Air Universal AP-BIC - Test Flight Today

cheetah · Post by **cheetah** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 9:41 am

Air Universal ex-ANA B742 registered in Pakistan as AP-BIC has been parked in Karachi for almost a year.

The aircraft is being test flown today by PIA for use in the ongoing Hajj operation.

hasan saleem · Post by **hasan saleem** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 6:30 pm

Test Flight was aborted today.

AP-BGL · Post by **AP-BGL** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 6:44 pm

hasan saleem wrote:Test Flight was aborted today.

For what reason?

Abbas Ali · Post by **Abbas Ali** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 6:55 pm

AP-BIC photographed in July 2006 by forum member Mohsin Habib at Karachi Airport, AP-BAZ of PIA also visible in the background.

Copyright Mohsin Habib

raihans · Post by **raihans** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 8:42 pm

Can someone shed some light on such Test flights that what type of observations have to be made during the test flight?

cheetah · Post by **cheetah** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 8:34 am

Test Flight was aborted yesterday.

Is being conducted again today.

AP-BIC has been leased for a period of 4 months as back up for Hajj and Umra.

For a test flight the aircraft is taken to 10,000 feet and its systems are tested. A few steep turns and the flight is over in about 30 minutes.

raihans · Post by **raihans** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 8:45 am

Thank you cheetah for the information. Looking forward for the test flight results!

Amaad Lone · Post by **Amaad Lone** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 8:53 am

Why did Air Universal leave the aircraft in Pakistan for an entire year?

It could have been flying else where earning money for the airline, seems like a waste to keep an airworthy 747 grounded for such a long time.

AN · Post by AN » Fri Dec 15, 2006 10:08 pm

hah, probably because nobody else wants to lease these old machines, and they are so sure PIA Will again. The sheer cost of moving them, and then storing them would probably be greater than the cost of leaving them at KHI, and using them the following season, as it seems they have done.

zerbaer · Post by **zerbaer** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 2:44 am

AN, So who paid the parking charges on BIC for the whole year. And who provided maintenance & at what costs to make it fly? PK have been an complete failure in keeping their own B742/3s airworthy, but are able to do it for some one else's much older junk!!!!

cheetah · Post by **cheetah** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 4:58 am

zerbaer wrote:AN, So who paid the parking charges on BIC for the whole year. And who provided maintenance & at what costs to make it fly? PK have been an complete failure in keeping their own B742/3s airworthy, but are able to do it for some one else's much older junk!!!!

Air Universal ran into some trouble when it lost its Sierra Leone AOC. Their effort to acquire a Cyprus AOC also failed. As 4 of their 5 747s stayed on ground at various places around the world. At this point one aircraft (JY-AUA) is on dry lease to Iran air and in full Iran air Livery. Currently AU is in the process of acquireing a Greek AOC, under the name of Hallenic Imperial Airways. Two aircaft have already been registered in greece.

As for AP-BIC, its C check was conducted by PIA however its dues were not paid as of yet. AU and PIA have struck a deal now thru which PK can recover its dues by using BIC.

According to the Test Pilot, the aircraft is in immaculate condition, better than the existing PIA 747 fleet.
As the aircraftgets older, in accordance with its maintenance a certain correction is added to it, say in fuel consumption. This correction is gauged from 0 to 5. For an aircraft on level 3 more fuel is carried accordingly, than what it specifies in the manuals. Most of PIA's fleet exclusive of the T7 ranges from 2 to 3 on this scale.

AP-BIC is a refreshing ZERO.

CoyBoy · Post by **CoyBoy** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 2:38 pm

This evening a 747-200 was parked at KHI in place of the Air Universal aircraft, it had Iran Air style tail with the top quarter part in dark blue the rest of the aircraft was in white with no logo or titles, in the morning this same aircraft was parked inside the hangar.

Also saw a beautiful Air Blue A321 landing at dusk over some colony from city/jauhar side, approach resembled Kai Tak airport in Hong Kong it was so close.

CoyBoy · Post by **CoyBoy** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 1:39 pm

I think Air Universal 747 operated a hajj flight this evening I saw it flying out of defence.

F.K · Post by **F.K** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 1:09 pm

i ve been told that pia has dry leased this aircraft for the whole year of 2007 and is being operated wholly by pia crew. even the livery has been changed . this brings the total 747 fleet to a grand nine just when people were talking about phasing out these classics

Moin · Post by **Moin** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 2:47 am

Hey FK how about it?? Mention classic 747's or AB4's and you're here