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Author
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Topic: NASA 905 at Paris Air Show in 1983
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LM-12
Member Posts: 3599
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-20-2021 05:06 AM
  
At the Paris Air Show in 1983, the number "376" could be seen on Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA)-905 below the two upper-deck windows. What did it mean? I have not seen that "376" number on SCA-905 except during the Europe tour. |
plomaris1
New Member Posts: 6
From:
Registered: Feb 2016
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posted 07-20-2021 06:59 AM
Paris Air Show Number. N905NA Boeing 747-123 cn 20107 ln 86 NASA Stansted 05Jun83It's carrying Space Shuttle 'Enterprise' on its back. It dropped in to Stansted on a tour of Europe including the Paris Air Show, the 747 is carrying its Paris Air Show number 376.  |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3599
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-20-2021 09:56 PM
Thanks for the answer. The number "376" was not on SCA-905 when it departed Dryden Flight Research Facility to start the goodwill tour, but it was on SCA-905 when it landed at the Paris Air Show.  photo caption: Enterprise atop the SCA arriving at the Paris Air Show in May 1983 The NASA website had this description of the goodwill tour: From May 16th to June 12, 1983, Enterprise was ferried on a 28 day European goodwill tour. During that time it remained bolted to the top of the Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. United States highlights on the the tour included stops at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Springs; McConnel Air Force Base, Wichita Kansas and Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio. It then flew to Goose Bay, Labrador/Newfoundland Canada and on to Keflavik Naval Air Station in Iceland where it stayed overnight. The 747 and Enterprise then flew to Fairford Royal Air Force Base in England; Bonn-Cologne, West Germany and then Paris France (Paris Air Show - May 24-June 5, 1983). On the return flight it flew thru Italy and then a stop in Ottawa Canada. It returned to Dryden Flight Research Facility on June 12th. |
oly
Member Posts: 1278
From: Perth, Western Australia
Registered: Apr 2015
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posted 07-20-2021 11:03 PM
Do other exhibited aircraft at the airshow have similar numbers displayed? |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3599
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-21-2021 07:42 AM
So the Stansted visit was after the Paris Air Show, looking at the dates. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3599
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-21-2021 09:18 PM
A month earlier on April 14, 1983, SCA-905 still had the American Airlines colours when it ferried Challenger from California to Florida after the STS-6 mission. |
oly
Member Posts: 1278
From: Perth, Western Australia
Registered: Apr 2015
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posted 07-21-2021 11:17 PM
A search of exhibited aircraft on display at the air show shows that many aircraft were displaying similar numbers, with helicopters having H suffix. 115H | 118H | 368H | 410 | 376 | 53 | 192 | 330 | 50 |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3599
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-23-2021 10:19 PM
What route did the goodwill tour take coming home from the Paris Air Show? SCA-905 and Enterprise seem to have also landed at the 1983 Air and Space Bicentennial at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. The number "376" can be seen on the 747. Must have been where and when this Concorde photo was taken. Here is my list of the stops made on the return flight from the Paris Air Show. The list may not be complete, and the stops may not be in order: - Paris Air Show (May 24-June 5, 1983)
- Rome
- Stansted Airport, England (June 5)
- Ottawa International Airport, Canada (June 8)
- Scott Air Force Base, Illinois
- Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas
- Dulles International Airport, Virginia (June 12)
- Dryden Flight Research Facility (June 12)
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LM-12
Member Posts: 3599
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 08-04-2021 01:32 PM
The Paris Air Show trip is discussed in NASA SP-2011-4552 "The Spoken Word III: Recollections of Dryden History: The Shuttle Years" on pages 108-115. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3599
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 08-09-2021 10:00 AM
quote:
Originally posted by LM-12:
A month earlier on April 14, 1983, SCA-905 still had the American Airlines colours when it ferried Challenger from California to Florida after the STS-6 mission.
There were mission markings on NASA 905 when it still had the American Airlines colours. They can be seen above the blue stripe in this aerial photo of the post-STS-6 ferry flight over Houston in April 1983.The markings appear to show all the ALT flights plus 17 ferry missions completed, which seems to be correct. NASA 905 was repainted in the blue and white colours for the Paris Air Show trip in May 1983.  |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3599
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 09-12-2021 03:58 PM
For the Paris Air Show trip, NASA installed a type of anti-missile device on the four engine pylons under the 747 wings. |
star61
Member Posts: 306
From: Bristol UK
Registered: Jan 2005
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posted 09-13-2021 01:58 PM
I was at the Stanstead event, in a somewhat "day after the night before" state of alertness. Actually felt atrocious. However, I did get some pics from a little throw away 110 camera. Unfortunately, the images are not clear of the crew on the top of the steps. I seem to recall Paul Weitz and Dick Scobee being there? Anyone have information as to the crew make-up would be much appreciated. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3599
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 09-17-2021 11:41 PM
The SCA crews for the Paris Air Show trip are mentioned in this thread. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3599
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 09-20-2021 01:46 AM
I have updated the list of stops on the Paris Air Show trip. I believe it is in the correct order: - Edwards AFB, California
- Peterson AFB, Colorado
- McConnell AFB, Kansas
- Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
- Goose Bay, Canada
- Keflavik NAS, Iceland
- RAF Fairford, England
- Cologne, Germany
- Paris, France
- Rome, Italy
- Paris, France
- London, England
- Keflavik NAS, Iceland
- Goose Bay, Canada
- Ottawa, Canada
- Scott AFB, Illinois
- Dulles, Virginia
- Sheppard AFB, Texas
- Edwards AFB, California
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Rick Mulheirn
Member Posts: 4391
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 09-20-2021 10:09 AM
For the record, I was at Stansted airport too: Dave Shayler and I travelled down for the arrival.Attached are several photos from the day including one of Dave gifting one of his books to Paul Weitz.  
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LM-12
Member Posts: 3599
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 09-20-2021 02:33 PM
What was the longest leg of the trip, and how close did that come to the maximum range of NASA 905 carrying Enterprise?(That might be Iceland to England, by my rough estimate, about 3800 km) |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3599
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 09-20-2021 09:13 PM
I see that in addition to the number "376" on NASA 905, there was the number "25" beside the forward passenger doors: NASA's 25th anniversary logo, most probably. |
star61
Member Posts: 306
From: Bristol UK
Registered: Jan 2005
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posted 09-23-2021 01:17 PM
Thanks for those pics Rick!It has bugged me for years that I was never quite certain if Weitz was there. |
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