Amtrak Service for Philadelphia Papal Visit - Sept 26-27

ThirdRail7 wrote:If you're out and about, can you give us a report on traffic? Was this overblown?

Very overblown, from what I could see. We went to levittown station to see if there were any trains parked there, but the lot was empty, just some police people. Lot of hufflepuff over nothing..

Off rails, but airfans may be interested to know, "Papal 1" for the Pope's return flight was an American Airlines B-777. This observation is from a photo appearing at The Times website clearly showing the aircraft.

For exactly what varietal 777 this aircraft was, well that's what airliners.net is for.

Attendance at the Papal Mass on Sunday was estimated at 850,000. Transportation in and out worked well, the real hangup was getting people through security screening checkpoints and onto the Parkway.

There is at least one photo floating around of a leased MARC set sitting in 30th Street Station, but I've lost that link.

Gilbert B Norman wrote:Off rails, but airfans may be interested to know, "Papal 1" for the Pope's return flight was an American Airlines B-777. This observation is from a photo appearing at The Times website clearly showing the aircraft.

For exactly what varietal 777 this aircraft was, well that's what airliners.net is for.

The call sign for the flight (and the flights provided by AA from Andrews to JFK, and JFK to PHL) was "Shepard One". The aircraft was N776AN, a B777-223ER delivered May 18, 1999.

Gilbert B Norman wrote:Bet it was Regional; hey, "boss man" rides around in a Fiat - not exactly what a Head of State does!

Regarding Mr. Curtin's earlier comment, they could have just landed the "Papal One" A-330 (sic) at Floyd Bennett (KNOP), and had the place to themselves. No active LOC there? pretty sure there are portable units of those available.

I think it's much more than that. Most of the runways at KNOP have been repurposed for other uses, mostly an entry roadway in the road paralleling Flatbush Avenue. The only runway that's actually useable (per the FAA, I believe) Is runway 6, which is way too short for that jet.

Additionally, I don't trust the old concrete to be able to withstand a 777. As someone who lives in the area, I'd say that, were a jet in peril and unable to somehow make it the extra two miles to KFJK, the best backup plan would likely be to ditch in the sea.

Thank you Messrs. Pittsburgher (prr 60) and Rockaway for getting my "airfacts" straight.

I have now learned that the charter flights ADW-JFK-PHL-FCO were handled by American. Evidently, The Vatican decided best interests were served giving Alitalia FCO-UHA-ADW, and American the rest. Wonder to what extent either Delta or United, both of whom operate B-777's, were in the running (was American's CEO a Roman Catholic and the other two not?). But, that's politics.

Now regarding Floyd Bennett (KNOP), I fully defer to Mr. Rockaway. My observation was made solely upon flying over it on approach to JFK last May. It looked to be a working airport, and I think is home of the NYCity Air Force.

The FAA does not list Floyd Bennett Field in the FAA Airport Facility Directory and accordingly it is not an airport and the runways cannot be used, other than in an actual emergency which allows a pilot to land anywhere. The facility, aviation wise, is only a private use heliport administered by the NYC Police Aviation Unit. A good non-official summary of the facility is at http://www.airnav.com/airport/NY22

If a plane landed there in an emergency could it ever take off again?

Pretty much yes. They might have to strip out every seat, etc though. And wait for wind in the right direction.