Aviation Discussion

[FQTV]

Loganair has made a public statement saying they are unaffected.

Sad news for all employees concerned.

As some Loganair flights were operated by flybmi; as the Loganair website clearly says that affected customers will be contacted, and as Loganair was due to receive two flybmi aircraft to operate its S19 schedule, ‘unaffected’ is not a word that I, personally, would use to describe the situation.

 

[darloscott]

Loganair today announced that they are taking on bmi's Aberdeen & Newcastle bases, totalling 5 routes.
Aberdeen to Bristol, Esbjerg and Oslo starting 4 March
Newcastle to Brussels and Stavanger starting 25 March
They also appear to be operating the Airbus contracted routes from Chester to Bristol and Toulouse starting tomorrow with their E145 positioned into Chester this evening, with a Danu ATR42 leased in to cover the Glasgow ERJ operation

 

[YorkshireBear]

Loganair today announced that they are taking on bmi's Aberdeen & Newcastle bases, totalling 5 routes.
Aberdeen to Bristol, Esbjerg and Oslo starting 4 March
Newcastle to Brussels and Stavanger starting 25 March
They also appear to be operating the Airbus contracted routes from Chester to Bristol and Toulouse starting tomorrow with their E145 positioned into Chester this evening, with a Danu ATR42 leased in to cover the Glasgow ERJ operation

Loganair taking on the easy and profitable bits from bmi then?

 

[Techniquest]

That's just common sense!

Also, Chester has an airport?! Never heard of it before!

 

[A0wen]

Something a bit different - BA have re-painted one of their 747-400s into BOAC colours - and no, it isn't 1st April.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/a...747-retrojet-marks-british-airways-ce-455845/

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Something a bit different - BA have re-painted one of their 747-400s into BOAC colours - and no, it isn't 1st April.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/a...747-retrojet-marks-british-airways-ce-455845/

There's a Landon, a Negus and a BEA livery coming as well. The BEA will be on an A319 or A320; not sure of the other two but I would expect a 777 for the Landor.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

Also, Chester has an airport?! Never heard of it before!

It's also known as Hawarden airfield but is best known for the presence of Airbus' Broughton wing factory. Hence Belugas are regular visitors. The ERJ145 movement was in connection with a contract for providing Airbus with inter-site personnel connections, mostly to Bristol and Toulouse. It's adjacent to, and visible from, the North Wales Coast Line a little to the west of Saltney Junction.

 

[Techniquest]

Something a bit different - BA have re-painted one of their 747-400s into BOAC colours - and no, it isn't 1st April.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/a...747-retrojet-marks-british-airways-ce-455845/

I saw this on YouTube and Twitter earlier, wow that 747 looks stunning. Whatever the BEA livery goes onto, having seen that on the Trident at Runway Aviation Park, it should also look amazing.

It's also known as Hawarden airfield but is best known for the presence of Airbus' Broughton wing factory. Hence Belugas are regular visitors. The ERJ145 movement was in connection with a contract for providing Airbus with inter-site personnel connections, mostly to Bristol and Toulouse. It's adjacent to, and visible from, the North Wales Coast Line a little to the west of Saltney Junction.

Thanks for the gen, I'll have to keep an eye out next time I'm in North Wales. Still jealous of those who got to see the Beluga up there recently!

 

[fowler9]

I saw this on YouTube and Twitter earlier, wow that 747 looks stunning. Whatever the BEA livery goes onto, having seen that on the Trident at Runway Aviation Park, it should also look amazing.



Thanks for the gen, I'll have to keep an eye out next time I'm in North Wales. Still jealous of those who got to see the Beluga up there recently!

Bit gutted the XL never flew over Liverpool. The Belugas often come over ours quite low on the way in to Howarden.

 

[LOL The Irony]

Bit gutted the XL never flew over Liverpool. The Belugas often come over ours quite low on the way in to Howarden.

I had XH558 do a pass over my house on it's farewell tour.

 

[fowler9]

I had XH558 do a pass over my house on it's farewell tour.

Last time I saw her was flying out of JLA on its way to display at Southport. Amazing. Didn't get to see the farewell tour, gutted. Some Tornados are doing a farewell tour during the course of the week aren't they. Will miss seeing Tornados fly past our office, sadly I don't think JLA is on the schedule.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

Thanks for the gen, I'll have to keep an eye out next time I'm in North Wales. Still jealous of those who got to see the Beluga up there recently!

Remember there is the Beluga (based on the A300) and the new Beluga XL (based on the A350). The original Beluga will remain in service; I would expect that to continue for as long as Airbus keeps building wings at Broughton.

 

[gsnedders]

Remember there is the Beluga (based on the A300) and the new Beluga XL (based on the A350). The original Beluga will remain in service; I would expect that to continue for as long as Airbus keeps building wings at Broughton.

The Beluga XL is based on the A330(ceo).

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Whatever the BEA livery goes onto, having seen that on the Trident at Runway Aviation Park, it should also look amazing.

I gather it will be an A319 or an A320.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

The Beluga XL is based on the A330(ceo).

Of course it is, embarrassing typo

 

[Techniquest]

I gather it will be an A319 or an A320.

Suits me! You've also reminded me to start budgeting my 747 flights, thankfully already doing some overtime to help pay for them!

 

[Tim R-T-C]

Thought you might be interested in a couple of shots from last week at Mazar I Sharif airport in northern Afghanistan.

This is the original 1950s Soviet built terminal building.



Kam Air is one of the main domestic operators, with an eclectic fleet - I did follow an A340 on FlightRadar operating a Mazar to Kabul internal flight one day last week but sadly didn't get to see it.

One of their most recent arrivals is this ex-Air Europa 737-400


KamAir 737-400 UR-CQU at Mazar i Sharif by Timothy Young, on Flickr

A more veteran member of the fleet is this 1991 vintage ex-SAS MD-87:


Kam Air MD-87 YA-KMO at Mazar I Sharif by Timothy Young, on Flickr

Or for the classic aviation enthusiast, this 1964 vintage 727. First flying Northwest, it ended up being the personal jet of local Mazar warlord General Dostum and his Balkh Airlines before being given to Kam Air as their first aircraft. Stored in '04 in Kabul it was being flown out to new owners in 2006 when it made an emergency landing at Mazar where it has remained ever since.


Boeing 727 YA-GAA in Mazar i Sharif by Timothy Young, on Flickr

 

[Tim R-T-C]

Sad news for aviation fans in the north - the Manchester Airport Viewing Park is closing its spotting mounds from today, for development of a new 'private terminal' building.

Given the popularity of the site for spotters and families, I wonder how it will survive without much of its raison d'etre. I suspect most spotters will move to the off-site locations, while having a big new building in the way isn't going to make the, quite expensive, site particularly appealing to families.

 

[Bald Rick]

Sad news for aviation fans in the north - the Manchester Airport Viewing Park is closing its spotting mounds from today, for development of a new 'private terminal' building.

Given the popularity of the site for spotters and families, I wonder how it will survive without much of its raison d'etre. I suspect most spotters will move to the off-site locations, while having a big new building in the way isn't going to make the, quite expensive, site particularly appealing to families.

Good news for The Airport Pub by Ringway though!

 

[Techniquest]

Sad news for aviation fans in the north - the Manchester Airport Viewing Park is closing its spotting mounds from today, for development of a new 'private terminal' building.

Given the popularity of the site for spotters and families, I wonder how it will survive without much of its raison d'etre. I suspect most spotters will move to the off-site locations, while having a big new building in the way isn't going to make the, quite expensive, site particularly appealing to families.

Runway Aviation Park? Oh I am glad I went in September then, a shame to lose it as that was an amazing place to spot at.

The Airport Pub that was mentioned too, no idea where that is but will have to investigate!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I gather it will be an A319 or an A320.

Now confirmed; it's an A319 and it'll be the next livery done. The actual registration was given on Twitter earlier; it's one of the G-EUPx sequence but it'll only be around for a year or so before being withdrawn.

 

[Tim R-T-C]

Runway Aviation Park? Oh I am glad I went in September then, a shame to lose it as that was an amazing place to spot at.

The Airport Pub that was mentioned too, no idea where that is but will have to investigate!

Its up near the numbers on 23R. High fences, so not great for photography I would imagine, but excellent for spotters.

Hopefully they will add some new mounds to the viewing park - it seems daft that so many British airports have downgraded their spotting facilities - it encourages spotters to use unofficial locations which can block crash gates and local roads and make security's job harder. Surely providing a good, safe location for spotting will help to keep people in a place where they can be observed. Most European airports have viewing decks which have excellent views.

 

[Techniquest]

Agreed on needing new mounds, an official spotting place is always welcome. Saves so much drama!

 

[LOL The Irony]

An Atlas Air 767 operating for Prime Air has crashed near Huston, TX.
https://news.sky.com/story/no-survi...r-amazon-deliveries-crashes-in-texas-11646531

Three people are believed to have died after a cargo plane carrying Amazon deliveries crashed "nose first" in Texas.

The Boeing 767 cargo jetliner, which was being operated for Amazon Prime Air, was travelling from Miami to Houston when officials lost radar with the plane about 30 miles away from its destination.


It crashed into a bay near the city on Saturday after a rapid descent, and three people were on board at the time.

Witnesses said the twin-engine plane "went in nose first" before disintegrating upon impact.

Debris was littered across an almost mile-long stretch in Trinity Bay, according to Chambers County sheriff Brian Hawthorne.


He described the scene as one of "total devastation" - adding: "It's probably a crash that nobody would survive."

The plane made a steep descent from 6,525ft to 3,025ft in 30 seconds, according to tracking data from FlightAware.com.

Mr Hawthorne said witnesses reported hearing the engines surging and that the aircraft turned sharply before it fell into a nosedive.

According to US media reports, human remains have been found - and the cargo jet was on a daily flight between Miami and Houston. Police so far do not know what cargo the plane was carrying.

Officials fear the recovery of bodies, debris and the plane's black box will be hampered by the challenging landscape.

The plane, which was minutes away from landing at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, crashed into muddy marshland and can only be accessed by air boats.

The coast guard dispatched one helicopter to assist in the search for survivors, and a dive team is going to search for the black box.


Atlas Air has been operating Boeing 767 freighters on behalf of Amazon since a deal was struck in 2016.

Dave Clark, senior vice president of worldwide operations at Amazon, said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the flight crew, their families and friends along with the entire team at Atlas Air during this terrible tragedy,"

 

[gtis]

Sad news for aviation fans in the north - the Manchester Airport Viewing Park is closing its spotting mounds from today, for development of a new 'private terminal' building.

Given the popularity of the site for spotters and families, I wonder how it will survive without much of its raison d'etre. I suspect most spotters will move to the off-site locations, while having a big new building in the way isn't going to make the, quite expensive, site particularly appealing to families.

Hi and I was planning a trip out later in the year traveling from Doncaster to airport by train
Neil

 

[Ken H]

Funny flying gif for you
Click the link and enjoy
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/image...64d41b885874d001c84905778aad8.gif?w=600&h=281

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

Sad news for aviation fans in the north - the Manchester Airport Viewing Park is closing its spotting mounds from today, for development of a new 'private terminal' building.

Given the popularity of the site for spotters and families, I wonder how it will survive without much of its raison d'etre. I suspect most spotters will move to the off-site locations, while having a big new building in the way isn't going to make the, quite expensive, site particularly appealing to families.

I suspect it will survive quite well though the make-up of its visitors will likely change. It's inevitable that anyone serious about photography will increasingly use the various unofficial viewing points on the south side. The reality is, that in the same way as the terminals have been increasingly commercialised by increasing the retail opportunities, the RVP has looked to appeal to an audience willing to pay for visits to the Concorde and so on. Security considerations, however much they may at times appear to be over-emphasised, make it increasingly hard to justify official facilities solely for the purpose of observing and photographing aircraft. Perhaps what is needed is for the National Trust to be persuaded to create a suitable facility within Styal Country Park which borders the airport on the south side.

Funny flying gif for you
Click the link and enjoy
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/image...64d41b885874d001c84905778aad8.gif?w=600&h=281

I certainly enjoyed though I wonder what their CO made of it. They may have been dummies but there appeared to be missiles on both wingtips.

 

[LOL The Irony]

I suspect it will survive quite well though the make-up of its visitors will likely change. It's inevitable that anyone serious about photography will increasingly use the various unofficial viewing points on the south side. The reality is, that in the same way as the terminals have been increasingly commercialised by increasing the retail opportunities, the RVP has looked to appeal to an audience willing to pay for visits to the Concorde and so on. Security considerations, however much they may at times appear to be over-emphasised, make it increasingly hard to justify official facilities solely for the purpose of observing and photographing aircraft. Perhaps what is needed is for the National Trust to be persuaded to create a suitable facility within Styal Country Park which borders the airport on the south side.



I certainly enjoyed though I wonder what their CO made of it. They may have been dummies but there appeared to be missiles on both wingtips.

I mean if anyone wants to swap houses with me, I live under the runway 2 flight path...

 

[WestCoast]

After my last time flying to Bratislava to reach Vienna, I just flew Laudamotion from Vienna to Dublin which was quite a decent experience actually. All the booking done via the Ryanair website (app) with the exact same policies and a low fare. Pretty much everything is Ryanair, including the onboard menu & duty free. However the A320 had new reclining leather seats, seat pockets and decent enough legroom, the crew were Austrian with (very) thick Viennese accents (& a lot of fake tan but I'm not one to judge!). Just goes to show it didn't take much to upgrade the Ryanair experience!

The flight was booked to the last seat with mostly from what I could tell Czech/Slovak/Hungarian passengers who must be able to reach Vienna Airport pretty easily by road. There seems to be an absolute low cost carrier war at Vienna Airport now - loads of Wizz Air departures to all sorts of places, Laudamotion, Eurowings, easyJet and Level/Vueling. Good for passengers but not sure if sustainable - perhaps so as Vienna is very popular to visit with some nationalities and has lots of expats from the East (probably who would usually take the bus/train).

 

[Bletchleyite]

The question would be how long they will be around. Niki Lauda has owned a variety of airlines, usually with a similar style of operation, and none of them has really lasted that long. Maybe he should have stuck with racing driving.

As for reclining seats, am I alone in considering them a *bad* thing for short haul where most people do not wish to recline? As long as the back is at a comfortable angle to start with there is really no need.