RNZAF 757 Lands at Woodbourne

[xr6turbo1]

Boeing 757 NZ 7571 landed at Woodbourne for the first time today.
It did 4 approach and overshoots yesterday and today I was in the tower watching it as it touched down, came to a full stop and taxi to the ramp.
It took off an hour or so later bound for Ohakea and came back with a part load and did the same.
Was a great site and I have some nice photos and once the magazine editors I know have picked what they want I will post some.

[Dave Homewood]

Wow, I never imagined that would be possible. I'm looking forward to the piccies. Thanks for letting us know.

[xr6turbo1]

It made it look pretty easy, the aircraft was empty but could have stopped beofre the taxi way if he had wanted to.
Will post some photos as soon as I can

[Dave Homewood]

There's an article on the NZDF site here
www.nzdf.mil.nz/news/media-releases/20060823-757diow.htm

Have they changed the spelling of Woodbourne again? Or just smegged it up?

[Dave Homewood]

Are the "rear air stairs" that the article mentions that are planned for the Boeings going to be in the style of the 727 fold down stairs? They were a great idea I thought.

[Bruce]

It would be unlikely that the rear airstairs on a 757 would be like the 727. the stairs on the trijet actually acted as a tailstand in case the balance got upset during loading. with all the engines at the rear having a 727 taildragger was a real possibility. To incorporate that style of airstair meant some serious juglling of the position of the rear pressure bulkhead, and some substantial beefing up of the general structure there as the skin is load bearing, and part of a pressure vessel, and the ventral door opening by nature tends to be quite large and long.On the 727 this wasnt as much of an issue as the engine pylon structures were in this area and added additional rigity, but of course a 757 doesnt have these.
I would expect 757 airstairs to be like the Boeing 737 stairs that fold out from a compartment immediately below the door (I was amazed the first time I saw a 737 do that, at Hamilton before the airbridge was installed - pure genius in engineering).

[Dave Homewood]

I never knew 737's had that. I've only ever seen them use portable stairs or the snorkel air bridge.

You're right about the structure but then they are already going to be messing with the skin structure when they add the new cargo doors. But I reckon you're right. It would be excessively expensive.

As an aside, what's the name of that cargo door on the 727 again? They named it after a hijacker who popped one and parachuted out after they had flown him over his desired destination. Does anyone know? I was told the name when i was temorarily working on a 727 putting the VIP kit in for Geoffrey Palmer to take overseas.

[Bruce]

with the air of a google search, D B Cooper was the name of the hiJacker who jumped from a 727. subsequently a fitting called the "Cooper Vane" was fitted to prevent the door opening in flight (although it has been done several times in the movies since then - Mission impossible 3 is a recent example)

found a few photos of 737 airstairs:
(From airliners.net)

[phil]

The guy was Dan Cooper, he jumped off the rear stairs, after extorting rather a lot of cash from the airline, and was never found.

Apparently they named the interlock device after him, that was fitted from then on to prevent the doors opening in flight.