South-African Oldjets

South-African Oldjets in 2004
Traveling back in time
By Jan Koppen

When working for KLM, one is always surrounded by modern jets. Once in a while, the need for some aviation nostalgia must be fulfilled! Nowadays, the choice is limited. Fortunately, South-Africa is a land still with a good number of second-generation operational jets. During 2004 the sky in the Jo'burg area was not overly populated by whispering Airbuses and new generation Boeing 737's. Here, screaming P&W JT8D's of venerable Douglas DC-9s, Boeing 727s, and 737-200s could still be heard.

We first went to Lanseria because we booked a flight onboard the Rovos DC-3 for a scenic flight above Jo'burg.

Lanseria Airport lies just to the North East of Johannesburg. It is a 45 minutes, drive via the N1 highway, and then along the Hans Strijdom Drive off ramp, following the R512 in Northerly direction.
The airport has a brand new terminal and was the preferred base for major South African operators including Comair, Execujet, NAC, Ross Air and Rovos Air. Sunair Douglas DC-9s operated all business class scheduled to Cape Town. Since our visit, February 2004, Sunair has since gone out of business.

"Sun Air DC-9-32 ZS-RNB being prepared for her up-coming flight to Cape Town, South-Africa. We boarded a Rovos DC-3 for a senic flight over Jo'burg".

This Douglas DC-9-32 started and has ended her career at the same continent. This Boeing made its first flight on October 28, 1970, before being delivered new to East African Airways. She was registrated 5Y-ALR and served many years in Africa before being sold to Sardinian operator Alisarda. Her career with Alisarda was only brief and one year later she was exported to the UK and registered as G-BMAM of British Midland Airways. After nine years operating in the European skies she when back to Africa and started employment Million Air Charter. She was leased to Sun Air of Lanseria and during her career with Sun Air she mainly operated Lanseria - Cape Town vice versa. In 2004 Sun Air went bust and the Douglas was leased to the next operator. This time South-African low-cost carrier 1Time absorbed her in their DC-9 fleet. The name of the company, "One Time!", is a South African expression meaning "for real!". Sadly she was being withdrawn from active service around 2012. During summer 2012, it was reported that 1time went bust due financially problems.

For the aviation enthusiast, Lanseria airport is a fascinating place to visit. Ramp access can easily be obtained via the airport manager's office near Gate-5. We visited the maintenance ramps, which were littered with old jets. Air Quarius has a small maintenance facility where several Fokker F-28s could be seen. My favorite spot was the Rovos Air ramp. They operated two immaculate Convair 340s and a DC-3. During our visit, Convair 440 ZS-ARV arrived from Livingstone Victoria Fall Airport, Zimbabwe, with passengers' load. During our stay, the North West edge of the airport resembled an old-jet boneyard. Nine ex Nationwide BAC1-11s littered the high grass awaiting an uncertain future. All these aircraft have since been scrapped.

The Nationwide ZS-NYX Boeing 727-116 made its first flight on February 06, 1968, before being delivered new to the Chilean flag carrier as CC-CAG. She was operated by LAN Chile from February 1968 until transfer to LADECO in August 1979. In 1996 she was sold to Nationwide from Africa. Sadly she has been scrapped at Lanseria airport some years after being withdrawn from active service in 2001.

IRS Airlines Boeing 727-223 5N-RIR. N860AA was one of many -727s operated by American. American operated the biggest 727 fleet, at one time flying 182 of the tri-jets. She made her first flight on February 24, 1977 and was one of the last 727s operated by American. She was withdrawn from use in September 2001 and parked at Tulsa. In October 2001 she arrived at Mojave after 67.971 flying hours. She quickly bougth by an aircraft broker but re-activating her wasn't easy and the Mojave staff called this 727 'problem child'. Eventually she left Mojave for Opa-Locka, Florida. One year later she was ferried to Africa and was spotted at Lagos, Nigeria with IRS Airlines titles and registration 5N-RIR. A couple of months later she was stored at Lanseria still in basic American colors and with bold IRS Airlines titles. Sadly she has been scrapped at Lanseria airport during 2010.

Photo: Bruce Perkins

"Downtime for V5-KEA. Her service life seems already ended in 2004".

This airframe left the factory at Amsterdam in 1979. Originally this Fokker F-28-3000 has been delivered new to Cimber Air in Denmark as OY-BRN. They leased the Fellowship to Saudi Arabian Airlines for seven years. In 1987 she went to ''Down-under' and became part of the East-West Airlines fleet. In May 1988 East-West became part of Ansett. In October 1999 the Fokker left for Namibia and went working for Kalahari Express Airlines as V5-KEA. Her employment was brief with this operator as she was leased to Gambia Ainternational Airlines a year later. She arrived on October 18, 2002 at Laseria, where she remained eversince. Her fuselage was still there in 2011.

Note; - Colorful Airplanes have low resale value. Painting an aircraft in a color other than white can negatively affect its resale value as the buyer will have to repaint the plane which will further add more weight to the plane.

Photo: Michael Prophet, Lanseria, February 2004.

"A hard working AirQuarius Aviation Fokker F-28 Mk.4000 arrives back at its Lanseria base".

ZS-JAS left the Amsterdam Fokker plant in September 1987 as a Fokker Fellowship F-28-4000 and was delivered to Linjeflyg of Sweden which was in 1992 the largest Fokker F-28 operator in the world. After Linjeflyg was absorbed into SAS Scandinavian Airlines she worked until November 1999 for the flag carrier of Sweden, Norway and Denmark still with her original registration SE-DGX. From 2000 until 2002 she operated for Air Botnia. In March 2002 still was sold to AirQuarius Aviation of Lanseria, South-Africa. From 2002 until 2009, AirQuarius leased the Fokker to the following operators; - Air Express Zanzibar, Air Tanzania, South African Airlink, IRS Airlines, Air Leasing Cameroon-Gvmt., Zanair, Branson Air, Skylink Arabia and finally Branson Air. During 2014 she was seen stored at Lanseria.

AirQuarius Aviation was an airline based in Johannesburg, South Africa, operating chartered flights and aircraft leasing contracted by companies throughout Africa and the Middle East. The airline's base was at Lanseria Airport, Johannesburg.
AirQuarius was established and started operations in 1999 by its owner Gavin Branson. The airline specialized in operating flights to political crisis areas. As such, AirQuarius was the only operator into Baghdad or Basraduring the Iraq War. Other missions included UN flights into Afghanistan or Sudan. AirQuarius stopped operating on 7 February 2012.

Note; - White has some significant thermal advantages over color. A white object reflects all wavelengths of light, so the light is not converted into heat, while a colored object absorbs more wavelengths of light and converts them into heat, so the object gets warm.

Photo: Michael Prophet, Lanseria, February 2003.

"BAC One-Eleven 500 ZS-NUJ seen here basking in the sun at Lanseria, February 2004".

ZS-NUJ first owner was Cyprus Airways and registrated as 5B-DAJ. She flew a brief spell with British Airways as G-BFWN. In July 1995 was sold to Nationwide who operated her till 2003. She was withdrawn from use due lack of engine parts. Her registration was cancelled in February 2004. She finally went to the DRC as 9Q-CDY and flew for I.T.A.B and Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation (CAA). She was spotted operational at Mbuji Mayi airport in 2008 and was scrapped at Lubumbashi sometime after 2008/2009.

Photo credit: Wikipedia, Unkown photographer, Mbuji Mayi airport, 2008.

"BAC ONE-ELEVEN scrapyard. From left to right 9XR-RA Rwanda titles, ZS-NMS Nationwide, ZS-NUH Nationwide and ZS-NYZ Nationwide".

Photo: Michael Prophet, Lanseria, February 2004.

"If an airplane is stored outside, it will be subject to wind, rain and whatever else the local climate can throw at it".

During 1964 and 1982, BAC One-Eleven-201AC G-ASJB was a common sight in the European skies. During this period she operated for British United and Caledonian before being sold to the US in March 1982. Registrated as N104EX she became part of the Florida Express fleet. Eight years later she returned to the UK and operated for British Air Ferries and British World Airlines as G-DBAF. In 1996 she left for Afghanistan and worked for Balkh Airliens as EL-ALD and Airwing Service as YA-GAG. In January 1998 she was seen at Malta Luqa Airport and in February that same year she changed hands again. The Rwanda Government should become the new owner but the One-Eleven was ferried to Lanseria where she remained ever since and a derelict condition.

Photo: Michael Prophet, Lanseria, February 2004.

"Nationwide ZS-NYZ still in basic ‘Landor’ scheme is seen here engineless at Lanseria, February 2004".

Orginally BAC 1-11-416EK ZS-NYZ served with Autair in the UK from 1968 until 1970, when she was acquired by famous Court Line Aviation. Other British operators of G-AWBL were; - Cambrian, British Airways, Birmingham European, Brymon European Airways and Maersk Air UK. In 1996 she left British soil and was exported to South-Africa where she found her last emplower Nationwide Airliners. After a couple of years of faithful service she was withdrawn from use and stripped from useable parts and on June 28, 2005 she was finally broken-up at Lanseria.

Note; - Dirt has gathered in all the panel lines showing most clearly around the nose and windows. The airplane's paint has faded extremely due to ultra-violet exposure.

"A superb shot of South African Airways Boeing 737-200 ZS-LIB 'Limpopo' during a very efficient turn-around at Jo'burg airport, February 18, 2004. The South African livery was adopted in 1997 (replacing the springbok antelope) and is the national flag colours plus sun".

Photo: Michael Prophet, Jo'burg, February 2004.

An extremely good location to view aircraft up close is the Executive Aerospace and AeroNeXus facility. This is located along the Northwest edge of Runway 03R/21L. If you follow the Atlas road into the Bonero Park residence, you have to take the technical area service road, which takes you to SafeAir, Aeronexus, Nationwide and Executive Air technical facilities. For us, the main attraction was the interesting collection of old-jet at the maintenance area plus Executive Aerospace ramp. Executive Aerospace (EA) operated a fleet of impeccable vintage HS-748s in a 44-seat passenger configuration on corporate and charter flights. During our visit, on a Sunday morning, the AE ramp was very quiet. Two 748's were inside the hanger (ZS-TPW and 9N-ACP (Necon) under maintenance, while ZS-NWW was parked on the ramp being washed down. The following Oldjets were found being stored at the Executive Aerospace and AeroNeXus ramp.

Nationwide Airlines was an airline based in Lanseria, South Africa. It operated scheduled domestic and international services. Its main base was OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg. The airline was founded in 1995 by Chief Executive Vernon Bricknell and began operating charter services within Africa for the United Nations and the World Food Programme, as well as ad hoc passenger and cargo charters. Domestic scheduled operations were started in December 1995 as Nationwide Airlines, which was one of four companies within the group consisting of Nationwide Air Charter, Nationwide Aircraft Maintenance and Nationwide Aircraft Support. In 2003 it inaugurated an intercontinental service with widebody aircraft. On April 29, 2008 the Airline halted operations.

"1966 built ZS-NYY see here gleaming on the Executive Aerospace's apron in February 2004".

Boeing B727-95 ZS-NYY of Nationwide was delivered to Northeast Airlines in 1966. Northeast was taken over by Delta in 1972 as did the 727. She was sold to Dan Air as G-BFGN in 1977 where she stayed till '81. Next owner was the EBM Group who registrated her as N29895 and three months later she was bought by Jet Aviation as VR-BHO. From 1986 until 1996 she operated in Chile with Ladeco as CC-CHC. Finally in 1996 she was imported into South-Africa and saw service with Nationwide. Unfortunately Nationwide went bust and the 727 was stored at Lanseria in 2005 and finally she was parted-out for spares.

The 727 was significant to the development of today's air transportation system. The earliest model 727s entered service in 1964, helping bring the first pure jet service to many smaller communities. A unique high-lift wing design, its rakish "T-Tail," and three powerful aft-mounted turbofan engines allowed the 727 to economically serve airports too small for the larger first- generation jetliners, like the four-engine Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8. There were 1,832 Boeing 727s produced -- a production run surpassed only by the 2,800 Boeing 737s built thus far.

"Afrinat Douglas DC-9-32 ZS-OLN sits at Jo'burg ramp awaiting an uncertain future. ".

This 1968 manufactured Douglas DC-9-32 ZS-OLN changed hands several times. Her first owner was Sudflug as D-ACEB. Five months later Sudflug was sold and its DC-9 went to Swissair as HB-IFX. In December 1981 she was sold to Texas International Airlines who merged with Continental in 1982. During 1990 ans 1993 she to Eastern Airlines and returned to Continental in August 1993. In 1999 she left US airspace and was ferried to South-Africa where she served Million Air Charter as ZS-OLN for six years. During 2004 she was resprayed in Afrinat Airlines livery but she was not taken-up by this company. In February 2005 she was sold to aircraft broker King Air Charter and leased to 1TimeAir. A couple of months later the Douglas was operated on several UN humanitarian flights. Since 2007 she seems withdrawn from use at Jo'burg.

Douglas DC-9-32 ZS-NRD in derelict condition at Jo'burg in February 2004. Dark depressions showed where loaders had thoughtlessly bumped the skin

This DC-9-32, was originally delivered to Iberia as EC-BIG in 1967. In February 1996 she was sold by aircraft broker Southwestern Air Service. That same year this Douglas was exported to South Africa for a second career with Sun Air, who sub-lease the 'NINE' to Zimbabwe Express. This company went bust in 1999 and the DC-9 was repossed by Sun Air at Jo'burg. In 2004 her service life was over and she finally ended at Jo'burg's Executive Aerospace ramp where she was broken-up during the years.

Photo: Michael Prophet, Jo'burg, February 2004.

"ZS-GAL is seen here spotless considering its constant use as a passenger aircraft. She initially flew for Garuda in Indonesia".

Douglas DC-9-32 ZS-GAL. This ship changed hands many time. After Garuda she flew for Merpati and Midwest Express Airlines. In May 2003 she was sold to Global Aviation as ZS-GAL who leased their new possesion to operators such as; - Executive Aero Space, Interlink Airlines, South African Express Airways and Albanian Airlines. In November 2007 she returned back a her base at Jo'burg where she was stored eversince in as white livery with Albanian titles. During 2011 she was still stored at Jo'burg in a partly dismantled condition.

Note; - Nearly half of the passenger airplanes flying today are leased by the airlines from big plane leasing companies. It is easier and cheaper to lease a standard white airplane and then just change its logos than repainting the entire plane.
Photo: Michael Prophet, Jo'burg, February 2004.

"Former American Airlines Boeing 727-23F ZS-NPX entered service with AirQuarius of South-Africa in December 2002 as ZS-NPX. Unfortunely the company ceased trading. The venerabel 727 on the other hand still gave excellent service with Pacific East Asia Carog as RP-C5353".

The 727 was designed for smaller airports, so independence from ground facilities was an important requirement. This led to one of the 727's most distinctive features: the built-in air stair that opens from the rear underbelly of the fuselage, which initially could be opened in flight. Hijacker D. B. Cooper parachuted from the back of a 727 as it was flying over the Pacific Northwest. Boeing subsequently modified the design with the Cooper vane so that the air stair could not be lowered in flight.

Boeing 727-23 ZS-NPX, which was manufactured in 1966 and enjoyed a long and various career. After 16 year of faithful service with first owner American Airlines as N1902 she was sold in September 1984 Frontier Horizon. They were just one of the dozen employers this 727 worked for. After Frontier she operated respectively for International Air Leases who converted her into a freighter, Flying Tiger Line, Spirit of America, CF Air Freight, Federal Express and Patriot Airlines. In March 1995 she was sold to Phoenix Airways in South-Africa. During these years she was leased to Safair, Airworld and AirQuarius Cargo. In October 2004 she was bought by aircraft broker Mic Dav Air, who in their turned leased the 727 to Tri-MG Intra Asia Airlines of the Philippines. In March 2006 she was registrated RP-C5353 and her new owner became Pacific East Asia Cargo. In March 2010 she was withdrawn from use and stored at Manilla Clark Diosdado Macapagal International. Fifty years after she rolled-off the Renton production line, she was finally broken-up.

Photo credit: Sven Grimpe

"The flying days of this Boeing 727-100 TN-AFY seemed over already in February 2004 when we visited Jo'burg".

This airframe left the factory at Renton in 1967 and was, like so many 727's delivered to American Airlines. The Boeing 727-35 was operated by AA from 1967 until July 1994 and sold to an aircraft broker who exported the Boeing to Angolan company Ibis Air as D2-FLY that same year. The next couple of years she changed hands several times and she flew for Trans Air Cargo, Air Gabon and finally Trans Air Benin in December 2000 as TN-AFY. One year later she was stored at Jo'burg. The fuselage was scrapped during November 2004.

Note; - An airplane stored outside will be subject to streaking down the paintwork from dust and dirt deposits.

"Ultra violet light is the culprit, bleaching out colors.

Airplanes are no different and high altitude flight, such as that performed by this, Sun Air Douglas DC-9-32 ZS-NRC accelerates the fading process.

Douglas DC-9-32 ZS-NRC started her airline career in Spain with Iberia as EC-BIO. Twelve years later, in 1979, she was transferred to Aviaco with the same registration. In 1995 she was sold to aircraft broker Capital Aircraft who exported her to South-Africa. The first operator was Sun Air who used the DC-9 until 2004. There after low-cost carrier 1Time Air operated her for five years. Fortunately her service life was still not over and from 2009 she was leased to the following companies in the DRC; - Wimbi Dira Airways, Mistral Aviation and the latest was Will Airlift from Goma.

Note; - Something is missing at the nosewheel steering assembly?

Photo: Michael Prophet, Jo'burg, February 2004.

Boeing 737-2A9C, which was manufactured in 1970 was delivered new to Transair in Canada and enjoyed a long working life. Next to Transair, as CF-TAO, she operated passenger services for Pacific Western, Pan Am, Euralair France as F-GFYL, Air Charter, Pac East Asia, Air Liberte, Euralair International and Rossair France. In 2002 she was transferred to Rossair South-Africa as ZS-OVO and parked at Jo'burg. Already during our visit she was missing many parts but she survived and was seen at the Jo'burg scrapyard in 2011.

"Immaculate Boeing 727-91 J2-KBA is fitted with winglets for better performance".

This 727 was built in 1967 and was delivered to Frontier Airlines on June 06, 1967 as N7273F. After just two years she went to Braniff on November 05, 1969, where she was operated until 1982 as N300BN. Other operators were; - Burlington Northern and Dart Container/DSTS. Since 2001 she is owned by ‘Le Presidence de la Republique de Djibouti’. The 727 is parked at Jo'burg AeroXenus maintenance area since September 2012 and seems to be stored.

An innovation on the 727 was the auxiliary power unit (APU), which allowed electrical and air-conditioning systems to run independently of a ground-based power supply, and without having to start one of the main engines. An unusual design feature is that the APU is mounted in a hole in the keel beam web, in the main landing gear bay.

Photo: Michael Prophet, Jo'burg, February 2004.

At Jo'burg there are two parallel runways (03L/R & 21L/R) for wide body aircraft's available. Arrivals and take off depends largely on the weather condition. As dedicated aircraft spotters and photographers we inspected the runway 03R location. Which can easily be found, if you take Jones Road from the Domestic Terminal, along the SAA Technical facility and Caesars Casino It takes you straight to the approach end where you can photograph aircraft's with a 70-300 mm tele-lens. Another reasonable location is on top of the new Domestic terminal. There is an excellent indoor viewing area for spotting and photographing. Due keep in mind the state of the windows and reflections. For aircraft's parked on the Northern cargo ramp, along runway 03L/21R, it is very difficult to get registration and pictures, unless you are on the ramp.

Boeing 727-281(Adv.) ZS-OZR operated respectively for All Nippon Airlines, Korean Airlines and Mongolian Airlines before she was bought by Nationwide in February 2003. After Nationwide went bust in 2008 she was stored at Jo'burg.

The 727 proved to be such a reliable and versatile airliner that it came to form the core of many startup airlines' fleets. The 727 was successful with airlines worldwide partly because it could use smaller runways while still flying medium-range routes. This allowed airlines to carry passengers from cities with large populations but smaller airports to worldwide tourist destinations. One of the features that gave the 727 its ability to land on shorter runways was its clean wing design. With no wing-mounted engines, leading-edge devices and trailing-edge lift enhancement could be used on the entire wing.

"Taxying out for take-off from one of Jo'burg's runways, Safair Boeing 737-200 ZS-SIO is bound for Durban in South-Africa".

This Boeing 737-236 spent most of its service life with British Airways in UK. In 1995 she was sold to LAN Chile and five years later she was exported to South-Africa and served Safair as ZS-SIO. After 27 years of faithful service she was put in open-storage at Jo'burg.

"Typical morning scene at Jo'burg with South African Boieng 737-200 ZS-SIB 'Limpopo' being fueled and serviced for her next scheduled flight".

This Boeing 737-244 (244 is the Boeing client number for SAL) served South-African Airways for more than 14 years. She was registrated ZS-SIB and named 'Limpopo'. Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River that flows on the western and northern borders of the province, the name "Limpopo" has its etymological origin from the Sepedi word diphororo tša meetse - meaning strong gushing waterfalls. When the SAL Boeing 737-200’s were disposed of during the mid-2000, she was operated for one year by Peruvian Transportes Aéreos Nacionales de Selva (TANS) as OB-1806-P. In June 2006 she was sold to Aerogal of Ecuador. Sadly she has been withdrawn from active service in April 2011.

"During an early morning arrival from Port Elizabeth, the crew of Boeing 737-236 ZS-OVG is steering their Boeing exactly on her assigned parking spot".

This former British Airways ship flew also for; - Winair, Sierra Pacifi, Sun West and Pace Airlines before being sold to Nationwide in 2002 as ZS-OVG. During April 2005 she was withdrawn from use and parked at Jo'burg where she still was in 2010.

"Air Namibia Boeing 737-200 V5-ANB in between her daily Jo'burg/Windhoek run on February 17, 2004".

Boeing 737-2L9 V5-ANB of Air Namibia has seen many owners during her live. She flew or was owned by; - Maersk Air, Guyana Airways, VASP, MarC, Guinness Peat Aviation and Air Atlanta Icelandic. In 1994 she was sold to Safair who leased the 737 to Comair and Air Namibia. During 2007 she was seen at Safair's ramp at Jo'burg in poor condition.

Note; - The original 737-1/200 thrust reversers were pneumatically powered clamshell doors taken straight from the 727. When reverse was selected, 13th stage bleed air was ported to a pneumatic actuator that rotated the deflector doors and clamshell doors into position. Unfortunately they were relatively ineffective and apparently tended to push the aircraft up off the runway when deployed. This reduced the downforce on the main wheels thereby reducing the effectiveness of the wheel brakes. By 1969 these had been changed by Boeing and Rohr to the much more successful hydraulically powered target type thrust reversers . This required a 48 inch extension to the tailpipe to accommodate the two cylindrical deflector doors which were mounted on a four bar linkage system and associated hydraulics. The doors are set 35 degrees away from the vertical to allow the exhaust to be deflected inboard and over the wings and outboard and under the wings. This ensures that exhaust and debris is not blown into the wheel-well, nor is it blown directly downwards which would lift the weight off the wheels or be re-ingested. Fortunately the new longer nacelle improved cruise performance by improving internal airflow within the engine and also reduced cruise drag. These thrust reversers are locked against inadvertent deployment by both deflector door locks and the four bar linkage being overcenter.

"Ready to roll! - C9-BAJ is one of the a couple Boeing 737-200's operated by Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique on the company's schedule from Maputo to Jo'burg".

Boeing 737-205 C9-BAJ of LAM Mozmbique is a former Braathens SAFE ship. She was delivered to the Norwegian company in 1986. In 1992 she was leased for one year to VASP. In June 1993 Braathens sold its 737 to Japan TransOcean Air who operated het for eight years. After a storage period at Kuala Lumpur airport she finally sold to LAM Mozambique in June 2003.

"Offloaded and reloaded within an hour at rain-soaked Jo'burg hub. Five minutes later this Regional Air Boeing 737-2U4 5Y-BPP was back in the air enroute to Nairobi, Kenia".

Boeing 737-2U4 5Y-BPP was operated by Britannia Airways from 1980 until November 1983 before being operated by Dan Air London. The next couple of years she changed hands quite often and flew for Sahara India Airlines, Regional Air as 5Y-BPP, Adam Air of Indonesia and finally Safair as ZS-SHN. She was stored at Jo'burg and scrapped in 2010.

"Air Tanzania Boeing 737-236 5H-MVA being prepared for departure of her next flight to Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania, February 17, 2004".

Air Tanzania Boeing 737-236 5H-MVA. After spending 18 years of its lifetime in the UK, operating for British Airtours and British Airways, this Boeing 737-236 was sold to Chile in 1998 as CC-CZP. After only three year of service with LAN Chile she was sold in July 2001 to South African Airways as ZS-SIW. After two years she changed hands again and Air Tanzania became the operator. She is reported already stored for some years.

"Even in South-Africa the sun is not always shining!"

ZS-OBO B727-200 in the expressionless UN livery under tow at Jo'burg. In the background we see from left to right; - Mango Airlines Antonov An-12 9U-BHO, Million Air Charter Boeing 727-100 ZS-IJF, a Phoebus Apollo DC-4 and Volare's IL-76 UR-76636.

1979 build Boeing 727-230 ZS-OBO operated for Lufthansa as D-ABKT for just over 11 years before being sold. From November 1992 until somewhere around 2004/2005 she operated respectively for Air Terrex, Pacific Airlines, Silver Air-Pacific Airlines, Safair-Comair, Kulula.com and the United Nations, before being parted-out and scrapped at Johannesburg in 2008.

Ilyushin IL-76TD 9L-LCY of Aerolift Sierra Leone seen here between flights at Johannesburg in February 2004 was manufactured in May 1965 and enjoyed a long and interesting career. She operated respectively for Aeroflot as CCCP-76796, East Line as RA-76796, Atlas Air as EP-ALI, Aerolift as 9L-LCY , GST Aero as UN-76009 and finally Ababeel Aviation ST-WTB. This freighter crashed on take-off at Khartoum Sudan on June 30, 2008.

Note; - White doesn't fade. An average airliner will have several paint jobs during its service life, but the longer you can go between having to repaint the plane the better, and if you don't have to worry about the paint fading and looking old for a good long while you can stretch the time between paint jobs.

Photo: Michael Prophet, Jo'burg, February 2003.

"JT3D powered Douglas DC-8 3D-AFR is an old girl".

Douglas DC-8-54FA 3D-AFR, which was manufactured in 1966 and delivered new to United Airlines as Jet Trader N8046U enjoyed a long working life. In 1986 she was bought by aircraft broker United Aviation Services who leased the freighter to Trans International and Kalitta Air in the US. In May 1990 she was sold by United Aviation to African International who operated the DC-8 for nine years, including a brief period in which she was leased to MK Airlines. During 2007 she started to operate from the DRC. Operators were; - Espace Aviation, SAlflycargo.com and Protocole Aviation Cargo. On September 12, 2011 she was performing a freight flight from Pointe-Noire to Brazzaville (Congo) with 4 crew and a load of food, burst a nose wheel tire while landing in Brazzaville and veered off the runway. No injuries occurred and the aircraft received minor damage to the landing gear. Nevertheless it was over-and-out for this faithful DC-8 and she was broken-up during February 2013.

Note; - The Pratt & Whitney JT3D is an early turbofan aircraft engine derived from the Pratt & Whitney JT3C turbojet. It was first run in 1958 and was first flown in 1959 under a B-45 Tornado test aircraft. Over 8,000 JT3Ds were produced between 1959 and 1985.

Rand Airport is located South-East from Johannesburg 'Jan Smuts' International Airport. It’s nestled between Germiston Lake and Gosforth Park in the suburbs of Germiston. Rand can easily be reached via the Electron Highway N24 from Jan Smuts International and then onwards on the N3 South. For the propliner enthusiast this airport is well worth a visit. It has an extremely relaxed atmosphere and ramp permission was easily obtained via the airport manager. Rand Airport offers all the facilities such as avionics, instruments, airframe, sheet metal work, welding, recovering, hangerage and fuel.

It even offers scenic flights over the city. Classic Aviation offers Tiger Moth, DC-3 Dakota, Harvard, L29/L39 jets, Pitts Special and Chipmunk rides in combination with pre flight champagne and/or breakfast afterwards. All this can be observed from the excellent viewing area at the Harvard Café. Hot food and cool drinks can be enjoys in the shadow of Rand Airport vintage, Art deco style control tower. The 1930's tower seems to come straight out a Hollywood movie set and has all the classic lines of the 1950s design. Rand main terminal building and control tower sets the mood for this airport. It even carries the old Speed-bird logo above the entrance. For the aviation spotters Rand is well known for the exotic props and jets residents. Currently the more interesting operators at Rand Airport are the South African Airways Museum Society (SAAMS), Phoebus Apollo and Springbok Flying Safaris. SAA has donated their oldest B747-200 (Lebombo) and a B747SP to the society. Phoebus Apollo is a major tenant with several activities and operates the sturdy Douglas DC-9 as full configuring freighter. During our visit we found a Gabon Express SE210 Caravelle 3C-SEP being worked on.

"This beauty has the classic lines of the 60's! - I wish I could turn the clock back to Caravelle time!"

"Unfortunately Caravelle 11R 3C-SEP, in this unremarkable livery, was the last operational Caravelle I saw during my spotter career".

This beauty is a Pratt & Whitney JT8D-7 powered Caravelle 11R and was delivered by Sud Avion in June 1976 to the French Air Force as F-RBPS and station in the French Pacific. Her military career with the Armée de l'air was over after 20 years of faithful service and she was bougth by Mr. Tony de Bruyn of Eureka aviation and registrated F-WQCU. This Caravelle and two other former French Air Force Caravelle's were parked at Wevelgem airport in Belgium. After three years of being stored F-WQCU was re-activated and sold to Gabon Express as 3D-SEP. During her years with Gabon Express she operated mainly the Libreville - Port Gentil run. In January 2001 she was registrated 3C-SEP and started cargo service between Gabon and Angola. During our stay at Rand Airport in February 2004 she was being prepared for her next new owner Mr. Kiki Lemaire, a Belgian who was widely known to fly diesel fuel to Unita airstrips in either a Boeing 707 or a Caravelle. Mr. Jacques "Kiki" Lemaire was named in the Belgium press as a sanctions-buster.

"A cheap labor force are preparing this SE-210 for her new owner".

Unfortunately fate struck and our sky-machine crash-landed during and burned-out at Gisenyi, Rwanda, on September 04, 2004.
The Caravelle was chartered by the Celtel company to transport telecommunications equipment to Goma from Kinshasa-N'Djili Airport. Approaching Goma, the pilot was not allowed to land and was forced to hold near Goma. Low on fuel, the captain decided to divert to neighboring Gisenyi Airport's in Rwanda. The Caravelle crashed on landing at Gisenyi Airport's 1000 metre long runway 01/19. The wreck was finally removed by July 2008.

Photo: Michael Farby

Wonderboom Airport is located about 15 km north of the city Pretoria. This was an hour's drive along the N1 highway in Northerly direction. Then we turned Westbound on the Zambesi Drive highway number N513 and further onwards on R501 Lavender road Northbound. Although at that moment activities are mainly focused on the recreational market, the handling of smaller aircraft, extensive facilities are available. Wonderboom had a very laid-back feel and we did not see any aircraft movement that day. We only found a single Charter America B727 N2688Z parked near the airport ATC tower.

"This Boeing 727-44C N2688Z was a long time resident at Pretoria Wonderboon Airport".

1971 build Boeing 727-44C ZS-SBI operated for South-African Airlines for just over 11 years before being sold to the US aircraft broker United Air Leasing in March 1982. From May 1982 until authumn 1998 she operated in her freighter outfit respectively for Purolator Courier, CF Air Freight, Spirit of America, Ting Tai Air and Trans Continental Airlines, before being sold to Charter America. By then she changed hands very frequently and owners were Mercy Airlift, Aircraft R Us Corp., Continental Jet Sales, Continental Air Care and Custom Air. She was spotted at Lanseria on August 06, 2003 while on ferry flight to Australia. She did not left South-Africa and was ferried to nearby Dodson Services at Pretoria Wonderboom airport. After some years being stored at Wonderboom she was sold to Kando Jet LLC and ferried back to the US on November 24, 2007 via Bridgetown and Fort Lauderdale to Mena in Arkansas. During 2013 she was still at Mena but in poor condition.

The 727 stored at Mena, Arkansas.

Note; - The 727 is equipped with a retractable tail skid that is designed to protect the aircraft in the event of an over-rotation on takeoff.

Pietersburg (Polokwane) Airport. The ground on which Pietersburg now exists was utilized from the early sixties as an Air Force Base. Plans to convert the base into an International Airport became reality in 1996 when the honourable Thabo Mbeki officially opened the Airport. The airport functions as an international airport, currently mainly for the Sub-Saharan Africa. It’s is about a 2.5 to 3 hours drive North on the N1 from the Johannesburg.
Admission onto the ramp and photo permission proved more difficult then we initially thought. I would advise any future visitors to make advanced preparations with the airport authorities. Luckily for us we could prove our journalistic intentions and we where granted ramp access. Do not expect lots of airplanes and movements. Typically some worn out jets, in the form of a Boeing B737, B727 and or B707, can be found for storage or maintenance.

"Boeing 727-22C S9-BAR top dressed in the colorful livery of Air Gemini, is seen here enjoying a well-deserved C-check at Pietersburg during February 2004".

S9-BAR is a Boeing 727-22C and was build for the United Airlines in 1966. After her career in the 'lower-48' she departed for 'the last frontier' and started working for Wien Air Alaska. During 1982 and -83 she was leased to respectively United Parcel Service and Flying Tiger Line. In 1983 she returned to Alaska and became part of the Reeve Aleutian 727 fleet as N832RV. After Reeve ceased operations the 727 had to leave their Anchorage base for hot and dusty Angola on its way to her new owner to Air Gemini. Registrated as S9-BAR and she becamed topdressed in the company's colorful livery. Air Gemini, also known as Air Gemini Cargo, was an airline based in Luanda, Angola, operating chartered passenger and cargo flights into Quatro de Fevereiro Airport on behalf of the local mining industry, as well as services for humanitarian aid missions. During 2005 the 727 freighter was used by the United Nations and resprayed and their dull white tail livery with bill-board UN titles. The aircraft seem to be stored since 2010.

Photo: Michael Prophet, Pietersburg, February 2004.

"B707-336C 5Y-BNJ - The airplane's vertical fin has faded extremely due to ultra-violet exposure".

In hands of BOAC this G-ATWV registrated Boeing 707-336C crossed to North Atlantic numerous times in the 60/70's. BOAC became British Airways in 1974. They sold the Boeing in January 1982 to aircraft broker Clipper International. This was the start of a very adventurous career. The first four years she was operated by West Africa Cargo as 9G-ACX on cargo flight between Europe and Ghana. In April Aviation Consultants International became the owner of the 707 and changed the registration to N14AZ. During the 80's she was leased to company's like St. Lucia Airways, Caribbean Air Transport, Grecoair, Royal Jordanian Airlines, Kuwait Airways and Seagreen Air Transport. During thsese years N14AZ was a regular visitor of my home base Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport. In January 1998 she was leased to Aero Zambia as 5Y-BNJ. According some sources the Boeing was used by Aero Zambia the fly arms to UNITA in concert with Greco Air. During 1999 the 707 was leased to TAAG Angola. Unfortunately even for this 707 service life was running out and in January 2004 she was parked at Pietersburg. By 2012 she was missing two engines and looking tatty. It seems she is still parked at Pietersburg in open-storage.

Note; - White looks better and when it gets old and dull, it still looks good compared to a dark colored plane. Dark colors fade faster, dull, and when paint flakes off it just looks terrible.

Also note; -The pointy rod that sticks out on the 707's vertical stabilizer is the HF Radio probe antenna. The HF is a long range radio normally used for trans-oceanic and remote locations communication where the more popular VHF radio is range limited. The Boeng 720's flown by American and United Airlines did not have a probe, probably becaue the aircraft were mostly utilized in trans-continental US service where an HF radio was not a requirement.

"Boeing 707-351C 3C-JZW on a broiling Pietersburg tarmac in February, 2004".

Boeing 707-351C 3C-JZW, which was manufactured in 1964 and enjoyed a long and various career. She operated respectively for Northwest Orient, Cathay Pacific Airways, Uganda Airlines, Seagreeen Air Transport as N21AZ and Z-WST and Grecoair. Aero Zambia was planned as her final operator but she was not taken-up. Around the millenium she was withdrawn from use and presently she is still stored at Pietermansburg airport, South-Africa.

Note; - The JT3D-3B engines are readily identifiable by the large secondary air inlet doors in the nose cowl. These doors are fully open (sucked in at the rear) during takeoff to provide additional air. When the engines are throttled back to cruise, the doors are shut.
The 707 was the first commercial jet aircraft to be fitted with clamshell-type thrust reversers on each of the four engines.

Photo: Michael Prophet, Pietersburg, February 2004.

"Cheap labor makes OldJets shine like new! - Prestine Trans Air Benin Boeing 727-294 on a sweltering Pietersburg tarmac in February 2004".

This Boeing made its first flight on November 29, 1979, before being delivered new to Avensa as YV-74C. From December 1990 until summer 2000 she operated respectively for Trump Shuttle, US Air Shuttle and Qatar Airways before being sold to Nova Gulf. In the beginning she wore registration A7-ABG but this was changed twice. First as A6-SAA and then C5-GAL. In December 2003 she was acquired by Grecoair and parked at Pietersburg. Unforetunately it is hard to find employment for a fuel guzzling 727 and she seems still parked at Pietersburg.

Note; - The JT-8D jetpipe. The corrugated ring is the mixer unit, this is designed to thoroughly mix the bypass air with the turbine exhaust.

"Nova Gulf Boeing 727-200 C5-GAL number two engine being polished on a hot day at the Pietersburg ramp in February 2004".

The 727 middle engine (engine 2) at the very rear of the fuselage gets air from an inlet ahead of the vertical fin through an S-shaped duct. This S-duct proved to be troublesome in that flow distortion in the duct induced a surge in the centerline engine on the take-off of the first flight of the 727-100. This was fixed by the addition of several large vortex generators in the inside of the first bend of the duct.

Photo: Michael Prophet, Pietersburg, February 2004.

"Boeing 727-23 EL-GPX. With clipped wings her service life seems over".

This clipped wings Boeing 727-23 was operated by American Airlines from 1965 until the early 90's. After some time she was sold to an aircraft broker who exported the Jet to South-Africa and registrated her ZS-NMZ. The next couple of years she changed hands quite often and flew for Phoenix Airways, Cape Atlantic Air, Sun Air and Zambian Express. In February 1998 Glider Ltd. became the new owner and the 727 was re-registrated as EL-GPX. Despite her service life was over her fuselage was present at Pietersburg during 2010.

Photo: Michael Prophet, Pietersburg, February 2004.

"Air Gemini Boeig 727-21C S9-BOE at rest on a bloody hot day at the Pietersburg's ramp in February 2004".

This Boeing made its first flight on March 03, 1967, before being delivered new to United Airlines as Mainliner 'N7417U'. After 12 years of faithful service for United the 727 found employment with Air Canada, Interstate Airlines, ATSC-Insterstate and DHL Airways. In September 2000 she was ferried to Africa and started operating to the Angolan diamant mines for Transafrik/Air Gemini as S9-BOE. In February 2004 (some days before we visited Pietersburg) she was ferried to Pietersburg for repaint and a combi conversion. Sadly these plans were not materilized and the 727 is still parked at Pietersburg.

Note; - White is a nice, neutral base color. Starting with a white base coat allows the airline's marketing department to paint whatever livery they want on their flying billboards.

Photo: Michael Prophet, Pietersburg, February 2004.

"Even white paint fades in time and the original lettering reappeared in ugly fashion on the former Top Air Boeing 727-200 TC-IYA".

Boeing 727-2F2 was built in 1982 and delivered to Turkish Airlines as TC-JCE. In 1996 she was sold to the Turkish charter operator Top Air with registration TC-IYA and was as such a frequent visitor to the european airports like; Dusseldorf, Amsterdam and Gatwick. After storage at Istanbul the 727 was ferried to Pietersburg where she was registrated to Interair of South-Africa and put in open storage. She seems still present at Pietersburg but in a derelict condition.

Note; - All colored paints will eventually fade from exposure to sun and the elements, particularly exposure to the sun at 30,000 feet, where substantially more UV radiation is hitting the paint and accelerating the fading process.

Photo: Michael Prophet, Pietersburg, February 2004.

"The classic lines of the Big-Boeing are so evident when standing close in front of her"

Note; - One of the most obvious features of the 707 is the HF antenna on top of the fin. However, not all of them had them. Just about every -320B/C you'll see will have it, but there's quite a few 720/-120B's and such that don't. It's roughly equivalent to whether it's an over-water plane or not.

1967 built Boeing 707-323C ZS-IJI operated respectively for American Airlines, American Trans Air, Transbrasil, Israel Aircraft Industries, Lesotho Airways, Safair, Air Swazi Cargo, Grecoair, LAN Chile, Aero Zambia before she was registrated as ZS-IJI of InterAir in January 2001. Since April 2001 the 707 is in open-storage at Pietersburg. In 2012 she was still present at this tranquil South-African airport, which is situated near the Zambian border.

Note; - The 707 uses engine-driven turbocompressors to supply pressurized air for cabin pressurization. On many commercial 707s, the outer port (number 1) engine mount is distinctly different from the other three, as this engine is not fitted with a turbocompressor. Later-model 707s typically had this configuration, although American Airlines had turbocompressors on engines 2 and 3 only. Early 707 models often had turbocompressor fairings on all four engines, but with only two or three compressors installed.

Photo: Michael Prophet, Pietersburg, February 2004.

"A classic early Jet Liner is this Aero Zambia Boeing 737-202C 9J-AFW".

This one-time Wien Consolidated Boeing 737-202C (202 was the unique, fixed Boeing customer code of Wien Consolidated) rolled off the production line in 1968 and was delivered to her proud owner as N2711R. In 1984 she was sold to Quebecair and registrated C-GQBC. In 1986 this Baby-Boeing went for the next 10 years to Hawaii and served Aloah Airlines faithfully. In 1996 the 737 was exported to Zambia and operated by Aero Zambia a couple of years. In between she was sub-leased to Inter Air for exactly two years before being withdrawn from use in January 1999. It seems this 737 is owned by aircraft broker David P. Tokoph, who was also owner of Inter Air and Seagreen Air Transport. The 737 was seen in derelict condition in the December 2012.

Photo: Michael Prophet, Pietersburg, February 2004.

The End

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