Travel report: DC-10 Farewell Trip with Biman Bangladesh

23/2/2014
BHX-BHX, 150GBP p\ pax.
Biman Bangladesh DC-10-30, S2-ACR.


A friend of us told us he was going to travel to the farewell flight weekend of the passenger travel in DC-10.
Biman Bangladesh is the last operator of a DC-10 with a cabin fit for passenger transportation.
All other pax planes are either stored never to fly again, or converted to cargo, or serving other purposes as flying hospitals or firefighting.
We had flown in the MD-11, which is soon to become cargo or nothing and the DC-10 was not new.
In fact I had flown Lisbon to Rio in a VARIG DC-10 in the Summer of 1983, at the time best quality airliner in the world, but the last one was Lisbon to Caracas in 1987 with VIASA.

We knew long ago the last commercial flight would be Dhaka to Birmingham via Kuwait, announced in the media last year, and no way we would go to Dhaka just to come back.

Well, the last flight was on Friday 20th of February, but during the weekend they would do 9 scenic flights over Birmingham, Monday at 17h being the last one ever.  This would be Birmingham to Birmingham, one hour scenic flights, at 150 GBP windows seat and 100 aisle. They only sold windows and aisles, to make it a flight for enthusiasts, up to 150 places. We booked two windows, but it was a nightmare to pay with a credit card in Biman’s website, and we had to ask our friend to lend his American Visa and sign an authorisation so we could take the card with us.

All set we showed up at 7h40 at the BHX airport. Flight was BG02 listed in the screens but he check-in counter was not there.
Could it have departed already? It was a long haul aircraft, but a local flight half empty, no bags carried. But right in front of was there were pictures of the DC-10 over two counters. The check-in, performed solely by Servisair people, assisted by the CEO of Biman, Mr. Steele (guy on the right) was quite smooth.

There was a memorabilia stuff shop set in the terminal, just by the security check, which we went back after the flight. Excitement started to build when we saw the plane from the terminal window, behind the Ryanair fleet.

Good thing we would board on foot, instead of an air bridge which would kill any chance to get a good picture.

The boarding was normal; mostly all fans were male, and British. We talked to a French speaking guy, heard a couple speaking German, two sounding eastern Europe, the rest local. But all fans of aviation. We were told there would be some time to take pictures outside the plane after we exited the bus, as long as everyone followed the safety rules and stayed in the designated areas.
It was very hard to capture this huge plane in a single photo. We climbed over, and it is just magic to board a wide body by stairs. Seeing a  #2 engine on top of the fuselage is now history…We could read “New Era” in the fuselage, by the nose. It had been for Biman when S2-ACR had been delivered to Biman in Long Beach California, in 1988, the one before last DC-10 ever produced, and the newest intact. Only 446 took the skies, all but 60 in civilian colours, barely beating out the main competitor, Lockheed L1011

Seating in 27A and 28A we awaited about one hour for departure. The captain announced they were negotiating the flight plan with local Air Traffic Control and Eurocontrol, and it took a while for a ground power generator (vehicle) to put the engines up and running. Lots of smoke came from a chimney before one engine roared, the APU being INOP. Before that we took pictures of everything one can imagine, and so did all the other passengers. All safety cards had been stolen, we got our hands in some magazines and frequent flyer application forms. We were given a bottle of still water and a pack/bag of Capri-Sun joice (the English version of the popular Capri-Sonne, but sweeter).
We were set to go, when were heard the announcement that said something about our “….our merciful god…” blessing the flight and that it was forbidden to smoke etc. One of the biggest collective laughs I have in memory was when we were asked to switch off all electric equipment and mobile phones during the flight!!!

The safety instructions were performed manually by the flight attendants, and they were more photographed than any top model in a Paris catwalk.
We took off (sadly for the last time in a DC-10), and the captain said we would climb to 24 000 feet. We didn’t see anything of Birmingham, as soon as we crossed to the upper side of a low cloud ceiling.
Just after the landing gear was in people got up and started to enjoy the DC-10, and now it was clear why only 150 seats were available for in the flight. It was a total party, in the sense you could walk in the cabin, talk to the flight crew, take pictures with them, and see all the little details that make the DC-10 an historic bird. The projector from the inflight entertainment (not turned on), galleys, toilets, seating on cabin crew jump seats, you name it.
Even the flight crew were also in the mood, they asked us to take pictures with their cameras, and there was a common sense of nostalgia.  We signed a business card, putting “LPMA/FNC” as our address and gave it the captain, wishing him luck in the 777. He was very happy and handed his own to us, Cpt I. Ahmed.