Boeing 727-200 Transport Strategies and Tactics

• The public road fuselage towing task has been completed: Brief review (updated 6 February 1999): We departed from the Fair Complex staging site at very roughly 12:01 AM, 6 February 1999, and moved to the south edge of the intersection at 34th Avenue and Cornell Road, where a brief built in hold occurred. The tow to the Max Light rail tracks was uneventful. A later than expected Max shutdown time significantly delayed the Light Rail crossing, but at 3:00 AM the tow continued without incident. The option plan to utilize the parking lot adjacent to the First Avenue and Baseline Street intersection was not utilized due to a late authorization or insurance glitch, so the original plan through the intersection as illustrated below was executed, and it worked perfectly - we negotiated that tight intersection just as planned. (It was a thing of beauty.) The northbound 40 mph sign on a 6"x4" wooden post at the north end of Highway 219 was removed by crane nondestructively for clearance and replaced. However, the original hole completely caved in, so it was necessary to dig a replacement hole in very difficult rocky material, and the results are insufficient for the long term - the sign needs to be pushed down about a foot to get it to its original depth. No other sign removals were necessary. The tow over Highway 219, Bald Peak Road, and Campbell Road was uneventful. At the Laurel Valley store we paused briefly while the moving crew rested. During about this time the PGE and GTE utility folks reviewed the remaining short towing distance and agreed that their crews would not be needed, and left. The tow up Holly Hill Road to the Denfeld's property was uneventful, but as the aircraft entered the Denfeld's driveway, weather conditions deteriorated significantly, and that plus the steep grade and weary crews led to the decision to break for the day with the fuselage clear of the public roads but not yet winched up to the holding site behind the Denfeld's barn. This will be done Sunday starting at 9:00 AM.
  
  
  
• The new Baseline and First Avenue intersection strategy was dropped: As stated above: The option plan to utilize the adjacent parking lot at First Avenue and Baseline Street was not utilized due to a late authorization or insurance glitch, so the original plan through the intersection as illustrated below was executed, and it worked perfectly - we negotiated that tight intersection just as planned. (It was a thing of beauty.)
  
  
  
• Clearance and obstructions (including sign removals), road widths, traffic management, and timing strategy. Updated 6 February 1999
  
  
  
• Precision transport configuration drawing. Updated 6 February 1999
  
  
  
• Precision intersection drawings:
  
  
  • Baseline Street and 1st Avenue, version 3: 72 dpi, 32 KB or 300 dpi, 218 KB*
    
    I physically measured the location of each corner obstruction and created this more precise and clear new drawing, excluding the towing vehicle. It was unnecessary to detach the towing truck, which is 8 feet wide by 30 feet long, plus a 10 or 14 foot tow bar (attached to the front dolly). There was no encroachment onto sidewalk areas. It worked!
    
    
  • 10th Avenue and Baseline Street: 72 dpi, 43 KB or 300 dpi, 282 KB*
    
    This intersection provides plenty of clearance. Strategy notes are provided on the drawing.

*These links do work! However, the 300 dpi options are large image files which require an unusually large amount of application memory (RAM) to display.

Mac users: If you get a memory low warning dialog, you need to allocate more memory to your browser using the standard technique (highlight the browser application icon and select "Get Info" from the "File" menu or type Command I, then type in a higher memory allocation).

Wintel users: You evidently won't be able to view these files directly unless you can find a way to increase memory allocation to your browser application or imaging application. I don't know how or if this can be done. Another option is to download the image as a file and view it with an application that's capable of displaying large images. Evidently Microsoft Internet Explorer can't display images of this size, so you'll need something else. Optionally, get a Mac.

• Aircraft and rigging status: The aircraft structure remains in full transport configuration, with the landing gear retracted, and resting on the transport dollies with a custom steel front cradle and a custom steel cross bar for stabilization of the wing stub dollies. The leading edge slats have are retracted and secured. Loose cables and other mechanical items are secured. The radome was been removed and the rear stairs retracted.
  
  
  
• Bruce's agenda (please contact me if anything is missing):
  
  
  • Accomplished:
    
    
    • Illuminated side marker lights were mounted on the outer edges of the wing stubs, and wired to an internal generator, which also powered the beacon, two of the four wing walk lights, an interior flood light, and a red cockpit light.
    • The intersection at 1st Avenue and Baseline Street was marked with temporary silver paint to indicated nose and wing pre-turn position targets.
    • Sign removal and temporary repair, and "stuck load" dismantling materials and equipment were placed in my vehicle and in the aircraft's cargo hold, but were unnecessary.
    • Wayne Grippin arranged the inclusion of the additional insured's to the Grippin insurance policy.
    • The bond issue was evidently resolved.
    • The radome was removed and the air stairs were fully retracted, latched and locked.
    • Vertical clearance to trees throughout the route was checked. Though close, trimming was not required for any of the trees.
    • Public parking and viewing information was added to this web site.
    • Payments were delivered to utilities and public agencies and all permits were acquired.
      
      
      
      
• Meeting notes and public road transport logistics (obsolete - new notes from the latest two meetings may be added later if time permits): A meeting took place at 2:00 PM Thursday, 17 December 1998, at the new fire station on 1st Avenue in Hillsboro, to discuss the logistics of the fuselage and tail section transport. Attendees included several public agencies, the hauling company, Wayne Grippin Construction & House Moving, and his alliance vendors.
  
  High points: The area around the railroad tracks on S First Avenue presents serious concerns due to the narrow lane created by the railroad crossing gates. After the meeting, several of us walked this area to personally measure and review it - it is tight, but not impossible. That area and each intersection needs a thorough graphics based feasibility analysis, with the aircraft and rigs plus all obstructions accurately represented, to demonstrate practical passability before the move can be attempted. A traffic control plan, including methods of handling vehicles entering restricted areas from minor intersections and driveways, needs to be developed. A portion of the Max Light Rail line will have to be powered down while the fuselage and tail section pass underneath, due to clearance requirements. (This is a very important scheduling consideration.) A move date can't yet be set - too much planning work remains. The planned route is described here. Further notes may be provided later (due to time constraints).
  
  
  
• Private roads and lands logistics (obsolete - new notes may be added later if time permits): I had a very productive site review and conversation with Kevin of Kevin Armstrong Excavating (541-754-1004, flyboy@proaxis.com) as we toured my property and the Denfeld's property last Saturday. He has a wonderful combination of skills and experience in both excavating and large aircraft, and related subtilties involving maneuvering space requirements, erosion control, public road biomass damage visibility, and forest regeneration strategy and timing. In the end, I found his argument that the original route through the Denfeld's property as the best choice overall very compelling. And he provided strategic specifics for managing the dip just east of the plum orchard, including extension of a water culvert and gravel fill to widen the bridge. In addition, the Hammerschmidt's property is unavailable for use, so the only option to the Denfeld's route seems to be via a reworked (widened) version of my driveway. But that rework would leave relatively steep north facing slope areas which are visible from the public road barren of vegetation during the wet season. So erosion control problems, a public eyesore, and somewhat slower biomass recovery could all result. In addition, the room required to achieve a wide turn or a switch back turn could result in a lot of tree loss - it takes a lot of room to maneuver the aircraft, especially under wet conditions. So the route through the Denfeld's property looks pretty attractive again. No decision yet - I'd like to walk it with Sean Denfeld again, and ponder it a bit. I do need to start clearing the path soon though, so I can't dawdle too long before making a final decision.
  
  
  Previous notes: The favored route through private property, originally proposed by Sean Denfeld, involves a restructuring of the lower portion of my gravel road and a widening of a the north-south tractor path on the east side of my property (adjacent to the Denfeld's plum orchard) with a bulldozer, followed by a route over my south and west side neighbor's open grain fields, (the Hammerschmidt's property) generally following the Hammerschmidt - Campbell property borders, then through the short east-west access path (widened) on the west side of my property to the home site, ending with the aircraft's nose pointed east-northeast as desired without having to rotate the aircraft. While possibly slightly longer, this path avoids the big dip problem on the Denfeld's property, is probably an easier aircraft towing route, and might minimize the number and quality of trees lost. And most of the lost trees would be in areas where replacement fir seedlings would receive sunlight. Many thanks to Sean Denfeld for taking personal initiative, exploring, studying, and documenting new routing options, and very likely improving the efficiency of the move and minimizing the losses of trees considerably as a result. Great stuff Sean!
  
  An alternate version of this approach avoids the Hammerschmidt's property and shortens the distance a bit by taking a route from my widened gravel road directly to the home site in an arc through my fir forest. But this route may require the destruction of more trees, and new fir seedlings planted in the east-west path areas would not grow well due to limited sunlight penetration. In addition, an old concept, winching the aircraft from Holly Hill Road straight up the steep wooded incline (after clearing out a path) to the home sight was restudied. It's very steep, but short, and might substantially reduce tree losses. But it's just too steep a winching job for the size of the load - it might not be possible, and it would be dangerous.
  
  If the routes above don't work for some reason: An important strategic option I discussed with Paul Denfeld concerns leaving the fuselage on their property for up to three weeks, deferring a move using a route across his big dip, the plum orchard, and my fir forest until the driest period within that three week window. The Denfeld's have a very nice spot of level ground that's easy to access yet out of their way, and Paul is possibly agreeable to a maximum layover of three weeks. Relating to the Denfeld's property, it appears to me that we have a good method of towing the aircraft from Holly Hill Road to the paved area near the Denfeld home via the orchard turf, which avoids the rows of trees bordering their paved road. One walnut tree will probably have to be removed, but it's evidently not an entirely healthy tree anyway, a fortunate situation. Further study of the dip problem on the Denfeld's property might be helpful. I might want to measure the height, width and shape of the dip and create a profile drawing of it in the virtual world, lofting in a scaled drawing of the fuselage in the transport configuration. Then I'd have a better means to investigate the extent of the challenge and try to visualize some good strategies to handle it. But all this is a fall back strategy. The primary routes are as described in the previous two paragraphs.
  
  The wet season is upon us so towing on the private lands will be a difficult task. Bare turf with no surface grass or other stabilizing foliage is the dominant theme. This move might prove more difficult than the Cornell Road crossing due to the nature of the terrain and the wet season timing.
  
  
  
• Obsolete Notes: Another transport possibility is to fly Bo Branch of Bo Branch Home Movers up from Mississippi to inspect the route and quote on hauling the fuselage, wings and tail to my property. He's not local, but he's more experienced with 727 hauling than anyone else to my knowledge, and possibly quite economical.
  
  
  
• Some Contacts:
  
  Don Odermott, City of Hillsboro Project Engineer: voice 681-6440, fax 681-6277
  Hillsboro Road and Traffic Coordination, Tim Drain: 681-6249
  Washington County LUT, Ron Sillett: 681-7080
  Norman Rindal, Washington County Engineering Technician: voice 648-8697, fax 6934412
  Wayne Grippin Construction & House Moving, Wayne Grippin: voice 503-585-5410. mobile 320-8337. The primary heavy transport vendor for the fuselage and perhaps the tail section and wings.
  Hillsboro Towing, Mike: voice 648-0558, pager 940-6015
  Washington County Fair Complex Administration, Bill McKinley: 648-1416
  Bruce Campbell: See below
  More later...

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