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It may be cloudy out, but the only thunder Kelowna has heard today was caused by the engines of a gargantuan BOEING-747SP pulling into the Kelowna International Airport (YLW).
The aircraft flew in from Shannon, Ireland into YLW today in coordination with KF Aerospace.
The plane landed in Kelowna anticipation of a prospective buyer looking to purchase the aircraft and became the largest passenger plane and the second largest plane to drop onto the YLW tarmac.
“The arrival of the 747SP is a great opportunity to demonstrate YLW’s ability to accommodate larger aircraft on the airport campus,” said Sam Samaddar, Airport Director.
Airport operations were placed on pause to accommodate for the arrival and parking of the 747SP, but due to early preparations on behalf of KF Aerospace and the Kelowna International Airport, the landing caused no inconvenience to passengers or incoming and outgoing flights at YLW.
The big bird will be nesting in KF Aerospace’s on-site facility at the YLW for six to eight weeks.
Over the couple months that it will be docked with KF Aerospace, it will receive some light maintenance over time to ensure that the plane remains in tip-top shape for a prospective buyer looking to pick up the 180-ft long aircraft.
“When the aircraft is here, for the amount of time it’s going to be here, we have to do engine runs,” said Paula Quinn, Corporate Secretary of KF Aerospace.
“We have the qualified people to be able to do that and the security, obviously and the peace and quiet of Kelowna.”
The 747SP (SP meaning Special Performance) boasts a nearly 200-ft long wingspan and can hit speeds of up to 1000 km/h (Mach 0.92).
However, the aircraft is not a traditional commercial aircraft. Inside lies an ornate interior that makes this immaculate plane an executive suite at 45,000 feet.
Raw video sent into us by a reader.
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