How to steal an aircraft!I guess if you are inclined to steal, you may as well go big! I have been quite amused by the YouTube video (linked below) which includes an abridged description of when a Boeing 727 was stolen from Quatro de Fevereiro Airport in Luanda, Angola in 2003. American Airlines registration N844AA served as a passenger aircraft for twenty-five years before being bought by Aerospace Sales & Leasing and then utilized for various cargo operations in Africa. It was out of service for a about year and undergoing a refit as a tanker when two men boarded the aircraft, started the engines, taxied to a runway (ignoring calls from the control tower) and took off over the Atlantic Ocean with enough fuel to travel about 2,400 kilometres. Neither the aircraft nor the suspected thieves have been seen since and no debris has ever been found. There have been many searches involving the FBI, CIA and more security agencies, the mystery remains unsolved. Reference: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Angola_727_disappearance www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/the-727-that-vanished Additional Info: |
Star Alliance News
A few images from my visit to the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum at McMinnville, Oregon in 2014. Wayne |
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In NetLetter #1356, from 2016, we published a link to an article commemorating the 50th anniversary of the tragic loss of TCA North Star Flight 810 written by Rien van Tilborg for the Canadian Museum of Flight.
Mr. van Tilborg has now completed his book detailing what happened to TCA Flight 810 with its 62 passengers and crew that stormy night on December 9, 1956.
It mysteriously vanished from radar while returning to Vancouver Airport after experiencing a fire warning for one of its four engines. This riveting account will command your interest as the author takes you through the seventy-one minute flight and the aftermath of this disaster.
Details and availability:
Book Size: 12 x 8.25 in. (31 x 22 cm) Hardcover
Price: $39.00 (CAD) + shipping
Contact:
Rien van Tilborg
Email: