Colorado Buffaloes travel on custom Boeing 777 for Alamo Bowl game

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Colorado Buffaloes travel on custom Boeing 777 for Alamo Bowl game

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Simple Flying | Simple Flying

By Sky Industry News

Jan 3, 2025

The NCAA Bowl Game season, a highlight in the sports calendar, brings together winning college football teams from across the United States. Teams are invited to prestigious bowl games where they play against unfamiliar opponents in different cities, offering players a chance to showcase their skills to new scouts and personnel.

The University of Colorado Buffaloes football team participated in this tradition by playing against the BYU Cougars in the Alamo Bowl held in San Antonio, Texas. The team, led by coach Deion Sanders and supported by NFL legends like Warren Sapp, traveled on a chartered Boeing 777-200ER for their journey.

This aircraft, registered as N865DA and operated by Gridiron Air, has an interesting history. Previously used by the Arizona Cardinals NFL team, its custom livery was replaced with the University of Colorado's logo and slogans for this occasion. Built by Boeing in December 1999 and initially delivered to Delta Air Lines, it was acquired by Gridiron Air in May 2023.

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The Boeing 777 is favored for such charters due to its capacity to accommodate over 300 passengers, including players, administration, and coaches. For this flight, many seats were converted into luxurious first-class accommodations as shown in a video shared by Coach Sapp.

The Boeing 777-200ER features two Rolls-Royce Trent 800 turbofan engines providing significant thrust. Its specifications include a length of 209 feet one inch, height of 60 feet nine inches, wingspan of 119 feet eleven inches, maximum takeoff weight of 656,000 pounds, typical cruise speed of 482 knots (554 miles per hour), range of 7,065 nautical miles (8,130 miles), and a service ceiling of 43,000 feet.