Originally Posted by
JohnBurke
And then put them in storage at Marana. I flew them out when they were purchased and put back into service with a different carrier.
Only two of them were in passenger configuration; the others were freighters. The two in passenger configuration had ended their service lives as troop transports, and when I picked up the airplanes from storage, troops had written notes to the company and the flight attendants on the seat backs and on all the pull down window shades. The airplane was autographed throughout by troops on their way home. Kind of neat.
I was given the flight manual to take home as a sort of souvineer, and I grabbed a pax briefing card and a blanket from the overhead bin, because it was all getting tossed. Schmaltzy stuff, but little momentos along the way.
I was fortunate enough to be able to be a traveling mechanic on a couple of CRAF flights on those aircraft. There is nothing like being on a 747 full of troops and each one carrying a weapon. I'll never forget when the commander took over the PA and informed all aboard how they were to treat the flight crew (including me).
I took a lot of (extra) pride readying those aircraft during those runs!