Dinosaur hunt! Out this morning for big game at PHL, with three of the Big Classic Aircraft herd seen in action – a sight becoming increasingly rare.
Here we see a FedEx McDonnell Douglas MD-11 bound for Memphis, one of roughly two dozen still in the carrier’s fleet. UPS retired its MD-11s earlier this year in the wake of the devastating Louisville crash last year. There are a handful of other such aircraft scattered in the commercial realm, but the end is near.
UPS has stood by its fleet of Boeing 747s, though their retirement will be near future, replaced by cargo jets that are more efficient but certainly not as cool as The Queen of the Skies. This morning saw one of the UPS 747-8 aircraft – the largest, longest, and most recently constructed 747 variation – heading off to Louisville.
Shortly thereafter a classic 747-4 – a model introduced almost four decades ago – took off enroute to Cologne, Germany. There is nothing like the awesome sound of four 747 turbofan engines as the massive aircraft powers its way into the skies, graceful despite its imposing dimensions.
