Rumour: L1011 VCV To Palmdale

musang · Mon Nov 17, 2014 10:30 am

Good Day All

At Victorville a few days ago I was told (by a long serving employee) of a plan to tow N729DA to Palmdale, for installation in a museum. The idea was hatched several years ago and obviously hasn't happened yet, but the aircraft has been fitted with two additional main gear legs between and forward of the originals.

Anyone know anything about this scheme? Was he winding me up?

Regards - musang

SpaceshipDC10 · Mon Nov 17, 2014 10:53 am

Quoting musang (Thread starter):
The idea was hatched several years ago and obviously hasn't happened yet

Any source or link to that?

Quoting musang (Thread starter):
the aircraft has been fitted with two additional main gear legs between and forward of the originals.

What?

What for?

mwhcvt · Mon Nov 17, 2014 11:36 am

Quoting SpaceshipDC10 (Reply 1):

If true Tarmac loading would be my guess, as normal roads would not have the structural strength to take the weight of the aircraft on its stock footprint....however it seems a little far fetched as it's not like the structure of the aircraft would be suitable to add extra gear I'd love to see how and to what they have been attached to

SpaceshipDC10 · Mon Nov 17, 2014 12:22 pm

Quoting mwhcvt (Reply 2):
If true Tarmac loading would be my guess, as normal roads would not have the structural strength

Before your reply I thought it would go there by air, but then I found out that both locations are quite close.

jetwet1 · Mon Nov 17, 2014 12:44 pm

Quoting SpaceshipDC10 (Reply 3):
Before your reply I thought it would go there by air, but then I found out that both locations are quite close.

They are close, the problem with this whole plan is which route to take, the Palmdale road is the most direct and easiest, pretty much a straight shot, however, it's narrow and at places there are power lines that would have to be moved.

The 138 is wider, however, you have small towns to go through and there is a section just before Little Rock that has some nasty (but fun at high speed, not that I have ever done it....Honest Officer) undulations, which honestly, I am not 100% sure would give enough clearance.

Polot · Mon Nov 17, 2014 1:41 pm

It's always possible for them to cut the aircraft up (remove wings and tail) for easier transport and then reassemble it at the museum. It's not like the plane will be flying again anyways. KLM did that for a 747 they sent to a museum.

United_fan · Mon Nov 17, 2014 2:31 pm

Is that the L1011 that was going to be used for some African airline ?

musang · Mon Nov 17, 2014 3:07 pm

Quoting SpaceshipDC10 (Reply 1):
Any source or link to that?

Only the employee at VCV. I've since found a mention in an earlier thread (4490753) on here, which gives the cost ($250K) as the reason it didn't happen.

Quoting mwhcvt (Reply 2):
I'd love to see how and to what they have been attached to

An ugly tubular steel structure externally, didn't get close enough to see what it attaches to internally, and as it was dusk my pics don't show much detail.

Regards - musang

whisperjet · Mon Nov 17, 2014 5:18 pm

The construction can be seen on this picture from our image database.

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Click here for bigger photo!

Photo © Szabo Gabor

longhauler · Mon Nov 17, 2014 6:13 pm

Quoting SpaceshipDC10 (Reply 1):
What? What for?

My guess would be for towing on a road.

The main gear are pretty far apart on an L1011 and may not fit on a regular road.

trnswrld · Mon Nov 17, 2014 6:25 pm

Almost looks like based on that picture that they intend to remove the original main landing gear and transport it using the new temporary center mounted ones. I assume for narrow roads because of how wide the mains are on an L1011 as mentioned above.

goosebayguy · Mon Nov 17, 2014 6:33 pm

Moving an L1011 by road has been done before in Riyadh. It now sits next to the main highway at the National air Museum.

L1011dal · Tue Nov 18, 2014 3:15 am

Heard about this 4-5 years ago but nothing ever happened. Now looking at the photos online the extra main gear installed is in photos from 2010 so the question now is was this something that "was" planned or is this something now moving forward since it was evident in 2010?

Viscount724 · Tue Nov 18, 2014 3:29 am

Quoting longhauler (Reply 9):
The main gear are pretty far apart on an L1011 and may not fit on a regular road.

36 feet between the centers of the main gear so it would be a few feet more between the outer wheels.