Aircraft Movements & Spotting Site for Durham Tees Valley Airport
USA April
2013 ‘The Airshows That Never Were’ Tour Part 1
Click here for the photo album from the trip
Planning for this trip started early
and was centered around two major airshows, at two of the top bases in the
States, the main home of the B-52 at Barksdale and the main home of the F-22
at Langley, both being held over the same weekend in early May. Two months
before this came the news of political deadlock and the now infamous
‘sequestration’ word, which meant major government cutbacks for the
remaining financial year, including funding for military airshows from the
1st April. This was to have a devastating effect on the US airshow season in
2013 (as well as US military participation at shows overseas), with Langley
cancelling their show almost immediately and Barksdale inevitably following
suit a few weeks later. With some active flying units actually being
grounded (including at these two bases) due to the cuts, obviously there
would be no funding for ‘luxurys’ such as hosting airshows, which is
understandable if things are that bad. On top of the major dissapointment of
it all, Langley was particularly bad news, being one of the shows that has
gone to only being held every other year, and during the last show in 2011
the Raptors were grounded!
Deciding to continue with the trip,
the itinerary would remain the same up to the few days at Barksdale, which
has good photospots to shoot the B-52 movements, the main reason in visiting
anyway (and which thankfully were still as busy as usual). From there, the
remaining plans for Langley and the Washington area were cancelled, with an
alternative plan to visit the Dallas area instead. This was originally to be
done during a planned visit to the States in August, but with the airshow at
Offutt also being cancelled, that whole trip was cancelled. Having visited
Dallas previously in the stifling mid-Summer, it was a better idea to do it
in early May anyway.
As with previous recent trips to the
States, this was mostly designed to see older classic aircraft, as well as
more modern aircraft of interest. Starting with a few days in the Miami
area, this is always a good place for ‘chasing classics’, including catching
up with a couple of real old gems. From here there was a flight up to
Jacksonville for a day in this area, mainly to visit the ‘707 haven’ of
nearby Brunswick. A flight to Memphis to visit the FedEx ‘SuperHub’ was
next, mainly to catch some of the older types prior to their immenent
retirement, as well as a visit to nearby Graceland. Can’t say i am a fan of
his music, but the ‘redneck king’ certainly had great taste in aircraft,
with two of his private jets on display being more real gems. From here, the
big roadtrip began, driving North from Tennessee up into Arkansas to visit
the first of several airfields mainly used by companys in the ‘aircraft
salvage trade’. Not suprisingly, being quite remote, these are rarely
visited and reported on, making them even more interesting. Then heading
back South through Little Rock, a few more airfields with stored or derelict
aircraft were visited, before continuing on into Louisiana to Barksdale.
Finally, flying onto Texas for the second week of the trip, this was spent
in the wider Dallas area, again covering a lot of road miles with many
places of interest to visit, including plenty of time at NAS Fort Worth for
some serious military.
DAY 1 THURSDAY 25TH APRIL
Starting as usual in Bahrain, first
flight was BA124 to Heathrow, operated by B777-200 G-VIIY, departing at 0135
and landing 6.40 hours later at 0615L. Then connecting onto AA057 to Miami,
operated by B777-200 N789AN, departure was at 1005, landing 9 hours later at
1405. This was only a short visit to Southern Florida of a day and a half,
planned around catching up with a few certain aircraft, with the remainder
of this first day spent at Opa Locka. First though was another affect of the
sequestration cuts, with less staff and of course longer queues at passport
control. Thankfully, this was to be the worst occasion of processing through
an airport on this trip, with over two hours taken to get through. The
queuing system actually started with lines being formed outside the passport
hall, which was full! Despite the apologetic notices, effectively blaming
the government for the long wait, there were a lot of very angry people
here, many of who were missing connecting flights (you have to clear even
when connecting at MIA). Thankfully i didn’t have to make a connection,
though it was making me late for an important ‘appointment’. Now running
late, after collecting the rental, i still hoped to quickly shoot a real
classic i had seen on landing, with Travolta’s 707 parked on the ramp near
Commercial Jet’s hangar. I found out later it was there on a C-Check, and
was pulled back inside before i managed to get around there. Not a good
start, though i’ve photographed it previously, this was the first of around
half of the world’s airworthy 707’s to be seen on this trip! Further to
N707JT, this had recently been grounded due to needing a new vertical
stabilizer spar, which had to be manufactured (since none are no longer
available), and has now been fitted. Apparently it didn’t fit at first so
had to be re-worked, leading to an extended grounding, and typical rumours
of the aircraft’s fate!
So, heading straight up on the short
drive to Opa Locka, i then had a charter booked with Wayman Aviation for a
one hour aerial photo shoot over the airport to photograph the many vintage
airliners parked there. Despite arriving 20 minutes late, thankfully the
charter was still honoured. After doing a similar charter over Victorville
etc recently (which is quite popular over the major storage yards), i wanted
to give this a shot, which i’ve never seen anyone try before. Co-ordinating
with ATC, we had clearance to work the circuit at 500ft, and with ‘side-step
to the left’ approaches on runway 9R, effectively putting us between 9R and
9L, this was good to shoot the main parking areas. The ride for the charter
was 1976-built Cessna 172N N906WA, with pilot Leuman Vilarino doing a great
job in what i had requested, including the naughty 150ft pass on the last
run!
After shooting most of the classics
here (from the ground) previously, the highlight i was really after was
B707-330B N88ZL of Lowa Ltd, which i had yet to shoot in the current colour
scheme. Seeing this outside Commercial Jet at MIA shortly after some work
and re-paint back in 2011, i was unable to photograph it then, and it wasn’t
long after that it arrived here for storage. Despite the reports that it has
been permanently retired, i was fortunate enough to speak with the
technician the next morning, who regularly visits to maintain the aircraft,
including running the engines. He confirmed it was grounded due to a
downturn in the VIP charter market, but was being maintained with a view to
hopefully return to service in the near future. With the modern Stage 3
hush-kitted engines, recent check and paint, the owners see the aircraft as
more than any old ‘disposable’ private jet, and are trying to keep the
33-seat VIP vintage jetliner alive. Lets hope so.
Other highlights, new here over the
last couple of years, included B727-200 N342PA, which now retired in an all
white scheme, was operated in full Pan Am colours from 2002-2007 by
Boston-Maine Airways as ‘Pan Am Clipper Connection’, and is now registered
to Airframe Acquisition LLC. Another B727-200 here is similarly owned
N410BN, painted in a very nice Braniff-style colour scheme and named ‘Mary
Clare’, while long-term parked B727-100(RE)
N400RG ex MBI International &
Partners named ‘Al Bashaer’ still lingers on. A more recent arrival is
B737-300 PR-FLX of defunct Flex Linhas Aereas. Known as ‘new Varig’, this
airline was formed by Varig’s owners and operated from 2008 until ceasing
operations in 2010. Another recent arrival is MD-83 N989PG of Pegasus
Aviation, still in the colours of Leal Lineas Aereas after lease as LV-CSW,
while of the resident propliners, nice turbo DC-3-65TP YV-2119 arrived last
year, apparently being flown to the US to avoid confiscation in Venezuela.
Meanwhile, Carlos Gomez of Florida Air Transport has been making changes
recently, with C-54D N9015Q now parked away from their ramp after being sold
to Jet One Express, DC-6A N70BF is now fitted with overwing spray gear, and
will presumably follow C-54E N460WA out to California on oil dispersal
contracts. As well as these, he is now also involved with new outfit Great
Southern Airways, which is being set up to operate Convair’s on cargo
charters to the Bahamas etc. Their first aircraft present, after restoration
is CV-340 (C-131B) N145GT, which had been derelict here for years and looked
doomed for the chop. Now looking very smart (still with no registration),
interestingly it has been painted into a scheme similar to some of the ex US
Navy Convair’s also purchased for future use, which are still in storage at
Davis Monthan. Apparently up to 9 have been acquired, with 5 for spares use
and 4 to be made airworthy (N341GS to N344GS). I guess they had seen these
and decided to go with the old US Navy-style scheme, so should be very nice
to catch flying in the future. Also with Convair’s, based operator Miami Air
Lease still have their CV-440 N41527 operational, with CV-240 (VT-29B)
N150PA and CV-580F N581P both all white (ex Air Tahoma) taken care of on
their ramp. Also here, inside their hangar is a bit of an oddball, the weird
twin-pusher composite Oma Sud Skycar I-SKYI which was imported a few years
ago and gets taken out for the Oshkosh shows etc. Finally on the old stuff
here, still present are the three ex Jetstar Aviation Services Jetstars
N275MD, N375MD & N777AY. All retired for a few years now, parked together
outside, away from their old hangar, owner Michael Dezer had replaced these
with Gulfstream 4 N823GA operated by Universal Jet, which sadly crash landed
in France last year, killing the three on board. Obviously a big fan of the
classic Jetstar, another of his aircraft is present in the nearby Dezer
Collection museum, to be visited tomorrow.
Staying on at Opa Locka until dusk
for shots, others of note photographed today included Perla Airlines MD-82
YV-335T (ex Alaskan N931AS) parked outside the busy Air One MRO facility,
with an ex American Airlines MD-80 being worked on and a Surinam Airways
B737-300 inside. Parked nearby is B737-300 N300VJ ex Swift Air, which had
arrived back in 2010 as GOL PR-GLM for storage, while of the many biz-jets
present, photographed were HS125-700A N118CD, Hawker 800XP N250GM and Hawker
800XP N860TM (ex NetJets CS-DNU) which was shot on finals, air-air from the
Cessna! Others included nice silver and red Learjet 60 N160AJ and 1972-built
Learjet 25C N252LJ, Permier 1 N1EG, nice silver CL604 N64UC and Beechjet
400A YV-2698. Finally, based USCG Miami HC-144A (CN-235’s) 2302 & 2310, and
MH-65C’s 6511 & 6570 were present, and photographed for a change. All made
for a pretty good first day, with another busy long day ahead tomorrow.
DAY 2 FRIDAY 26TH APRIL
Heading back to Opa Locka to finish
shooting everything there in the nice morning sun light, others photographed
included stored Magnicharters B737-300 XA-UNR and ex Avialeasing An-26B
UK-26003 ‘The Sky’s the limit’, which now has new Colombian reg HK-4888X, so
will presumably be leaving soon. A couple of older Gulfstreams were
1970-built Gulf 2SP N888YZ, and hush-kitted Gulf 3 N918BG, which may be wfu,
while Falcon 20F N939CK of Alexa Air Charters may also have arrived for
parking? Finally, visiting biz included 1977-built Gulf 2B N511TL with Stage
3 hushkits, Gulf 3 N975RG, Falcon 7X LX-TQJ of Global Jet, nice beige CL601
N411TJ, Westwind 1124 N710SA of Sun Air (Las Vegas), Cessna 525C N990H,
Challenger 300 VP-CDV of Arven Ltd, and Gulf 695A Jetprop 1000 YV-2764.
From here it was the short drive to
the Dezer Collection museum in North Miami. As mentioned, the owner,
property developer Michael Dezer is obviously a big fan of the Jetstar
having owned many, and wanted to keep one for his museum collection. Jetstar
2 N175MD was chosen, and after dismantling at Opa Locka and transportation
here around two years ago, is now on display. But that is only part of the
story, as also being a huge fan of James Bond, the museum also contains the
largest collection of original Bond vehicles and props in the world. This
includes six Aston Martins, a Soviet T-55 tank featured in Goldeneye, the
golden gun itself and several aircraft including the BD-5 Microjet from
Octopussy, Hiller UH-12C N780ND used in From Russia With Love, and Cessna
172P N54743 from License To Kill. As for the Jetstar, this now represents
the Jetstar 1 N711Z as featured in Goldfinger, with vinyl (not paint) used
to create a similar colour scheme to that worn back in 1964. The left side
is in the ‘Auric Enterprises’ colours, with fake reg ‘N71Z’ (i presume they
couldn’t use N711Z), while the right side is in USAF-style colours as also
shown in the film. Actually, the real N711Z (the second Jetstar built), is
now on display at Andrews AFB as ‘89001’. A really amazing collection, that
is only part of the museum, that i would have loved to have spent more time
at. Just like the baddie, Auric Goldfinger, Mr Dezer is obviously a bit of a
megalomaniac himself when it comes to Bond stuff, and although not the
original, the Jetstar is awesome.
The next classic on the agenda is
even more of a legendary aircraft, and something totally different. First
though, on passing Fort Lauderdale International, a quick look around the
perimeter was done, and although they have the very good spectators area
here, there was no plan to stop for long on this occasion. Highlights
photographed were ex Amerijet B727-200F
N909PG, which is now parked here
after storage at Opa Locka. The deal with SP Air Cargo as PR-SPC had fallan
through, and now registered to Aeronautical Airmotive Modifications Inc, it
retains the similar scheme to SP Air Cargo, but with the ‘SP’ removed and
the logo re-painted in blue instead of orange. Looking like its going to be
flying for somebody else now, its one that made it out of OPF. Nice BBJ1
N164RJ was also present, registered to WFBN Classic Air, the ‘JR’ logo on
the fin gives away the real owner, Australian TV bigshot Reg Grundy and his
wife Joy. Smaller biz included based Learjet 35A N33NJ of National Jets Inc
and Challenger 300 N108LT, while nice Cessna 208 floatplane N366TA of
Tropical Ocean also appears to be based. Before leaving, on driving past the
spectators area, i could see a couple of half decent things in the queue of
taxying departures, so made a quick stop. Another Challenger 300, N229BP was
on its way out, along with Bahamas Air B737-500 C6-BFD (which they have had
for nine months) and Silver Airways Saab 340B N417XJ. First shots of one of
these, the airline was formed from based Gulfstream International at the end
of 2011, bringing in the Saab’s to compliment their Beech 1900D’s. A
productive little stop, the place doesn’t look the same though without those
old YS-11’s, which were all auctioned and scrapped recently.
Moving on, next stop was just to the
North of FLL, to visit the Boeing 307B ‘plane-boat’ ex NC19904. This amazing
and unique thing is docked at the rear of a private residence, where i had
arranged to visit. Named ‘Cosmic Muffin’, the history involved with this
aircraft is legendary. One of only ten 307 Stratoliner’s built, and one of
only two surviving, the other is ‘Clipper Flying Cloud NC19903 the
Smithsonian Museum at Washington Dulles airport.
NC19904 was originally the
personal aircraft of Howard Hughes, which he acquired as part of his
purchase of TWA in 1939. The aircraft’s interior was then converted to an
excutive office layout by famous designer Raymond Loewy (who also designed
the Air Force One livery among many things), along with actress Rita
Hayworth, who added her womans touch to the interior décor. In 1949 the
aircraft was sold to Houston oil man Glenn McCarthy, who named it ‘The
Shamrock’, before later being sold to Florida Jet Research of Fort
Lauderdale in 1962. Now named ‘The Flying Penthouse’ the aircraft was
written off in 1964 after suffering serious damage during Hurricane Cleo,
and after being derelict for five years was then purchased by Kenneth
London, who attempted to restore it to airworthy condition. However, the
damage was too severe, including to the tail fin, so London then decided to
convert it to the ‘plane-boat’ it now is. Completed in 1974 and named ‘The
Londonaire’, it was fitted with twin inboard V8 motors, controlled from the
original aircraft cockpit controls. The interior was also restored, complete
with a lounge and bar. Then, in 1981, current owner Dave Drimmer purchased
the ‘houseboat’ and completed a lot of work to improve the hull. The name
‘Cosmic Muffin’ was then given, in honour to its reference in Jimmy Buffets
novel ‘Where is Joe Merchant’, and to date it has become famous after being
featured in many TV shows etc. Currently, the Muffin is undergoing an
external finish restoration, with the rear half stripped and being prepped
for paint so far. The final paint scheme design is still to be confirmed,
possibly pending a new ‘life’ and yet another episode in this amazing story…
And so, before returning to MIA to
catch a flight out this evening, the rest of the afternoon was to be spent
at nearby Fort Lauderdale Executive airport, for some serious biz’. Again,
after classics, this place is always good for vintage types, including the
friendly Jet Harbour MRO who specialize in Sabreliner work. Present today
inside their hangar receiving work were Sabre 65’s N69WU of 40 Degrees North
LLC (reg just expired on 31st March), N74VC of Platinum 23 Leasing Co, and
N921CC of Aeronet Consulting Corp. Parked outside were Venezuelan Sabre 65
YV-415T (ex N750CC) and Sabre 40 YV-2871 (ex YV-416T), both looking very
smart, with the storage ramp further down containing five more as previously
reported on. Also outside Jet Harbour was 1977-built Westwind 1124 N27TZ,
while also inside were Hawker 800XP N721KY, Cessna S550 PT-OSM and an
unidentified Falcon 20 having major work done. Others then photographed
around FXE included 1978-built Falcon 10 PR-CDF (previously I-CHIC, HB-VIX &
F-GFHG), Falcon 200 N50MW of World Jet, Gulf 3 N83PP named ‘Favor of God’,
Gulf 4SP N669BJ doing engine runs, CL601 N97SG of Rocky Mountain Bingo Ltd
(Canada), Cessna 650 PT-XFG of Taxi Aero Marillia, Cessna 750 N619AT with
winglets, Saab 340A N744BA of Tropical Transport Service (San Juan),
previously operated by Air Sunshine at FLL, Metro III N672KS of Locair,
Kodiak 100 N501KQ of Air Choini, Turbo Commander 690C YV-0149 and a couple
of nice old cargo twins, EMB-110P1 C6-PDX of PDX Express (Package Delivery
Express), which departed (the one time Jersey European G-BIBE), and based
Beech D18S N737SW of Aztec Airways, which arrived.
From here it was straight back to
MIA to return the rental, before checking in for AA3521 up to Jacksonville.
Operated by American Eagle ERJ-145LR N686AE, the one hour flight was off at
2200, landing at 2300. Then after collecting the rental is was straight to
the airport hotel, before another early start.
DAY 3 SATURDAY 27TH APRIL
Stambaugh Aviation here is one of
the few companies in the States that still do work on the classic Boeing 707
(the other being Commercial Jet at MIA). Being a huge fan of this aircraft,
this is one place i have been wanting to get to for a while, with all the
few remaining 707’s in the States being regular visitors here. These days,
that only includes the Omega Air tankers, Travolta’s N707JT and the very
elusive, heavily modified USAFSC/MIT N404PA (based at Hanscom). Also, being
quite regular dealers in the remaining 707 market worldwide, Omega also
bring aircraft bought here for parking (with others at their home base, San
Antonio), prior to possibly entering service, or just being used for
parts/engines. As well as the 707’s, the company also does regular work on
other older types, including the 727, along with more modern stuff. Apart
from Stambaugh, Brunswick is fairly quiet with just the Gulfstream facility
adding a bit more interest (more on this later). However, as well as
catching any Stambaugh movements coming or going, you could be fortunate to
catch the Omega 707’s operating from here, on the companys contract with the
US Navy, AAR with Hornets in the area. Being one of the airports around the
country that is used for these regular ‘Omega 71’ flights (presumably as
they have the maintenance back-up here), the others include Victorville and
NAS Point Mugu in California. I wasn’t going to be that fortunate this time,
though with no actual visit arranged, thankfully it was still going to be
very worthwhile.
The Stambaugh Aviation facility is
alone on the Western side of the airfield, with its own access road, and
being a weekend, the office building was very quiet, although i could see
some people around airside. Eventually gaining access, i was able to
photograph the following in the nice morning sunlight… B707-338C
N623RH of
Omega Air, ex RAAF A20-623, all grey with markings painted out. This was
retired in 2007 and flown here in 2011, and is now parked outside awaiting
the check/modification and re-paint prior to entering service. Similar
B707-338C N624RH of Omega Air was also present outside, receiving some work,
with part of the engine cowlings removed. Also ex RAAF (A20-624), this was
retired in 2008 before being flown here in 2011, and has been in service for
a while now, in the full colours with the underwing AAR pods. Also present
were four B727’s, with the Zero Gravity Corp B727-200F N794AJ ‘G-Force One’
receiving some attention outside, Cargojet Airways B727-200F C-GUJC inside
after re-paint completion, with B727-100
P4-FLY of Aviation Connections
(maybe grounded) and B727-200 N894AA ex Planet Airways (who ceased
operations in 2005) outside, certainly grounded and looking ready for scrap.
Finally, two others present were Xtra Airways B737-400 N42XA, getting ready
to depart (ex Bahamasair lease), and a
Laser Airlines MD-82 painted but
without registration. This is one of three ex American Airlines MD-82’s here
(out of six on order?), being prepared for the Venezuelan operator, with two
others parked on the main Eastern side of the airfield, with titles and
logos (kind of) removed. One of these being N461AA. Also parked on the East
side, were two other B707’s, purchased by Omega Air, with ex Mali Government
B707-3L6B N707BN (ex TZ-TAC), last photographed at Manston just before being
flown here on 13th December last year, and ex Romavia/Romanian Government
B707-3K1C N707GF (ex YR-ABB named ‘Carpati’), which arrived last September.
Both of these were obviously kept in very good condition, so it will be
interesting to see if they are actually put into service with Omega,
especially N707BN with its Stage 3 hush-kits fitted (none of the others in
the fleet have these). Finally for Brunswick, as mentioned there is also a
Gulfstream facility here, for interior completion work. Nothing exciting
though, with just NetJets Gulf 4SP N428QS photographed, out of a couple
outside.
Being extremely happy with how that
went, it was back on the road to the Jacksonville area, before catching a
flight out later in the evening. Knowing Cecil Field was certainly worth
spending time at, infact, the rest of the afternoon was to be spent here,
being suprisingly active for a weekend. This large, former Naval Air
Station, closed as such by BRAC in 1999, still has a busy military presence,
as well as the large MRO facilities of Boeing, Northrop Grumman and
Flightstar Aircraft Services. Highlight here are the resident specialized
P-3 Orions of the US Customs and Border Protection, with five aircraft
present of differing configuration, used for maritime patrol and
counter-narcotic operations. Present today were two P-3AEW’s N144CS & N149CS
with the traditional AWACS rotodome antenna, P-3AEW
N145CS with the more
modern fixed dorsal antenna (‘ironing board’), as on the B737 Wedgetail etc
(though considerably smaller), and two P-3LRT’s (Long Range Tracker) N741SK
& N769SK. Known as ‘Slicks’, these don’t have the AEW antennas, but instead
an optical sensor turret above the cockpit windows and large tracking radar
under the forward fuselage, among other mods. Having only seen the one
P-3AEW previously (at an Oshkosh show), these are quite elusive to catch,
and with security here suprisingly being quite relaxed, this is certainly
the best place to catch them.
Operating from a ramp opposite these
today were a large bunch of around 25-30 US Navy/Marines
T-45A/C Goshawk’s,
including aircraft on detachment from VT-7/TW-1 & VT-9/TW-1 at NAS Meridian
and VT-21/TW-2 at NAS Kingsville. Some of these have ‘Navy’ titles, while
others have ‘Marines’, with one aircraft, 165609/A-167 also having a ‘T-45
150th’ logo on the upper fuselage. Other military photographed was a pair of
US Navy C-2A’s 162147/45 and 162165/40 of VRC-40 (NAS Norfolk), which made a
very quick engine-running stop and go, to drop off a bunch of sailors, while
inside the Boeing Hornet PDM hangar was F/A-18A+ 162849/VW-07 of VMFA-314
(MCAS Miramar), stripped of some major parts (retired?), while outside in a
yard was the fuselage of an unidentified F/A-18A of VFA-204 (NAS New Orleans
JRB), which was definitely retired, propped up on concrete blocks.
Of the civil stuff present, ex FedEx
Express B727-100F N153FE was parked on the ramp also used by the T-45’s.
Looking quite smart, painted in a white & blue scheme, it has ‘fscj.edu’ on
the engine cowlings, for the Florida State College at Jacksonville, who
presumably use it as a training airframe. Donating their old 727’s to
educational groups is certainly something FedEx like to do, with quite a few
seen, and more on this trip. Finally, the large facility of Flightstar is
further down, and had quite a few aircraft parked out on their ramp.
Highlight had to be the ‘new’ B757-200F(WL)
N556CM of Air Transport
International, in the smart new colour scheme. This is one of the first of
five ATN are getting converted to combi/freighters to replace their DC-8’s.
Delivered over two years ago, the winglets were fitted to this one when
operted by Sun Express as TC-SNC, and has been on a check/mod/paint since!
The other 757’s are coming from the merger with Capitol Cargo and the one
from National Airlines. As for the DC-8’s, these classics are finally being
retired as this is written, with one of the -62C’s (N799AL) now preserved on
Hawaii (where they have operated many flights for the US military through
over the years), after arriving at Kalaeloa (Barbers Point) on 19th May.
Pleasant surprise. As well as a few ex AirTran B717’s, also parked at
Flightstar were ex Martinair B767-300ER N328MP (ex PH-MCM) in basic colours,
ex Mexicana Click B717-200 N926ME still in full colours (ex storage at
Victorville), another ex Mexicana Click B717-200 now in full Volotea (Spain)
colours awaiting delivery, thought to be N921ME (also ex storage at
Victorville), along with two unidentified MD-80’s, one bare metal after
being stripped and another in ex Japan Air System colours.
Again, really happy with the visit
here, photography is quite easy, as usual with a bit of discretion. Then,
heading back to Jacksonville and returning the rental, it was onto US Air to
Memphis. First flight was US3190 to Charlotte, operated by a Republic
ERJ-170, off at 2000 and landing 1.10 hours later at 2110, connecting onto
US2669 to Memphis, operated by a Mesa CRJ-900, off at 2245 and landing 45
minutes later at 2330. Picking up the rental for the next 7 days, i had gone
for something nice, with the Kia Sorento SUV ideal for the lot of driving
ahead. Then it was the short distance to the Days Inn Graceland for the next
two nights.
DAY 4 SUNDAY 28TH APRIL
As well as the two classics at
Graceland, for now Memphis is also the home of some older classics still
flying with FedEx Express. Due to be retired over the next year or two,
there are still around 17 B727-200F’s in service, along with around 63
MD-10F’s, in addition to other older types such as the A300F, A310F and
MD-11F. With at least 98 B757F’s and 43 B777F’s due, along with the first of
50 B767F’s this September, these are the future. Of course, with Memphis
being the Global SuperHub of FedEx, this place is amazing, with the Northern
part of the airfield housing their immense facility. The stats are of course
impressive, with around 1,250 flights per week helping to feed the up to
500,000 packages per hour across the 42 miles of conveyor belt, dealt with
by the 31,500 ‘team members’ employed in the metropolitan area. The busiest
day on record was 10th December 2012, when 19 million packages were moved
through the network, at more than 200 packages per second. Actually, another
major stat was the company just hitting their 40th anniversary, after
commencing operations here in April 1973, with a fleet of Falcon 20’s. Next
time you see G-FFRA, G-FRAH, G-FRAJ, G-FRAL, G-FRAO, G-FRAP or G-FRAR,
consider where it came from!
It may surprise many to discover
that FedEx is not just a ‘night time operation’ here, with this visit on a
Sunday planned as it was known to be one of the busy day time aircraft
movement days. With around 55 flights due in the morning arrival slot
(between 0745-1215) and around 80 flights due to
depart in the afternoon
slot (between 1400-1745), obviously the hope was for plenty of chances to
shoot the older stuff especially. However, Memphis is not the easiest place
for photography, with movements spread over three runways, two North-South
and the one East-West next to the FedEx facility. You would think FedEx
would mainly use the latter, but no, with all three used to varying degrees.
Also, photospots around the runway ends are not so easy to find, which was
known about, after contacting one US photographer, with only a couple of
half decent options available, with discretion. Actually, security here can
be quite tight, with one of the better photospots along the Western
perimeter having occasional patrols. The land along this perimeter was
purchased by FedEx, with the ‘low cost’ housing being demolished and
replaced by landscaping and trees, effectively creating a park, though with
no parking notices everywhere. Thankfully, on this Sunday visit, there were
few patrols, and with some families parking and watching the afternoon
departure slot, i didn’t stand out like a sore thumb.
The day started with not that much
success, with not that many great shots from the morning arrivals. With the
weather improving, the afternoon was going to be much better, with runway
36L along the Western perimeter used for a lot of the departures. At least a
few MD-10F’s were caught in the morning, but no B727F movements, and i
couldn’t see any parked up either! One retired aircraft, a B727-100F in
basic colours with reg and titles/logos painted out is located very close to
the NE perimeter fence, presumably used as a trainer, with full rear
fuselage/tail docking in place.
As for the passenger airline scene
here, there are quite a lot of flights, but just the usual US domestic
stuff, so nothing much of interest. An AirTran B717 was about as exciting as
those got! As for military, none of the resident USAF Tennessee ANG C-5A’s
or C-17A’s moved today, which are parked close to the Southern/Eastern
perimeter road, though USAF KC-135T 58-0071 of the 22ARW ‘McConnell’ arrived
and departed. Also, around mid-day, a flight of two, followed by a flight of
three USMC AH-1W’s cut across the airfield at very low level from West to
East. They included 160744/CA-28, 165288/CA-30 and 165392/CA-27 of HMLA-467
based at MCAS Cherry Point. Awesome sound. And so, after a quick look around
the private FBO’s located at the NW of the airport, with resident Sabreliner
65 N465BC being the highlight, it was to the Western perimeter for the
afternoon departures. A lot more MD-10F’s were then worked, lifting off,
along with the other types, but again no B727F’s! Actually, the one did
depart, but from 9R, so too far for a decent shot. I guess with not that
many left in service, after effectively being replaced by the ‘Sticks’,
these are no longer really part of the day time movements here now, at least
on a Sunday! Shame, but at least the other classic 3-holers didn’t
dissapoint.
With the FedEx departure slot
finished and the weather still great, i decided to head off to nearby West
Memphis airport, where shots were better at this time of day. Just a small
GA field, this place has a few things of interest present, including ex
FedEx B727-200F N267FE ‘Jolene’. Apparently this was only moved here
recently, and is reportedly ‘preserved at the Mid-South Community College’.
Parked on the edge of the airfield, it is without engines or tailerons, but
still in full colours. Still on with these donated 727’s, another found out
about after returning from the trip, is at Millington airport, not that far
to the NE of Memphis (B727-100F N144FE is used by the Fire Dep there, in
basic colours). Also at West Memphis, there are a few old cargo twins lying
around, belonging to based McNeely Charter Service, with Shorts C-23A N262AG
still in the old USAF camo scheme, possibly still active. This was a
familiar sight around the UK in the second half of the 80’s when operated as
84-0473. A few Merlins/Metroliners present are Merlin IV N120SC (with the
MCS logo) and all white Metro III N320MC, both of which may not have flown
for a while now? Merlin IV N427SP is certainly grounded, after making an
accidental gear up landing here in 2010 following a flight from Opa Locka,
when registered under the companys previous name, River City Aviation. Now
derelict, with engines removed and other damage visible, the reg is
officially cancelled as ‘exported to Canada’. Also belonging to McNeely here
is Cessna 208B N212SA, which may be active? Finally, one visiting biz was
Premier 1 N808L of Frank Fletcher (Auto Group) based at Little Rock, which
arrived from Joplin, MO.
From here it was back to the hotel,
prior to the first look at the Graceland aircraft, for some shots in the
‘blue hour’ just after sundown. On display outside Elvis Presley’s Graceland
Mansion, right next to Elvis Presley Blvd are two of the aircraft previously
used by ‘The King’. Convair 880 N880EP is named ‘Lisa Marie’ and was known
as ‘Hound Dog One’, along with early production Jetstar 6
N777EP (the 4th
built) known as ‘Hound Dog II’. Both are actually still current and
registered to OKC Partnership, painted in similar colour schemes with ‘TCB’
on the fin (‘Taking Care of Business’). The Convair was of course his main
aircraft, named after his daughter, and was purchased in 1975 after a deal
for a B707 fell through. The ex Delta aircraft (ex N8809E) was refurbished
at Fort Worth Meacham, and after completion of the VIP interior etc, total
cost was over $1 Million. Following the death of Elvis, the 880 was flown to
California to bring ex wife Priscilla, Lisa Marie and family friend, George
Hamilton to Memphis for the funeral. Then after returning them, flew back to
Memphis on 19th August 1977. After being sold to International Airmotive
Inc, the aircraft was later purchased back by a group involved with
Graceland, and flown back to Memphis from Fort Lauderdale on its final
flight on 6th February 1984, before being moved here by road for display.
DAY 5 MONDAY 29TH APRIL
With the weather set to be perfect
for the next few days, i set off for the first stop, Blytheville ‘Arkansas
International Airport’, 75 miles to the North, with the plan to reach Little
Rock by the end of the day. Blytheville airport has effectively been taken
over by MRO outfit ART (Aviation Repair Technologies), who specialize in
checks and services mainly for commuter types up to B737 size, as well as
storage and parting-out of (older) airliners. The airport offers several
large hangars and large ramp space for all this, which dates back to the
Blytheville AFB days (more on this later), with major clients including
Executive Airlines (part of American Eagle), being the exclusive heavy
maintenance provider for the largest ATR-72 operator in the world, and Delta
Airlines, with a parting-out service for old MD-80 aircraft, purchased for
the engines and other parts, to supply to the large Delta fleet. This
currently involves old SAS MD-80’s retired for salvage, with six present
including MD-82’s LN-ROX (officially registered N496DN) and SE-DIL (N477DN),
which arrived last December, and appear to have everything of use removed
now. In addition to a couple inside, there is one more outside in a similar
state, along with more recent arrival SE-DIS (N480DN), which reportedly
arrived 12 days earlier, and already had the engines removed. With Delta
planning on keeping their MD-80’s in service for longer than American, the
large AAL fleet of ‘mad dogs’ could be a major supply of parts, with two of
these present, N9302B and N9304C, both of which arrived in February from
storage at Roswell.
Also in a similar state, presumably
for a similar supply, are two MD-90-30’s last operated by Lion Airlines,
with N458BC/PK-LIM and N459BC/PK-LIK (N501DN) both still showing evidence of
their time in Indonesia (including flags), and ex Midwest Airlines MD-81
N813ME which was retired here in 2009, with the forward fuselage now
removed. Others salvaged for parts are ex Sunworld International B727-200
N282US, which is still in full colours with only the engines, radome and
winglets removed (re-cycling winglets!) and ex China United B737-700 N594SH
(ex B-2663). Given up for scrap after only 14 years of service, this now has
the forward fuselage, fin and engines removed, painted all white. Also, just
starting this process is B737-300 PR-BRB, with engines now removed. Painted
all white, with a Brazilian flag, this was thought to have been stored for
several years after not entering service with OceanAir, before arriving
here. Other aircraft present, include the largest to have landed here (in
recent years), B767-200 N767VA of Vision Air. With a VIP interior, it is
here for open storage, after previously being parked at Louisville. Also
temporarily stored is EMB-145EP N359AD of ADI (Aerodynamics Inc), which
arrived from its base at Manistee, MI in February. Previously Eastern
Airways G-CCLD, this is now (or was) a corporate shuttle. Of the ATR’s here,
two nice Israir ATR-42-300’s are stored and for sale by Regional One. Still
in full colours, 4X-ATM and 4X-ATN are sealed up, though after 25 years of
service maybe their days are over? American Eagle/Executive Airlines
ATR-72-200’s present included N355AT and N431AT, both sealed up with titles
painted over, these are thought to be following N425MJ. This was wfu and
arrived here from Miami for storage last November, and now freshly painted
all white, is going to Island Air of Hawaii (being leased from 14th May).
Finally, a few old FedEx Feeder Cessna 208B’s are parked inside here, for
disposal, including N977FE which was operated by West Air.
Quite a good haul of interesting
stuff there, the folks at ART couldn’t have been friendlier, giving full
access for photography (as well as a cap and t-shirt!), with the Senior Vice
Pres himself then insisting on taking me over to the old SAC alert ramp
across the other side of the airfield. During the 60’s when Blytheville AFB,
this place had a major role with SAC, when B-52G’s and their KC-135A support
were based. In 1962 during the height of the Cuban missile crisis, the
B-52’s maintained airborne alert from here, carrying nuclear and cruise
missiles during the DEFCON II state. Later, after participating in the
Vietnam and Gulf wars, the last B-52 left the then named Eaker AFB in 1992
as the base was closed by BRAC. Today, a lot of the old SAC buildings
remain, by the old alert ramp, as of course does the huge 11,600ft runway.
From Blytheville it was 78 miles
West, across the flatlands of Arkansas, with crop dusters doing their
aerobatic-like manouvers, to Walnut Ridge airport. This place was until
recently used by aircraft salvage company UAM (Universal Asset Management),
who then moved out, down to Tupelo, MS. Aircraft and remains left behind are
ex Northwest Cargo B747-200F N643NW, still in full colours with engines and
undercarriage missing. This was the first B747 to arrive here for parting
out, at the end of 2009, and remains mostly intact. Another was the last
aircraft to arrive for UAM, ex Saudi Arabian Airlines/Air Atlanta Icelandic
B747-300 TF-ATJ, which now sits in a similar state, after arriving from
Jeddah at the start of 2011. In addition, three cockpit sections in this
area are ex Champion Air B727-200 N676MG, along with ex United Airlines
B737-300’s N333UA and N348UA. Another fuselage on the airfield is ex Varig
B777-200 N703BA (ex PP-VRD), which is noteable as being the first B777 to be
scrapped. Originally delivered to BA as G-ZZZE in 1996, it arrived here at
the end of 2006, with the ‘clean’ fuselage now resting on metal frames in a
field at the edge of the airfield. A request to go closer for shots was
denied, as it is ‘leased by the government for training’ (you can
speculate). However, shots from the public road nearby are still possible.
Also, one more old airliner is here, which also met a different fate.
Southwest Airlines retired B737-200 N86SW back in 2004, before it presumably
arrived here for scrapping. However, the wings were cut off and it was then
stuck on the side of the Parachute Inn, to be used as part of the café/bar
(now closed?). Finally, a couple of old timers present were T-28A N91535 of
Brothers Aviation, in US Army markings as 49-1535, parked next to the
Parachute Inn, and an unidentified bare metal Beech 18 without wings or tail
fin.
From here it was the long haul down
to Little Rock, with the 190 mile drive through several state wildlife
parks. At least it was all highway this time, so i could get my foot down,
with no sign of any Buford T Justice-types laying in wait! First, was a
quick stop at North Little Rock airport, to shoot the resident Dak. DC-3C
(C-47B) N116SA is registered to Robert Partyka, and has been grounded here
for several years, still in partial Bradley Air Services colours (ex
C-FTVL). In April 2008, a tornado ripped through the airport, dragging the
Dak around 1,500ft and coming to a rest sat on top of a crushed Cherokee,
obviously picking up a bit of damage itself. The aircraft has been for sale
for years, and its easy to think it will probably end its days here. A
resident Convair was also damaged back in 2008, but unfortunately is now
long gone now after being broken up for scrap.
Onto Little Rock ‘Bill and Hillary
Clinton National Airport’ (really), for a quick look around before sundown,
with an airport hotel booked. Not that much of interest here, with a few
FBO’s providing a handful of biz, and a typical regional airport selection
of US domestic airliners, including Southwest. However, there is a lot more
interest in the large Dassault Aircraft Services facility, at the NE corner
of the airfield. This is infact the largest Dassault facility in the world,
consisting of a service centre as well as being the main completion centre
for all Falcon jets worldwide. New Falcons are flown here ‘green’ for
exterior and internal completion etc, with four Falcon 7X’s photographed
outside today being: F-WWUG in primer, F-WWZO (189) all white, OE-IRR (196)
paint finished, and one more paint finished (red and grey lines on fuselage
and fin) with no id visible (due to missing engine cowlings).
DAY 6-8 TUESDAY 30TH APRIL TO
THURSDAY 2ND MAY
From here, the next leg was 77 miles
West to Mena. This was certainly the most scenic drive of the trip, passing
through the mountains of the Ouachita National Forrest, past various peaks
and lakes with recreational areas and log cabins etc, this is obviously a
popular tourist area. Mena Intermountain Municipal airport was of interest
for a few B727’s and DC-3’s of large international aircraft parts company,
Dodson, with some old commuter types being a bonus. B727-100
N706JP
registered to Dodson Services Inc, is for sale, and still carries the logo
of previous owner ‘Petters Group Worlwide’. Told i could look inside, it has
a typical VIP interior with TV lounge and bedroom etc, and is in good
condition. Unfortunately for the previous owner, Tom Petters, he now has to
put up with less luxurious surroundings, after being given 50 years in the
pen in 2010 for massive fraud, which had also lead to the demise of Sun
Country Airlines. B727-100C N2688Z registered to Kando Jet LLC, was also
previously owned by Dodson Aviation (South Africa), and is not in such good
condition, with engines and other parts missing. The last B727-100 series
built, it still has the cheatlines of CF Airfreight, from when operated by
them in the late 80’s. More recently it spent several years parked at
Dodson’s Wonderboom base in South Africa (where it was last photographed),
before ending up here in November 2007 (didn’t expect to see that one
again!). The South African connection doesn’t end there, with all three Daks
present being ex South African AF, converted to DC-3-65TP Turbo, and now
registered to Dodson International Parts Inc. N192RD is ex SAAF 6820 and is
fully intact apart from engines and flaps, while
N193RD is ex SAAF 6857 and
without engines, outer wings and tail fin among other bits. Both of these
are in civil-style colours, while N332RD is ex SAAF 6870 and without
engines, rudder and flaps, and is still in the original two-tone pale blue
camo, with SAAF markings including the 35 Squadron badge (Ysterplaat AFB,
Cape Town) and the name ‘Vega’ on the nose. Of these, N193RD has an
interesting history, when operated by 25 Squadron as a VIP aircraft in a
bare metal/white top scheme, was the regular transport of the then President
PW Botha.
After photographing these in the
great weather, other stuff then found elsewhere on the airfield included
three Jetstream 41’s in open storage, sealed up with engines missing. N301UE
and N328UE ex United Express/Atlantic Coast Airlines, along with interesting
N153KM in Origin Pacific Airways colours (ex ZK-JSN). This was due to go to
European Executive Express as SE-LJE, but was ntu. Then, inside a hangar
being worked on, was ex Delta Connection/ASA EMB-120RT N286AS, still in full
colours, which is another of those previously stored at Hot Springs, being
prepared for Air Turks & Caicos. Also there was a Learjet (35A) stripped to
bare metal, getting major work done. The id plate in the cockpit appeared to
have ‘N316NW’, but no sign of that being registered (yet).
Leaving Mena on the final long haul
to Barksdale, one quick stop en route was made at Texarkana, 104 miles to
the South. As well as a few biz and twins, a couple of interest were Jet
Provost T4 N219JP still in its original RAF camo scheme as XS219/06 (ex
1TWU/79Sq at Brawdy), and Beech G18S N931GM. This was last operated by May
Air Xpress, and can be best described as being derelict, with wings, tail
fin, engines and nose cone missing, after the reg expired in 2011. And so,
from here it was a further 80 miles South to Barksdale AFB, where the
weather was still fine, and the resident B-52’s were starting to recover
from morning launches.
Barksdale is of course the main home
of the iconic B-52H ‘Buff’, with three active squadrons of the 2BW, the 11BS
(BD) and the 20BS & 96BS (LA). In addition, the AFRC 307BW has the 93BS
(BD), while also based is the AFRC 442FW with the 47FS (BD) flying the
A-10C. Its thought the 47th may be due for disbandment in the next few
years, as part of the A-10 unit restructuring. After last years visit to the
airshow here, which included photographing the Buffs from the perimeter,
this was a return visit for more of the same, with the rest of this
afternoon and the following two days to be spent working these classics. The
sight and sound of Buffs in the circuit is hard to beat, and with good
photospots known around the Northern end of the runway, the hope was for
plenty more shots to add to the collection. There are usually lots of
chances for this, with most returning missions concluded with multiple
approaches before a full stop. The rest of today was good, with plenty of
action onto Runway 15, before a change in the wind meant a runway change
later on the Wednesday. The Northerly wind meant a switch to Runway 33,
which was then going to be used for the rest of Wednesday and Thursday. The
change in the wind was also bringing a change in the weather, and by
Thursday the conditions had turned nasty, with storms in the area followed
by low cloud and heavy rain. Photospots for ‘33 are difficult, with a park
area obscured by trees and the edge of a housing estate not exactly being
discreet. Staying at the ‘15 end for take off and go-around shots was an
option, but the grey Buffs don’t exactly look their best in grimey
conditions anyway!
And so, over the two and a half days
here, the following 14 B-52H’s were photographed flying (some several
times): 60-0001/LA, 60-0002/LA, 60-0003/BD, 60-0013/LA, 60-0015/BD,
60-0045/BD, 60-0051/BD, 60-0052/LA, 61-0011/BD, 61-0013/LA, 61-0015/LA,
61-0021/BD, 61-0029/BD and 61-0031/BD. In addition, 61-0010/LA ‘343BS’ was
photographed on the ramp where some have been noted wfu, though looking
complete, along with another, which going by the engine covers was 60-0016
(LA). This had the tail fin removed, along with all the markings on the
nose, including the serial. Finally, surprisingly no visitors over the few
days, apart from one, and what a beauty! Arriving on the 2nd, was USAF E-4B
75-0125 of the 1ACCS/55Wg at Offutt AFB. Anyone visiting the Eigth Air Force
Museum here over the next few days would have a great view of this highly
modified and secretive B747, parked just ‘the other side of the fence’.
Barksdale is designated as one of the NEACP’s (National Emergency Airborne
Command Post) deployment bases, though why it was here, who knows. What is
known, is after parking, it didn’t shut down, but sat there strobing until
dark.
DAY 9 FRIDAY 3RD MAY
And so to the climax of this first
part of the trip. To make the most of the B-17 in town, i had enquired about
chartering a Cessna to do some air-air photography. The first company i
asked could offer a 172, but after speaking with the B-17 crew and putting
the idea forward, the 172 would not be fast enough to keep up (130 knots). A
pilot at the S3 FBO, overhearing this, then suggested their turbocharged
Skylane. Err… OK, thanks! With plenty of time before the B-17 was due to
depart at 1600, this had now taken over the days plans, and there was a
further twist to come. A USAF B-52 navigator, who is also involved with
media work at Barksdale, then became involved in the charter plan. As it
turned out, the 1600 departure was actually a surprise flight for a retiring
8th Air Force Colonel, with the B-17 heading to nearby Barksdale for a
reception. Asking if he could join me in the Cessna, to also photograph the
flight, i was more than happy, especially as he would then not only finalise
the arrangements with the B-17 captain, but also gain authorization from
Barksdale to follow the B-17 all the way, entering the highly restricted
circuit, to shadow the B-17 on finals and fly the overhead. This is too
much! As the time neared, S3 Aviation Cessna T182T N2199D was towed over…
OK, lets go! With a spare seat going, a girl from the FBO took her chance
and jumped in, before we taxied out, with the B-17 having all four engines
fired up. Taking off, it was a quick circuit and orbit, to run in and shadow
the rotating B-17. The agreement was to keep a 500ft minimum, as the B-17
made some manouvers over downtown Shreveport, before heading to Barksdale.
Keeping in formation was certainly a challenge, with visual contact even
lost at times… ‘he’s underneath us’! Very quickly we were alongside the B-17
on finals at Barksdale, with some of the best photo ops, after a lot of
hectic manouvers had me wondering if i had any decent shots, getting thrown
around so much! At this point, i think the girl in the back had some major
regrets! After touchdown of the B-17, we continued overhead, passing low
over the rows of resident B-52’s and A-10’s under their shelters… AND the
E-4B, before heading back to Downtown! What an awesome experience, with our
pilot, who did a fantastic job, being so pleased with the chance to do all
that, then refusing to take any payment!
Back down to earth, in more ways
than one, there was still a few hours of great sunlight left, so decided to
return to Shreveport Regional. Sat getting landing shots until the sun went,
FedEx Express B757-200F N997FD came in on FDX543 from Memphis, followed by a
Delta Connection CRJ, a couple of USAF Academy Cessna 150’s, and based Gulf
690D Jetprop 900 N927SM of Shammach Air inbound from Johnson County, Kansas.
Finally, returning to Downtown for some night shots of the now returned B-17
(as well as the B727 etc), a new visitor was MU-2B N322TA. And that was it,
time to catch some sleep, before an early flight to Dallas the next morning…
Part 2 to follow…