A pilot goes to Sharjah to repo a 757
Mar 21, 2014, 10:51 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Stockholm/Tokyo/Los Angeles
Programs: AA EXP, Hyatt Platinum, SPG Platinum
Posts: 558
A pilot goes to Sharjah to repo a 757
Thought you all might enjoy a different kind of trip report. This one is not my own story but comes from a retired airline Captain now working contract flights around the world who's been kind enough to share his stories with us on Altimtr. You can head to the site for the full piece, as usual. The text and a few photos are below. Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoy!
Most of the contract flying I’ve done the last twelve years has been moving Boeings for leasing companies. A normal lease stipulates that the aircraft be returned with a fresh maintenance check – the lessee schedules the maintenance and delivers the plane to the facility, the owner hires qualified A&P mechanics (those with “Airframe” and “Powerplant” certification) to monitor and inspect the work, then when maintenance is complete the owner takes possession, re-registers the aircraft and hires contract pilots to fly it either to a storage location or to the next lessee. Often the mechanics will ride along on the ferry flight.
Occasionally a lease will be terminated under non-normal conditions, requiring the owners to go thru a repossession process. It can get a little messy – there’s lots of paperwork and sometimes the plane needs maintenance before it can fly.
My wife once mentioned to her coworkers that I was on a trip to ‘repo’ an airplane. One lady replied “Does he sneak out at night with a slim-jim or use a really big tow truck?”
One such job started with a phone call from the manager that gives me most of my work.
“Hey, how far can you fly a 757 with the gear down?”
“Depends on how much fuel I have.”
“Is there a limit?”
“It holds 75,000 lbs fuel. I’ll have to check my books to give you a distance.”
“Ok, I’ll get back to you.”
A couple of days later details came through. Seems the airline that had leased the 757 in question hadn’t been paying their bills. The aircraft had been impounded earlier that year at Sharjah International Airport in the United Arab Emirates. The owners had started the process to reclaim the aircraft when it was impounded in February, but not until June were they able to gain access and have a mechanic start inspection. First look was not good – the aircraft had been seized as soon as the pax and crew had deplaned. Authorities had towed it to a cargo ramp and sealed it. The remains of the food service were still on board and had been allowed to decay in the 100+ degree heat for months.
When my manager called me he’d been hired to move the plane as soon as the final legal hurdles were passed. It was thought the plane might need a ‘gear swing’ due to the length of time parked. This procedure involves finding hangar space, jacking the airframe up and cycling the landing gear several times to ensure proper operation of the hydraulics. The necessary facilities weren’t available at Sharjah. The nearest location that offered this service was Damascus, and due to permit issues we’d need to fly a roundabout route with the gear extended to get there, over Saudi Arabia, into Egypt, north to Cyprus and back to Syria.
After checking the “Gear Extended Cruise Charts” I assured the manager that my good friend Don (a retired US Navy & airline pilot) and I could ‘handle it.’
Some weeks later the owners get in touch: “All is ready, send the crew. Oh yeah, don’t have to go to Damascus. Found an outfit in Bahrain that can do it. May take a couple of days.”
We arrive in Dubai and receive an email: “Consultation with Boeing reveals gear swing not required, just need to repack wheel bearings. Now looking at direct to Shannon, Ireland, RON (remain overnight), direct to Bangor, Maine for customs then on to Victorville.”
Less than an hour later we get another message. “Don’t move yet. Prior operator has unpaid fuel and parking bills at Shannon. The plane will be impounded if you land there.” We wait until noon the next day for another update.
“Got clearances to Alexandria, Egypt. Try to get out ASAP. Parking & storage fees at Sharjah are nearly a grand a day.”
The rep onsite gets the same message. He’s a Brit, an excellent A&P mechanic with a dry but very active sense of humor. He’s been on scene for some time and anxious to ride along. We finally fuel up at Sharjah airport and get airborne an hour prior to sundown.
Nothing to look at over the desert at night so we watch the gauges a little closer than normal. Right engine oil quantity is slowly heading down. A five hour flight and the oil has gone from 22 quarts down to 10 (normal oil usage would be less than half a quart per hour.) That’ll need looking at. Nearing Alexandria we learn the approach radar is out of service, so we have to use a more primitive procedure involving radio navigation aids and including a 1950s style “procedure turn” (see here and here for more information) and land on a very rough runway.
On the ground while Don and I are securing the plane our trusty British mechanic opens the engine cowling and locates the probable leak – a loose fitting. Ground folks at Alexandria say nobody has tools to lend.
At least the office had notified the airport of our arrival so no wait for immigration entry. We find a taxi waiting for a very scary 30-mile ride to our hotel. Narrow two lane road, in and out of small settlements, pedestrians, horses, dogs and all types of vehicles with our driver and many others trying to set the land speed record. Nice hotel on the waterfront with internet. Message from office says “Hang loose, may take a while to plan a route and get permits.” We reply that we’ll need two hours to get to the airport then about another two to fuel, fix the oil leak and load the FMC (flight management computer).
In the sheets after 2 am. Message at noon: “Extend your rooms, should have word in 24 hours.” Not enough time to do any serious sightseeing so we just explore the beach near the hotel. First time I’ve seen women in full burkas wading in the water.
Word comes from the office shortly after noon next day. “Plan to go to Iceland, spend a night then to the US. Head out asap, we’ll send the flight plan to the handling company at the airport.” On the way we stop at a modern shopping mall. While Don and I load up on water, cokes and snacks the mech finds a hardware store and the wrenches he needs to secure the oil line.
Back at the airport a friendly young lady assists us through passport control and provides a van ride to our remote parking spot. We order a fuel truck and ask for our paperwork.
“Oh, we don’t have anything yet.” I explain there should be about 15 pages from our office – a computer flight plan, weather briefings and Gen Decs. She leaves but is back in less than ten minutes with bad news: their internet is down. Ok, can they receive fax? Nope. Where is nearest internet? “Don’t know, but you will have to go back through passport control to an off-airport location.”
By this time our mechanic has repaired the oil leak and noted my frustration.
“Maybe I can help,” he says. He opens a mid-sized hard case he had brought along. It’s a portable office. A sat phone connects to a laptop which connects to both a printer and a scanner. In ten minutes we have paper copies of what we need to load the Flight Management Computers.
Our planned route is over the Mediterranean, up the Aegean Sea, over at least six Eastern European countries, a touch of the Baltic, Sweden, Norway, then over more water to Iceland. There are 49 navigation points (“waypoints”) listed in the flight plan. Airlines normally load a Navigation Database into the computers and update it each 28 days. They can also data link flight plans directly into the FMC. Our database is way out of date. This means we must load each point with name and lat/long position - more than 20 ‘key punches’ for each waypoint. We’ve found the best method is one person read and another enter, then reverse read-back for accuracy. Fifty minutes of button pushing and check lists and we’re ready to start engines for the 8 hours (3,300 miles) to Keflavik (KEF).
It was Don’s turn to handle the controls so I settled in to run the radios and keep the flight log. Over land we are under radar control but must change frequencies nearly every 10 minutes as we move from one sector to another. English is the international language but sometimes local accents get in the way. One of the long range radios is tuned to monitor hourly weather reports from the major North Atlantic international airports.
The initial forecast for KEF is the normal rain and wind but not too bad. Two hours prior to landing the observation reports ceiling and visibility decreasing. Still not bad enough to turn back for Scotland. An hour out the ceiling is down to 200 feet. When Don locks on the ILS final the tower reports visibility from 1/4 to 1/2 mile, 30 degree crosswind at 25 knots with gusts to 38. No problem for an old pro that’s made over 400 landings on a carrier deck.
At Keflavik, cargo and transient aircraft now park on the large ramp on the east side that was the former US Naval Air Station. Lots of room, but it means riding nearly 5 miles around the airport to passport control. At least we have rooms at one of the small local hotels so don’t face the 25 miles into Reykjavik.
At breakfast our maintenance guru tells us that since there were no problems the owners have released him. He will catch a flight to London and have a few days at home before the next project.
The destination for this bird is the maintenance/storage/salvage airport at Victorville, California (former George AFB). When returning an aircraft to the US it’s necessary to land at the ‘first practical airport of entry’ to clear customs. A nearly straight line from Iceland to southern California makes Duluth, Minnesota a logical stop. Off we go into improving weather. I never fail to marvel when I get a view of the east coast of Greenland. Not nearly as interesting are the wilds of Labrador, Quebec and Ontario.
Our office has notified the Feds of our expected landing time and they are waiting. Normally they just check our passports and the aircraft registration, but this group must have been bored. One comes through the plane with a dog and opens every overhead bin then inspects the cargo bays. The other gent has a new form to fill out, also needs to see our pilot licenses, medical certificates and the aircraft logbook.
We take the opportunity to stretch our legs after seven hours of flying, get some fuel and launch for another four hours to SoCal.
We’ve made prior deliveries for this company to this location. The local manager likes a very detailed debrief. We spend an hour in his office and he goes through each phase of each flight making notes of every indication we had. Takes time but ensures a good product for the next customer.
Once everything is signed off we load into a waiting Suburban for the most dangerous part of the trip – a ride down I-15 to LAX. I settle in a back seat and catch a nap.
I awake to heavy rain and Don asking the driver “do you know how fast you’re going?” Driver responds “Nah, speedo on this thing’s been broken for about a week.” Don replies “we’re not in a big hurry. My handheld GPS says 89 mph.”
Get a good rest at the LAX Marriott then a bag drag to the Alaska terminal and off to Seattle. Time to do laundry and wait for another phone call.
Most of the contract flying I’ve done the last twelve years has been moving Boeings for leasing companies. A normal lease stipulates that the aircraft be returned with a fresh maintenance check – the lessee schedules the maintenance and delivers the plane to the facility, the owner hires qualified A&P mechanics (those with “Airframe” and “Powerplant” certification) to monitor and inspect the work, then when maintenance is complete the owner takes possession, re-registers the aircraft and hires contract pilots to fly it either to a storage location or to the next lessee. Often the mechanics will ride along on the ferry flight.
Occasionally a lease will be terminated under non-normal conditions, requiring the owners to go thru a repossession process. It can get a little messy – there’s lots of paperwork and sometimes the plane needs maintenance before it can fly.
My wife once mentioned to her coworkers that I was on a trip to ‘repo’ an airplane. One lady replied “Does he sneak out at night with a slim-jim or use a really big tow truck?”
One such job started with a phone call from the manager that gives me most of my work.
“Hey, how far can you fly a 757 with the gear down?”
“Depends on how much fuel I have.”
“Is there a limit?”
“It holds 75,000 lbs fuel. I’ll have to check my books to give you a distance.”
“Ok, I’ll get back to you.”
A couple of days later details came through. Seems the airline that had leased the 757 in question hadn’t been paying their bills. The aircraft had been impounded earlier that year at Sharjah International Airport in the United Arab Emirates. The owners had started the process to reclaim the aircraft when it was impounded in February, but not until June were they able to gain access and have a mechanic start inspection. First look was not good – the aircraft had been seized as soon as the pax and crew had deplaned. Authorities had towed it to a cargo ramp and sealed it. The remains of the food service were still on board and had been allowed to decay in the 100+ degree heat for months.
When my manager called me he’d been hired to move the plane as soon as the final legal hurdles were passed. It was thought the plane might need a ‘gear swing’ due to the length of time parked. This procedure involves finding hangar space, jacking the airframe up and cycling the landing gear several times to ensure proper operation of the hydraulics. The necessary facilities weren’t available at Sharjah. The nearest location that offered this service was Damascus, and due to permit issues we’d need to fly a roundabout route with the gear extended to get there, over Saudi Arabia, into Egypt, north to Cyprus and back to Syria.
After checking the “Gear Extended Cruise Charts” I assured the manager that my good friend Don (a retired US Navy & airline pilot) and I could ‘handle it.’
Some weeks later the owners get in touch: “All is ready, send the crew. Oh yeah, don’t have to go to Damascus. Found an outfit in Bahrain that can do it. May take a couple of days.”
We arrive in Dubai and receive an email: “Consultation with Boeing reveals gear swing not required, just need to repack wheel bearings. Now looking at direct to Shannon, Ireland, RON (remain overnight), direct to Bangor, Maine for customs then on to Victorville.”
Less than an hour later we get another message. “Don’t move yet. Prior operator has unpaid fuel and parking bills at Shannon. The plane will be impounded if you land there.” We wait until noon the next day for another update.
“Got clearances to Alexandria, Egypt. Try to get out ASAP. Parking & storage fees at Sharjah are nearly a grand a day.”
The rep onsite gets the same message. He’s a Brit, an excellent A&P mechanic with a dry but very active sense of humor. He’s been on scene for some time and anxious to ride along. We finally fuel up at Sharjah airport and get airborne an hour prior to sundown.
Nothing to look at over the desert at night so we watch the gauges a little closer than normal. Right engine oil quantity is slowly heading down. A five hour flight and the oil has gone from 22 quarts down to 10 (normal oil usage would be less than half a quart per hour.) That’ll need looking at. Nearing Alexandria we learn the approach radar is out of service, so we have to use a more primitive procedure involving radio navigation aids and including a 1950s style “procedure turn” (see here and here for more information) and land on a very rough runway.
On the ground while Don and I are securing the plane our trusty British mechanic opens the engine cowling and locates the probable leak – a loose fitting. Ground folks at Alexandria say nobody has tools to lend.
At least the office had notified the airport of our arrival so no wait for immigration entry. We find a taxi waiting for a very scary 30-mile ride to our hotel. Narrow two lane road, in and out of small settlements, pedestrians, horses, dogs and all types of vehicles with our driver and many others trying to set the land speed record. Nice hotel on the waterfront with internet. Message from office says “Hang loose, may take a while to plan a route and get permits.” We reply that we’ll need two hours to get to the airport then about another two to fuel, fix the oil leak and load the FMC (flight management computer).
In the sheets after 2 am. Message at noon: “Extend your rooms, should have word in 24 hours.” Not enough time to do any serious sightseeing so we just explore the beach near the hotel. First time I’ve seen women in full burkas wading in the water.
Word comes from the office shortly after noon next day. “Plan to go to Iceland, spend a night then to the US. Head out asap, we’ll send the flight plan to the handling company at the airport.” On the way we stop at a modern shopping mall. While Don and I load up on water, cokes and snacks the mech finds a hardware store and the wrenches he needs to secure the oil line.
Back at the airport a friendly young lady assists us through passport control and provides a van ride to our remote parking spot. We order a fuel truck and ask for our paperwork.
“Oh, we don’t have anything yet.” I explain there should be about 15 pages from our office – a computer flight plan, weather briefings and Gen Decs. She leaves but is back in less than ten minutes with bad news: their internet is down. Ok, can they receive fax? Nope. Where is nearest internet? “Don’t know, but you will have to go back through passport control to an off-airport location.”
By this time our mechanic has repaired the oil leak and noted my frustration.
“Maybe I can help,” he says. He opens a mid-sized hard case he had brought along. It’s a portable office. A sat phone connects to a laptop which connects to both a printer and a scanner. In ten minutes we have paper copies of what we need to load the Flight Management Computers.
Our planned route is over the Mediterranean, up the Aegean Sea, over at least six Eastern European countries, a touch of the Baltic, Sweden, Norway, then over more water to Iceland. There are 49 navigation points (“waypoints”) listed in the flight plan. Airlines normally load a Navigation Database into the computers and update it each 28 days. They can also data link flight plans directly into the FMC. Our database is way out of date. This means we must load each point with name and lat/long position - more than 20 ‘key punches’ for each waypoint. We’ve found the best method is one person read and another enter, then reverse read-back for accuracy. Fifty minutes of button pushing and check lists and we’re ready to start engines for the 8 hours (3,300 miles) to Keflavik (KEF).
It was Don’s turn to handle the controls so I settled in to run the radios and keep the flight log. Over land we are under radar control but must change frequencies nearly every 10 minutes as we move from one sector to another. English is the international language but sometimes local accents get in the way. One of the long range radios is tuned to monitor hourly weather reports from the major North Atlantic international airports.
The initial forecast for KEF is the normal rain and wind but not too bad. Two hours prior to landing the observation reports ceiling and visibility decreasing. Still not bad enough to turn back for Scotland. An hour out the ceiling is down to 200 feet. When Don locks on the ILS final the tower reports visibility from 1/4 to 1/2 mile, 30 degree crosswind at 25 knots with gusts to 38. No problem for an old pro that’s made over 400 landings on a carrier deck.
At Keflavik, cargo and transient aircraft now park on the large ramp on the east side that was the former US Naval Air Station. Lots of room, but it means riding nearly 5 miles around the airport to passport control. At least we have rooms at one of the small local hotels so don’t face the 25 miles into Reykjavik.
At breakfast our maintenance guru tells us that since there were no problems the owners have released him. He will catch a flight to London and have a few days at home before the next project.
The destination for this bird is the maintenance/storage/salvage airport at Victorville, California (former George AFB). When returning an aircraft to the US it’s necessary to land at the ‘first practical airport of entry’ to clear customs. A nearly straight line from Iceland to southern California makes Duluth, Minnesota a logical stop. Off we go into improving weather. I never fail to marvel when I get a view of the east coast of Greenland. Not nearly as interesting are the wilds of Labrador, Quebec and Ontario.
Our office has notified the Feds of our expected landing time and they are waiting. Normally they just check our passports and the aircraft registration, but this group must have been bored. One comes through the plane with a dog and opens every overhead bin then inspects the cargo bays. The other gent has a new form to fill out, also needs to see our pilot licenses, medical certificates and the aircraft logbook.
We take the opportunity to stretch our legs after seven hours of flying, get some fuel and launch for another four hours to SoCal.
We’ve made prior deliveries for this company to this location. The local manager likes a very detailed debrief. We spend an hour in his office and he goes through each phase of each flight making notes of every indication we had. Takes time but ensures a good product for the next customer.
Once everything is signed off we load into a waiting Suburban for the most dangerous part of the trip – a ride down I-15 to LAX. I settle in a back seat and catch a nap.
I awake to heavy rain and Don asking the driver “do you know how fast you’re going?” Driver responds “Nah, speedo on this thing’s been broken for about a week.” Don replies “we’re not in a big hurry. My handheld GPS says 89 mph.”
Get a good rest at the LAX Marriott then a bag drag to the Alaska terminal and off to Seattle. Time to do laundry and wait for another phone call.
Last edited by bombayhog; Mar 21, 2014 at 10:52 pm Reason: Add a link
Mar 22, 2014, 1:09 am
#4
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 33,735
Fun read! I'm still wondering how they got the plane aired out enough to be able to tolerate being onboard.
The remains of the food service were still on board and had been allowed to decay in the 100+ degree heat for months.
Mar 22, 2014, 1:17 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Stockholm/Tokyo/Los Angeles
Programs: AA EXP, Hyatt Platinum, SPG Platinum
Posts: 558
