Wjcandee From United States of America, joined Jun 2000, 4556 posts, RR: 17 Posted (7 years 6 months 3 weeks 1 day 1 hour ago) and read 2964 times:
Noticed an ATA L1011 leaving Cambridge today. Does this mean that 194AT made it out of its 1/2-C check at Marshall Aerospace and is back in business? I'm assuming that ATA badly needs it for military missions, particularly given its renewed focus on charter as a moneymaker.
Also, any further word on ship 162? I had thought that GAMCO was hoping to have it done by the end of October, but I understand that doing a D-check on an older airframe can be unpredictable...
TZTristar500 From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 1420 posts, RR: 9 Reply 4, posted (7 years 6 months 3 weeks 21 hours ago) and read 2836 times:
The 767, which will most-likely be N601TZ, won't be on the ops spec until at least April/May. It has to go through a heavy C4 check, plus an ATA maintenance program bridge check, plus an interior reconfig to all one-class.
Also, N162AT is the first with new paint..."baby's gotta new dress"...haha.
35 years of American Trans Air/ATA Airlines, 1973-2008. A great little airline that will not be soon forgotten.
Wjcandee From United States of America, joined Jun 2000, 4556 posts, RR: 17 Reply 7, posted (7 years 6 months 3 weeks 16 hours ago) and read 2747 times:
Any word yet on where that will be done? Is the lessor taking care of that before delivery to ATA for the bridge check? Also, how does seniority affect flight deck crews on that aircraft? In other words, will folks flying the L1011 now be trained for the 767, or will current 757 pilots just be given differences training, or is that too simplistic a question? (I'm unclear on how many folks, if any, who presently fly the L1011 are also current (or at least rated) on the 757.)
TZTriStar500 From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 1420 posts, RR: 9 Reply 8, posted (7 years 6 months 3 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 2662 times:
It will be is basic new colors(no logos) which was never rumored.
The 767 C4 visit will be done at AMECO in China before delivery to ATA. I do not know about any of the crew issues.
35 years of American Trans Air/ATA Airlines, 1973-2008. A great little airline that will not be soon forgotten.
Wjcandee From United States of America, joined Jun 2000, 4556 posts, RR: 17 Reply 11, posted (7 years 6 months 3 weeks 3 hours ago) and read 2580 times:
Quoting TZTriStar500 (Reply 8): It will be is basic new colors(no logos) which was never rumored.
I think the rumour to which the poster was referring related to the rumours regarding L1011 paint, which we have heard will be a "hybrid" nondescript scheme. Speaking of which, on the L1011, I wish they would keep the green vertical pinstripe line just aft of the lip of the No. 2 engine cowling. It matches the horizontal cheatline in the "On Vacation" paint scheme, but, even without that paint scheme, adds a nice effect to that intake. They could make it orange to match the broad line on the hybrid scheme. While I understand why aircraft used on military missions might be sensibly-nondescript, it's still too bad that at least the flag-tail wouldn't be included.
TZTriStar500 From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 1420 posts, RR: 9 Reply 12, posted (7 years 6 months 2 weeks 6 days 22 hours ago) and read 2515 times:
Actually the reason for the paint job being sans logos is not because of the necessity to be nondescript. It is this way for monetary and graphics reasons only. In fact, the hybrid scheme is designed to add the logos later after the graphics issues are worked out and the company decides to spend the money for the paint masks.
What I mean by "graphics" problems is that the ATA billboard and tail flag are painted on with several offset paint layer masks. These masks were originally designed for a narrowbody aircraft and thus have a unique pixel design to give it a 3-D look. When the vendor scaled it up to fit a widebody, the 3-D effect was lost and so a new pixel and masks will have to be designed which costs money that we don't have right now. The masks alone for a 757 is somewhere around $50K let alone the extra time to paint the mutiple layers. To put it in some perspective, the 737-300s took 2 weeks to paint each.
The talk now is what scheme the 763 will get as it might be the same as the "new" L-1011 scheme(new scheme minus logos) at least temporarily.
I hope they both get the full livery some day, but you got to admit that the 763 is much more likely than the L-1011s.
35 years of American Trans Air/ATA Airlines, 1973-2008. A great little airline that will not be soon forgotten.
Wjcandee From United States of America, joined Jun 2000, 4556 posts, RR: 17 Reply 13, posted (7 years 6 months 2 weeks 6 days 21 hours ago) and read 2505 times:
Thanks for the info, Tristar. And welcome to my respected users list.
Wjcandee From United States of America, joined Jun 2000, 4556 posts, RR: 17 Reply 14, posted (7 years 6 months 2 weeks 6 days 19 hours ago) and read 2486 times:
Quoting TZTriStar500 (Reply 8): The 767 C4 visit will be done at AMECO in China before delivery
Can't complain, I'm sure, about Lufthansa's work out there. (Always amusing when the managing executive of a facility in Beijing has a German name...) But I woulda thought that AAR would have liked a shot at this one... But on the other hand, although this would have looked good for local politics, ATA needs to save every penny...
TZTriStar500 From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 1420 posts, RR: 9 Reply 15, posted (7 years 6 months 2 weeks 2 days 20 hours ago) and read 2315 times:
Well here is a sneak peak at N162AT's new clothes...I like it, nice and clean look...almost makesit look like a VIP L-1011
I admit that these are not great, but they give a good idea...
TZTriStar500 From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 1420 posts, RR: 9 Reply 16, posted (7 years 6 months 2 weeks 2 days 19 hours ago) and read 2304 times:
Wjcandee From United States of America, joined Jun 2000, 4556 posts, RR: 17 Reply 19, posted (7 years 6 months 2 weeks 2 days 16 hours ago) and read 2243 times:
Great photos. Fine-looking paint scheme. Lots of folks won't know that this is an older a/c, at least from the way the exterior looks. No mix-and-match radomes, cowls, etc., on this bird! (At least for the moment.)
Is is safe to assume that the thing doesn't go in for paint until all the corrosion work is done throughout the aircraft? Obviously all doubling, etc., on the exterior would be done before paint, but would they still work on stringers, spars, etc., after paint? Or would they be afraid of the possibility of damaging the new paint job? Put another way: can we assume from the fact that it made it to paint that all issues like corrosion, cracks, major system defects, etc., have been resolved and it's gonna make it out of D-check?
TZTriStar500 From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 1420 posts, RR: 9 Reply 20, posted (7 years 6 months 2 weeks 2 days 6 hours ago) and read 2167 times:
Exterior painting in the check flow is really done at the end with all external work completed, but inevitably, some on-going internal repairs remain just to keep the flow going. There are a few remaining structures repairs left on the inside, but no "show-stoppers". 162 should be out within 2 weeks. I hope to get some better pics by then too.
Also, one last bit on 194...this aircraft is now not scheduled to receive a D check, but be retired on Feb. 28, 2006. However, by then anything is possible otherwise.
35 years of American Trans Air/ATA Airlines, 1973-2008. A great little airline that will not be soon forgotten.
Typhaerion From United States of America, joined Jun 2005, 619 posts, RR: 4 Reply 21, posted (7 years 6 months 2 weeks 2 days 6 hours ago) and read 2154 times:
I assume that the engines have the new blue base gold stripe scheme?
I think that one of the cooler parts of the new color scheme is that engine stripe.
She looks good. Can't wait till she is back in action and loading up our L1011 reports again. Thank you TZTriStar500 for the photos and info.
For some, the sky is the limit. For us, it is only the beginning... -- Jack Hunt
TZTriStar500 From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 1420 posts, RR: 9 Reply 22, posted (7 years 6 months 2 weeks 2 days 5 hours ago) and read 2130 times:
No engine speed stripe either I'm afraid That one is also pixelated like the logo and tail flag so the No.1 and 3 engine nose and core cowls will just be all blue....for now.
35 years of American Trans Air/ATA Airlines, 1973-2008. A great little airline that will not be soon forgotten.
Typhaerion From United States of America, joined Jun 2005, 619 posts, RR: 4 Reply 23, posted (7 years 6 months 2 weeks 2 days 5 hours ago) and read 2102 times:
Well that's no fun... Maybe we could take up a collection....
For some, the sky is the limit. For us, it is only the beginning... -- Jack Hunt
I assume that 194 is being retired because of the arrival of the 767. However, this does not add anything to the military charter capacity and thus to cash flow. On the other hand, it saves millions on the D-check, so it probably is a wash.
25 TZTriStar500: Yes, the 763 is supposed to replace 194, but its not necessarily correct to say that capacity would be a wash. The L-1011 fleet is NOT the sole aircra
26 Babaero: Having worked myself at GAMCO in AUH how did you manage to get the camera pass security to take the pictures of 162... Photography was a big no no..
27 A40-TY: Hi, N162AT was rolled out at GAMCO 3 days ago in the new ATA colours but without titles. It spent around 5 weeks in the paintshop post D Check and wou
28 Typhaerion: Hmmm, that five is an interesting thought, but I am sure that unless it was cheap as free it will not be coming here. We want nothing to do with more
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That one is also pixelated like the logo and tail flag so the No.1 and 3 engine nose and core cowls will just be all blue....for now.
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