Buffalo buys a 737-200! (GRAVEL KIT)

Comments · 1.6K

• JO

  @joshuadebueger3902 · 1 year ago

  Pump the brakes I know that aircraft, it was known as ZK-NQC back when It flew it for Air New Zealand, we said it was the hardest working aircraft in NZ it flew passengers by day and cargo by night. Lots of fond memories of it, she was the first aircraft I flew as a captain back in 1993. We used to just hand fly it all the time and not bother with the autopilot, but if a far cry from today because you actually had to fly it haha. It was fun, easy to fly and tough as nails she’ll serve Buffalo very well I’m sure.

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• GA

  @garyreysa4729 · 1 year ago

  Your video brings back a lot of memories. &nbsp;I worked on the gravel kit at Boeing &nbsp;back in the 60&apos;s. &nbsp;It was a real panic program to get it out on time. &nbsp;We had a gravel kit for the 727 already which was very simple. &nbsp;It was thought that the 737 gravel kit would be just as straight forward, but it proved to be much more difficult. &nbsp;The nose gear stirred up the gravel and propeled it right toward the engine inlets and the circular brushes used on the NG tires of te 727 kit actually made things worse. &nbsp;The test 737 was fitted with screens over the engine inlets so various potential solutions could be tried. &nbsp;We actually built a temporary gravel runway at Boeing field for quicker testing. &nbsp;Very high speed cameras were used to understand the path of the stirred up gravel. &nbsp;I don&apos;t remember how long it took to come up with the ski approach, but it was the only one that actually worked. &nbsp;<br>There is a very good video made by Boeing showing the whole gravel kit development - don&apos;t know if Boeing makes this available or not.<br>The vortex dissipator below and in front of the engine inlets was needed to dissipate the vortex that forms right in front of the inlet and will suck gravel off the ground and into the inlet. &nbsp;I&apos;ve seen video where you can actually see this happening.<br>Great to see these gravel ski airplanes still operating.<br>The target type thrust reverser on the JT8D is very efficient - something like 40% efficient as far as I can recall. &nbsp;Much more efficient than the ones fitted on high bypass engines that only reverse the fan flow.

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• ES

  @essex1991 · 1 year ago

  It&apos;s awesome seeing buffalo still going from strength to strength

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• BE

  @beachside180 · 1 year ago

  Nice to see B737-219QC ex ZK-NQC lives on. Fixed her then flew her for years down under. Look after her, she is an awesome machine. Recall seeing her being delivered, doing the first configuration changes pax to cargo and back. She arrived at 2000 converted to cargo took <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJws3Ha2oy8&amp;t=90">1:30</a> and did one or two AKL-CHC returns the converted back to pax for the day’s scheduled pax flying by 0700. Sweet operation.

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• HA

  @hansmroch3214 · 1 year ago (edited)

  Did you realize that small Parker actuator on the gravel ski is also the same actuator used as the auxiliary rudder actuator? If you run into any issues with parts or components that require repairs I specialize in that area as an FAA DER. We also have an FAA Repair Station that can execute any developed repairs necessary.

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• MA

  @mariomihalka582 · 1 year ago (edited)

  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJws3Ha2oy8&amp;t=270">4:30</a> There is another 737-200 with the same hush kit, the OM-RAN. It&apos;s stored at Bucharest in Romania.

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• MO

  @Morpheen999 · 1 year ago

  Leave it black and put white buffalo decals on it! Its a beauty!

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• GL

  @glenwhatley7366 · 1 year ago (edited)

  737 mech of twenty years here. The reason so many 200s are cut up is they&apos;ve flown the crap out of them. After so many cycles the skins start to crack and the service bulletin directed by an airworthiness directive to repair the skins is not cheap or quick to accomplish.

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• TO

  @toms5157 · 1 year ago

  Mikey, I loved Ice Pilots. I also couldn&apos;t wait to watch every episode of Plane Savers. The DTD rebuild was awesome! I wish you all could start posting Buffalo Air content regularly again.

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• WI

  @WILLIAM-y8t · 1 year ago

  Planes Savers was the best, I enjoyed every episode!!!!

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• TI

  @tireballastserviceofflorid7771 · 1 year ago

  Holly crap you actually did post a video. Honestly what are the odds. You made my day Mikey!!

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• BR

  @BruceHellyer · 1 year ago

  Lovely to see she’s still flying, I can shed some light on the ferry. I flew ZK NQC as it was then doing night freight domestically in New Zealand and was lucky enough to be involved in the ferry, the route was Auckland-Brisbane-Port Moresby-Guam-Osaka-Petropavlovsk-Nome-Anchorage-Great Falls-Winston Salem the circuitous route being because we didn’t have the range to do Honolulu to the mainland. <br>Great trip!

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