WingOffLight

To you ATI’ers:

Someone swore you operated the DC8 in Afghanistan. That Bravo Sierra or true? Thought you guys just did the 767 doing inner country & OBBI. Pure curiosity is all as I know they were without APU. I personally thought they were gone before that. Id like to see an 8 hit by a manpad as it would just be a CDL entry.


You gents have been absent for DoD/DoS bids. Walmart has MIA generic white in stock at all times! That class 1 exemption may be a tough item though.

b707guy

It's true. Just occasional ad hoc and charter work. Nothing daily or regularly scheduled as with the DHL BAH operation.


No APU just meant checking the air cart output (with the crossfeed closed and a start valve open for a -70 series, particularly...) before shutting down #2. Only two times I've had to leave an engine running, and neither was in any place that ended in "stan".

EMD1594

It’s true. ATI also did a N. Korean flight during the 90’s for the state department among other garden spots like that prior to the sale to ATSG.

ATACCIATI

The DC8 freighter was retired at the time the 767 was deployed to OBBI. Remember that was at a time of historically high fuel prices. It wasnt a viable option for the state of the industry.

Bids?
Not needed when AC utilization is extremely high already. Exemptions are simply time and paperwork to obtain.

b707guy

"Classic" pre-Boeing ATI always had more jets and more crews than needed for/by the bread'n'butter flying, and that's because we did/relied on true short notice short term ad hoc business. The sales department phone rang, and the answer was "Yes, we can carry that/go there/launch in an hour (ok, maybe 1.5 hours...), sure". Those days are gone, under current corporate models. A 75F can't do much, and even if it could, none of our meager fleet of 4 jets can do any worthwhile ad hoc in the short CVG weekend sit for DHL. And since those jets are quite obviously "branded", who'd want that carrying their "general" stuff? The only argument in my book going for a having a few white tubes with a bumper sticker on the side...


I can't really agree with the concept of "high utilization" of our 767s. They still sit a lot, on an hours per day basis. But, the problem is, they are in use every day with our long term and our "not-so-long term air quote ad hoc" customers, so traditional ad hoc still has only a snowball's chance (read: pretty much zero...) of being a thing for us again any time soon. It just ain't in the cards for us any more, without some significant shift in corporate support, because it just ain't a "sure enough thing" to justify the more jets and the more crews potentially sitting around to cover a potential unknown (even though it's really out there).

Jurassic Jet

Plus it would be awkward with all the suitcases with Amazon Flight Crew bag tags.

b707guy

I wouldn't know.

gumpscheck

Welcome to JH world. He never really understood the adhoc world and how to make a profit. He still believes his own lies about making more money leasing airplanes than flying them.

motorclutch

In all fairness to JH......he believes his sales staff, idiots that they are!
His board of directors are choice as well. Brings to mind the ex Airforce General,now fired.....recalled to active duty and court martialled. Who recommended this tool to the board?