flymia From United States of America, joined Jun 2001, 6297 posts, RR: 6 Posted (3 years 6 days 16 hours ago) and read 23463 times:
Today driving from MIA back home I noticed the AA MD-80 sitting engine less on the ramp. I just saw a news story that this MD-80 is going to be moved to an aviation school right across the street tomorrow night. A crane will lift it over the street and into the school. I was always wondering what it was doing there. Pretty interesting story. Would make for some cool pictures. Here is a link to the story. American is donating the MD-80 to George T. Baker Aviation School. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/1...es-road-trip-jet-faces-tricky.html
"It was just four of us on the flight deck, trying to do our job" (Captain Al Haynes)
sparky35805 From United States of America, joined Dec 2007, 243 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (3 years 6 days 3 hours ago) and read 20981 times:
The story goes that Eddie Rickenbacker called Baker an old pirate in the press.Baker decided to use the slogan The Buccaneer Route for National.There was no love lost between the two.
Sparky
wingsofman72 From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 116 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (3 years 6 days 3 hours ago) and read 20737 times:
The plane at the school was a 720, former UA , but had been sold to a Belize airline I think and had some part it's paint scheme on it, it was there for years when I worked at EA in the 70s...
American762 From United States of America, joined Apr 2004, 175 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (3 years 6 days 2 hours ago) and read 20149 times:
Interesting. I saw this aircraft taxiing (I believe under its own power) several weeks ago in the early evening at MIA. When we took off I saw it later sitting outside of one of the large hangars. Was very interested as well because it had no titles.
AA762
Pan Am has a place of its' own. You call it the world, we call it home.
727forever From United States of America, joined Jan 2006, 783 posts, RR: 5 Reply 10, posted (3 years 6 days 2 hours ago) and read 19743 times:
Quoting United_fan (Reply 5): They had the 720 or 707 til just a couple years ago,I think.
It was a 720 and was dismantled in February 2004. It disturbed me greatly every day when we were driving back and forth to the Airbus Training Center watching more and more of that airplane disappear.
elbandgeek From United States of America, joined Jun 2008, 735 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (3 years 6 days 2 hours ago) and read 19544 times:
That's a pretty cool gesture from AA. Although to bo honest, towing it across the street may not be quite as much the spectacle as say....landing a 727 at CGX
United_fan From United States of America, joined Nov 2000, 7159 posts, RR: 8 Reply 12, posted (3 years 6 days 1 hour ago) and read 18533 times:
Quoting 727forever (Reply 10): Quoting United_fan (Reply 5):
They had the 720 or 707 til just a couple years ago,I think.
It was a 720 and was dismantled in February 2004. It disturbed me greatly every day when we were driving back and forth to the Airbus Training Center watching more and more of that airplane disappear.
727forever
Time flies,I guess
'Empathy was yesterday...Today, you're wasting my Mother-F'ing time' - Heat.
maxpower1954 From United States of America, joined Sep 2008, 854 posts, RR: 5 Reply 14, posted (3 years 5 days 22 hours ago) and read 13911 times:
The facilities at the George T. Baker Aviation School were originally built in 1946 for National Airlines as their main MX base at the Miami HQ. It was replaced by the open air cantiliever hangar accross Le Juene Road in 1958 (now demolished). Baker donated the original hangar to the school, probably for the tax write-down. Russ Farris
jetfixr757 From Jamaica, joined Jan 2006, 109 posts, RR: 0 Reply 16, posted (3 years 5 days 13 hours ago) and read 5910 times:
I remember when the 720 was towed across Lejune Rd. From the loop taxiway that was cool, they stopped traffic around 10am and the Principal of the school was in the left seat riding brakes. It was a great day at school we finally got a "big jet". I remember running the DC6, then we had an instructor that used to run one of the many T-33's, we had O200's we would rebuild, and run, we built a glider, we had a PT6 that ran in the test cell, we used to have fun at aviation school. Then i was 15. Now I am 45.
Jet
AtlasAir From United States of America, joined Jun 1999, 116 posts, RR: 0 Reply 19, posted (3 years 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 5029 times:
I attended the school until 1998. At that time the 720 was falling apart. the interior was in cargo config but smelled like mold and humidity. the fuselage had hole along the bottom. the engine were ceseded up. One time they went to jack it and the gear boggie broke in two. Birds lived in the fuel tanks. Its was past preserving it.
milesrich From United States of America, joined Jul 2003, 1855 posts, RR: 7 Reply 20, posted (3 years 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 4682 times:
Quoting maxpower1954 (Reply 14): The facilities at the George T. Baker Aviation School were originally built in 1946 for National Airlines as their main MX base at the Miami HQ. It was replaced by the open air cantiliever hangar accross Le Juene Road in 1958 (now demolished). Baker donated the original hangar to the school, probably for the tax write-down. Russ Farris
And when National did there maintenance there, they taxied the planes across LeJuene Road to the hanger. Railroad crossing type gates were installed and would be activiated to stop traffic so the aircraft could taxi across this main road. I remember seeing L-1049-H Connies, DC-7s, DC-7B's and DC-6's over there in 1961 when we took a spring vacation to Miami Beach. It was at this same time that Capital was operating "leased" UA 720's into Miami before the merger that June.
United_fan From United States of America, joined Nov 2000, 7159 posts, RR: 8 Reply 21, posted (3 years 3 days 21 hours ago) and read 4269 times:
Quoting AtlasAir (Reply 19): attended the school until 1998. At that time the 720 was falling apart. the interior was in cargo config but smelled like mold and humidity. the fuselage had hole along the bottom. the engine were ceseded up. One time they went to jack it and the gear boggie broke in two. Birds lived in the fuel tanks. Its was past preserving it.
Not surprisong. South Florida is not a good place to store planes.
'Empathy was yesterday...Today, you're wasting my Mother-F'ing time' - Heat.
Aeroflot001 From Argentina, joined Oct 2009, 384 posts, RR: 0 Reply 22, posted (3 years 3 days 11 hours ago) and read 3950 times:
Everything went well and the process from "quite literally" wheels up to wheels down took 27 minutes. They used a very old tug with a fresh coat of paint to pull her in. I'll see if any of my dads d-90 pics can make the airliners cut. I'm sure my Sony cybershot from 2005 does not stand a chance.
looked pretty good for it's last time airborne....grin.
25 United_fan: Nice video of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEsNaZF6eP4[Edited 2010-05-21 16:36:20][Edited 2010-05-21 16:36:47]
26 lotsamiles: That was a different AA MD80 arriving at MIA after lease return. AA removes the titles and paints the red line blue to "de brand" the aircraft before
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