A 747 and the PIA graveyard at Karachi Airport (7th Jan 2024)

[arshad.altaf]

I noticed this 747 parked near one of the gates of the domestic terminal. The jetway was not completely connected; one could also see the stairs. Allah ko maalom, what was this plane doing there?

The other pictures are of old or some relatively old PIA planes.

Regards,
Arshad


https://ibb.co/gWkrNkp


https://ibb.co/SKT0jVP


https://ibb.co/GPvPSmD


https://ibb.co/B6pB94C


https://ibb.co/BCzwDCM

[Karachi Aviator]

That's aerostan's boeing 747, a regular visitor at KHI nowadays for cargo operations:

Via: @Shah Anwar

[contrails]

That's aerostan's boeing 747, a regular visitor at KHI nowadays for cargo operations:

Via: @Shah Anwar

Call sign 'bigshot' if I am not wrong.

[Abbas Ali]

Very nice photos from Karachi Airport - Thank you Arshad for sharing.

Abbas

[Ronald_Arif]

Do airline pilots based in Pakistan , get quarterly simulator re-training as some international airlines do? This re-training every 3-months provides pilots with additional training where they were lacking or updating their experience. Also, for pilots they need to constantly learn from others accidents and mistakes like with FAA/NTSB issue memorandums from time to time and new information adds to pilots flying and safety experience.

[Ronald_Arif]

I noticed this 747 parked near one of the gates of the domestic terminal. The jetway was not completely connected; one could also see the stairs. Allah ko maalom, what was this plane doing there?

The other pictures are of old or some relatively old PIA planes.

Regards,
Arshad


https://ibb.co/gWkrNkp


https://ibb.co/SKT0jVP


https://ibb.co/GPvPSmD


https://ibb.co/B6pB94C


https://ibb.co/BCzwDCM

Aircraft parts with sophisticated circuitry generally are most lucrative items for thieves. Counterfeiters usually copy components that are simpler but, when properly made, require expensive alloys. Some examples of fair market and black market prices:

* Flight management computer: Located in cockpit and popular with thieves. Too sophisticated to counterfeit. Costs $150,000-$200,000 new or otherwise certified airworthy. Black market price about $50,000.

* Cone bolt: Two hold engine to wing; failure of one can cause engine to tear loose. Cost about $230-$250 per bolt. Machine shop can turn out substandard version for $30-$40 that does not meet tensile strength, hardness or stress durability requirements.

* 4 1/2-inch spacer bearing: Shields crucial components from searing engine gases in Pratt & Whitney JT8D engine. Costs $500 new. Machine shop can make inferior knockoff for $40.

* Turbine blade: Dozens in jet engine create thrust through air intake and fuel combustion. Cost $1,500 each new. U.S. congressional investigator bought blades at Miami scrap yard for $1.30 apiece.

****

FBI identifies four basic fraud schemes involving bogus aircraft parts:

* Affixing FAA yellow airworthiness tag, which certifies part as having been rebuilt or overhauled, to used part on which no work has been done.

* Making part based on manufacturer specifications but with inferior materials, so it resembles genuine item without meeting flight specifications or having been tested.

* Buying, and then reselling, production overruns from parts makers who supply major aircraft manufacturers. Such parts may be airworthy, but they can be factory rejects.

* Obtaining parts that are fatigued, worn or damaged to point of being unfixable and selling them as refurbished.

[contrails]

Do airline pilots based in Pakistan , get quarterly simulator re-training as some international airlines do? This re-training every 3-months provides pilots with additional training where they were lacking or updating their experience. Also, for pilots they need to constantly learn from others accidents and mistakes like with FAA/NTSB issue memorandums from time to time and new information adds to pilots flying and safety experience.

As far as I know they follow the old practice - 6 monthly simulators are the common practice. Anything thats new and needs to be added to the training is integrated into the training syllabus of these simulators.

I am sure that the "thana culture" in simulator sessions by CAA inspectors that prevailed back in the day still exists. Pakistani pilots would definitely not want to be subjected to that every 3 months.

[arshad.altaf]

@Karachi Aviator; @contrails; @Ronald Arif; and of course Abbas, thank you all for your informative comments.

Here is one more that I missed sharing. The geniuses at CAA or FIA or whatever expect a passenger to read all these notices while she/he is moving toward passport control.


https://ibb.co/6Dqr66d

Regards,
Arshad

[mohsin habib]

I took a flight from Karachi airport on 10th Jan @12PM -- I noted that multiple old 737 aircrafts of Shaheen Air were being toed / moved.. any idea ??

[arshad.altaf]

Here are some photos of the plane graveyard on the right side of the international boarding gates in the early morning mist/fog/smog (whatever it is).

The other one is near the old terminal.

One wonders if these issues are ever raised in the CAA online kacheris.

Regards,
Arshad


https://ibb.co/3kTvC4J


https://ibb.co/7JV6XpJ

[Karachi Aviator]

Ummm... that's an unusual place for these aircraft they are usually parked at the end of the runway near shaheen hangar. Have they been moved to the shaheen graveyard where shaheen's retired 737s are rotting?