New Arrival at the SAA Historical Museum

[MarkLawrence]

I know that there was a thread a while back about the delivery of a SAA 747-200 to the SAA historical society, and, what a feat it was to get her into Rand (***M ) airport...well...the Historical Society received it's latest donation from SAA - a retired 747SP (ZS-SPC named Maluti - named after one of the mountain regions of South Africa) - on JP.net - there is a picture of her touch down:
http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=5826331
And..for those that would like to see a little more about the airport - here is the info
http://worldaerodata.com/wad.cgi?id=SF32667&sch=***M - yes - the runways are only 50ft wide! Kudos to the always excellent SAA pilots who delivered her. I'll hopefully be getting more info from my dad who is a member of the SAA Historical Society soon - maybe some more pictures.

[Nick]

Yeah, that thing barely fits.

[MarkLawrence]

Here is an email I received this morning and there are also a couple of pictures in a.net as well. The pictures on a.net noted that the wheel width was actually a little wider than the 50ft of the runway - amazing - Capt Dennis Spence was the PIC:


AND THEN THERE WERE TWO



At 07:48, Saturday 30 September 2006, Boeing 747SP-44, ZS-SPC "Maluti" touched down on runway 11 at Rand Airport after a short deliver flight to her new home and owners, the South African Airways Museum Society. She is the first SP to be preserved by a museum in the world. Two and a half hours after touch down she was parked alongside her big sister ZS-SAN, Lebombo, a B747-244, at the museum's facility adjacent to the Transvaal Aviation Club on the eastern side of Rand Airport. Lebombo landed at Rand on Friday 5 March 2004.


Two B747 derivatives preserved in one museum is a world first.


The last flight of ZS-SPC was three and a half years ago when on the 28th of March 2003 the aircraft operated flight SA 190/191 Johannesburg-Mauritius-Johannesburg. After being checked and some minor maintenance and repairs being done she was certified fit for the ferry flight. At the end of her delivery flight to Rand the crew reported that there was "not one snag".



Maluti is in pristine condition and will be left 100% intact, unlike Lebombo, which had her engines removed and replaced by time-expired examples.


The SAA Museum Society aircraft collection now stands at 5 aircraft that are on display at Rand.


John Austin-Williams
Public Relations and Media Liaison Officer: South African Airways Museum Society http://www.saamuseum.co.za

[LGA777]

The fact that SAA has safely landed two 747's on Rands 50 foot wide runway is not only amazing but a real testament to the skill of those pilots. I salute them and SAA for maintaining their great museum fleet !

Regards

LGA777

[hiss srq]

Great pilots, great pictures, awesome cause.

[mirrodie]

Great story and feats! I recall a similar situation of the 747 landing at Longreach, Australia.

Mark, IIRC, you've been to SA, right? How far is Rand from Durban?

[MarkLawrence]

Mario - yes - I lived there for 32 years - Rand from Durban - you are looking at about a 7hr drive - Durban is on the coast - Rand is close to Johannesburg - quite a difference unfortuantely.