UPS 767-300F ready for loadingĬargo doors require serious muscle power to open and close. Door widths are similar on most aircraft to accommodate standard loading equipment, pallets, and containers. Main cargo doors are about 11 feet (3.4 m) wide and 7-10 feet (2-3 m) tall depending on fuselage diameter. The most obvious exterior feature of a freighter is the big cargo door. Passengers seats on pallets being installed on a 727 The Big Door QC aircraft are by no means unique to UPS, but the story behind the delivery company’s passenger service is fascinating: UPS 727 Passenger Flights. That’s right, UPS flew human cargo (with first class service). UPS Airlines flew passengers on a fleet of five 727-100QC aircraft from 1997 to 2001. Photo courtesy of Peter Lemme – Quick Change (QC) AircraftĪnother entry in the “Best of Both Worlds” department is the “Quick Change.” QC aircraft can be converted from passenger to cargo configuration in a few hours. Four emergency exists were located over the wings and in the rear. The passengers boarded from aft air stairs. The Alaska 737-400 combis held 4 standard cargo containers in the front, and 72 passengers plus two flight attendants in back. Alaska Airlines 737-400 Combi – Cropped photo by jpc.raleigh – CC BY-NC 2.0 Many aircraft models have been configured as combis.Īlaska Airlines operated combi aircraft continuously from the 1940’s until 2017 when they replaced five 737-400 combis with 737-700 dedicated freighters. A combi is configured to carry both passengers and containerized freight. The “Combi”Ĭombination (or combi) aircraft are the best of both worlds. The Uzbekistan 767-300BCF (Boeing Converted Freighter) has window plugs and an emergency exit visible. The UPS 767-300F was built as a freighter with no passenger windows. Note: 747 freighters usually have windows in the “hump” where crew seating and rest areas are located. Building a freighter without windows lowers manufacturing cost and reduces the aircraft weight by hundreds of pounds. Even when painted, the plugs are still visible (they’re easier to see on dirty airplanes).įactory-built cargo variants do not have passenger windows the fuselage sides are smooth. Conversion facilities usually replace the clear window panes with lightweight plugs. Delta Airlines operated a fleet of four L-100 freighters in its cargo operation from 1966 to 1974.Ĭargo conversions have passenger windows. Photo by RuthAS – CC BY 3.0Ī few military transports have crossed over to civilian cargo duty, like the Lockheed L-100 (C-130 Hercules). Delta Airlines L-100 departing Atlanta in 1972. Most dedicated cargo aircraft are military transports, e.g., C-17 Globemaster, C-130 Hurcules, Antonov’s heavy-lift family. Aircraft shape and size is optimized for loading and unloading freight. Several Types Of Freighters Dedicated CargoĮngineers design dedicated cargo aircraft from the ground up with little or no consideration for carrying passengers. Unless otherwise noted, the following information refers to UPS aircraft, which include a few unique features. When manufacturers build or modify aircraft, they often customize the design to meet the needs of the customer. Passenger and freighter aircraft look similar on the outside, but they’re quite different inside. From a distance, they all look about the same. Most of the popular Boeing and Airbus passenger jets, like the 767, 747, A330, and A350, have cargo counterparts. Those final -8Fs are expected to be delivered to Atlas Air Worldwide later this year, closing the OEM’s order books on an iconic model, largely due to the development of more fuel-efficient, twin-engine freighters and passenger airliners.Passenger and cargo aircraft look the same when flying over head. That leaves just four open orders for Boeing’s last 747s to come off the production line. The addition of N633UP increases UPS’s total number of 747s to 41, including 13 747-400Fs and 28 of the -8F variant. This #queenoftheskies will provide a critical link to #deliverwhatmatters for our customers around the world. Today, we took delivery of our final 747-8. There, the new “brown tail” joins the UPS fleet at the package delivery company’s main hub, UPS Worldport. Sporting its familiar brown, gold, and white livery, UPS Airlines’ new 747-8F (registration N633UP) flew Friday from Paine Field (KPAE) near Boeing’s plant in Everett, Washington, to Louisville (KDSF). With the delivery of UPS’ ( NYSE: UPS) final 747-8F order, Boeing ( NYSE: BA) is closing in on the end of production for the historic jetliner that changed aviation forever.
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