Summary
- The Dallas Mavericks won their first NBA Championship in 2011, led by Dirk Nowitzki.
- The team utilizes a Boeing 757-200 for transportation, which served 86 flights this year.
- The Boeing 757 has Rolls-Royce engines, can reach 571 mph, and has a 4,505 mile range.
The Dallas Mavericks are one of the most popular franchises in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The NBA franchise was first founded in 1980, and it has remained the Mavericks throughout its history. The team saw success almost immediately, and it made the playoffs in 1982. The team continued to see success throughout the 1980s, and even won a division title in 1987.
The Mavericks struggled a bit in the 1990s, and went through a lengthy rebuilding period. However, in the late 1990s, the legendary Power Forward Dirk Nowitzki was added to the active roster. With the help of Nowitzki, the Mavericks once again became a playoff team and NBA Championship contender. Nowitzki, who won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2006, eventually led the Mavericks to an NBA Championship in 2011. This championship was the first and only NBA Championship in Dallas Mavericks history.
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However, the Mavericks have made recent moves to return to glory. The Mavericks made an appearance in the NBA Finals last year, before eventually losing to the Boston Celtics. The team will look to contend again next year with the help of all-stars Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić.
Due to the many moving parts of operating an NBA franchise, as well as the long 82-game schedule, several NBA teams utilize a business jet or charter aircraft to transport players and staff. The Mavericks are no different. The Dallas NBA franchise utilizes a large narrowbody aircraft to help transport its staff and players across the United States during and after the season. Let’s take a closer look at this aircraft and what makes it so special.
The Dallas Mavericks business jet
Currently, the Mavericks operate a Boeing 757-200, per JetSpy. This aircraft, which is registered as N801DM, was first delivered in August 1993 to Iberia, per ch-aviation, which makes the aircraft over 31 years old. This Boeing 757 flew for Iberia, a Spanish airline, for several years before it was transferred to Pace Airlines, a North Carolina-based charter company, in 2000.
After Pace Airlines ceased operations in 2009, it was then taken over by Elan Express, another aircraft charter company. Finally, Parallel Express, another United States-based charter company, began operating the aircraft in 2013, per ch-aviation.
In 2023, per ch-aviation, the Boeing aircraft was officially registered with DSG Aviation II LLC, an aircraft leasing company. Since then, the Dallas Mavericks began leasing this aircraft for its seasonal transportation use. Currently, the aircraft is configured to fit 63 passengers in a business-class arrangement, per ch-aviation. This makes sense for a small basketball team, coaches, and training staff. The aircraft also features the Dallas Mavericks logo on its tail with its new custom livery.
According to JetSpy, the Dallas Mavericks business jet, N801DM, has conducted 86 total flights so far this year, which has accumulated 172 total hours of flight time. The aircraft used nearly 185,000 gallons of aviation fuel, which has amounted to over 1,750 metric tons of carbon emissions, per JetSpy. The top three most visited airports for N801DM are:
- Dallas Love Field (DAL)
- Metropolitan Oakland International Airport (OAK)
- Will Rogers World Airport (OKC)
Additionally, the N801DM’s flight routes have lined up with the Mavericks’ schedule. For example, N801DM flew to Logan International Airport (BOS) on June 4, which was a day ahead of the team’s NBA Finals game against the Boston Celtics. The aircraft also flew between Dallas Love Field and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) during the Mavericks series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
About the Boeing 757
Boeing began developing the Boeing 757 as a successor to its successful trijet, the Boeing 727. Plans for the aircraft began in the early 1970s, and it began receiving orders for purchase in August 1978. The first prototype aircraft flew its maiden flight in 1982. Deliveries of the first Boeing 757s began in 1983 with the aircraft’s launch customer, Eastern Air Lines.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Since then, Boeing has released several different variants of the narrowbody aircraft. This original variant, the Boeing 757-200, is the aircraft that the Dallas Mavericks utilize. However, other variants include the 757-200PF, which is a cargo configuration that was released in 1987, and the longer 757-300 variant, which was released in 1999.
Performance specifications of the Boeing 757
The Boeing 757 features a large swept wing to optimize the aircraft’s cruising speed. Most of the airframe utilized, at the time, revolutionary aluminum alloy and carbon fiber components. The Mavericks aircraft is powered by two Rolls-Royce RB211 turbofan engines. These provide a total of 43,000 pounds of takeoff thrust and help the aircraft reach the following specifications:
|
Length |
155 feet three inches |
|---|---|
|
Height |
44 feet six inches |
|
Wingspan |
124 feet ten inches |
|
Maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) |
255,000 pounds |
|
Maximum speed |
496 knots (571 miles per hour) |
|
Cruise speed |
461 knots (531 miles per hour) |
|
Range |
3,915 nautical miles (4,505 miles) |
|
Service ceiling |
42,000 feet |
Additionally, the flight deck utilizes a Rockwell Collins avionics suite, which features an electronic flight instrument system (EFIS) and an engine indication and crew alerting system (EICAS). This improved avionics system improves the pilot’s awareness and abilities when flying.