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Retiring aircraft

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TriStar_drvr

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 27, 2001
Posts
427
After having a very rare lunch date with my wife, we (I) decided to drive over to the Victorville Airport (former George AFB), to see how many more aircraft my airline has parked there. Just as we were about to leave I spotted a 747-400 on the downwind. As I sat there and watched as the pilot made a beautiful arcing short approach to the runway. Much to my amazement and delight, the aircraft powered back up and performed a touch and go! Then more to my amazement it did three more! I was having nearly as much fun as the guys in the cockpit. My wife commented that I was like a kid at Christmas.

The moral of the story is, even in these hard times, lets not forget how much fun flying can be. Finally, my hope is that this magnificant aircraft along with many others parked around the country can soon be back in the air producing revenue, and that those who fly them can soon all be back at work.

By the way, don't forget to throw on a few extra thousand pounds of fuel when you bring a plane to the desert. You never know when you might have to make a go around for a jackrabbit on the runway! ;-)

P.S. The name of the airline has not been stated to protect the innocent flight crews..
 
It's probably just about the only time some of those guys get to log a landing in the actual airplane instead of the simulator!

I too am sorry to see our company park those beasts....I was hoping to one day fly the whale, but it looks more and more like the 777 will be the queen of our fleet in the future. Can they get that Sonic Cruiser in the fleet by 2025???

As far as how much fun flying can be.....I totally agree with you. I still have to look up every time I hear an airplane!

Cheers!

GP
 
I've wanted to go out to Victorville and look around for quite a while. We fly right over it on the departure out of LAX, and I want to possibly see some of Vanguard's 'NEW' aircraft before they're painted.
 
Scanning the skies from the ground

I look up every time I hear any kind of engines. Most of the time it is a helo flying over my house. But, last summer, somone brought in a B-17 near where I live. That airplane must have spent four or five days in town. I first saw it when I was running an errand for work downtown. I heard round engines, looked up and there it was. Then I heard round engines at home. I thought, well, it must be some of the local T-6 drivers. But it was that 17 again! It flew past a third day. It was great!
 
My company sneaks into VCV late at night to obtain parts for our 727's, not the big ones, they are gone already, just the little parts no one would miss.:D

P.S. Victorville is a great place to watch airplanes and chase jackrabits with a dirt bike-great fun. How that big cat at the FBO doing, I forget his name.
 
I am trying to ask how the big cat (about 30 pounds) doing, I havn't been into Victorville for over a year now.
 
Nice picture, I am from St Maarten and I have done lots of landing in all kind of aircrafts, from Dc3 to 727, and it is even more fun when you are in a cockpit on take off, you have to make an immediate right turn at very low alttitude, lots of fun!!!!
Fly safe!
 

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