Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

["Shea Tisdale" <shea AT sheatisdale.com>]

Bill,

Great posting!  RDU was very helpful when I called them and provided the
information I posted and the nice woman told me all about the plane.  I
bet if you called them they might even put you in touch with whoever is
maintaining/operating the plane.

I haven't seen it, but from her description and your pictures, I'm
betting it is the VP-BAT.  She told me it was a special 747 and she
described it right down to the Tree and Boat on the tail section.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: internetworkers-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:internetworkers-
> bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Bill Geschwind
> Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 12:20 AM
> To: 'Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/'
> Subject: RE: [internetworkers] Unmarked Boeing 747 At RDU
> 
> This thread really peaked the interest of the aviation geek within me.
> This
> evening I drove out to RDU to take a peek at this airplane, in spite
of it
> being dark and raining. Since it was dark and the plane was off in the
> distance, I had a hard time making out the exact color of the plane,
but
> if
> it is the King of Qatar's 747, as suggested, then the tail and the
rather
> thick stripe going down the side are more reddish brown than blue. See
> below
> for a couple of photos:
> 
> http://www.airliners.net/open.file/447904/M/
> 
> http://www.airliners.net/open.file/413248/M/
> 
> If this is indeed the 747 that is currently parked at RDU, it is not
> actually owned by the King of Qatar or the "Qatar Amiri Flight," but
> rather
> by a company called Worldwide Aircraft Holding Company in the Bermudas
and
> is operated on behalf of the Qatari government. This particular
aircraft,
> a
> Boeing 747-SP021, Manufacturer's Serial Number (msn) 21646, Line
Number
> (ln)
> 367 (meaning the 367th Boeing 747 ordered) made its first flight on 30
> March
> 1979, and was delivered to Pan Am on 11 May 1979 as N539PA and named
> Clipper
> Black Hawk. In its later years Pan Am had the annoying habit of
constantly
> renaming its aircraft, and in 1980 this one was renamed Clipper
Liberty
> Bell. On 12 February 1986 it was bought by United and reregistered as
> N148UA. While with United it underwent several livery changes
(repainted
> in
> different color schemes). In May of 1994 it went into storage, and was
> then
> bought by Worldwide Aircraft Holding Company in October of 1995. The
next
> month the registration N148UA was cancelled and it was first
re-registered
> as VR-BAT and later as VP-BAT and repainted in a Qatar Airlines style
> color
> scheme. At some point after November 1995 it was refitted with an
> executive
> style interior and is now being operated on behalf of the Qatari
> Government.
> (most of this information from www.747sp.com).
> 
> If you saw this aircraft yourself and thought that it looked a little
odd,
> that is because it is. Over the years there have been 5 major versions
of
> the Boeing 747. The original version was called the 747-100. In the
early
> 70s, a heavier version with longer range called the 747-200 was
released,
> and contrary to popular opinion it is visually indistinguishable from
a
> 747-100 (some think the -100 has 3 side windows on the upper deck
whereas
> the -200 has 10, but in reality both versions were available with both
> window configurations). In the early 80s the 747-300 became available,
and
> it was the first 747 to feature the extended upper deck. By the late
'80s
> the 747-400 was introduced, which was a thoroughly modernized -300
with a
> digital flight deck, new engines and completely new wing, featuring
> winglets
> (those distinctive upward-pointing wingtip extensions). Each of these
four
> major versions were available in numerous varieties, for example as a
> passenger aircraft, as a pure freighter with a distinctive nose door,
as a
> so-called Combi which accommodates fewer passengers in exchange for
more
> freight on the main deck, as a so-called "convertible," which is NOT
an
> open-air version, but rather one in which the passenger fittings
(seats,
> galleys, etc) are attached to palettes, enabling the aircraft to be
> converted from a passenger aircraft to a freighter and back in a short
> amount of time (for example for operators who carry mostly tourists
during
> the summer and mostly freight in the off-season), and as a special
"Short
> Range" or "Domestic" passenger aircraft with more seats and less fuel
> capacity, mainly for very high-density short-haul routes in Japan.
> Currently
> the 747-400 is the only major variant of the 747 that is still
available
> as
> a new aircraft.
> 
> In addition to those four major variants, the so-called 747SP was
released
> in the mid 70s, and it featured a radically shortened fuselage
(shortened
> by
> something like 40 ft) and taller tailfin. SP in this case stood for
> "Special
> Performance" and this version could fly higher, faster and much
further
> than
> all other 747 variants prior to the -400. Essentially the -SP had the
same
> engines and fuel capacity as the -200 and was much shorter and thus
> lighter,
> and sacrificed passenger and freight capacity in exchange for range
and
> performance. Even though it outperformed all other airliners of its
day
> and
> set numerous world records, some of which I believe still stand, it
did
> not
> sell well, and of the more than 1200 747s of all varieties produced to
> date,
> only 45 747SPs were ever built, I believe between 1976 and 1986. A few
of
> them are still in service as airliners with airlines such South
African
> Airlines, Iran Air and Syrianair. About a dozen of them have been
> scrapped,
> and the remaining ones are very popular with Middle Eastern heads of
state
> as private or government-owned executive aircraft. A handful of them
are
> currently in storage and available for sale for roughly US$ 2 - 6
Million.
> 
>
http://www.pilotmarket.com/category/Aircraft_For_Sale/Airliners/Boeing/
> 
> By contrast in 2002 the list price for a brand new 747 was between 185
and
> 215 Million Dollars, depending on version and options. Most airlines
end
> up
> getting some sort of discount, usually negotiated on a case by case
basis.
> 
> http://www.boeing.com/commercial/prices/
> 
> The 747 currently parked at RDU is one of these very rare 747SPs. If
> somebody here in Internetworker land has a chance to, could you please
> take
> a look at that plane in the daylight and let me know if it is indeed
VP-
> BAT?
> That is the only 747SP currently painted in this particular paint
scheme.
> If
> it isn't could you please tell me in as much detail as possible what
it
> looks like? Maybe even snap a picture of it?
> 
> Sorry for rambling. Now back to our regularly scheduled rants about
IRC...
> 
> - Bill
> 
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: internetworkers-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
> > [mailto:internetworkers-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf
> > Of childers.paula AT epamail.epa.gov
> > Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2003 7:49 PM
> > To: machett AT ibiblio.org; Internetworkers:
> > http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/
> > Subject: RE: [internetworkers] Unmarked Boeing 747 At RDU
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > never mind a week or so - how about a month or 36? and what about
the
> > cost of having a pilot in reserve, a flight crew, a
> > maintenance crew, or
> > just the cost of the damn plane itself!!
> >
> > guess where your gas money goes, folks!
> >
> >
> >
> > ---
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