Friday, July 11, 2003

Cactus Wings Aircraft Report
11Jul-2003


A long report - catching up after being in & out the past 3 weeks.

* America West A320 N670AW [2029] was delivered on 20Jun-2003 as N670AW TLS-BGR-PHX. It entered service 23Jun-2003 as HP612 PHX-ATL.

* Embraer ERJ-135 Legacy N135SG [145706] arrived at Phoenix on 28Jun-2003 and is based at Swift Aviation.

* Embraer ERJ-170 PP-XJC [170002] arrived at Phoenix-Deer Valley (DVT) on 27Jun-2003, and noted partially inside the Honeywell hangar on 07Jul-2003.

* Beech 1900D N17534 [UE-141], previously stored at Marana, was noted at Phoenix on 03Jul-2003, all white with no titles. New aircraft for Arizona Express Airlines, and noted in service 10Jul-2003. Thanks to Mike & Steve for info.

* Ex-Rio-Sul B737-500 PT-SLU [25186], previously stored at Goodyear, was painted for new Slovakian air carrier Skyeurope and delivered GYR-DUB (with enroute stops) on 05Jul-2003. The aircraft was re-registered N186LS for the ferry flight, with reserved registration OM-SEA taped over.

* Northeast Bolivian Airlines L-1011 3D-NEG [1066], still parked at Tucson, is due to ferry TUS-CBB for delivery to the airline.

* DHC-8 N802MX [013] stopped briefly at Phoenix on 24Jun-2003, operating BJC-PHX-FLG-EKO. What is the configuration/purpose of this aircraft ... is it a corporate turboprop?

* Mesa Airlines DHC-8 N448YV [448] was noted parked on the west cargo ramp at Phoenix 28-29Jul-2003, in full United Express colors & titles. Did this aircraft enter a temporary assignment with America West Express?

* Ex-American MD-87 N754RA [49641] was delivered to Aeromexico on 26Jun-2003, and was ferried MZJ-GDL. No Mexican registration tie-up available yet.

* America West B737-200 N179AW [22646] last revenue flight was HP446 TUS-PHX on 01Jul-2003. Retired and ferried PHX-GYR as HP7802 on 02Jul-2003 for storage.

* Ex Korean Air Lines B747-2B5F N285SW [22485], previously stored at Goodyear, was leased to Cargo Air Lines of Israel. The aircraft was re-registered 4X-ICN and delivered GYR-TUS and eastward on 28Jun-2003.

* Ex USAirways Fokker 100 N855US [11283], currently stored at Mojave, will be publicly auctioned for sale on 15Jul-2003.

* Ex Delta Air Lines B727-200s N545DA [22494] and N546DA [22677] were ferried VCV-MIA on 20Jun-2003. They have been sold to Hewa Bora Airways, Congo.

* Ex Aviation Partners Boeing B737-300 CS-TMZ [23827], previously based at Tucson conducting winglet mod tests, has been leased to Air Plus Comet, Spain.

* Ex Emery (USPS c/s) B727-100Fs N416EX [19287], N435EX [19288], and N436EX [19289], currently stored at Goodyear, have been sold to Trans Pacific Airlines, Australia.

* Ex USAirways B737-300 N507AU [23382] has been sold for parting out.

Aircraft movements
==================
20Jun
N545DA B72S VCV-MIA
N546DA B72S VCV-MIA
GCO4030 DC10 MIA-MHV
UAL9892 B72S VCV-GYR
VRG9941 B733 GYR-MIA

21Jun
N996CF DC-8 ROW-TLC
DLH8712 B747 MZJ-FAI
SXA006 MD81 OAK-MHV-OAK


23Jun
N107YV Be1 3O9-MZJ (Afton, OK)
N802MX DH8 BJC-FLG-PHX-FLG
DAL9900 B733 GYR-ATL
SXA11 F100 MHV-CMH

24Jun
N481UE JS32 IGM-IXD

25Jun
SXA30 F100 MHV-CMH

26Jun
3X-GDM B72S MHV-MIA c/n?
UAL9881 B733 GYR-LAX
UAL9884 B733 GYR-SFO
AMX834 MD87 MZJ-GDL N754RA

28Jun
4X-ICN B747 GYR-TUS
PP-VPP MD11 MIA-GYR

29Jun
N37882 MD80 GYR-PHX

30Jun
N37882 MD80 PHX-SJO
ACA7056 B744 YVR-MZJ C-FCRA
AAL9780 MD80 STL-ROW
NWA9868 B72S MSP-ROW N817EA

05Jul
N186LS B735 GYR-CLE Skyeurope del'y

08Jul
N419BN B72S SBD-JAX
SXA173 MD80 GYR-CMH

09Jul
N482UE JS32 IGM-ICT

10Jul
N411US B734 IGM-GWO
PAA9364 B72S TUS-SFB

11Jul
DAL9904 B733 GYR-ATL*
FAO9992 B72S airtest TUS
UAL9878 B744 VCV-BFM*
UAL9881 B733 GYR-SFO*
UPS9334 B72F RFD-ROW*

Some of the registration tie-ups I have jotted down in a notebook ... as always any further information is appreciated!

Monday, July 07, 2003

Cactus Wings Live: Kansas City

Hi all,
Back in Phoenix after spending a week in Middle America. Hot & humid as ever, I'll take our dry heat anytime.

Flew America West PHX-MCI on 01Jul. Arriving at PHX for departure I noticed Swift's new Legacy outside of their hangar, registered N135SG. It's wearing a sharp red and gold striped color scheme.

Arriving at MCI, I was pleased to see the old TWA maintenance hangars still standing, with plenty of American aircraft parked nearby. Later that week, I read that American was intending to scale back or even close the facility, but the local Kansas City government offered an incentive package to AA to keep the hangar open. My fingers are crossed that the facility survives.

Kansas City Int'l (MCI) 01Jul-2003
==================================
Aircraft at the AA facility when I arrived:

N920TW '4TV' MD80
N925TW '4UR' MD80 no engines
N966TW '4XY' MD80 awaiting AA conversion
N969TW '4YC' MD80 awaiting AA conversion
N974TW '4YH' MD80 awaiting AA conversion
N711ZX '5TL' B757 conv to AA spec, due in service
N712TW '5TM' B757 still in TWA layout
N713TW '5TN' B757 awaiting repairs following DFW hail storm
N330AA '330' B763 mx

I later found out that N701TW '5TA' arrived 02Jul for conversion to AA specs.

Noted at the terminal:
N319FL B733 Frontier
N690NW DC-9 NW
plus a DL B738 with 'Shuttle' titles

During the next few days I visited a few airports around the area.

Olathe - Johnson County Executive (OJC) 02Jul-2003
==================================================
Nothing of interest to speak of. A family member told me that bizjets sometimes use the airport, but I didn't see any there. The ramps and runway are easily visible from both the east and west sides of the airport, and anything parked can be easily read off. To find your way around, just print a map off Mapquest.

Olathe - New Century Airpark (IXD) 02Jul-2003
=============================================
A mid-sized airport with plenty of variety. The main entrance road leads in from the south, and winds its way northward along the western perimeter. I found the layout easy to navigate, and my usual theory of going as far as I can initially, then backtracking thru the nooks and crannies worked fine.

Entering the airport from the south, the first ramp on the right contained Sabreliner N114LG, its nose covered by a tarp.

Continuing northward, I found a small park with preserved Navy aircraft parked in the grass:

158857 A-7*
156782 A-7*
150598 A-4

Each aircraft made a nice photograph in evening sunlight. Any aircraft I photographed (either slide or digital) will be marked with an asterisk (*).

After the park, a small ramp near the tower contained US Army Chinook helicopters, but the place was buzzing with activity and I didn't bother stopping. I continued to the northern perimeter road and turned right (following signs for Dodson Aviation). I knew Dodson's contained interesting stuff, and I wasn't disappointed:

N193RD DC-3*
N332RD DC-3
N146RD DC-3*
N ?? DC-3* light blue, no markings
N16HC LJ24*
LV-JXA LJ24*
N244DM G3

Total time spent at the airport: 30 minutes.

Kansas City Downtown Airport (MKC) 04Jul-2003
=============================================
I could not come to Kansas City without making a visit to the Save-a-Connie museum. Actually, the museum is known as the Airline History Museum of Kansas City. Cost is $7 for adults, and I was given a personal tour of the museum by one of the guides. I highly recommend the visit ... the photography was good and the exhibits are top-notch. The Martin 404 and Constellation were available for viewing, the DC-3 is being restored.

Elsewhere on the field, a restored B-17 was parked on the transient ramp, giving flight tours.

A few bizjets were parked about, but nothing of great interest. It appeared that anything present was readable from somewhere on the perimeter. I was more interested in the nearby railway tracks - a photo inside the museum of Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh at the airport showed the same railway tracks in the background!

MCI 05Jul-2003
==============
Time to return home. As I was staying some 40 minutes away from MCI during my visit, I didn't venture there for a dedicated spotting/photography visit.

From what I gathered via the Internet, maps, and looking out various windows, the primary runways are parallel and are oriented north-south, one on each side of the terminal complex. The western north-south runway could be viewed from the cargo area parking lots - this would make for a morning photo. For the eastern north-south runway, there appears to be a long-term parking lot just west of that runway, from which good photographs could be taken in the afternoon. It looked very close, so a small zoom lens would be sufficient. The AA complex is distant and aircraft there are barely readable using binoculars.

The terminals (for those unfamiliar) are circular, much like Dallas, but more compact and closer together. I saw that in between each "circle" (labeled Terminal A, B, and C) a fence separates a short-term parking lot from the terminal ramp. Depending on the time of day, photographs could be taken of any aircraft at a nearby gate thru the gaps in the fence. I regret not trying these vantage points out myself.

Noted before boarding B732 N184AW to return to PHX:

N????? B757 Funjet Vacations - basic TransMeridian c/s, Funjet Vacations titles on fuselage, Funjet logo on tail
N905ME B717 Midwest
N912FR A319 Frontier*

Overall it was nice to see the DC-3s and see the TWA Connie up close. I was impressed with the KC area (aviation-wise) and hope to explore some more on a future visit.