FedEx B757 at Dca this weekend
 

I was at Dca in terminal "A" to board a NW flight to Mem late Saturday morning when I noticed a FedEx B757 parked a few hundred yards from the building I was in. When I returned to Dca this evening around 5 p.m., it was still there.
Anyone know what it was doing at Dca? It stuck out like a non sore thumb.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/FDX1557

The above is the flightaware link for the FedEx flight to DCA.

As far as what it's doing there, your guess is as good as mine.

From what I understand, FedEx is beginning a daily MEM-DCA-IAD-MEM cargo run with the arrival of their new 757. It's the only commercial cargo flight to operate at DCA. I've also heard that it will soon go MEM-DCA-MEM.

Today's flight path suggests southerly winds at DCA and northerly winds a few miles away at IAD.

So they fly it from DCA to IAD and then onto MEM? That doesn't seem terribly fuel-efficient to me. Doesn't take-off burn more fuel than just running some trucks between IAD and DCA or vice versa?

Well, my company had a FedEx shipment not arrive this morning. We were told the flight from PIT got diverted for a mechanical.... is this where package ended up? :eek:

Between fuel and landing fees, I would say trucks would probably be more cost efficient for the 28 mile (by vehicle) route; there might be a time need where loading/unloading is not particularly effective, but . . .

Wow. Interesting. Thanks everyone for your information and ideas. Perhaps we will be seeing more of this bird at Dca.