Interesting Kalitta Story (1 Viewer)

[Nunz]

Automation has changed pilots' jobs too, hope this link works:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...ing-747-200s-flies-into-retirement/100736118/

 

[Nitro Fish]

Wow, sad to see the old plane retired!

 

[mick]

bookmarked that article.....that is a great read.....used to vacation in puerto vallarta and stayed very near the airport. the planes
took off out over the ocean and from our balcony we could see the planes taxi and take off, and every one would have that
great jet roar. then a year or two later it got to be about 1/2 old school jet engines and about 1/2 turbo fans, then another year
or two later and it was all turbo fans.....end of an era. flew on a tri-star L1011 in the early 80's, 727, DC9, 767, MD88, A330,
A320, 737, but never a 747....sure hope to someday.....wonder what will happen to this plane connie is retiring?

 

[Nunz]

He's going to start a Nostalgia Plane circuit!

 

[DrRocket]

.....wonder what will happen to this plane connie is retiring?

They'll strip it for parts that can still be used on later generations of 747s, (Doors, landing gear and such) then the airframe itself will be scrapped, and converted into cookware and beer cans.

The type has been in service since 1969. 48 years is a loooong time for a aircraft design to stay in the air. Virtually all of it's contemporaries, the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and Lockheed L-1011 are long gone. You just never see them any more. (I did see a FedEx MD-11, a later model of the DC-10 land at Mpls/St Paul airport about a month ago.) About the only type that's lasted longer, in terms of earning money for the owner, are some DC-3s that are still in the air.

 

[.]

They'll strip it for parts that can still be used on later generations of 747s, (Doors, landing gear and such) then the airframe itself will be scrapped, and converted into cookware and beer cans.

The type has been in service since 1969. 48 years is a loooong time for a aircraft design to stay in the air. Virtually all of it's contemporaries, the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and Lockheed L-1011 are long gone. You just never see them any more. (I did see a FedEx MD-11, a later model of the DC-10 land at Mpls/St Paul airport about a month ago.) About the only type that's lasted longer, in terms of earning money for the owner, are some DC-3s that are still in the air.

Drive over to Cargo Road on the west side of MSP (enter from Longfellow, which is the frontage road for hwy 77) and you can see a DC-10 and/or MD-11 on almost any given day. FedEx still uses MANY of these (both types) on a daily basis. Same with UPS.... although I don't think UPS is still using the older DC-10's, but their MD-11's are here at MSP all the time. It's not uncommon to see one of these from both companies parked just feet apart from each other.

What I find most interesting is driving by the DHL terminal and seeing one of their DC-8's parked on the ramp. Now that's a rare sight....


.

 

[Cliff]

How about the Air Force B-52? Still flying today and the original version debuted in 1955.

 

[Nick Name]

I used to make parts for P3s that had prints dated in the 50s. There is a DC10 air tanker that fight fires out hewre in Ca. It is a sight to see. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rim_Fire_DC-10_Drop.png

 

[mgty3whlr]

Growing up in my teens, Up the road from my house, At NADC (naval air development center), They used to maintain the P-3's in which most of the time it seemed like at night where they would "run the engines". It took a little bit to get used to the noise being in a neighborhood but once you did, it was just like another car passing by. Pretty cool!

 

[ironpony]

I am retired from Grumman, we built Navy planes that took a lot of abuse, carrier launches and landings. there are C2A cargo and E2C electronic warfare planes still flying built in the early 60's, not sure about A6's and EA6B's, i know the Tomcats are retired.

Grumman, Home of the Cats.

 

[Dennis]

The type has been in service since 1969. 48 years is a loooong time for a aircraft design to stay in the air.

Tell that to the 737!

 

[Pete]

I was on the rental car bus, heading to the terminal and watched this flight taxi in at SeaTac.
Of course I noticed and watched because it was Kalitta Air. Cool read!

 

[mick]

i see on their website they have acquired a 767 with more to come....wonder if livery will remain the same as on 747's?
or will change it up?

 

[SundayNiagara]

Oh, I know a real good Kalitta story. But of course, it won't be told here.

 

[DrRocket]

i see on their website they have acquired a 767 with more to come....wonder if livery will remain the same as on 747's?
or will change it up?

Identical scheme.

 

[Dennis]

Identical scheme.

I wouldn't be surprised to see them in Amazon's livery.

 

[mick]

going to take a guess that there is a route from guadalajara?......one plane should have patron livery

 

[DrRocket]

A look at the 767 in Kalitta livery. <-------That's a link,folks!

 

[DrRocket]

but their MD-11's are here at MSP all the time. It's not uncommon to see one of these from both companies parked just feet apart from each other.

I kind of disagree, Brian. I drive by that area all the time, and I'm seeing fewer and fewer MD-11s there. Both companies are beginning to retire these aircraft for a variety of reasons. Age (average UPS age is 23.5 years), cost of maintenance, availability of trained A & P mechanics, fuel costs, Etc. I DO see them, just not nearly as often as I used to. In fact, I was out there again yesterday (Sunday) and between UPS and FedEx, there wasn't a single MD-11 to bee seen, anywhere on the property.

 

[.]

I kind of disagree, Brian. I drive by that area all the time, and I'm seeing fewer and fewer MD-11s there. Both companies are beginning to retire these aircraft for a variety of reasons. Age (average UPS age is 23.5 years), cost of maintenance, availability of trained A & P mechanics, fuel costs, Etc. I DO see them, just not nearly as often as I used to. In fact, I was out there again yesterday (Sunday) and between UPS and FedEx, there wasn't a single MD-11 to bee seen, anywhere on the property.

David, I do agree those planes are going away, and they are appearing less and less as time goes on. However, if you re-read your original post, you will see where you underlined the word "never".... You said "You just never see them any more." I simply replied to you giving my personal experience of seeing them fairly often. In fact, I was in the area earlier this evening and there was a UPS MD-11 parked on the cargo ramp. I'm in that area on a regular basis and more often than not I see a DC-10 or MD-11, or both. I have no inside information but they seem to fly in during early evening, and fly out later in the night. In my opinion, if you drive by during the day you are less likely to see them. As for carrying passengers.... no DC-10, or MD-11's carry people that I know of. Those days are long gone.

Just like the 727... Once the most common plane in the sky, now almost completely extinct. In fact (you probably know this) the last US based air line to carry paying passengers on a 727 was Champion Air based right here in Bloomington, MN at MSP. I fley MSP-LAS, round trip on a Champion Air 727 about 1 month before they ceased operations...

UPS cargo ramp earlier this evening