In one of my previous posts with the (fictitious) FedEx A333P2F freighter (see it, if you wish), I had flown the iniBuilds A330-300 from FedEx's central hub (Memphis/KMEM) to one of its major (satellite) hubs, Miami/KMIA. In that post, I'd remarked about the A300/A310 freighters, of which FedEx is (and has been) a prolific operator, currently flying 64 A300Fs (-600s) and previously having flown 70 A310Fs (-200s/-300s). I've been lately reading up a bit more about FedEx's A300/A310 freighters. First of all, it's worth noting that FedEx retired its (last) A310F (a "-300F" variant) a few years ago, in 2020. However, the carrier still continues to operate the A300-600Fs.

These A306Fs (official designation A300F4-600) are the converted freighter versions of the very first Airbus type, the A300 (that gave birth to the lineage); world's first twin-engine wide-body, introduced and flown, 53 years ago, in 1972, by the newly formed (collaborative) aerospace company "Airbus Industrie GIE" (Note: "GIE" stands for "Groupement d’Intérêt Economique", meaning “Grouping of Mutual Economic Interest”, a unique form of partnership instituted in French law - the European consortium and legal entity intended to compete with Boeing). By that time, for comparison, note, Boeing's (quad-jet) 747 had already flown 3 years before, and the (twin-jet) B737 had flown 5 years before; but Boeing's own first twin-engine widebody, the 767, was yet to appear 10 years later.

Today, in 2025, FedEx is still operating 64 of the A300Fs (and UPS is operating 52 A300Fs). So, both FedEx and UPS are living testament to the remarkable longevity and enduring profitability of the first Airbus model, the A300. Indeed, an innovative airplane design, despite being old, is clearly hard to replace. This is true in spite of rapid advances in aerospace technology (e.g., the Boeing 757, that flew first time 43 years ago, because of its unique design, is still being operated not just for freight but also for pax transport by a few major operators; in fact, within the last year, I've flown on a United B757, from Chicago to Orlando).  

Anyway, what raised my curiosity is that the A310, that was introduced 10 years after the A300, with more modern technology (than A300), has already been retired from service by FedEx, and flown its last flight many years ago, for the carrier. So, why did FedEx choose to retire its A310Fs, while still retaining the earlier model A300Fs? The answer lies in a combination of operational factors. The older (and less advanced) A300 has proven itself, in the eyes of the world's largest cargo operators, to be superior to the younger, nimbler (and more advanced) A310. The A310Fs could be replaced by B757s and B767Fs, but not so much the A300Fs (i.e., the A300Fs have stood their ground). See a comparative display (shot #5 below) of a few performance parameters for A300-600F and A310-300F, and you'll see how the former type has outdone the latter in many significant categories. The A300 is operationally more cost-efficient by simply being bigger in size...with larger payload, higher thrust, and greater cargo capacity than the A310.

Today, I wished to fly the A310 here, to reminisce the final flight of FedEx's (last) A310. The (iniBuilds) A310-300 is one of my favorite airliners in MSFS, and this is only the 2nd time I'm flying it here in MSFS2024. However, I could not find an A310 in the colors of FedEx, though I do recall I'd a FedEx livery repaint in my MSFS2020. None exists now in MSFS2024 (neither in my Library nor in the MSFS2024 Marketplace), likely because not all my former (MSFS2020) add-on repaint packs have been made compatible with MSFS2024 yet...they will surely come in due course. So, you (and I) will have to be content with...🙂...an A310-300 here in the colors of Pan Am, instead.

FedEx flew its last A310-300F (Reg. N808FD), on Jan. 4, 2020, completing first a routine (revenue) flight from Sioux Falls (KFSD) to its main hub Memphis (KMEM) before being ferried, on the same day, to (KVCV) Victorville airport (airplane graveyard), to be eventually disposed of (for final scrapping). FedEx had once 70 A310s in its fleet, which were all initially passenger aircraft before being converted into freighters. The last of FedEx's A310 (N808FD) was originally delivered from the Toulouse factory, in 1987, 38 years ago, as a (pax) A310-300, (coincidentally also to Pan Am... in the same livery that you see in my images below). In 2006, it was converted to an A310-300(F) and eventually ended its service life with FedEx in 2020.

So, to symbolize the FedEx A310F's final journey, I'm flying here this Pan Am A310-300, from KMEM/Memphis to (KVCV) Victorville Airport (in California), located in the Mojave Desert. Victorville airport, on approach, seemed dreary and forbidding... (see one image of the airport below). Maybe, I also sensed a (subtle) reluctance on the part of this A310 to land there...🙂... And I could not help myself feeling a sense of loss...🙂...piloting this A310 today to its final resting place...to leave it behind in the dust and heat of the deserts of California...

In this airplane graveyard at Victorville, there are all kinds of airplanes stored including B747s and A380s, as some of the aircraft owners must be deliberating, if these airplanes are worth more..."alive" or "dead". When the a/c are no longer economically viable to operate or repair, it makes more sense for these a/c to be scrapped for salvaged parts etc. rather than have them linger indefinitely in storage in the desert; the facts of life for airplanes that were once the proud symbols of their respective carriers. The place holds a few Lufthansa 747s and Qantas A380s. The Lufthansa 747s are spotted with the carrier's name and logo erased from the fuselage. So, I thought for a moment how (once) it was a (majestic looking) Lufthansa 747 that had lifted me up and carried me for the first time, on my first transoceanic voyage, actually my very first airliner flight ever...40+ years ago...🙂...

This iniBuilds A310-300, on this outing, offered me a perfect flight from takeoff to touchdown, as I flew the 1,500 miles from KMEM/Memphis to KVCV/Victorville. Lateral guidance [NAV] did its job, and Vertical (Descent) guidance [PROF] function also performed well enough to bring me safely (and automatically) down from cruise level to the 4,500 ft altitude constraint at Fix [SCCAT] of the "LOC RWY 17" Approach to KVCV airport (See flightdeck images).

Hope you enjoy this collection of A310 images in the colors of the (Classic) Pan Am livery...just as FedEx's (RW) final A310-300F (N808FD) had once started its life also with Pan Am, back in Sept. 1987, to eventually end its life with FedEx in January 2020...after 33 years of dedicated service (pax and freight) ...

So, with mixed emotions, as I bid farewell to this A310-300F ...🙂...and prepare to head back to FedEx's city hub, I'm also wondering if I may get some sightings of the 727s, 707s, DC-10s, and MD-11s etc. that are known to be stored around here...Oh well...

[If you wish to see this short (2m:54s) but wonderful (RW) video of FedEx's last A310F (N808FD), looking stocky and stout…🙂…, as it touches down and then lifts off at (KLAS) Las Vegas airport, search for the keywords, "FedEx Airbus A310-324(F)(N808FD) arriving and departing Las Vegas!", and don't forget to raise your audio level...to feel the power of the Pratt & Whitney engines on it, of course, with due consideration for other family members...🙂...]

Thanks for viewing...!

Edited May 17, 20251 yr by P_7878

Fine set - thanks for sharing !

Like the A310 in that PanAm livery and the aircraft is definitely too good for the graveyard..

cheers 😉

Morbid title 🙂, but interesting presentation...always something to learn from your posts.

pmplayer, John, rmeier:

Thanks much for the comments and responses...🙂...!

Apparently, FedEx had (smartly) picked up a few of the Pan Am A300s and A310s. This (particular) Pan Am A310-300 "Clipper Northern Light" (see below another image of it) also ended up as a converted freighter with FedEx and eventually went to the same Victorville airport facility...

 

[John: Thanks, and I learned too...🙂...! I wish I could have made the Title a little less morbid...🙂...Indeed, the western deserts of U.S. have some of the largest airplane resting places in the world, the one in at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, in Tucson, Arizona, being actually the world's largest...Wish someone could do a rendition of at least some of the classic airplanes in the local scenery of these locations...]

Cheers...!

Very nice shots! 😉 

Interesting Fed-Ex story and nice PanAm shots, P_7878!

Will and Bernd:

Much appreciated the incremental comments.... 🙂... And glad, you liked it and found it interesting...

Cheers...!