Bidding Farewell to "Kota Bharu" - MalaysianWings Style

[KS Ong 1]

Delivered on 31-Jan-1994, 9M-MPF ( B747-4H6, cn 27043, ln 1017) has served Malaysia Airlines for 18.7 years.

 

Today, we bid her au dieu as her final destination is Roswell International Air Center (ROW-New Mexico) via Honolulu. Like the likes of Mojave and Victorville, Roswell is a boneyard where most planes will spend their final remaining metal lives stored until they are found by new owner (which is very unlikely) or are cannibalized for parts and then scrapped.

 

Some of us have taken the opportunity to capture her last flight out of SZB today and I start off with her taxing on Tango towards holding point Kilo, Rwy 15.

 

MH5446 with POB:8, Endurance of almost 15 hours taxied out from Hangar 4 at about 2.30pm. Weather then was crappy, cloudy and hazy

 

 

 

 

I guess the contractor must have cut the grass over the weekend.

 

Thanks to all for the info.

Over to you Uncle Norman...

[Norman 1]

Ironically... the father-in-law of one of the tech crew for this MH5446, flew the aircraft from Seattle to Subang during her delivery, 19 years ago...

 

It was a sad moment in Subang yesterday... with the gloomy weather ...

 

Even the 'regular fence seaters' were there to bid farewell to her...

 

Slowly she inched her way to Kilo...

 

and hold short on Kilo for a while for me to get her nose ...

 

 

Then she received the clearance for immediate take off on runway 15

 

 

Stop for a while on lining up for me to get her nose .. Azahan's Style...

 

Then... she spooled all her power for the long acceleration on runway for HNL....

 

...

 

--

Over to you Fauzi....

[Naim 6]

What a sombre occasion, I must have been on that plane a few times myself during its 18+ years tenure.

 

Btw what is that heron doing there -- it should be in the stream or drain foraging for food!

 

 

[Norman 1]

What a sombre occasion, I must have been on that plane a few times myself during its 18+ years tenure.

 

Btw what is that heron doing there -- it should be in the stream or drain foraging for food!

Probably taking a break after meal.... the drain on this side of the airport have abundance of food for them...

 

BTW... didn't realise that yesterday was also marked as 40th Anniversary of MH...

[Muhamad Fauzi 0]

on the 40th Anniversary of MH...off she goes...

 

 

thank you TK, MdSaleh, Abang Norman for info.

[mdsaleh 0]

Myself,TK and Ian at opposite Skypark area..she rotate near to "Yankee".....Bye bye "Kota Bharu".

[BC Tam 2]

What a sombre occasion, .....

Btw what is that heron doing there -- it should be in the stream or drain foraging for food!

Loss of appetite, too sad to eat ?!

[Waiping 12]

Guys just wanted to ask what is the significance of removing the tail logo? Notice most airlines do that.

[Norman 1]

Guys just wanted to ask what is the significance of removing the tail logo? Notice most airlines do that.

Taken off the fleet.... so can't use the company logo anymore.... My wild guess

[Naim 6]

Guys just wanted to ask what is the significance of removing the tail logo? Notice most airlines do that.

 

At the graveyard, logo sticking out, no good.

[flee 5]

Sad to see the B744 go but life goes on.

 

Soon we will be seeing 9M-MNC arrive.

[alberttky 0]

Just out of curiosity, anyone knows how much is it to buy a 747 fuselage? I would like to one day live in one rather than build and live in a normal-looking house.

[Johan Z 0]

The problem is, where are you going to park a 747? A 747-400 fuselage will be bigger than an average house.

[Waiping 12]

The problem is, where are you going to park a 747? A 747-400 fuselage will be bigger than an average house.

 

Maybe just the cross section of the front part with lower and upper deck. The whole fuselage would probably not worth the problem.

[Kee Hooi Yen 0]

Just out of curiosity, anyone knows how much is it to buy a 747 fuselage? I would like to one day live in one rather than build and live in a normal-looking house.

 

The local council will find difficulty in issuing CF

[KS Ong 1]

First time animating jpegs. Hope it is not too big.

 

Kota Bahru, departing for the last time in Malaysian soil.

[T Azahan 1]

Thank you very much guys for the upload. And cheers Norman for satisfying my request. What a beautiful nose man!!

[BC Tam 2]

Was there a patch of dirt on SZB's runway ?

Look at the dust storm stirred up near end of her take off run

[Rozhan 0]

There are a few sellers of aircraft parts on ebay. Saw a 727 door and side panels complete with windows for sale some time back. I guess they have access to broken up airplanes at the aircraft graveyard. Also instruments of B52 but these are not for sale outside the US.

 

Sad to see mpf leaving. Last was on it as MH 007 PEN-KUL. If only it could speak and say goodbye to its home...

Edited October 2, 2012 by Rozhan

[S V Choong 4]

The problem is, where are you going to park a 747? A 747-400 fuselage will be bigger than an average house.

 

Just cut it up into a few pieces, don't need it in one complete piece. Someone in Malibu, USA has done it before.

 

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/bizarre&id=8137232

 

I flew 9M-MPF myself between KUL - BKI and KUL - AKL. Very sad to see her go and I hope she will be a freighter in her new life rather than a pile of scrap heap.

Edited October 2, 2012 by S V Choong

[JuliusWong 0]

9M-MPF has arrived at Roswell Industrial Airport. Judging from majority of aircraft going there, getting out would be near impossible.

 

It was spotted at Honolulu yesterday (1st Oct, Honolulu time): http://hnlrarebirds.blogspot.com/search/label/Malaysia%20Airlines

 

Goodbye 9M-MPF! You have served us well!

[Radzi 2]

Just wonder:

 

1. Who owns MPF at the moment? MH, PMB or has it been sold to a 3rd party?

 

2. It was flown to ROW with 9M rego. Will it be stored under 9M rego, or re-registered to another rego, or simply de-registered?

 

3. Will it ever fly again?

 

4. How was the interior when it was flown to ROW? Was the interior (seats, IFE etc.) salvaged prior to the ferry flight?

 

Just wonder.....

Edited October 4, 2012 by Radzi

[Dr Chuo Hock Tieng 0]

Captain Radzi, i found the answer for your query... found this from one of the delivery pilot Captain Zamri Ismail ( who is my FB fren) to HNL, the F seat still remained,

 

And the 8 POB

 

on this Kota Bahru

Edited October 7, 2012 by Dr Chuo Hock Tieng

[BC Tam 2]

And the 8 POB

I counted 12 heads in that pic - yikes !!

[Waiping 12]

Those F-seats looks such a waste.