Euclid From South Africa, joined Apr 2005, 372 posts, RR: 0 Posted (8 years 2 months 12 hours ago) and read 3775 times:
Hi to all A.netters from a very new member!
A trip to Johannesburg International this morning to drop my mom off for a flight to Cape Town also gave me the perfect opportunity to start my first thread.
From the domestic departure viewing deck I could see Ndizani (the SAA 747-300 painted in that awful Cape Town Olympic bid promotional colour scheme) parked in an open field just across from runway 03L/21R, along with a DC8, 727 and a few other aircraft.
We all know that SAA has withdrawn their classic 747's from service quite a while ago, so does anyone know if this aircraft is waiting for a buyer or if it is perhaps waiting to be broken up for parts? Maybe someone with some inside information knows? Andz...?
Andz From South Africa, joined Feb 2004, 8306 posts, RR: 11 Reply 1, posted (8 years 2 months 12 hours ago) and read 3744 times:
Euclid I saw Ndizani standing in the area between the runways when I left for CPT on Tuesday afternoon, I have to disagree with you on the "awful" colour scheme, I think that is one of the most amazing looking aircraft on the planet! Last time I asked my wife about is she said that SAA are looking for a buyer, but why she has been moved out into the middle of nowhere after standing behind Hangar 8 for months is unknown to me.
Welcome to A.Net!
After Monday and Tuesday even the calendar says WTF...
Bluepoole From South Africa, joined Jan 2005, 51 posts, RR: 3 Reply 5, posted (8 years 2 months 8 hours ago) and read 3579 times:
Euclid - welcome from my side as well.
I would also like to know, out of interest, what happened to the 743's...
I know that one of them is now with Angola Airlines. Also, either ZS-SKA or ZS-SKB (or perhaps both) are now in one of those airplane graveyards in the Californian desert.
Aviationwiz From United States of America, joined Apr 2004, 953 posts, RR: 4 Reply 8, posted (8 years 2 months 8 hours ago) and read 3520 times:
When I went to South Africa back in December, when I got off of an SA flight from CPT, I managed to find Ndizani right across the way from domestic arrivals, needless to say, I took tons of pics. Had SA not bumped me to business class for that flight, I would have missed it.
Leezyjet From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2001, 4041 posts, RR: 55 Reply 9, posted (8 years 2 months 8 hours ago) and read 3502 times:
I have been through about 4 times in the last month, and that a/c is not exactly in a field. It is parked on a remote taxiway between the 2 runways. They even parked an LH 744 over there one of the days I was there on it's day stop. I guess they moved it over there so that it frees up parking space near to the hangers and also the a/c is much more visible to the public out there too who I'm sure enjoy seeing it.
There were also some SA classics parked over at Denel Aviation at the far side of the airport too, that I saw when we landed on the runway at that side.
"She Rolls, 45 knots, 90, 135, nose comes up to 20 degrees, she's airborne - She flies, Concorde Flies"
Andz From South Africa, joined Feb 2004, 8306 posts, RR: 11 Reply 10, posted (8 years 2 months 8 hours ago) and read 3497 times:
Quoting Leezyjet (Reply 9): There were also some SA classics parked over at Denel Aviation at the far side of the airport too, that I saw when we landed on the runway at that side.
Those 2 SPs have been standing there for months but no one at SAA can tell me what their fate might be.
After Monday and Tuesday even the calendar says WTF...
NA From Germany, joined Dec 1999, 9710 posts, RR: 10 Reply 12, posted (8 years 2 months 4 hours ago) and read 3382 times:
I also think this is one of the best special schemes. I hope we´ll see "Ndizani" flying again for some other carrier. The aircraft is 22 years old so there should be a chance.
When I saw her last (this February) it was parked behind the SAA hangars, so I couldn´t take a picture.
RedFlyer From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 4181 posts, RR: 30 Reply 14, posted (8 years 2 months ago) and read 3179 times:
What a BEAUTIFUL airplane!!!! I LOVE the colors! Definitely an eye-catcher. And very pleasing to the eye. Too bad it will revert to some stale livery once its new owners take over.
GARUDAROD From United States of America, joined Apr 2000, 1480 posts, RR: 1 Reply 15, posted (8 years 1 month 4 weeks 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 3060 times:
Perhaps I am getting the aircraft confused with another, but didnt
"Ndizani" suffer a severe tail strike that resulted in her with drawal from
service? I thought I read something about it being uneconomical to repair
the aircraft.
Euclid From South Africa, joined Apr 2005, 372 posts, RR: 0 Reply 16, posted (8 years 1 month 4 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 2962 times:
Garudarod
She did suffer a tailstrike a while ago, but it was very minor. There was a picture of the damaged tail in one of the local newspapers at the time, and it did little more than just scrape off some paint. The flight crew were not even aware of the fact and had to be informed by ATC of the strike. I read the report of the accident investigation on the CAA's (Civil Aviation Authority) website. Will see if I can find it again a bit later, too lazy now. It boils down to wrong weight figures being mistakenly used in the calculations for the take-off speeds, and then rotating at too low an airspeed. My girlfriend's boss is the wife of a SAA pilot, and he told me that the crew involved was flying again not too long after the incident, presumably after an internal SAA investigation. Apparently a contributing factor was the fact that the flight engineer was having marriage problems at the time and as such had a lot of things on his mind, causing him to mistakenly use the wrong figures. Of course that is not mentioned in the CAA report. There are, as always in any incident or accident, a lot of other contributing factors as well.
Just found the report. If you want to see it for yourself, go to www.caa.co.za , click on Accidents and Incidents, select 2003, and scroll down to 11 March. The report will open in Acrobat Reader.
RichardBHX From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2004, 111 posts, RR: 0 Reply 17, posted (8 years 1 month 4 weeks 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 2936 times:
He's about to be bought by me to convert into a house *wakes up*
However, I really hope a new owner keeps him flying in those colours. I think they are absolutely stunning.
GARUDAROD From United States of America, joined Apr 2000, 1480 posts, RR: 1 Reply 18, posted (8 years 1 month 3 weeks 6 days 18 hours ago) and read 2768 times:
Euclid,
Thank you very much for the detailed response and the link.
Its always nice to get the "inside" details.
Just as an FYI for me, how long after the tailstrike was it before she was permanently removed from service?
ClipperNo1 From Germany, joined May 1999, 671 posts, RR: 2 Reply 20, posted (8 years 1 month 3 weeks 6 days 3 hours ago) and read 2557 times:
Do you guys seriously believe that if Ndizani gets picked up by another carrier
...it will keep the color scheme?
...it will not be converted into a freighter?
I highly doubt it.
"I really don't know one plane from the other. To me they are just marginal costs with wings."� Alfred Kahn, 1977
Andz From South Africa, joined Feb 2004, 8306 posts, RR: 11 Reply 23, posted (8 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 days ago) and read 2378 times:
Quoting GARUDAROD (Reply 18): how long after the tailstrike was it before she was permanently removed from service?
How's this for a coincidence....Ndizani's last flight was exactly a year ago today, 26 April 2004, she came in from Sao Paolo to JNB and was withdrawn from service....so just over a year after the tail strike incident.
I landed at JNB from BFN this evening and she is standing in the midfield at JNB with a motley collection of 727s, a 732 and what looks like a DC-8.... sad sad sight.
After Monday and Tuesday even the calendar says WTF...
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