Around the ramp at the home field, MZJ

I remember flying with students in the pattern there regularly. One great memory was hearing TUS DEP squawk a retiring 747 to 1200 as they entered the pattern. Pretty rare to hear a 747 told to squawk VFR. It was a little sad knowing it was probably the final flight, but it was cool hearing a 747 calling pattern and mentioning about a dozen times for all the little planes to be really cautious of their WT.
 
amorris311 said:
I think it has something to do with owning rather than leasing. I'm no expert when it comes to voodoo accounting. I remember the first 777 being scrapped and wondered why, did a little digging and found that on paper it wasn't worth a cent and they could make more by scrapping.
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Scrapping 777's already. Wow, I was thinking that is a current generation airframe. Seems wrong somehow, but that's the economics of it.
 
MikeD said:
The Delta 757s and 767-200/300s here at MZJ are being gutted and scrapped, and there's a fair number of them here. Which is interesting because the DC-9-50s of Delta (former NWA birds) are stored, but not being picked apart .....yet at least.
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Half of the DC-9's have been sold. Some 757's are lease returns, while others will be part of the NBA sublease.
 
MikeD said:
View attachment 28474 View attachment 28475
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All three of the above pictured aircraft have been towed this week into the scrapping area and are in the scrapping process. This ends the era of the presence of the DC-8 at KMZJ. From Air Canada, to Delta, to Evergreen, to CF/Emery; these are the last of these types here.

Sadly, even the first ever DC-8 ever built, was scrapped here at KMZJ. DC-8-51(F) , XA-DOE of AeroMexico, was a resident through most of the latter 1980s, and was scrapped in the very early 1990s, rather than moved to a museum someplace.

 
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Having already seen the B727 mostly go to the boneyard, I fear seeing one more of the three airframes I wanted to fly (and had some realistic expectation that maybe I could touch - that is, EM2, B727, B757) go away.
 
MikeD said:
All three of the above pictured aircraft have been towed this week into the scrapping area and are in the scrapping process. This ends the era of the presence of the DC-8 at KMZJ. From Air Canada, to Delta, to Evergreen, to CF/Emery; these are the last of these types here.

Sadly, even the first ever DC-8 ever built, was scrapped here at KMZJ. DC-8-51(F) , XA-DOE of AeroMexico, was a resident through most of the latter 1980s, and was scrapped in the very early 1990s, rather than moved to a museum someplace.

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There's two DC-8s sitting on the ramp in ACC, (DGAA.). If someone threw enough money at them, they maybe could fly, but it have to be a buttload.
 
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It's an old picture of my first 135 gig.
 
Another end of an era: The last Northwest 747 stored here, 747-227B N633US, has been towed to the scrapping area and is awaiting the blade.

Northwest Airlines used to have the largest fleet representation here at MZJ, with DC-9, DC-10, 757, and 747s in storage, bearing the two primary paint schemes seen on the last planes: the red/gray, as well as the silver "NWA" scheme. 633US showed up in 2007, and was among a good few 747s and DC-10s stored here from the airline. The DC-10s have since been scrapped, and 633US represents the last 747 of theirs here. Now, Delta has replaced NWA as the major representative of aircraft fleet numbers here.
 
I've dropped quite a few military jumpers at Pinal. Always fun to be over the top at 13k, zoom down at 5500fpm, and not touch the power till I'm turning off the runway.
There was one day when I was dropping jumpers at pinal when a NWA A320 was being chopped up, and I witnessed the first crunch as I taxiied out for takeoff, and each subsequent load I taxiied out with there was less and less of the a320. I was amazed at how fast it was completely destroyed and carried out on trucks as scrap. From whole plane to future beer cans in about 90 minutes if I recall right.


I've never had any problems walking about snapping pics and video with my phone.
 
Maximillian_Jenius said:
@MikeD... how could you, with the 757 pictures!?
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I know, I know. I'm just trying to preserve history via photo. Right now, Delta is the main storage, and scrapping, customer here.

The remaining 747s are being parted out quick, and awaiting to be towed to the final scrapping area, including the TWA 747-100 pictured on page 1. Very sad. Additionally, the last two 727s stored here........Mexico companies but with US registrations......just got moved across the runway to the scrap area. I'll have to grab pics of them too before they disappear.

On a related note, I was at KPHX the other day returning from a trip. Waiting for the tram to take me to East Economy lot, I got to watch an IFL Group 727 depart from RW 7R. Loud as heck turbojets! Love it!
 
MikeD said:
On a related note, I was at KPHX the other day returning from a trip. Waiting for the tram to take me to East Economy lot, I got to watch an IFL Group 727 depart from RW 7R. Loud as heck turbojets! Love it!
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Very true. Obviously Stage III hush kits don't work. Lol.
 
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Cptnchia said:
Those are the old 5500 series 757s that came from NWA. They were some of the first to go. And yes, I've flown one of those, at least!
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There were 3 DAL 767s starting to be scrapped too, but I go away for work for a week, come back, and they're gone. I think they were -200s.

Were the NWA 757s older?
 
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