N257UP

This airframe, registered as N257UP, is a McDonnell Douglas widebody freighter built in 1992 with manufacturer serial number 48451. The aircraft is a dedicated freighter variant, the McDonnell Douglas MD-11F, and has been owned and operated in cargo service by UNITED PARCEL SERVICE CO of Louisville, KY, US. The airframe is registered in the US and has been maintained in a main-deck freight configuration throughout its service life; its ownership history is characterized by continuous operation under United Parcel Service Co. as the operator and home base in Louisville, Kentucky. Notable registry actions for this airframe are limited to standard U.S. commercial cargo registrations and operator transfers consistent with UPS fleet management practices.

This airframe is configured as a main-deck freighter with lower-deck LD3 positions, providing a palletized cargo arrangement optimized for high-volume domestic and international express parcels. The seven-seat complement reflects an austere flightcrew and jumpseat arrangement typical for dedicated freighters rather than a passenger layout. Operated from UPS’s Louisville hub, typical mission profiles include long-range transcontinental and intercontinental cargo sectors that exploit the MD-11F’s extended range and high payload capability. Maintenance considerations for this specific aircraft follow the heavy-airframe and three-engine maintenance regimes associated with late-generation tri-jet freighters, and line maintenance cycles are aligned with UPS’s centralized heavy-maintenance facilities.

The MD-11F family occupies a niche as a stretched, long-range successor to earlier widebody freighters, offering payload and range competitive for express cargo operations in the 1990s and early 21st century. In the contemporary market it competes operationally with twinjet freighters such as the Boeing 777F and larger four-engine types like the 747-400F, with buyers and operators weighing factors of fuel efficiency, maintenance complexity of three-engine designs, and residual airframe value. For this airframe, considerations for resale and long-term operation center on lifecycle maintenance of CF6 powerplants and the economic trade-offs of operating an MD-11F within modern cargo fleets.