Could it have landed on a treadmill?
As mentioned, they operate in plain sight. They could register the aircraft somewhere else and/or paint new registration numbers, etc…
Of course, they operate in areas that are somewhat off the grid anyway, in areas where internet access is limited.
Although IMHO, considering his occupation, was that he flew the plane to some discreet location, it was scrapped for parts, then he disappeared with the proceeds.
Even a fraction of its worth is a good hunk of change.
Presto! No plane and No Ben Charles Padilla.
Yes it could, but then it couldn’t get off again…
How many of these people do you think there are in sub-Saharan Africa?
I doubt there are tons of hobbyist airliner spotters in these areas. Where I lived in Cameroon, airplanes were so rare that when we’d hear one we’d all run outside and watch. I can recall that happening only a handful of times during my two years, all during Haaj when people were heading to Mecca on special chartered flights.
Chances are this plane is doing simple smuggling runs between west Africa and Lebanon under what is probably now a semi-legit ID. Nobody is gonna notice that.
Spotters can only see the painted-on numbers, not the data plate. Doesn’t help.
Interesting video about a 727 taking off from a dirt airstrip that looks like a roller coaster. Also, alot of the 727’s and early 737’s landing gear were specifically built to be able to handle taking off from unimproved runways.
I wish I understood French…
The video is not about the take-offs/runway, but rather about the pilots flying these planes.
Quickly and rather literally translated, so apologies for the poor grammar; I don’t feel like rewording/editing it. In a spoiler for those who don’t care to read it
During the war, a [plane relays?] about 10 mines to the capital.
At 10000$ per flight, the business is lucrative. An old Boeing, bought for 1 million dollars, is paid for in a month.
"at Trans-Afrique, we had no limits. We earned based on hours flown. The more we flew, the more we earned. It has happened that I’ve flown 300 hours a month, which is completely unimaginable in the world of aviation. My record was to have stayed 3 days in the plane, without leaving it. It was a massive effort that I had to learn to master. The amount of money we could win, in terms of flight hours, was unique in the world. I remember one captain who managed to earn $20000 a month. They were people with an international reputation. Some of them had been to Vietnam. They were “cowboys”, as we called them in the plane. I learned a lot from them. We flew in very difficult conditions; that was all of my training. Being a pilot for Trans-Afrique at that time, and in this country in particular, was something distinctive/distinguishing, something almost mythic. "
How often are data plates checked any ways? Probably rarely unless there is a reason. Like with a car. How often do you check your VIN? You could swap keys with another car that looks the same as yours and no one would ever know other than you, until you got pulled over.
Also, could one not paint the tail number from a recently scrapped 727? Then, it would totally match. Or, two 727s with the same tail number. I doubt there is some global network to keep track of every single plane’s coming and going.
I’ve read, here on the SDMB, & elsewhere, about African ripping up railroad tracks, & melting them down for the metal, for tools.
You don’t suppose…?
Quite right.
The idea that “hobbyists” would catch this thing if it were operating in the grey between developing country airfields is rather fantastic.
Well, not just Africans. I personally know of someone illlicitly taking (to be fair, abandoned) railroad tracks to the scrap metal dealer for cash, right here in the U.S.A. And that was before scrap metal prices peaked.