Boeing 747-206B(M)(SUD)I've been trying to remember if I had ever seen one of the 'stretched upper deck' versions of KLM's B-747 fleet. When I was stationed in YYZ, KLM arrived daily alternating between B-747's and DC-10's, depending on the time of year. I do remember very clearly an evening when we lent a couple of crew oxygen cylinders to KLM and I was sent out to the aircraft (parked on a gate) to deliver them. I was waiting at threshold for a KLM representative to sign the loan paperwork when a series of tall blond flight attendants streamed by me, I think that I forgot why I was there. At the end of the line was the in-charge flight attendant who apparently had been advised of the loan and approached me to take possession of the cylinders. Excerpt from Wikipedia: The combi aircraft model, the 747-200M (originally designated 747-200BC), could carry freight in the rear section of the main deck via a side cargo door. A removable partition on the main deck separated the cargo area at the rear from the passengers at the front. The -200M could carry up to 238 passengers in a three-class configuration with cargo carried on the main deck. The model was also known as the B-747-200 Combi. As on the -100, a stretched upper deck (SUD) modification was later offered. A total of 10 combi 747-200's were operated by KLM. Union de Transports Aériens (UTA) also had two aircraft converted. |
It seems that all of the 'SUD" aircraft have been scrapped with one exception, PH-BUK, which is being preserved at the Nationaal Luchtvaart-Themapark Aviodrome at Lelystad Airport in the Netherlands. This aircraft spent its entire career in the KLM fleet, delivered in 1978 and withdrawn from service in 2003. |
PH-BUK upper deck Photo courtesy of David Watkins @ www.jetphotos.com |
PH-BUK being lifted from a barge in Harderwijk as part Photo by Christiaan Visse @ commons.wikimedia.org |
Hi Terry, Hope you and your crew are well. I am continuing to enjoy the product of all your hard work and have a contribution to make. |
Air Canada Oldtimers |
Front row from the left are: Sandy Sandzuik, Art Flantula, Mike Davidson, Paul Stauch and Bill Kent. Back row: Ron Cannon, Roger Chapman, Nick Boere, Dennis Moore, Ray Thomson, P.J. Morrison, Fred Stokes and Roy Suginomori. Missing from the photo are: Al Jones, Len Pearson, Lino Fraresso and Jon MacKewicz. Editors' Note: Some of the names are partially illegible from the original copy. We apologize for any spelling errors. |
Terry Baker, co-founder of the NetLetter scours the internet for aviation related Trivia and Travel Tips for you, our readers, to peruse. |
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Waterloo Warbirds now offering passenger flights in a classic MiG-15 UTI. Waterloo Warbirds, a small but dedicated group operating four classic jet trainers and one WWII veteran Harvard trainer, is pleased to at long last offer a unique experience for aviation enthusiasts and thrill-seekers alike: a flight in the original Russian swept-wing fighter jet, a MiG-15 UTI. This offering is a long-time coming for the Ontario, Canada-based jet team. Waterloo Warbirds’ MiG-15 (serial number 1A10017) was built in 1954 and started its life as a single seat jet fighter. After entering service in Poland, it was eventually converted to a two-seat trainer (SBLim-2, also categorized as a MiG-15 UTI), powered by a Klimov VK-1A jet engine with over 5,900 pounds of thrust. The MiG served in this capacity until being retired in February of 1992, a remarkably long military career for a single-engine jet. It was then purchased by a company in the United States and was dismantled and shipped to Pennsylvania in 1993. It was issued registration N15LC and finally flew again in 1998. In 2009, the MiG was purchased by Richard Cooper of Viper North and the registration changed to N15VN. Viper North brought the MiG to Canada in 2013, and in 2017, she became a member of Waterloo Warbirds’ fleet as C-FMVN, nicknamed Natasha. Source: skiesmag.com |