Aloha ‘Oe N799AL

It seems that the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation - Airports has had N799AL scrapped. The DC-8-62CF, that was the centerpiece of the former Naval Air Museum at Barbers Point, was last seen in late-July in the Kalaeloa Soundstages with the engines removed. Today, it's nowhere to be seen around JRF.

The above photo was N799AL's last known whereabouts this past February.

On a related note, the airport-side exterior of the soundstage has been cleared of the build-ups used for "Magnum P.I.".

N799AL Relocated

N799AL (c/n 45922, l/n 335), the former Air Transport International DC-8-62CF that was owned by the Naval Air Museum at Barbers Point, was moved from the main RON ramp to the Kalaeloa Soundstages across Midway Street. It appears that the production company for "NCIS Hawai‘i" is now using some of the soundstages, since "Magnum P.I." ended production. It looks like N799AL will be used in episodes of "NCIS Hawai‘i".

N799AL was de-registered by Cargo Aircraft Management in 2018. It was registered to the museum, but that has ended with its closure.

Video clip of N799AL being towed to the soundstages.

Air Transport International's N71CX

Our September edition of "HNL RareBirds Classic" goes back to November 2004, with Air Transport International's DC-8-62H-CF, N71CX (c/n 45961, l/n 361), seen above on Taxiway RT. The ATI DC-8-62H-CFs were the backbone of their military charter service to AWK [Wake Island Airfield, WQ] and SUU [Travis AFB, Fairfield , CA] up until 2013, when 757-200Cs took over.

45961 was originally delivered to Alitalia Cargo System in June 1968 as I-DIWQ "Ciclope", it was also painted in the 1970s livery, and flew with them until June 1981. Sea & Sun Aviation purchased this DC-8 for Flying Tiger Line as N3931A. In 1986, it also flew for Air Cargo Spain. In June 1987, IAC Leasing Corporation purchased N3931A, and leased it to Hawaiian Airlines. Three months later, it was sold to First Security Bank of Utah, lease transferred, until February 1993. Hawaiian had the interior configured for 204 passengers. Later that October, it was sold to Trans American Express, and leased to Advance Air Charters as C-FHAA "The Spirit of Calgary". In November 1995, this DC-8 was acquired by Kalitta American International Airways, and re-registered as N818CK three months later. In February 1999, it was transferred to their Kitty Hawk International subsidiary for 15 months. ATI purchased this DC-8 in March 2003, registered as N71CX, and configured the interior to a combi (with 32 seats in the aft section).  In December 2009, it was sold to Cargo Aircraft Management (ATI's parent company), and leased back. It flew with ATI until January 2013. Sadly, N71CX was scrapped at MHV in April 2014.

N728A

Our February edition of "HNL RareBirds Classic" goes back to July 1998, and Saudi Aramco's DC-8-72, N728A (c/n 46081, l/n 471), when it made a stop at HNL.

46081 was originally delivered to United Airlines in August 1969 as N8971U (f/n 2271). It was also painted in the "Friendship" livery in the mid-1970s. In May 1981, it was sold to Cammacorp, and was converted to a -72 with the JT3D-3Bs replaced with CFM56-2C5s. In July 1982, it was sold to Saudi Aramco as N728A, and had the cabin re-configured to a VIP layout. In 2000, N728A received the current Aramco livery. It was bought by AeroTurbine in January 2005. Sadly, this DC-8-72 was scrapped at OPF [Opa Locka, FL] several months later.

Skybus Air Cargo's OB-2059-P

A DC-8-73F of Skybus Air Cargo sits at the stands on a rainy Christmas day. OB-2059-P (N807DH) (s/n 45990 l/n 375) has logged flights from Miami-Dallas-Anchorage-Incheon before sneaking into Honolulu as HVY212.

45990 was delivered as a DC-8-63CF for Flying Tigers Line in July 1968 as N780FT. In June 1977, it was acquired by Cargolux as TF-CCV. It was leased to Air-India from April to November 1983, and Evergreen International Airlines in January 1984. Five months later, Evergreen bought this DC-8 as N816EV. In January 1985, it was converted to a -73CF,  as the JT3Ds were replaced with CFM56s. It was leased to Air-India from July 1985 to April 1986, and January to November 1988. It was also leased to TNT Express from July 1992 to March 1994. UPS leased it from April to August 1996. DHL Airways bought this DC-8 in March 1995, and remained leased to UPS as N816UP. In September 1996, it was registered as N806DH. It was operated by Astar Air Cargo and Skybus Jet Cargo.

Air Marshall Islands' N799AL

Our June edition of "HNL Rarebirds Classic" goes to back 1994, and Air Marshall Islands' DC-8-62CF, N799AL (c/n 45922, l/n 335), as it rested between segments on HNL's South Ramp.

45922 was originally delivered to SAS Scandinavian Airlines in February 1968 as OY-KTE "Skjold Viking". During its time with SAS, it leased to a number of airlines (with the same registry): Scanair "Turid Viking" [DK/VKG] (October 1979 - January 1983); Arista International Airlines (AIA) "Maro" [RY/---] (January 1983 - November 1983); Northeastern International Airways [--/---] (December 1983 - September 1984); and Thai Airways International [TG/THA] (October 1984), and was re-registered as HS-TGQ. The Royal Thai Air Force was the next owner as it was registered as 60-112, in September 1985. International Air Leases (IAL) acquired 45922 in 1989 registered it as N799AL, and leased it to Arrow Air [JW/APW] in September, then to Hawaiian Air in December. In September 1991, Air Marshall Islands [CW/MRS] was the next lessee, with crews from Hawaiian (September 1991 - August 1992) and Arrow until October 1996. Zantop International Airlines [--/ZAN] was the next lessee from October 1996 - August 1997. ATI was the next and last lessee from July 1998, until May 2013. Cargo Air Management, ATI's parent company, was the last owner of N799AL.

Renown Seattle-based Aviation Photographer Joe Walker sent this above photo of 60-112 when it visited SEA in 1986.

N799AL is currently a museum piece at the Naval Air Museum at Barbers Point. While with ATI, this DC-8 flew the Wake Island -  Hickam AFB - Travis AFB run for many years until ATI replaced with 757-200Cs.

DHL's N802DH

Our May edition of "HNL RareBirds Classic" goes back to January 1995, and this DHL Worldwide Express DC-8-73F, N802DH (c/n 46076, l/n 451), seen above on the North Ramp.

46076 was delivered to Air Canada in April 1969 as CF-TIO. In October 1984, it was converted to a DC-8-73F, and registered as C-FTIO. In December 1993, it was sold to MetLife Capital Corporation, and leased to DHL Worldwide Express as N802DH. In August 1998, it was sold to GECC, and the lease was transferred. DHL bought this DC-8 in May 2001. ASTAR Cargo acquired N802DH in June 2003, and operated it for DHL, until August 2011, when it was stored at IGM [Kingman, AZ]. In December 2017, it was bought by Skybus Jet cargo, but remains in storage.

VR-BLG

Our July edition of "HNL RareBirds Classic" goes back to May 1995, and this Douglas DC-8-62H, VR-BLG "Gypsy Queen" (c/n 46071, l/n 469), seen above taxing on Taxiway C. At the time, it was owned by Sunningdale Investments, and had a VIP interior.

46071 was originally delivered to United Airlines in July 1969 as N8970U "Mainliner Hilo Hattie". In the mid-1970s, it was painted in the livery designed by Saul Bass. In June 1984, it was leased to Arrow Air, and two months later sold to IAL, and leased back to United. In January 1985, N8970U was leased to Hawaiian Airlines. The airline bought the DC-8 in February 1986, then sold it to CIS Air Corporation, who leased it back to Hawaiian, a month later. It was sold to ICC and leased back in December 1986, then to Aerospace Finance LLC in April 1991. After it was returned to the lessor, this DC-8 had its cabin converted to a VIP layout, and in May 1991, leased to Australian Consolidated Press. It was operated by Santa Fe Aviation, and re-registered as VR-BMR in October 1991. Nine months later, it was acquired by Sunningdale Investments. In June 1997, it had Stage 3 Hush-Kits installed on its four Pratt & Whitney JT3D-7 engines, and re-registered as VP-BLG. In September 2001, it was sold to Cari Aviation Leasing Ltd, and leased to Jetline as P4-DCE "Samia". In October 2006, it was sold to the Republic of Togo as 5V-TGF, and continued as a VIP transport until October 2009, where it was placed into storage at Miami, FL. The fate of this DC-8-62H is unknown.

Samaritan's Purse N782SP To Assist Kaua‘i Flood Victims

Samaritan's Purse will be flying in disaster relief supplies for those affected by the torrential rains and flooding in the northern end of Kaua‘i. Their DC-8-72CF, N782SP (c/n 46013, l/n 427) will fly from GSO [Piedmont Triad International Airport, Greensboro, NC] to LIH [Līhu‘e, Kaua‘i] as NSP8. They will bring in relief supplies and personnel to assist with cleanup efforts in Hanalei, and surrounding areas.

Further information in this Samaritan's Purse webpage.

N782SP was here at HNL in December 2017 on a stopover.

Samaritan's Purse N782SP

Samaritan's Purse DC-8-72CF, N782SP (c/n 46013, l/n 427), has made a stop at HNL this morning, as it arrived from Shah Amanat International Airport, Chittagong, Bangladesh [CGP] as NSP8. The Christian charity flew from Greensboro, NC [GSO] to CGP (via Shannon, Ireland [SNN]), to fly in relief supplies to Bangladesh to aid Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. N782SP is now on its way back to GSO.

46013 was originally built as a DC-8-62CF, delivered to Finnair in January 1969 as OH-LFR "Paavo Nurmi"; and re-registered as OH-LFT, three months later. In November 1981, it was acquired by the Armée de l'Air (French Air Force) as F-RAFG, and was modified to a DC-8-72CF in June 1982. In June 2005, it was acquired by Cargo Aircraft Management, and leased to its Air Transport International (ATI) subsidiary as N721CX. In March 2015, Samaritan's Purse bought this DC-8-72, and registered as N782SP.

Air Transport International's N799AL

Our February edition of "HNL RareBirds Classic" goes back to April 2005, with Air Transport International's DC-8-62, N799AL (c/n 45922, l/n 335), departing HNL's Runway 8R.

N799AL was retired by ATI in May 2013. It is now one of the main attractions at the Naval Air Museum at Barbers Point, as ATI donated the DC-8-62CF to the museum.

ATI's N820BX

Our December edition of "HNL RareBirds Classic" goes back to March 2005, with Air Transport International's DC-8-71, N820BX (c/n 46065, l/n 460), seen above on Taxiway RT.

46065 was originally delivered to United Airlines as a DC-8-61, in June 1969 as N8098U. In November 1983, the JT3D-3B power plants were replaced with CFM56-2C1s, and upgraded to a DC-8-71. It remained with United until the early 90s. In January 1993, ATI acquired this airframe, and converted it into a freighter, as N820BX. ATI operated it for Burlington Air Express (BAX) and BAX Global. This DC-8 is currently owned by ATI's parent company Cargo Air Management (CAM), and continues to fly for ATI.

Murray Air's N865F

Our October edition of "HNL RareBirds Classic" features Murray Air's DC-8-63AF, N865F (c/n 46088, l/n 464), that was photographed on HNL's South Ramp in December 2004. For a few months in late 2004, N865F performed cargo runs around the South Pacific and Micronesia.

N865F was originally delivered to Overseas National Airways (ONA), as a DC-8-63CF in May 1969, and named "Superb". It remained in the ONA fleet until the airline's closure in October 1978, and into the second version of ONA, which later became National Airlines. During its time with ONA, N865F was leased to Austrian Airtransport as OE-IBO, Seaboard World Airlines (and sub-leased to Cargolux International), Air-India Cargo, Nigeria Airways, Saudia, and Flying Tiger Line. In July 1984, it went to Emery Worldwide Airlines, where it was converted to a DC-8-63AF. In September 2000, it went to Murray Air, and continued on as Murray Air became National Airlines. In 2012, N865F was donated to the Yankee Air Museum in Ypsilanti, MI, where it sits on display.

N865F was most recently here two years ago this month.

N799AL Hand Over Ceremony

Air Transport International participated in a hand-over ceremony, in which their former N799AL, was formally handed over to the Naval Air Museum at Barbers Point. The Kalaeloa Airport-based museum hosted the event which was attended by Hawai‘i Governor Neil Abercrombie, Pat Rodgers (relative of John Rodgers, whom the airport's field is named after), ATI's Lance Houser, and a few dozen invited guests.

Photos and more information to follow ...

N807DH

Nearly half a century old, this DC-8-73CF if still going strong. N807DH (c/n 45990, l/n 375) arrived from Victorville, CA this afternoon. This DC-8-73CF is one of two recently acquired by Skybus Jet Cargo, a new start-up cargo carrier based out of Las Vegas, Nevada.

45990 was originally delivered as a DC-8-63CF (powered by 4 Pratt and Whitney JT3D-7s) , to Flying Tiger Line in July '68, as N780FT. In June '77, it then was acquired by Cargolux Airlines International and re-registered as TF-CCV. In April, '83, it was leased to Air India and was returned in November of the same year. Evergreen International was the next carrier to lease 45990 in January '84 and was bought by Evergreen International in July of the same year. The following January, Evergreen International had it's registration changed from TF-CCV to N816EV, and was modified to become a DC-8-73CF (powered by 4 CFM56-2C1s). Air India leased 45990 again in July '85 - May '86 and January - November '88. It was then leased from Evergreen to TNT Airways in July '92 - March '94. UPS then leased it in April '94 and three months later it became N816UP. Sometime during the lease with UPS, 45990 was purchased by DHL Worldwide Express and became N807DH in June '96. In June '03, 45990 went to Astar Air Cargo and operated on the behalf of DHL Worldwide Express until their contract was terminated in June '12. It was sent to Kingman, Arizona for storage soon after. In January '13, it was bought by Aerotradex and sold to Transpacific Heavylift Inc. three months later. The connection between Transpacific Heavylift and Skybus Jet Cargo is unclear at the time of this posting.

N799AL's New Home

N799AL's new home is now at the Naval Air Museum Barbers Point on the west end of JRF. Presently, it's parked near the row of former US Navy jets. It will be a "living display", as the the DC-8-62CF is still airworthy, and the museum will work to keep it so.

The Hawaii DC-8 Display has their own Facebook page.

HNL RareBirds extends a big mahalo to the Naval Air Museum Barbers Point for the opportunity to photograph N799AL.

more photos to follow ...

ATI's N799AL

Air Transport International (ATI) [8C/ATN] is donating one of their DC-8s to the Naval Air Museum Barbers Point. N799AL (c/n 45922, l/n 335), a DC-8-62CF, made its final flight from HIK to JRF as ATN799. It's seen above after arriving at JRF.

A screenshot of the FlightAware routing of ATN799.

45922 was originally delivered to SAS Scandinavian Airlines in February 1968 as OY-KTE "Skjold Viking". During its time with SAS, it leased to a number of airlines (with the same registry): Scanair "Turid Viking" [DK/VKG] (October 1979 - January 1983); Arista International Airlines (AIA) "Maro" [RY/---] (January 1983 - November 1983); Northeastern International Airways [--/---] (December 1983 - September 1984); and Thai Airways International [TG/THA] (October 1984), and was re-registered as HS-TGQ. The Royal Thai Air Force was the next owner as it was registered as 60-112, in September 1985. International Air Leases (IAL) acquired 45922 in 1989 registered it as N799AL, and leased it to Arrow Air [JW/APW] in September, then to Hawaiian Air in December. In September 1991, Air Marshall Islands [CW/MRS] was the next lessee, with crews from Hawaiian (September 1991 - August 1992) and Arrow until October 1996. Zantop International Airlines [--/ZAN] was the next lessee from October 1996 - August 1997. ATI was the next and last lessee from July 1998, until today's final flight. Cargo Air Management was the last owner of N799AL.

Mahalo to blog fan Hiroshi for the photos!

National Air Cargo's N865F

Seen above is one of National Air Cargo's N865F (c/n 46088, l/n 464). This DC-8-63CF departed this afternoon for YIP (Willow Run, MI) as NCR865, after spending a few days at the Ewa hard-stands. It arrived on the 15th from SEA, but the flight originated from YIP, and made a stop at MCI.

N865F had its beginnings with Overseas National Airways [ONA] (OV), when it received the "Super Sixty" in May 1969. During its time with ONA, it was leased out to a variety of cargo airlines around the globe. Wells Fargo Bank acquired N865F in February 1982, and leased it back to ONA. When ONA went out of business, it was leased to various cargo firms. Emery Worldwide held the longest lease from May 1984 to January 2001. It was then leased to Murray Air in January 2001. Murray Air changed its name to National Air Cargo Group (dba National Airlines), and it acquired N865F in December 2008. As seen above, N865F is wearing partial National colors.

MGM Grand Air's N803MG

The August edition of "HNL RareBirds Classic" goes back to June 1994, when the MGM Grand Air DC-8-62H, N803MG (c/n 45910, l/n 311) paid a visit to HNL. It's seen above on Taxiway C, heading out to Runway 8R.

45910 was originally delivered to Alitalia as I-DIWV in November 1967. It was then acquired by Pacific East Air as N39307 in the early 80s. MGM Grand Air then acquired it, and registered is as N803MG. Trans Continental Airlines then acquired 45910, and converted it to a freighter, and re-registered it as N818SK. It then went to Kuwait Airways as 9G-REM. Sadly, this DC-8 and crew were lost in a crash in October 1999 at KIH (Kinshasa, Zaire).

NASA's N817NA

NASA's DC-8-72 N817NA (c/n 46082) is en route to HNL as NASA817.