Moderators: richierich, ua900, PanAm_DC10, hOMSaR
VCVSpotter wrote:wjcandee wrote:VCVSpotter wrote:Random: Looks like Maleth Aero may have a new stop-over in my backyard...Ontario, CA (ONT)!
A332 9H-MFS flew YMX-ONT as DB330 on Dec. 23 (came in the dark )
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/9h-mfs
Initially I thought this was a one-off, but it seems that A332 9H-LFS will follow tomorrow, Sunday December 26.
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/db332
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/MLT332
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/9h-lfs
Looks like the overall routing is SGN-ICN-YMX-ONT, then I'd imagine the return would route ONT-FAI-SGN. Hoping for some good weather tomorrow, especially if it comes in the afternoon (currently is delayed out of YMX so that's very likely). Would imagine that 9H-LFS has the return crew for 9H-MFS, so maybe this will be a regular, maybe not. Who knows with these carriers lol. Cool to see them on such a niche route though.
Interesting to see them go so far East to YMX before heading southwest to ONT. Seems, too, like ICN-YMX is a pretty-long haul for a fully-loaded "cargo" aircraft. Any reason to stop in FAI rather than ANC on the way back? I don't remember (and it's too late at night for me to look up) whether the exemptions and Freedom-provisions of which one can avail oneself when stopping in ANC also apply to FAI (there's a reason they named ANC after Ted Stevens, and it has to do among other things with the economic activity that he brought to ANC by, as a powerful Senator, getting special treatment for carriers that stop there). I just don't remember whether a stop in Alaska will do it, or whether you have to stop at ANC.
I too was personally surprised on the ICN-YMX routing. Not sure on the FAI stop instead of ANC. Can only think of the generic 'cheap fuel or landing fees' excuses. Not sure how applicable they are here.
Spacepope wrote:YouTube has an upload by “Cargospotter” filming heavy freighters at LGG, and it shows RON Cargos 744 in a sad state, missing parts already. Looks like a fairly recent upload, but also shows a,lot of the action of the 744s that now do the Asia-Europe shuffle, as well as Amerijet and ABX doing transatlantic work with their 763s. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr7xykHcYWk
wjcandee wrote:Looks like there are now TWO de-liveried ex-DL 737-700s sitting at the Airborne hangar at TPA. One of them is apparently N305DQ, which arrived TPA on 9/17/21. I think the other is N302DQ, which just arrived on 12/21/21.
Presumably, these will be PEMCO 737-700 FlexCombi conversions, perhaps for rumoured customer AAR Corp. (which is likely acting as a lessor for an ultimate operator). The first two 737-700 FlexCombis went to Texel Air in Bahrain.
MO11 wrote:wjcandee wrote:Looks like there are now TWO de-liveried ex-DL 737-700s sitting at the Airborne hangar at TPA. One of them is apparently N305DQ, which arrived TPA on 9/17/21. I think the other is N302DQ, which just arrived on 12/21/21.
Presumably, these will be PEMCO 737-700 FlexCombi conversions, perhaps for rumoured customer AAR Corp. (which is likely acting as a lessor for an ultimate operator). The first two 737-700 FlexCombis went to Texel Air in Bahrain.
Yes, these are both AAR. They join N305DQ which came by in September. The latter was transferred to "AAR Government Services", FWIW.
wjcandee wrote:MO11 wrote:wjcandee wrote:Looks like there are now TWO de-liveried ex-DL 737-700s sitting at the Airborne hangar at TPA. One of them is apparently N305DQ, which arrived TPA on 9/17/21. I think the other is N302DQ, which just arrived on 12/21/21.
Presumably, these will be PEMCO 737-700 FlexCombi conversions, perhaps for rumoured customer AAR Corp. (which is likely acting as a lessor for an ultimate operator). The first two 737-700 FlexCombis went to Texel Air in Bahrain.
Yes, these are both AAR. They join N305DQ which came by in September. The latter was transferred to "AAR Government Services", FWIW.
Interesting about AAR. I know they lease some 737s to the military (or at least the US gov't). Would be interesting if the gov't were to want its own Combis. But I guess it doesn't have to be the US gov't.
PS Are there 3?
MO11 wrote:wjcandee wrote:MO11 wrote:
Yes, these are both AAR. They join N305DQ which came by in September. The latter was transferred to "AAR Government Services", FWIW.
Interesting about AAR. I know they lease some 737s to the military (or at least the US gov't). Would be interesting if the gov't were to want its own Combis. But I guess it doesn't have to be the US gov't.
PS Are there 3?
Yes, N305 came in September, N302 and N306 last week. I just checked, the last two also went to Government Services.
wjcandee wrote:Looks like there are now TWO de-liveried ex-DL 737-700s sitting at the Airborne hangar at TPA. One of them is apparently N305DQ, which arrived TPA on 9/17/21. I think the other is N302DQ, which just arrived on 12/21/21.
Presumably, these will be PEMCO 737-700 FlexCombi conversions, perhaps for rumoured customer AAR Corp. (which is likely acting as a lessor for an ultimate operator). The first two 737-700 FlexCombis went to Texel Air in Bahrain.
It will be interesting to see whether work on either of the 737-700s gets well underway before PEMCO gets rolling on the Cook's Club A321, now N982CM, that's been parked at Airborne TPA for just about 6 months. That will be the first CAM-owned A321 Precision Conversion, as earlier conversions were undertaken for other lessors.
The Airborne hangars at TPA seem to be packed recently, what with the usual Frontier all-service contract and the recent United maintenance contract, as well as the various Allegiant and other heavy-checks they do. Once the conversion touch-work gets underway, it will be interesting to see the progress.
If the FlexCombi picks up, or if PEMCO gets its 737-700 straight-freighter STC, it stands to reason that the rest of those 10 12-ish-year-old parked single-owner creampuff DL 737-700s would make logical feedstock.
RoyalBrunei757 wrote:4. Boeing 767 -38E 30840 829 N108DP SF Airlines ferried 21 December 2021 HHN-QPG for freighter conversion ex D-ABUS
a2b7 wrote:wjcandee wrote:Looks like there are now TWO de-liveried ex-DL 737-700s sitting at the Airborne hangar at TPA. One of them is apparently N305DQ, which arrived TPA on 9/17/21. I think the other is N302DQ, which just arrived on 12/21/21.
Presumably, these will be PEMCO 737-700 FlexCombi conversions, perhaps for rumoured customer AAR Corp. (which is likely acting as a lessor for an ultimate operator). The first two 737-700 FlexCombis went to Texel Air in Bahrain.
It will be interesting to see whether work on either of the 737-700s gets well underway before PEMCO gets rolling on the Cook's Club A321, now N982CM, that's been parked at Airborne TPA for just about 6 months. That will be the first CAM-owned A321 Precision Conversion, as earlier conversions were undertaken for other lessors.
The Airborne hangars at TPA seem to be packed recently, what with the usual Frontier all-service contract and the recent United maintenance contract, as well as the various Allegiant and other heavy-checks they do. Once the conversion touch-work gets underway, it will be interesting to see the progress.
If the FlexCombi picks up, or if PEMCO gets its 737-700 straight-freighter STC, it stands to reason that the rest of those 10 12-ish-year-old parked single-owner creampuff DL 737-700s would make logical feedstock.
Some of the rest of the 10 DL 737-700s are not available any more, because they will be parted out, see https://www.apocaviation.com/apoc-acqui ... airframes/ These should be 4 DL 737-700s as Delta is the only US legacy that has retired 737NGs at MZJ AFAIK.
wjcandee wrote:MO11 wrote:
Yes, N305 came in September, N302 and N306 last week. I just checked, the last two also went to Government Services.
The first one must be in the hangar, then. Cool! I guess it's underway. Thanks!!
Revelation wrote:RoyalBrunei757 wrote:4. Boeing 767 -38E 30840 829 N108DP SF Airlines ferried 21 December 2021 HHN-QPG for freighter conversion ex D-ABUS
Wait, a Boeing 767 was registered D-ABUS? I am tremendously disappointed by this.
CX747 wrote:Sweet, I'm glad the Far East has started a conversion line for glass cockpit DC-9s!!! I'm sure they contacted the appropriate authorities in the US for technical data transfer!!!
MO11 wrote:
Yes, N305 came in September, N302 and N306 last week. I just checked, the last two also went to Government Services.
In August, AAR received a contract to procure and modify one 737NG for the National Nuclear Security Administration. Not sure if that was expanded to more airplanes.
faizul wrote:Seems like the story with the abandoned 747-200SF freighters in KUL is finally coming to an end. Planespotters.net lists TF-ARH as scrapped in Nov 21. No signs yet on TF-ARM and TF-ARN. While these two were parked close to the terminals, TF-ARH was parked next to the Malaysian Airlines hangars together with 9M-MPD, a -400 last operated by Malaysian carrier Eaglexpress Air, which apparently was scrapped in November as well. Only recent photo I could find was -ARH in October this year with the tail already cut off:
RoyalBrunei757 wrote:faizul wrote:Seems like the story with the abandoned 747-200SF freighters in KUL is finally coming to an end. Planespotters.net lists TF-ARH as scrapped in Nov 21. No signs yet on TF-ARM and TF-ARN. While these two were parked close to the terminals, TF-ARH was parked next to the Malaysian Airlines hangars together with 9M-MPD, a -400 last operated by Malaysian carrier Eaglexpress Air, which apparently was scrapped in November as well. Only recent photo I could find was -ARH in October this year with the tail already cut off:
Welcome to airliners.net!
Yes, all four airframes have been bought by a local scrapping company. They would demolish all and sell them as scrap metal. All four were/are empty hull which made the demolition easier. Previously, someone advertised these airframes for sale. For USD300,000 if I am not mistaken.
oldJoe wrote:Revelation wrote:RoyalBrunei757 wrote:4. Boeing 767 -38E 30840 829 N108DP SF Airlines ferried 21 December 2021 HHN-QPG for freighter conversion ex D-ABUS
Wait, a Boeing 767 was registered D-ABUS? I am tremendously disappointed by this.
If you read it it as a767 "a" bus there`s also the ability of this :
https://www.abus.com/eng
wich is a complete different story. Guess the company get some free promotion ?
NG263 wrote:Without going to much off topic here. Condor and Lufthansa have always registered their aircraft in a systematical way. The A is mandatory in Germany for aircraft over 20 tons. And then they simply used B for Boeings and combined the A with an I for AI-rbus. In case one wondered.
CX747 wrote:Does anyone have a track on the Fly Pro 747-200F ER-BAU, which looked to be for sale in the last several months?
VCVSpotter wrote:Made it out to VCV yesterday, got a few tid-bits of info:
wjcandee wrote:VCVSpotter wrote:Made it out to VCV yesterday, got a few tid-bits of info:
Great job!!
Glad to see FedEx is getting ready to put their latest MD11 acquisition into the air.
Also, that Singapore bird is pretty. Too bad she's going to Eastern, if that still-unapproved "light cargo conversion" (i.e. no door) ever gets approved, or Eastern ever gets customers for it. With China now essentially banning any kind of Pfreighter, it seems like it's a dwindling possibility that they'll get the kazillion of these that they had planned actually into a contract, if any of them. Not to say that they wouldn't make great candidates for the IAI conversion, when its Korean touch-work site starts to convert -200s in a couple of years...
But it's Eastern, so one wonders whether they ever believed that this latest "great idea" was truly going to come to pass...
LTEN11 wrote:You can still fly preighters to China, but you will only be allowed to load Covid related medical supplies, such as masks, etc on the main deck.
There is still a lot of freight you can put on the lower deck of course, not to mention all the other countries they could fly them too, Vietnam being a prime candidate.
wjcandee wrote:LTEN11 wrote:You can still fly preighters to China, but you will only be allowed to load Covid related medical supplies, such as masks, etc on the main deck.
There is still a lot of freight you can put on the lower deck of course, not to mention all the other countries they could fly them too, Vietnam being a prime candidate.
You're of course correct, and I thought about including the exception for Covid medical supplies, but it seems like the need to really expedite masks and such these days is pretty-low. There was an article in the paper the other day about how many US mask suppliers had geared up manufacturing capability and now were in a lull. I can get N95s from 3M basically anywhere, the real ones, the good ones, for nearly what they cost before all this started. That says that the coffers are full. But it's still a fair point.
The Vietnam point is a good one as well. But there's still a limit to how many flights actually are needed from there in excess of what is now flying, and particularly if you can't put the stuff in a container.
I also think that if there was a significant demand for flights running just belly freight from China, extant pax carriers would be running them, because they have the aircraft and the crews to do so. Perhaps some are, but the point is that that capability could flex upwards dramatically if, say, Air China thought there was a market for it.
That said, I rarely say "never", so maybe this Eastern thing will come to pass and be a gold mine for them, but my gut tells me it's not likely.
I greatly appreciate your corrections and insights!
ElroyJetson wrote:I thought I would post the most current FAA stats of cargo volume by US airports. One interesting thing I noticed is Lakeland Florida airport did zero cargo volume. Amazon opened a huge processing center at the airport and that year they did 209,000,000 million pounds of cargo.
It is also interesting how much cargo certain mid sized airports like RIC and GSO do. Here is a link to the data.
https://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_c ... rports.pdf