-flight. In the event of a bail-out, explosives would be detonated to make an opening in the fuselage at the bottom of the slide, allowing the crew to exit through the slide and parachute to the ground. The slide system was removed following the Approach and Landing Tests because of concerns over the possibility of escaping crew members being ingested into an engine. Flying with the additional drag and weight of the Orbiter imposed significant fuel and altitude penalties. The range was reduced to , compared to an unladen range of , requiring an SCA to stop several times to refuel on a transcontinental flight. Without the Orbiter, the SCA needed to carry ballast to balance its center of gravity. The SCA had an altitude ceiling of and
Shuttle Carrier Aircraft
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Joseph Frederick Sutter (March 21, 1921 – August 30, 2016) was an American engineer for the Boeing Airplane Company and manager of the design team for the Boeing 747 under Malcolm T. Stamper, the head of the 747 project. Air & Space/Smithsonian magazine has described Sutter as the "father of the 747". Early life and education Sutter was born in Seattle, Washington, and grew up in the vicinity of Boeing's Seattle plant. He was of Slovenian descent—his father, Franc Suhadolc (1879–1945) from Dobrova, Slovenia, came to America as a gold prospector. Sutter attended the University of Washington and graduated with a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering in 1943. Career In 1940, Sutter took a summer job at Boeing Plant 2 while studying aeronautical engineering at the University of Washington. Sutter served as a junior officer aboard the destroyer escort in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was a young U.S. Navy veteran finishing his degree when both Boeing and Douglas offered him jobs. Boeing believed in jet aircraft, so he went there. Former Boeing executive Jim Albaugh believes Douglas would probably own Boeing today if it went otherwise. At Boeing, Sutter worked on many commercial airplane projects, including the 367-80 "Dash 80", 707, 727 and 737. He eventually became a manager for the new jumbo-sized wide body airplane, the four-engine Boeing 747. As chief engineer, he led the 747 design and build team from conception in 1965 to rollout in 1969. He would become known as the "father of the 747". Sutter's final job was as executive vice president for commercial airplane engineering and product development when he retired from Boeing in 1986. Later life Sutter served on the Rogers Commission, investigating the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. He was also selected as a recipient of the International Air Cargo Association's 2002 Hall of Fame Award and was an engineering sales consultant. As of July 2010, he was a member of the Boeing Senior Advisory Group which was studying the alternatives of a clean sheet replacement of the Boeing 737 or a re-engine of the then-current design, the latter ultimately chosen and later marketed as the Boeing 737 MAX. For decades, he resided in West Seattle. In 2011, on his 90th birthday, Boeing's 40-87 building in Everett, WA, the main engineering building for Boeing Commercial Airplanes division, was renamed the Joe Sutter building. Sutter died on August 30, 2016, at a hospital in Bremerton, Washington, from complications of pneumonia, at the age of 95. Book Aviation author and historian Jay Spenser worked closely with Sutter for 18 months to write his autobiography, entitled 747: Creating the World's First Jumbo Jet and Other Adventures from a Life in Aviation (). It was published by Smithsonian Books/HarperCollins as a hardcover in 2006 and as a paperback in 2007. This book tells of Sutter's childhood and describes his life and 40-year career at Boeing. The book details Sutter's tenure as chief engineer of the development of the 747 and elaborates on its
Joe Sutter