A400 ZM405

[STN RAMP RAT]

ZM405 has not flown since July 2016 and is reportedly in store at BZZ.

were there issues with this frame or is there another reason why it would be in storage for over a year?

[Tjm99]

It's flown this year:
https://mobile.twitter.com/planesonthen ... 9069734913
https://mobile.twitter.com/shyuyuri1212 ... 0449723392

[T_J]

It's flown this year:
https://mobile.twitter.com/planesonthen ... 9069734913
https://mobile.twitter.com/shyuyuri1212 ... 0449723392

The second link is just an old image of ZM405 taken in 2015

https://flyteam.jp/photo/1698626

The first link is ZM404.

https://mobile.twitter.com/planesonthen ... 13/photo/1

ZM405 A400M Atlas C1 024 Last flown 14/07/2016. Stored BZZ Updated 07/11/2017

From

https://bzzspotters.blogspot.co.uk/p/ba ... t-new.html

[PeteHemsley]

I believe this was damaged around the engine/wing mountings and can not be repaired?

[Evergreen 44]

Sometime last year an RAF A400 had a serious gearbox problem at around the same time as a few other of the type with other operators had some ' emergent problems' which the manufacturer had to fix. As the rest of the RAF fleet has been operating I guess this was it.
I would be surprised if it was CAT5 though as I am sure the manufacturer needs as much positive P-R as it can get to resolve such an issue. Otherwise it would not say much for airframe design/materials used/ service life etc. I would suspect they are doing some extended materials test & re-design before a definitive decision is reached. Anybody know the real situation please ?

[Tjm99]

I asked Seb Davey (A400M & Lancaster pilot) on Twitter, got this response:

I'm not sure why that might be other than engineering requirements such as retro fitting of equipment or maybe just even out of fleet hours. How can you tell it hasn't flown for a year and a half?

[100arw]

Mode S Record:

Date Time
07.12.2017 16:03hrs
19.08.2016 20:01hrs
13.07.2016 17:03hrs

[Evergreen 44]

Thanks for the mode S movements.
Though not showing on the Brize Spotters site as a movement for Dec 7th 2017
I would have thought it would have been worth a mention on their site as a 'non-frequent flyer' even a post maintenance test flight
Does the mode S log show trace for the flight at all please ?
Thanks and regards,
Paul

Edit : Last flight I can find is 13-07-16 Brize to Poland but it was flying regularly for the preceding month, info from ADSB records

[rh226]

https://database.adsbexchange.com/Virtu ... tOnline=0# shows it as airborne in the afternoon of 06 December 2017 as "COMET469". Also quotes it as using squawk codes 6402 and 3740 on that occasion.

Quite a few pings in the previous couple of months.

[Rubberneck]

I'm told that ZM405 is due to fly today as RRR4106 etd 1000 and return eta 2000 as RRR4983

[CHINOOKER]

Showing on Adsb up out of Brize,eastbound

[CHINOOKER]

Just gone ott Northolt,northeast bound,trailing....

[BOLLO]

ZM405 showing active on the deck at BZN Sunday 17th at 9.43

And off the deck as ASCOT 441 at 9.44

[Rivet Chegg]

Currently in the circuit at Newquay.

[markranger]

Currently just cruising in over the Thames Estuary heading for Brize i guess,