The Tale of Manchester Airports’

“Nkwazi”1980 – 2011

Steve Clouston

Airfield Technical Planner

“ Nkwazi” The African Fish Eagle

National Bird of Zambia

Zambia Airways DC-10-30

N3016Z

“Nkwazi”

Nkwazi’s Early Years

Date of Manufacture: November 1980

Construction Number: 48266

Line Number: 348

First flew 25th November 1980

Originally destined for EgyptAir

Sold to Chemco International Leasing

July 1984 leased to Zambia Airways as N3016Z

Launched North American service linking Lusaka with New York via Monrovia (Liberia) and

later via Dakar (Senegal)

Flew the popular Lusaka to London service initially with stops at Rome and Frankfurt and

later nonstop to Heathrow

Zambia Airways ceased operations and was liquidated in December 1994

Nkwazi sold to Sky Leasing Inc. and languished in storage

Monarch Airways

G-DMCA

New Flag and Carrier

Nkwazi’s Later Life

March 1996 leased to Monarch Airlines as G-DMCA

Instrumental in launching the airline’s non-stop long-haul programme

Manchester based flew both short and long-haul routes

First flight operated: Gatwick to Alicante 17th March 1996

Largely used as a standby aircraft following arrival of two new A330s in 1999

Last flight operated: Manchester to Orlando Sanford 26th October 2001

Manchester stored with a care and maintenance programme from 9th November 2001

The 23 year old aircraft’s registration cancelled by UK CAA in November 2003

A New Life For The Old African Eagle

October 2003 Manchester Airport and Monarch Airways

Sign Agreement

Disassembly On Stands 249 and 251

Hydraulic Fluid and 9 Tonnes of Fuel Removed

Internal Stripping Out

Removal of Control Surfaces

Main Gear Removed Following Jacking of Aircraft

Three One-Hundred Ton Cranes Lift the 89 Ton Bird Clear

Nkwazi’s Final Flight

And Touchdown

Wings Clipped

Sixty Foot Section of Fuselage and Flight Deck Cut

Tail Section ‘Chewed’ Through

Then Felled

Meanwhile…. The Eagle’s Nest Takes Shape

All Scrap Bagged

Six Weeks Later

A Job Well Done

The Team

Slow and Final Taxi Begins

Landside Via Crash Gate 18

Into The Viewing Park Not The Hangar

Easy Does It

The Eagle Has Landed

Fitting Out Completed Late Spring 2004

Education Centre

Full Audio-Visual System and Seating For Up To 36 ‘Passengers’

Fully Equipped Flight Deck

“Nkwazi” Lives On