SkymonsterFor those who are interested, herein the list of airplanes present on 1st May (as obtained from the photos):
East side of airfield (main ramp side)
Dirt area south of main ramp
7 x HU16 Albatross 2 in Chalks colours, 5 white
2 x P-2 Neptune Evergreen colours
Main ramp – in sequence south to north
N197FG A320 (all white, outside south hangar)
B-???? MD90 China Eastern (in south hangar)
N617DL B757 Delta (previous colours)
N???CA C212 (white, blue cheatline)
40206 C130 USAF ANG “The First State”
N193DN B763 Delta (previous colours)
B-2269 MD90 China Eastern (full colours)
N659DL B752 Delta (previous colours)
N186DN B763 Delta (previous colours)
VH-EBV B743 Qantas (full colours, no titles)
PH-MPP B74F Martinair Cargo (full colours)
N198MD MD80 Spanair (full colours)
N915MD MD80 Spanair (no titles, no logos)
N787RR B742 Rolls Royce
N479EV B747 Evergreen (full colours, inside main hangar)
N811SY B738(WL) Sun Country (full colours)
N708BA B747SP Pratt & Whitney
N705BL B742 PIA (old green belly colours, no titles)
B-2072 B777F China Southern Cargo (titles, white fuselage, full tail colours)
N533US B757 Northwest (new colours)
TF-ARM B742 Saudi Arabian (new colours, no titles, no logos)
B-2071 B777F China Southern Cargo (titles, white fuselage, full tail colours)
N346CA C212 Evergreen (no titles, no engines, no undercarriage)
N718BA B744F Dreamlifter
N????? B742 Northwest (old colours, no titles, no logos, no reg or fleet no)
N????? B742 Northwest (old colours, no titles, no logos, no reg or fleet no)
VH-EB? B743 Qantas (no titles, no reg, no last two on tail)
Dirt scrapping area north of main ramp – in sequence south to north
N???? D99 Northwest (old colours, no titles, no logos, no reg)
N????? B742 Northwest (old colours, no titles, no logos, no reg or fleet no)
N945F D93 Evergreen (no titles)
N942F D93 Evergreen (no titles, no vertical or horizontal tail)
N???? D99 Northwest (old colours, no titles, no logos, no reg)
N???? D93 Northwest (new colours, no reg)
VH-??? B733 Qantas (no titles, no logos, no reg, no nose section)
N705BC B743 (all white)
N822V DC10 (all white)
N4508H B747SP (all white)
N????? B742 TWA (just small sections)
N????? B742 Northwest (old colours, no titles, no logos, no reg – centre fuselage and centre wings only)
N270BC B743 (all white)
N624MD MD80 (all white)
N626MD MD80 (all white)
West side of airfield (main storage area)
North end of field, first/northern-most row angled away from runway, nearest runway first
N380WA MD11F World Cargo
N660VV DC10 (all white)
N662VV DC10 (all white)
N469V DC10 (all white)
N852V DC10 Global Tanker Service
N????? B722F (all white)
N1857U DC10F United Cargo (old colours)
N????U DC10F United Cargo (old colours)
N705TZ DC10 ATA (ex Northwest colours)
N706TZ DC10 ATA (ex Northwest colours)
N???TZ DC10 ATA (ex Northwest colours)
N????? DC10F Emery Worldwide (full colours
N???WL DC10F (all white)
North end of field, second row angled away from runway, nearest runway first
N14075 DC10 World (351 on nose wheel door)
N576SH DC10F Varig Log (MT on tail)
N825VV DC10 (all white)
N578SH DC10F Varig Log (MU on tail)
N824VV DC10 (all white)
N826VV DC10 (all white)
N967VV DC10 (all white)
N???VV DC10 (all white)
N913VV DC10 (all white)
Parallel to runway – nearest row, north to south
N533US B742 Northwest (old colours, no titles, no logos)
N61CX DC8 Air Transport International
N781AL DC8 Air Transport International
N870BX DC8 BAX Global
N515HC MD?0 China Eastern (full colours)
N24089 B732 (all white)
N14810 MD80 Continental (no titles, no logos)
N915F DC9 Evergreen
N933F DC9 Evergreen
N9340 DC9 Northwest (old colours, no titles, no logos)
N3322L DC9 Northwest (new colours, no titles, no logos)
N419MT MD80 (all white)
N941F DC9 Evergreen
N1798U DC9 Northwest (old colours, no titles, no logos)
N956N DC9 Northwest (old colours, no titles, no logos)
N958N DC9 Northwest (old colours, no titles, no logos)
N918F DC9 Evergreen
N9330 DC9 Northwest (old colours, no titles, no logos)
N9335 DC9 Northwest (new colours, no titles, no logos)
N955N DC9 Northwest (old colours, no titles, no logos)
N957N DC9 Northwest (old colours, no titles, no logos)
N916RW DC9 Northwest (new colours)
N923RW DC9 Northwest (new colours, no titles, no logos)
N8932E DC9 Northwest (new colours)
N530AW MD80 One Two Go
N905MD MD80 Spanair (full colours, “A Coruna” logos)
N705MT MD80 Spanair (full colours)
N583AN MD80 Avianca (new colours, no titles, no logos)
N105NT MD80 Spanair (no titles, no logos)
N620MD MD80 Spanair (full colours)
Parallel runway – further row, north to south
C-GAGC B742 Air Canada (old colours, no titles, no logo, 308 on tail)
N245BA B747 ANA (no titles, no logos)
N3439F B743M (all white)
N243BA B747 ANA (no titles, no logos)
?????? B741 (all white, no reg)
N????? B742 Northwest (old colours, no titles, no logos, no reg)
N129TW B741 TWA (new colours, no titles, no logos)
N618US B742F Northwest Cargo (old colours, no titles)
C-GAGB B742M Air Canada (old colours, no titles, no logos)
C-GAGA B742M Air Canada (old colours, no titles, no logos)
TF-ATB B742 (all white, green tail)
N617US B742F Northwest Cargo (old colours, no titles)
N478EV B742 Evergreen
West side of airfield, south end of field, sixth row angled away from runway, nearest runway first
?????? B752 AeroGal Ecuador (full colours)
N???US B752 Northwest (new colours, no titles, no logos)
N???US B752 Northwest (new colours, no titles, no logos)
N???NA B752 North American (full colours)
N???US B752 Northwest (new colours)
N???US B752 Northwest (new colours, no titles, no logos)
N???US B752 Northwest (new colours)
N???US B752 Northwest (new colours)
N???US B752 Northwest (new colours, no titles, no logos)
West side of airfield, south end of field, fifth row angled away from runway, nearest runway first
N????? B763 Delta (new colours)
N????? B763 Delta (new colours)
C-???? B767 Air Canada (old colours, no titles, no logos)
C-???? B767 Air Canada (old colours, no titles, no logos)
N????? B752 Delta (previous colours)
N????? B752 Delta (new colours)
?????? B752 (all white)
West side of airfield, south end of field, fourth row angled away from runway, nearest runway first
At least 22 Northwest DC9s, variously new and old colours
West side of airfield, south end of field, third row angled away from runway, nearest runway first
PH-MPS B744F Martinair Cargo (full colours)
N106UA B744 Blue Sky (full colours)
N671US B744 Delta (new colours)
N480EV B742 Evergreen (full colours)
N???US B742F Northwest Cargo (old colours)
N619US B742F Northwest Cargo (old colours)
N???US B742F Northwest Cargo (old colours)
N???US B742F Northwest Cargo (old colours)
N???US B742F Northwest Cargo (white colours, large titles, globe logo on foreward fuse)
N???US B742F Northwest Cargo (white colours, large titles, globe logo on foreward fuse)
West side of airfield, south end of field, second row angled away from runway, nearest runway first
SX-??? B742 Hellenic Imperial (full colours)
VH-EBW B743 Qantas (no titles, no logos)
PZ-TCM B743 Surinam Airways (full colours)
N632NW B742F Northwest Cargo (new colours)
N185UA B744 Blue Sky (full colours)
N623US B742 Northwest (old colours)
N624US B742 Northwest (new colours)
?????? B742F (all white)
?????? B742F (all white)
N???US B742F Northwest Cargo (new colours)
N???US B742F Northwest Cargo (old colours)
N???US B742F Northwest Cargo (new colours)
N192UA B744 Blue Sky (full colours)
N477EV B747F Evergreen (full colours)
West side of airfield, south end of field, first/southern-most row angled away from runway, nearest runway first
B-???? MD90 China Eastern (full colours)
VP-CKX B732 Cayman Airways (full colours)
VP-CYB B732 Cayman Airways (full colours)
?????? B737(WL) (green primer)
N????J B737 (all white)
N????? DC9 Northwest (new colours)
N????? DC9 Northwest (new colours)
N????? DC9 Northwest (new colours)
????? B727
?????? B727
N???AX DC9F DHL (no titles)
N???AX DC9 ABX (full colours)
N???AX DC9 ABX (full colours)
Spur near paradropping area, west-most side of airfield, east to west
C-???? B763 Air Canada (old colours, no titles, no logos)
N???US B742 Northwest (old colours, no titles, no logos, no reg)
?????? MD80 (all white)
N???US DC10 Northwest (old colours, no titles, no logos, no reg)
P4-??? MD90 Pro Air (full colours, no cockpit section)
N???? DC9 Northwest (old colours)
N793BA B743 (faded Ansett colours)
N???US A320 Northwest (old colours, no titles, no logos, no reg)
PK-JIC A300 Sempati Air (full colours)
N????? B732 United (old colours, no titles)
With the exception of counting the huge row of Northwest DC9s, I think I’ve accounted for everything albeit with lots of ??????s. For those who have stuck with it, hope it was of interest.
Andy
SkymonsterIs that Saudi B747 TF-ARM? If so, when did it arrive there and is it now in storage? Im sure I saw her crusing over London westbound on March 6th.
’tis indeed TF-ARM… Plenty of time between 6th March and 1st May to ferry it to MZJ. Air Atlanta do have a habbit of parking their aircraft at MZJ from time to time when they’re not out working, and the colour scheme suggests its been working for Saudi Arabian recently. It was parked on north end of the main ramp at MZJ, which typically means its there for relatively short term storage, or is destined for fairly rapid part-out – not sure which!
Andy
SkymonsterYou might do better asking the question on the pilot training forums over on PPRuNe, as they tend to be more career pilot oriented, but here’s my thoughts…
Its certainly doable, but its likely you are going to have to pay for most if not all of it yourself. Firstly think about where you want to get to though – a pilot career can be anything between an instructor at a flight school, through air taxis, night cargo, exec jets and airlines.
The airline industry isn’t best positioned to be sponsoring / paying for pilot training right now, and some of the young guys who’ve already spent the time and money on basic training are even having to go down the pay-to-fly route (i.e. where the candidate pays to fly with an airline until they’ve got a certain level of experience). Also consider that getting to captain on anything air transport related is probably at least five years or more away, and that instructors through air taxis and even many first-officers aren’t necessarily well remunderated, so the better money could be quite a while away.
But if its a dream to fly for a living that you want to achieve and you’re up for paying for PPL, Multi, Instrument, CPL, and for airlines possibly a frozen ATLP, multi-crew and maybe even a type rating (I’d guess realistically £50k+ and a year or more, and maybe not earning whilst you’re doing it), then go for it.
Andy
SkymonsterZoot,
Are the HU-16s and P-2s still out there Andy?
7 HU-16s and 2 P-2s on the dirt in between the main ramp and the entrance road – click on the pic below!
Oh yes, the other thing about Pinal Air Park/Marana is that it was the last resting place of the vast majority of the Beech Starship fleet after they were grounded with the majority being broken up.
No Starships at Pinal Air Park now – six stored on the far side of Marana Northwest Regional (Avra Valley) though, on a new remote ramp.
Andy
SkymonsterIn the old days you used to phone Arnold Mayer (the “Schnozz”) and book a tour and he would drive you round stopping whenever you wanted.
*sighs for the old days* and yes I used to have all the “Schozz paraphanalia as well.
Is VR-CAN still stored here?
No, sadly VR-CAN seems to be no more! It was there though when I first visited Pinal Air Park way back in the 1980s!
For those who don’t know, A.E. “Schnozz” Meyer, – a really great guy who chain smoked, God rest his soul – used to drive photographers around the Evergreen Air Center in a huge old car. He’d not get out of the car during the tour, so it gradually filled up with smoke as the tour progressed, but he was usually happy for photographers to walk alongside the car after he’d given his customary warning about the snakes!!! Schnozz always claimed that the P-2 Neptune was the best aircraft ever built (woe betide anyone who disagreed), and he was also a huge fan of Indy racing.
Sadly, access to Pinal Air Park/Marana slowly ground to a halt after Schnozz passed away. There was another lady – Veronica – who did tours in a van for a short while, but they soon stopped. The security associated with the special forces “training” that goes on there (we were encouraged not to get some “dodgy” buildings over the far side of the field in the background of the photos), the cost of running the tours after they became more and more popular, and airlines getting irritated about pictures of their aeroplanes in less than pristine condition appearing in books and magazines and the internet, killed off the access. There’s also a very large US Army aviation training base – Silver Bell – attached to the airfield, at which a significant number of Apaches and Kiowas are based, and the Army can be prickly about casual visitors too. So nowadays, its almost impossible to get through the airport gate unless you’ve got very legitimate business with Evergreen or the US Army. I remember going there after Schnozz passed on as an “official” (sic!) representative of British Midland Airways – it even said “Welcome to British Midland Airways” in the foyer! A guy called Dudley Nutt arranged the photo tour (at the time he would do tours but only for airline employees), and I still don’t know whether Evergreen expected a fleet of delapidated Viscounts and DC-9s to turn up as a result of my visit! Last time I went inside on the ground, I knew a guy who was doing some work on a 747 there – officially we were only allowed to take pictures of that 747 as we were supposedly doing some PR photos for the company that owned the aircraft, but we were given an “under the radar” photo tour of the whole place by the director of maintenance for Evergreen, on condition that our cameras weren’t obviously visible as we passed the security checkpoints and vehicle patrols – even that though was back in the late 90s.
Despite ground access nolonger being easy to arrange, Pinal Air Park is a public-use airport so anyone can fly in and out and shoot a few pictures from the air whilst doing so, and unlike other storage airfields at Victorville and Mojave there’s no ATC tower so airplanes can do much as they please, but if you land its not a good idea to go strolling around with a camera as Evergreen security soon get upset.
To answer the question from Red Hunter – its about 30 miles north of Tucson, just a mile or so off of the freeway that links Tucson and Phoenix in Arizona. Also very near Tucson is AMARG/Davis Monthan Air Force Base, the military equivalent storage airfield that hosts somewhere around 5000 aircraft! I did an overflight there too, and when I get around to it I’ll post some pictures of that place. Anyone contemplating a trip would do well to arrange an overflight – Tucson Aeroservice Center at Marana Northwest Regional Airport (also known as Avra Valley Airport, midway between Tucson and the Evergreen Air Center) were excellent, knew exactly what I wanted, and were happy to arrange an aeroplane and a pilot at what I thought was a pretty reasonable rate. The entire trip – north from Marana Northwest Regional (AVQ) to Pinal Air Park (MZJ), south to Davis Monthan, and then back to AVQ, including a few orbits and patterns, took around 1 hour 30 minutes.
Andy
Skymonsterany ideas whos the yellow DC-9 is?
Yup – DHL (op’d by ABX). There were two DC9s in standard ABX colours next to it.
I too remember Schnozz, God rest him. Somewhere I still have a key fob that says on it “This belongs to a friend if the Schnozz, Pinal Air Park, Marana, Arizona”. His car was great – but as the tour dragged on it tended to fill up with cigarette smoke!!!
Andy
SkymonsterCan’t beat Sea Furies, especially when well painted! 😉
SkymonsterI was on UA934 LAX-LHR this morning. Decending over the Birmingham area, listening to live ATC on the inflight system, I was fully expecting to hear “United 934, direct to Bovingdon to hold, delay around XX minutes” as usual. But no, it was “United 934, route direct to Bovingdon, then leave Bovingdon heading 090, Heathrow landing runway 27L”. Huh? :confused: No delay! 🙂 I guess BA have still had to cancel quite a few flights despite the strike being ruled unlawful again. After landing on 27L, there was not a single further landing until the flight I was on parked at T1 – quite unusual for LHR.
Thus again I have to say – this action is having an excellent effect on all other airlines using LHR, as it isn’t clogged up with all the BA flights!!! If only LHR was always like it was today… 😀
Andy
SkymonsterHeathrow, Gatwick and City Airports will close at 1.00am and are expected to re-open at 7.00am. It will be interesting to see where the long-hauls, which will have been in the air for some hours by now, will end up.
I’m on the west coast of the USA right now… Most of the earlier UK bound flights on Sunday took a cautious approach and cancelled – a couple of BAs in long term parking here at LAX, plus UA and NZ didn’t go. Not sure whether VS got both their LHR flights away, or just the later one. Most later evening flights to the UK got away on the presumption that the 0700 reopening would happen.
Anyway, even though the UK seems to be open again, many of the airlines are backed up on getting passengers back to the UK – now, how do I spend the next day and a half before I can fly?? God bless volcanos – sometimes!!! 😉
Andy
SkymonsterI know someone who’ll be doing exactly that next week. Makes you sick, doesn’t it? 🙁
Cut the whinging and go do it… London-Edmonton (Air Canada), Edmonton-Yellowknife (First Air 737) – job done! :p
Andy
SkymonsterIt was great to see the C-46 in the air. There can’t be many of them left that are airworthy. When they showed a general view of the DC-6 on the ramp I’m sure I saw two others in the background.
No DC-6s – only DC-4s. Buffalo have two C-46s – C-FAVO and C-GTXW. The only other airworthy C-46s are operated by Air Cargo Express in Alaska (2) and Everts Air Fuel in Alaska (2). There was another one airworthy in Gimli, Manitoba until recently but the airline got its certificate pulled, and the remaining Bolivian C-46s are currently on the ground too.
I gather that the series has been a big success in Canada (we are lucky to have it in the UK because its not been widely sindicated yet) and the History Channel Canada have already commissioned a second series.
Andy
SkymonsterOh… how I’d love to get onto their ramp one day!
Actually, I’ve flown on the “sched” from Yellowknife to Hay River and back! 🙂 Buffalo Joe at the controls too! 😀
12.05.2000 C-GWIR Douglas DC-3 Buffalo Airways J8 812 Yellowknife Hay River
13.05.2000 C-GWIR Douglas DC-3 Buffalo Airways J8 813 Hay River Yellowknife
Shooot – it was almost exactly ten years ago!! 🙁
Great airline, great people, great place – but ferkin cold in the winter! 😡
Andy
PS: FWIW, they actually have several DC-4s, several DC-3s, two Commandos, PBY Cansos (that they operate on fire bombing duties – some of the DC-4s get retardent tanks in the summer too), and the Electras. Aside from the operation in Yellowknife and Hay River (where several more DC-3s and DC-4s are stored) they have a substantial base at Red Deer near Edmonton where even more DC-3s and DC-4s are stored. The Electras are ex Air Bridge Carriers (UK) /Amerer Air (Austria)
SkymonsterOccam’s Razor seems to have a role here. 😎
:confused:
I thought Occam was a beacon near Heathrow? 😮 I’m sure we were holding over it when I came back from the USA last week! 😉
Andy
SkymonsterOf course, it could just be a cloud of volcanic ash……
I don’t think anyone is disputing the fact that there is a cloud of ash – even the most serious cynics would accept that the pictures are real. Indeed, I also suspect most people accept that volcanic ash doesn’t do jet engines much good.
The fundamental issue is how much ash there is in specific areas of airspace, and how is the cloud moving and dispersing. In that respect, dodgy computer models, vested interests and even conspiracy theories can legitimately come into play.
Andy
SkymonsterSkymonster – could your posts be construed as being a mite provocative?;)
If you’re talking about the “pikey’s” thing then maybe… :p
If you’re talking about the US/climate-change comments, then I am reporting what was said in the US media there last week – it just happens to be a view that I can conceive of having potential given that (a) I do not agree with any of the climate change theory being pushed around right now and (b) climate change supporters already have a track record of fudging figures in the past to make them fit with their objectives. Look at it this way – if the pro-climate-change / anti-aviation supporters can demonstrate that we can do without aviation (or manage with less aviation) – through dust clouds of questionable denisty if necessary – then they can start to build arguments as to why aviation could be restricted more than it is now. Whilst the primary objective must be safety founded on logic and scientific measurement and testing (not on computer models or theory), then even if the “conspiracy” idea is unfounded it is unwise to leave the door open to those who might use these events as a lever to try justify restricting air travel in future.
Besides, winding up the natives here can be fun! 🙂
Andy
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