Big and Little

Kinja'd!!! "f86sabre" (f86sabre)
09/10/2015 at 12:47 • Filed to: Planelopnik, 747, md80

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Noticed this pair parked at work. The 747-400 is N661US and is the very first -400 produced. It was retired yesterday and will become part of the Delta Heritage Museum here in Atlanta. It was produced in 1988 and served as the Boeing test bed before being delivered to Northwest Airlines. I don't have the details on the MD-88, except that it is clearly much smaller than the 747. The 747 is configured to carry 424 passengers. The -88 is configured for 160 passengers.

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DISCUSSION (11)


Kinja'd!!! For Sweden > f86sabre
09/10/2015 at 12:50

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Don’t send it to the museum yet! Maybe Allegiant will want to start 747 service soon.


Kinja'd!!! ttyymmnn > f86sabre
09/10/2015 at 12:53

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That’s cool. I’ve been reading about the retirement of that a/c. Welcome home, btw. I looked for you on TV but I didn’t see you. ;)


Kinja'd!!! Jcarr > f86sabre
09/10/2015 at 12:55

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I just read a nice little piece on Airways about the last flight of that -400. Apparently it had the honor of bringing a fallen soldier home.

http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2015/09/1…


Kinja'd!!! The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > f86sabre
09/10/2015 at 16:27

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Is it stored near the Tech Ops maintenance hangers? I’d guess the MD-88s are there for regular inspection or overhaul. Delta’s institutional knowledge of the MD-88/MD-90/DC-9 (and probably the MD-95/717 now that they have AirTran’s fleet) is pretty deep. I saw them doing a deep check and complete interior replacement on one a few years back as part of the survey team for the cockpit avionics upgrade, which is something few airlines take on on them nowadays.


Kinja'd!!! f86sabre > The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!)
09/10/2015 at 19:57

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Yes, it is sitting in front of TechOps. I wouldn’t quite say “stored” yet as it has only been one day. You are correct about our knowledge of T-tails. We've got them pretty well figured out. Like a lot of Douglas products they are very durable aircraft.


Kinja'd!!! AutoSavant > f86sabre
09/10/2015 at 20:58

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Just taxied by N661US today on my way to Pheonix. This plane had a scary incident over Alaska in 2002 that led to a TSB. You can read the details here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest…


Kinja'd!!! The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > f86sabre
09/11/2015 at 09:03

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I rather like the MDs. They were very roomy behind the IP, which would have made installing the upgraded avionics easy had my former employers got their sh*t together and finished the development program in time. They’re also nice to fly on, with plenty of hip room and fairly comfortable seats. Hopefully the MD-90s and 717s keep flying a for long time.

Are you a pilot or on the maintenance side of Delta?


Kinja'd!!! f86sabre > The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!)
09/11/2015 at 09:05

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Maintenance. Engineering to be specific.


Kinja'd!!! The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > f86sabre
09/11/2015 at 09:57

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Well, I probably walked through your office at least once. You guys have an impressive operation and I really enjoyed getting a peak at it. It sounds like an interesting place to work.


Kinja'd!!! f86sabre > The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!)
09/11/2015 at 10:35

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It is pretty cool. I’m not part of the avionics team you worked with, but I work with them quite a bit and had heard of the mod program. Shame it didn’t happen.


Kinja'd!!! The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > f86sabre
09/11/2015 at 11:10

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Agreed. Hopefully the also-discussed Pegasus FMS upgrade does happen. Obviously the pilots miss out on upgraded displays, but replacing the ancient existing FMS would be nice.