MAS 747-300. Why only one?

[Ryan Soh 3]

I am curious as to the decision to buy only ONE B747-300. Why did they do it and what happened to that plane?

[H Azmal 0]

It's flying with Dragonair now IINM. Have always liked that 743 "Kota Kinabalu". Looked extremely pleasant in the old livery...

 

Yeah, I too wonder why only one. But since at that point they only have two 742s as well which they had received only three years previously, I think it may have to do with the airline's ability at the time. In any case, not many 743s were built compared to the other series, yes? I think I distinctively recall only 86 were manufactured.

[KK Lee 5]

I am curious as to the decision to buy only ONE B747-300. Why did they do it and what happened to that plane?

 

A condition given to MH by the British Government at that time for landing rights at LHR was MH to use RR engine. Other condition was not to operate non-stop flight from LHR to KUL.

 

For the country pride not to abide to the agreement, 743 was bought by Petronas and leased to MH. Although RR engine used on 742 had less problem than PW and GE, RR didn’t get the chance to supply to MH until 772.

 

 

[H Azmal 0]

Ooh, politics! I had no idea!

[Nik H. 3]

A condition given to MH by the British Government at that time for landing rights at LHR was MH to use RR engine. Other condition was not to operate non-stop flight from LHR to KUL.

 

For the country pride not to abide to the agreement, 743 was bought by Petronas and leased to MH. Although RR engine used on 742 had less problem than PW and GE, RR didn’t get the chance to supply to MH until 772.

 

 

9M-MHK was a good plane and we used it for charters when i first formed the Department in MAS. Our first encounter with High End Charter was for a big concert movement prior to the fall from grace of the Gloved One....Michael Jackson.

 

The concert was ' Michael Jackson and Friends ' and we carried MJ, Slash of Guns and Roses, Luther Vandross, Vanessa Mei, Liz Taylor, two sopranos whose names i cannot recall and a few more big names including one Mega Diva.

 

We flew them from SEL to Munich via Helsinki in 1999.

 

We were supposed to fly MJ again later that year for the Y2K concert from Sydney to Honolulu but there was a fallout between him and the organiser so that concert was cancelled.

 

The aircraft was a combi that seats 295 pax, and had a side loading cargo door. Although it was an oddball aircraft, it was much loved by the crew. It was eventually sold pretty cheaply after being on LTP for a year.

[Yusoff 1]

ermm.. LTP? What's that? 'Laptop'?

 

Thanks for the memoir, Capt.

 

I thought there was another Combi, 'Kuala Lumpur'? MHL I think.

[Nik H. 3]

ermm.. LTP? What's that? 'Laptop'?

 

Thanks for the memoir, Capt.

 

I thought there was another Combi, 'Kuala Lumpur'? MHL I think.

 

LTP is Long Term Parking. One step above Mothballing.

[Karlm 0]

9M-MHK was a good plane and we used it for charters when i first formed the Department in MAS. Our first encounter with High End Charter was for a big concert movement prior to the fall from grace of the Gloved One....Michael Jackson.

 

The concert was ' Michael Jackson and Friends ' and we carried MJ, Slash of Guns and Roses, Luther Vandross, Vanessa Mei, Liz Taylor, two sopranos whose names i cannot recall and a few more big names including one Mega Diva.

 

We flew them from SEL to Munich via Helsinki in 1999.

 

We were supposed to fly MJ again later that year for the Y2K concert from Sydney to Honolulu but there was a fallout between him and the organiser so that concert was cancelled.

 

The aircraft was a combi that seats 295 pax, and had a side loading cargo door. Although it was an oddball aircraft, it was much loved by the crew. It was eventually sold pretty cheaply after being on LTP for a year.

 

So did MJ & all the others actually fly on MHK, or was it just their equipment?

 

[Ryan Soh 3]

When I started flying MAS in 1997, I vaguely remembered seeing the 743 in KLIA parked at a corner. Is that around the time they got rid of the aircraft?

 

So the purchase of this "oddball" seemed like a political gesture to diss the Brits? Is this what it was all about? Why did the Brits insist on Malaysia's usage of RR engines? The earlier MAS 742s weren't RR powered so I assumed the airlined asked for additional landing rights? And by the purchase of the 743 (which STILL wasn't RR powered) seemed a tad strange and still didn't solve the landing rights issue, if this was really what happened. But these are just anecdotal and it still doesn't explain rationally WHY did MAS buy only one.

 

So what is the REAL story here?

[H Azmal 0]

Eh, the two MAS 742s (MHI & MHJ) were RR powered kan (at least one of them manufactured for BA but was not taken up - MHI received at SZB 14 April 1982 IINM)?

[Y. J. Foo 0]

I remember reading the decision to not buy 743 with RR had to do with the "Buy British Last" by Mahathir.

 

Mahathir and Thatcher seemed to be as friendly as a cat and a dog...

[KK Lee 5]

So the purchase of this "oddball" seemed like a political gesture to diss the Brits? Is this what it was all about? Why did the Brits insist on Malaysia's usage of RR engines? The earlier MAS 742s weren't RR powered so I assumed the airlined asked for additional landing rights? And by the purchase of the 743 (which STILL wasn't RR powered) seemed a tad strange and still didn't solve the landing rights issue, if this was really what happened. But these are just anecdotal and it still doesn't explain rationally WHY did MAS buy only one.

 

So what is the REAL story here?

 

In the early 80’s, before BA was privatised, was a protected animal and RR was recovering from bankruptcy. To protect BA lucrative kangaroo routes and helping RR, the British Government didn’t grant slot at LHR without conditions attached.

 

MH 742 were ex-BA and RR powered, was part of the deal for additional LHR slots. Other condition given was MH was not permitted to operate LHR to SYD/MEL/PER on same flight number.

 

 

[Mushrif A 3]

I remember reading the decision to not buy 743 with RR had to do with the "Buy British Last" by Mahathir.

 

Mahathir and Thatcher seemed to be as friendly as a cat and a dog...

 

Yup, given that policy, the 743 engines were switched to P&W. But not before getting Petronas to buy the aircraft from MH, probably due to some legal constraints between MH & RR. And hence, Petronas "made" the switch and was probably not bound to any agreement that may have been executed with RR to power the 743.

 

[Nik H. 3]

So did MJ & all the others actually fly on MHK, or was it just their equipment?

 

The whol lot including MJ flew in the aircraft. Their concert equipment were loaded into the rear cargo area.

[Mohd Suhaimi Fariz 2]

How about the economics of the 743? From what I've read, the plane was handicapped range-wise with the addition of the stretched upper deck. And the fact that the 747-400 was released so soon after that caused the plane to be sold in few numbers.

[Ryan Soh 3]

MH 742 were ex-BA and RR powered, was part of the deal for additional LHR slots. Other condition given was MH was not permitted to operate LHR to SYD/MEL/PER on same flight number.

I don't think anyone today is allowed to operate UK-OZ using the same flight number with the exception of QF and BA since they have JSA between them. SQ used to do SQ321 and SQ21A ("A" to denote an Aussie flight) for their Kangaroo sectors.

 

How about the economics of the 743? From what I've read, the plane was handicapped range-wise with the addition of the stretched upper deck. And the fact that the 747-400 was released so soon after that caused the plane to be sold in few numbers.

That is true, the last 2 743s went to TG that didn't have the wingtip antennas and GE engines that looked rather similar to those found on the later 744s.

[H Azmal 0]

Looks like our ex-9M-MHK is in the scrapper's yard...

 

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Dragonair-Cargo/Boeing-747-3H6M(SF)/1553359/L/

 

When she was still flying...(albeit for Dragon)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0gsCqrHdzI

Edited September 19, 2009 by H Azmal

[S V Choong 4]

Oh No.... sad ending for the B747-3H6M

 

I have also read that Qantas has recently disposed of the two GE powered B747-4H6s they acquired from MAS during the Asian Economy Crisis in the late 90s. VH-OEC and VH-OED have headed for the desert during mid-September 2009 along with some of QF's own Rolls Royce powered B747-438s too.

Edited September 20, 2009 by S V Choong