Flowers & Computers: TAMPA Colombia DC-8 to USA and back
Apr 5, 2024 18:01:53 GMT
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Post by joscyriacv2 on Apr 5, 2024 18:01:53 GMT
TAMPA Colombia HK-3490X has one of the most unremarkable liveries I have flown on FS.
Yes I know that's not the right way to start a trip report but I really had to say it. TAMPA was one of the numerous cargo airlines of the 70s which bought surplus DC-8s and B707s to get the dirty cargo business done. Like many cargo airlines of the time, which had aging aircraft with white fuselages and only the airline name in black paint, based out of the Corrosion Corner at Miami Int'l, Tampa too operated seven DC-8s.
We will be operating what would have been a typical rotation of a Tampa Colombia crew in the year 1990. We will be operating the Tampa Colombia DC-8-63F registration HK-3490X. This aircraft was originally delivered to SAS in a pax configuration and converted to cargo later on. This aircraft was powered by JT3D-7 engines but due to some confusion, I downloaded the DC-8-63F w/ JT3D-3B engines which was a single airframe combination. Nevertheless, flight planning was done using simbrief.
Leg 1: Medellin Jose Maria Cordova Airport (MDE/SKRG) --> Miami Int'l (MIA/KMIA)
Our cargo for this leg will be flowers, which is a major Colombian export of which USA is the largest importer. I performed some calculations on my own and estimated the density of packed flowers to be 83kgs per cubic meter. A DC-8-63 has a freight capacity of 295 m3 including main deck and lower hold. Assuming we use 100pc of capacity, it comes up to about 24,485 kgs. I distributed this evenly to keep CG within limits. A reduced thrust takeoff was performed. The runway at SKRG is at 7035 ft above sea level. We took almost 8000ft to get in the air.
Manually climbing out on the SID
Over northern Colombia
Approaching Cuba
Approaching Miami Beach
On final approach. Although I don't have pictures to prove it, the autopilot spent some time hunting the localizer so I disconnected AP and flew the approach manually. The METAR at the time of the approach said winds 210 at 13kts gusting to 25 which necessitated a substantial crab which was a bit challenging and also satisfying once the wheels were firm on the runway.
Once we landed, taxied and parked at Cargo City and began unloading the flowers which will brighten the lives of many today.
Leg 2: Miami Int'l (MIA/KMIA) --> Eldorado Int'l, Bogota, Colombia (BOG/SKBO)
The return leg will have us flying IBM XT Personal computers to Bogota. The Colombian Government has ordered many of these machines and Tampa Cargo is the airline which has to fly them. These PCs are built at Boca Raton, Florida and trucked over to Miami Int'l where they're loaded to our DC-8.
Estimating a computer package size of 60x60x50cm, these units occupy a volume of 0.18 cubic metre each. Our DC-8 has a main deck capacity of 224.3 m3. Assuming a broken stowage of 15 percent, we have a usable volume of 190.6 m3. This gives 1058.9 units which we can round off to 1050 computers. Each package has a weight of 17kgs which means our payload weighs 17850 kg. We evenly distribute this to all the 14 pallets. Payload weighs below the max structural payload so we're good to go.
Rolling
Dirty smoky climbout on the SID
Over Cuba
Mountains in the distance - Colombia
About 280nm from destination, my FS decided to crash after i kept it paused for quite some time. This was quite disappointing, but hey that landing at Miami was pretty good so yeah I feel okay about the whole thing. So long and thanks for the read.
Cyriac
Yes I know that's not the right way to start a trip report but I really had to say it. TAMPA was one of the numerous cargo airlines of the 70s which bought surplus DC-8s and B707s to get the dirty cargo business done. Like many cargo airlines of the time, which had aging aircraft with white fuselages and only the airline name in black paint, based out of the Corrosion Corner at Miami Int'l, Tampa too operated seven DC-8s.
We will be operating what would have been a typical rotation of a Tampa Colombia crew in the year 1990. We will be operating the Tampa Colombia DC-8-63F registration HK-3490X. This aircraft was originally delivered to SAS in a pax configuration and converted to cargo later on. This aircraft was powered by JT3D-7 engines but due to some confusion, I downloaded the DC-8-63F w/ JT3D-3B engines which was a single airframe combination. Nevertheless, flight planning was done using simbrief.
Leg 1: Medellin Jose Maria Cordova Airport (MDE/SKRG) --> Miami Int'l (MIA/KMIA)
Our cargo for this leg will be flowers, which is a major Colombian export of which USA is the largest importer. I performed some calculations on my own and estimated the density of packed flowers to be 83kgs per cubic meter. A DC-8-63 has a freight capacity of 295 m3 including main deck and lower hold. Assuming we use 100pc of capacity, it comes up to about 24,485 kgs. I distributed this evenly to keep CG within limits. A reduced thrust takeoff was performed. The runway at SKRG is at 7035 ft above sea level. We took almost 8000ft to get in the air.
Manually climbing out on the SID
Over northern ColombiaApproaching Cuba
Approaching Miami BeachOn final approach. Although I don't have pictures to prove it, the autopilot spent some time hunting the localizer so I disconnected AP and flew the approach manually. The METAR at the time of the approach said winds 210 at 13kts gusting to 25 which necessitated a substantial crab which was a bit challenging and also satisfying once the wheels were firm on the runway.
Once we landed, taxied and parked at Cargo City and began unloading the flowers which will brighten the lives of many today.
Leg 2: Miami Int'l (MIA/KMIA) --> Eldorado Int'l, Bogota, Colombia (BOG/SKBO)
The return leg will have us flying IBM XT Personal computers to Bogota. The Colombian Government has ordered many of these machines and Tampa Cargo is the airline which has to fly them. These PCs are built at Boca Raton, Florida and trucked over to Miami Int'l where they're loaded to our DC-8.
Estimating a computer package size of 60x60x50cm, these units occupy a volume of 0.18 cubic metre each. Our DC-8 has a main deck capacity of 224.3 m3. Assuming a broken stowage of 15 percent, we have a usable volume of 190.6 m3. This gives 1058.9 units which we can round off to 1050 computers. Each package has a weight of 17kgs which means our payload weighs 17850 kg. We evenly distribute this to all the 14 pallets. Payload weighs below the max structural payload so we're good to go.
Rolling
Dirty smoky climbout on the SID
Over Cuba
Mountains in the distance - Colombia
About 280nm from destination, my FS decided to crash after i kept it paused for quite some time. This was quite disappointing, but hey that landing at Miami was pretty good so yeah I feel okay about the whole thing. So long and thanks for the read.
Cyriac
.... my home away from home/2nd home of the past 24 years 
....