I need your help identifying an aircraft

I was inspired to write this after reading the thread about the person who saw a plane with a "gondola" looking contraption hanging from it.

I saw something similar twice.........

About 3 months ago i was driving east on RT. 10 in Phoenix, Arizona, right by Sky Harbor airport. I was directly parallel from the ASU football stadium.

If you have never been, the airport is right by the highway. Planes fly directly over the highway if they are landing from the west. I tend to look up when ever a plane is flying over.

On his day i saw a bright white 4 engine commercial airliner with NO markings at all.. Im not good with iding airliners so im not sure what it was exactly.

The fact that it was bright white got my attention, as i looked at it i noticed it had what looked like a large white dumpster attached to the side of the aircraft direclty where the pilots door would be. It was kind of schocking, because it looked like it wouldnt be able to fly.

A month after the first sighting i saw the same aircraft' This time it was taking off heading east while i was driving west.

Any ideas guys? Im totally stumped ...........

I think I know exactly what you saw given your location. I'll try to dig up a pic tonight or tomorrow. Did you see it on the ground or in the air?

reply to post by drock905





More pics
images3.jetphotos.net...



I can't find a good pic of it from the other side, but it is a test bed for Honeywell (formerly Allied Signal). They use it for flight testing various engines. Big ones, little ones. All sizes. Sometimes without an engine and it just looks like a big block or single 'canard' mounted to the fuselage depending on which mount. I see it every time I fly into Phoenix, but have only seen it in the air twice. I'm a little jealous. I'm sure if you called them and told them the time/date of the sighting they could tell you what they had mounted that day.



[edit on 8-7-2008 by _Del_]

reply to post by _Del_


Wow, thanks for the quick response. That pic you posted i very similar to what i saw, totally answers my question THANKS! To answer your question i saw it in the air landing and taking off.

The only difference was the aircraft was much newer appearing, solid white with no stripes and the "engine pod" was much more square, larger and on the opposite side. Its amazing it could still fly with what appeared to be a very unaerodynamic attachment.

It almost looked as if part of the boarding ramp had broken off and was stuck to the side; which was my 1st thought

Originally posted by drock905
I was inspired to write this after reading the thread about the person who saw a plane with a "gondola" looking contraption hanging from it.

I saw something similar twice.........

About 3 months ago i was driving east on RT. 10 in Phoenix, Arizona, right by Sky Harbor airport. I was directly parallel from the ASU football stadium.

If you have never been, the airport is right by the highway. Planes fly directly over the highway if they are landing from the west. I tend to look up when ever a plane is flying over.

On his day i saw a bright white 4 engine commercial airliner with NO markings at all.. Im not good with iding airliners so im not sure what it was exactly.

The fact that it was bright white got my attention, as i looked at it i noticed it had what looked like a large white dumpster attached to the side of the aircraft direclty where the pilots door would be. It was kind of schocking, because it looked like it wouldnt be able to fly.

A month after the first sighting i saw the same aircraft' This time it was taking off heading east while i was driving west.

Any ideas guys? Im totally stumped ...........

it might have been a Boeing 747. I work here at ATL..and sometimes i see a All White 747 with no markings at all parked at the runout Pad.that might have been what you seen..it has 4 Engines, and a big Hump near the nose of the Plane....