CONCORDE ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

UK £4.80 January 2019 www.aviation-news.co.uk

CONCORDE
50 ANNIVERSARY ISSUE
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• White Elephant to Golden Eagle

WIN! • Heathrow to JFK – Pilot's Perspective
• Air-to-air Photography Challenges
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EXCLUSIVE HAWGSMOKE
TALES FROM THE Gathering of
the A-10s
LOGBOOK Alaskan Propliners
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 CONTENTS
p26

FEATURES p11 REGULARS

14 Hawgsmoke 2018 04 Headlines
John Gabor reports from Whiteman AFB as A-10C
squadrons meet to determine the type’s premier unit. 06 Civil News
20 Hinds − Still In Demand 10 Military News
The Mil Mi-24/35 assault helicopter continues to attract
customers, writes Alexander Mladenov. 18 Preservation News
26 Brisbane Airport CEO − Building p20 32 Flight Bag
for the Future
Chris Frame speaks to the chief executive of Australia’s 50 Viewing Area Guide
third busiest airport, presently in the midst of the largest
redevelopment in its history. 70 Register Review
34 Concorde − White Elephant to 74 Airport Movements
Golden Eagle
Captain Jock Lowe tells Dino Carrara how British Airways’ 78 Air Base Movements
Concorde fleet was transformed into a money-spinner.

40 Concorde Pilot’s Perspective − p50

Heathrow to JFK
Former BA Concorde chief pilot Mike Bannister talks us
through a typical flight from London to New York.

46 Concorde in Focus
Rick Brewell, a former RAF photographer, explains the GIVE THE GIFT THAT
challenges he faced photographing Concorde air-to-air. LASTS ALL YEAR!
54 Colombian Kfirs Fly On A subscription to Aviation News
Sérgio Santana explains how upgrades have kept the makes a great gift this Christmas.
Colombian Air Force’s Kfirs potent. See pages 52 and 53 for details.
p54
60 TALES FROM THE LOGBOOK
The Last Frontier For the latest news and updates from the Editorial team,
why not fi nd us on your favourite social media platform?
Rich Cooper, of The Centre of Aviation Photography
(COAP), and Dietmar Schreiber describe a trip to the search Aviation search
aviation wilds of Alaska. News Magazine @AvNewsMag

79 Hurricane Squadron − In the Eye of

the Battle Part 2 Cover: (main image): British Airways Concorde, G-BOAE, on finals to Heathrow Airport.
In the second of two parts, Tom Spencer continues AirTeamImages.com/Philippe Noret. Inset (bottom left): Alaska Air Fuel’s DC-4, N96358,
to detail 253 Sqn’s time on Hurricanes, flying as night in flight. Rich Cooper/COAP. Inset (bottom right): An A-10C prepares to take part in the
fighters before deployments to North Africa and Italy. Hawgsmoke competition. John Gabor

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www.aviation-news.co.uk 3
HEADLINES

Arkia Takes Delivery of First A321LR

Arkia Israeli Airlines has taken

delivery of the first A321LR. Airbus

Arkia Israeli Airlines, has taken delivery
of its first A321LR, 4X-AGH, becoming
the launch operator of the type. The CFM
International LEAP-1A-powered LR is the
latest version of the A321 Family and has
a range of up to 4,000nm (7,408km) with
206 passengers. Arkia’s three A321LRs
will be configured with 220 seats in a
single-class layout with a 31in (79cm)
pitch. The higher payload means the
aircraft can fly 3,300nm (6,112km). The
carrier also decided to fit its LRs with more
galley space. The handover ceremony took
place at the Airbus Hamburg production
facility on November 13.

UK Orders More Lightnings

The UK has ordered 17 more Lockheed
Martin F-35B Lightnings (the II designation
is not used for British examples). They will
be delivered between 2020 and 2022 and
will complement the 16 examples currently
based at RAF Marham, Norfolk and in the
US, as well as two additional aircraft already
on order. The Defence Secretary Gavin
Williamson announced the new deal on
November 15. The 17 jets are part of a $6bn
contract for 255 aircraft being built for the
global F-35 enterprise. Williamson said: “I
am delighted to confirm we are doubling the
size of our F-35 force into a formidable fleet
of 35 stealth fighters. This is another massive
order in the biggest defence programme in
history. Our military and industry are playing
a leading role in the F-35 programme.
We are now building this game-changing
capability that will soon be ready for frontline
action. This programme is set to bring an
immense boost of £35bn into the British
economy, and it will be welcome news to
our firms that many more jets are now set
for production.” The UK Government has
committed to procure 138 aircraft in total over
the life of the programme.

Third Mosquito Project in New Zealand

Mosquito FB.VI PZ474
has been rolled out
by New Zealand’s
Avspecs. It is the
third de Havilland
Mosquito restoration
to flying status by the
company since 2012.
The newly painted
machine emerged from
its hangar at Ardmore,
New Zealand, for the
first time on November
8 and successfully ran
its port engine. The next
stage will be to complete
work on the starboard
unit before ground trials
and a first flight.
Built in 1945
at Hatfield in Mosquito FB.VI PZ474 after roll out at Ardmore on November 8. With thanks to Warren Denholm
Hertfordshire, PZ474 first went to 19
Maintenance Unit on April 19 of that February and sold to New Zealand early US as N9909F. Its civil registration was
year, before serving with 80 Operational in 1948. It then flew with the RNZAF’s 75 cancelled in December 1970. It’s being
Training Unit (OTU) from May 5 and 132 Squadron as NZ2384. restored by Avspecs on behalf of its current
OTU at East Fortune, Scotland, from June The Mosquito was acquired by a civilian owner, Texas-based Lewis Air Legends.
13. It was placed in storage the following operator in the mid-1950s and flew in the www.warbirdrestoration.co.nz

4 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019

Pima Receives
747 Classic
GE Aviation has donated its original Boeing
747-100, N747GE, testbed to the Pima Air
& Space Museum, near Tucson in Arizona.
Its final flight from the company’s Flight Test
Operation in Victorville, California took place
on November 15.
It was the oldest 747 in active service,
having rolled off the assembly line on
October 17, 1969 – just eight months after
the 747’s first flight on February 9. After the
747’s maiden flight on March 3, 1970 it was
delivered to Pan Am as N744PA and named
Clipper Ocean Spray. GE Aviation acquired
the aircraft in 1992. The transformation from
passenger aircraft to a flying testbed required
significant modifications, including removing
seats, strengthening the left wing and tail for
flight testing and installing data systems. The
Italian Air Force F-35A IOC
The Italian Air Force has declared initial
operational capability (IOC) for its F-35A
fighters with 13° Gruppo of 32° Stormo at
Amendola air base. Air force chief Lt Gen
Alberto Rosso announced the achievement
at the base on November 30 during NATO’s
Tactical Leadership Programme 18-4, the first
to involve fifth-generation aircraft.
“Today is an important day for the Italian
Air Force,” Lt Gen Rosso declared, “with the
achievement of IOC for our F-35 we are able
to express – as the first in Europe – a real
operational capability with a fifth-generation
aircraft. We have reached this capability with
multiple aircraft, we have crews properly
trained to operate the platform and long-
term maintenance and logistic support.”
A330-800 Takes Flight
Airbus A330-800, F-WTTO takes off on the variant’s maiden flight. Airbus
The A330-800 has made its first flight,
having departed Toulouse-Blagnac Airport.
The aircraft, F-WTTO (c/n 1888), will
undertake flight-physics tests required for the
variant as part of the A330-800’s certification
process. Airbus expects this test programme
to involve around 300 flight hours with
certification planned for 2019. The larger
A330-900 recently completed its certification
www.aviation-news.co.uk
GE Aviation Boeing 747-100, N747GE, on November 15 – the day it was delivered to its new
home. Pima Air & Space Museum
747 provided critical flight data on more than
11 distinct engine models including the GE90,
GEnx, CF34, CFM56, LEAP and Engine
Alliance GP7200. GE Aviation flew the 747 on
its final test flight on January 25, 2017.
In 2010, the company acquired a 747-400
aircraft from Japan Airlines and registered
The first F-35A arrived with 32° Stormo
on December 12, 2016, and a first flight
over Amendola was recorded on January
11 the following year. In October 2017
the jets took part in Exercise Vega, the
country’s most important joint manoeuvres
of the year.
To date, ten F-35As have been
delivered: eight are at Amendola and
have been upgraded to the Block 3F
standard while the remainder are used for
training at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona.
Since March 1, 2018 Lightning IIs of 32°
Stormo have been a fully operational
component of the Servizio di Sorveglianza
dello Spazio Aereo (SSSA, Airspace
Surveillance Service).
programme, which validated the A330neo
Family’s common engines, systems, cabin
and flight plus ground operations.
Experimental test pilots Malcolm Ridley
and François Barre and test-flight engineer
Ludovic Girard conducted the November
6 flight. Two flight-test engineers were also
onboard monitoring aircraft systems during
the sortie.
it N744GF. It was converted into the new
Propulsion Test Platform (PTP). Powered
by GE’s CF6-80C2 engines, the PTP offers
better capabilities and improved integrated
systems compared with the older flying test
bed. The newer aircraft has flown missions
for the LEAP and GE9X engines.
EDITORIAL
Welcome to the January issue
in which we pay tribute to an
iconic aircraft. It’s 50 years
since Concorde took to the
air for the first time on March 2, 1969. Public
fondness for the supersonic airliner was
evident when thousands of people turned up
at Heathrow Airport on October 24, 2003 to
see the last commercial services touch down.
We hope you’ll enjoy our fascinating articles
about the elegant airliner.
This edition also features the launch of our
photoshoot listing, which will appear each
month, reflecting the increasing popularity
of these events that are growing in number.
So, save yourself time searching for what’s
coming up and let our new listing provide the
information you need.
Starting to think about aviation trips for 2019?
Then look out for next month’s magazine for
our worldwide listings of enthusiast trips run
by aviation tour companies. Tour operators are
invited to email their itineraries to me at the
address below.
Unfortunately, 2019 sees the RAF retire the
Tornado GR4. Another legendary aircraft, it
has proved itself time and again on numerous
operations over the decades. We intend to
give a fitting fanfare to the aircraft ‘on approach
to’ the out of service date, so look out next
month for our RAF Tornado-themed issue.
As the year draws to a close, I’d like to thank
you, the readers, as well as the contributors
and advertisers for your support over the last
12 months. It is greatly appreciated. Looking
ahead we have some exciting plans for the
magazine so be sure to join us in 2019.
Dino Carrara
Editor
dino.carrara@keypublishing.com
5
CIVIL NEWS

New Etihad Formula One Livery

Etihad Airways has celebrated the tenth Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with a special livery applied to Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, A6-BLV. The scheme
was unveiled at Boeing’s Charleston, South Carolina plant on November 22. Coinciding with the race, the aircraft flew in formation with Etihad’s
‘Year of Zayed’ liveried Airbus A380-800 and the UAE Air Force’s Al Fursan display team over the Yas Marinas Circuit on November 25. It visited
Manchester Airport the following day. Ashley French

ACJ320neo Takes Flight

The corporate jet version of the Airbus
A320neo made its maiden flight from
Airbus’ Hamburg facility on November 16.
The 2hr 40min flight marks the start of a
short programme that will see features,
such as additional fuel tanks and greater
cabin pressure, tested prior to the
aircraft being prepared for its new owner.
Once testing has been completed, the
ACJ320neo will undergo cabin outfitting
by AMAC Aerospace in Basle, Switzerland
before being repainted and delivered to
Acropolis Aviation, based at Farnborough,
Hampshire, where it will take up the
registration, G-KELT.
ACJ president Benoit Defforge
remarked: “The ACJ320neo first flight
heralds a new Airbus corporate jet era,
delivering a range improvement that
enables nonstop travel between even more
cities… The ACJ320neo Family’s improved
fuel efficiency also means that it compares
even more favourably in operating costs
with traditional business jets.”
Based on the popular A320neo airliner
family, the corporate jet version has an
increased range of 6,000nm (11,100km).
Airbus Corporate Jets also offers the
ACJ319neo, ACJ330neo and ACJ350 XWB
as part of its range.

Brussels A330neo Deliveries Begin

SuperJet Lease
Ended Early
Brussels Airlines has revised its contract
with Irish airline and wet-lease provider
CityJet, and will be discontinuing Sukhoi
SuperJet 100 operations. Four of the
Dublin-based carrier’s seven SSJ100s fly
on behalf of the Belgian airline, but they
will be withdrawn in March. Speaking to
Russian business magazine Air Transport
Observer (ATO), Brussels Airlines stated
the decision was based on “challenging
maintenance” issues apparently made
TAP Air Portugal is the A330neo launch
worse by a shortage of spares: “In general, TAP Air Portugal took delivery of the first
operator – it will be flown on services to
even a small technical issue needs more Airbus A330-900 at a ceremony in Toulouse
Africa and the Americas. Airbus
time to be resolved than if it was an older on November 26. The launch operator for
type of aircraft…This results in longer the A330neo, the Portuguese carrier is due delighted to welcome the first Airbus A330-
maintenance dwell times, obliging Brussels to accept a further 20 A330-900s in the 900 into our expanding fleet. The A330neo
Airlines to adapt its schedules and flight coming years. will give us a lot of operational flexibility
offers on a regular basis.” It was delivered with Airbus’ new Airspace thanks to its commonality with the other
At the time of going to press, three of cabin and accommodates 298 passengers in Airbus aircraft in our fleet.”
CityJet’s Russian-built SSJ100s, EI-FWC, a three-class layout. The cabin features larger Guillaume Faury, president of Airbus
EI-FWE and EI-FWG, appeared to be stored overhead storage bins, advanced lighting and Commercial Aircraft remarked: “Handing over
or undergoing maintenance, having not flown an improved in-flight entertainment system the first ever A330neo to a long-standing
since at least November 12. The aircraft will and connectivity. Airbus customer, TAP Air Portugal, is a very
be replaced like-for-like by Bombardier CRJs Speaking at the aircraft’s handing- important milestone for Airbus. This occasion
sourced from CityJet and its Spanish partner over ceremony, Antonoaldo Neves, TAP marks another step forward to meeting our
Air Nostrum. Air Portugal’s chief executive said: “I am industry’s goal for sustainable aviation.”

6 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019

 A350 Enters Service
with China Eastern
China Eastern Airlines accepted its irst
Airbus A350-900 at a ceremony in Toulouse
on November 29. The Shanghai-based
carrier is the biggest Airbus operator in Asia
and the second largest in the world, having
a leet of 356 Airbus jets, including 306 A320
Family aircraft and 50 A330s.
The airline’s A350-900 features a four-
class cabin layout of 288 seats: four irst,
36 business, 32 premium economy and 216
economy. It will initially deploy the new type
on domestic routes, followed by lights to
Premium Economy for Finnair
Finnair conirmed it will introduce a new
premium economy class on its long-haul
services. The Helsinki-based carrier’s
new cabin will feature “highly customised
designs” and will “provide customers with
increased space and comfort, along with
an enhanced service offering”. However,
passengers will have to wait a while for
the new product as its roll-out is not due
to begin until the end of 2020. The airline
hopes to offer the new cabin across its
entire leet by the end of 2022.
Details such as catering and the initial
aircraft types to be upgraded have yet
ATR 72-600 Delivered to Air Botswana
Air Botswana has received its ifth ATR
aircraft, A2-ABK (c/n 1433), as the airline
continues to strengthen its leet. The initial
delivery from an order for two ATR 72-600s
placed in July, the second example, A2-
ABL (c/n 1437) is also due to be inducted
into service in the coming weeks. Both
aircraft are to be delivered in a 70-seat,
two-class coniguration.
Air Botswana chief executive, Agnes
Tsholofelo Khunwana affirmed the airline’s
commitment to lying the regional propliners:
“We have been using ATRs for over 20 years
and are very satisied with their operating
results. The latest generation of ATRs will
allow us to provide the highest standards
of comfort, reliability and eco-efficiency to
our customers.” Stefano Bortoli, ATR chief
executive remarked that: “Upgrading their
[Air Botswana’s] leet with 72-600s is a
sign of conidence and we are very proud
of that. With over 120 ATR aircraft lying in
www.aviation-news.co.uk
China Eastern is the fourth mainland Chinese
carrier to use the Airbus A350 after Air China,
Sichuan Airlines and Hainan Airlines. Airbus
international destinations. Airbus believes
that the A350 XWB Family is particularly well
suited to the needs of Asia-Paciic airlines
and this has been evidenced by irm orders
from carriers in the region representing over
a third of total sales for the type. As of the
end of October 2018, Airbus had recorded
890 irm orders for the A350 XWB from 47
customers worldwide.
to be conirmed, with the airline stating
that these will be “communicated at a
later stage”. It is unclear what impact the
decision will have on Finnair’s existing
‘Economy Comfort’ product, which offers
extra legroom seating towards the front of
the economy cabin.
Piia Karhu, senior vice-president,
customer experience, at Finnair noted:
“We see a growing trend of quality-focused
travellers, who place a strong focus on
the comfort and quality of their travel
experience. Responding to customer needs
from all our key markets, our new Premium
Air Botswana has named its irst ATR 72-600 Tsodilo, after a UNESCO World Heritage Site close
to the country’s border with Namibia. ATR
Africa, ATRs are the right aircraft for regional
aviation in Africa, now and in the future.”
The new models will bolster the airline’s
existing three ATR 42-500s and solitary
ATR 72-500 based at Gaborone/Sir Seretse
Khama. ATR has been particularly active in
IN BRIEF
EASTERN AIRWAYS has retired its last
two Embraer 170s returning them to lessor
GECAS. The regional jets, G-CIXV (c/n
17000111) and G-CIXW (c/n 17000230),
were operating for British Airways
CityFlyer until early November when they
were ferried to Naples for storage. The BA
subsidiary has since replaced the jets,
taking on two Embraer 190s from Stobart
Air on a three-year lease.
VIETNAM AIRLINES has taken delivery
of its irst Airbus A321neo in Hamburg,
Germany. The aircraft, VN-A617, has been
acquired on lease from Aviation Capital
Group and was delivered on November 16.
The Vietnamese carrier has 20 A321neos
on order and currently operates 57
A321ceos on services across Asia. The
new aircraft has a two-class cabin with
eight seats in business class and 195 in
economy. It is powered by two Pratt &
Whitney PW1000G engines.
Economy class will serve the requirements
of both leisure and corporate customers.”
Finnair has also announced it is to
refresh the interiors of the ATR leet of Nordic
Regional Airlines (Norra), in which it holds
a minority stake. The short-haul turboprops
are utilised on domestic lights, as well as
regional services to the Baltics, Gdansk and
Stockholm. New seating and carpets will be
installed, in addition to “a harmonised and
fresh cabin interior design”. The initial aircraft
with the renewed cabin is expected to enter
service in summer 2019, with all 12 ATRs
updated by the spring of 2020.
Africa in recent years, with the Franco-Italian
company reporting that it is experiencing
rising demand for its products. The irm had
earlier stated that Africa and the Middle East
would need 300 new turboprops over the
next 20 years.
7
CIVIL NEWS

Latvian Independence Livery for airBaltic A220

AirBaltic has painted an A220 in a striking red and white livery to mark the 100th anniversary of the country’s independence. airBaltic

AirBaltic has marked the 100th anniversary
of Latvia’s independence with a special livery
on one of its Airbus A220-300s. The aircraft,
YL-CSL, has been painted in the colours of
the national flag and has been named after
the country’s capital, Riga. The livery was
presented as a gift to the President of the
Republic of Latvia, Raimonds Vējonis, on
behalf of the people of Latvia at a ceremony
on November 9.
The President said: “As a patron of
Latvia’s centenary celebration, I am twice as
pleased to receive this gift, because every
gift to our country on its anniversary is a gift
to each of us. The red and white flag is our
sanctity and our symbol. This is a proof of
the determination of our people to fight and
safeguard our freedom. Thanks to airBaltic for
this gift, which will allow us to look in the sky
with pride!”
Martin Gauss, the airline’s chief executive,
added: “[The] airBaltic team is delighted and
honoured to present a special gift to Latvia
on its centenary, which is a historical event
for every Latvian. We at airBaltic perceive
ourselves as ambassadors of Latvia, and
we use every opportunity to spread the word
about Latvia as a beautiful, successful and
flourishing country.”
The specially marked aircraft took part
in a flypast over the centre of Riga to mark
the Day of Proclamation of the Republic of
Latvia on November 18. As part of the flight,
the aircraft flew in formation with two Belgian
Defence - Air Component F-16AMs and an
EF2000 belonging to the German Air Force.

Flybe Back on the Market

Exeter-based carrier Flybe confirmed in
a November 14 statement to the London
Stock Exchange that it was starting a
“formal sales process”, one of several
measures it hoped would “strengthen
the balance sheet and preserve cash
resources”. The announcement came
just eight months after Stobart Group
abandoned plans to purchase the airline.
The firm, which owns Stobart Air and
runs London Southend and Carlisle Lake
District airports, said the companies had
been “unable to reach agreement on
satisfactory terms” after Flybe’s board
rejected its bid.
Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline,
revealed it is already “in discussions with
a number of strategic operators about
a potential sale of the company” and is
reviewing other “strategic options” including
further capacity and cost-saving measures.
Several weeks ago the airline warned
of a full-year loss of £22m, citing rising
fuel costs, currency fluctuations and
falling consumer demand. Shares in the
airline have dropped by nearly 75% since
September, this after the failed Stobart buy-
out wiped more than 25% off the value of the
company. Profits for the six months from April
halved to £7.4m against the same period in
2017, increasing net debt to £82m.
Responding to the statement, British
Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) general
secretary Brian Strutton vowed to protect
the airline’s staff, saying: “Flybe is the
largest regional airline in Europe with 2,300
talented, committed employees in the
UK who will be very worried to hear this
morning that their company is up for sale.
Despite warnings, this will still be a bolt
out of the blue. BALPA believes that Flybe
is fundamentally a sound airline and we
will scrutinise any offers to buy Flybe very
carefully to ensure continued employment
is protected.”
Virgin Atlantic has confirmed it is in
discussions about a takeover. Virgin has
previously attempted to break into the UK
domestic market, launching Little Red in
2013 in reaction to British Airways’ merger
with BMI. The domestic arm offered services
to London Heathrow from Manchester,
Edinburgh and Aberdeen using a fleet of
Airbus A320s leased from Aer Lingus.

BA 767s Retired A319 for Air Senegal

British Airways has completed the
withdrawal of the Boeing 767-300 from
its fleet. BA fielded 28 examples of the
type from April 1990 until November
2018, selling seven examples to Qantas
in 2000. The last revenue service, from
Larnaca to London Heathrow, was
operated by G-BZHB on November 24.
The aircraft was ferried to St Athan in
south Wales two days later. The type has
the distinction of being the last in British
Airways service to fly a long-haul route An Airbus A319-100 has been seen at Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suárez Airport on air tests prior
from outside London, being deployed on to delivery to Air Senegal. The aircraft retains its Spanish registration, EC-JXV (c/n 2897), from
the Manchester-New York JFK run until previous operator Iberia. It will be the first jet aircraft for the Senegalese carrier which presently
November 2010. operates a pair of ATR 72-600s. Two Airbus A330neos are also expected to join the fleet in time
for the airline to begin Dakar-Paris services in February 2019. AviationImageNetwork − Bailey

8 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019

 Neos for Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand has added an A321neo,
ZK-NNA, to its fleet. It is the first of 20
A320neo Family aircraft for the airline, which
operates a fleet of 30 A320ceos on Pacific
Island, trans-Tasman and domestic routes.
The carrier took delivery of the A321neo on
November 5, with a second being delivered
on December 2.
The airline’s maiden A321neo is painted
in the airline’s all-black special colours,
while the second aircraft to be delivered
Flight Test 777X
Taking Shape
Boeing has brought together the major
fuselage sections to form the first 777X
that will take to the skies in 2019. In a
major production milestone called ‘final
body join’, Boeing teams connected
the nose, mid and aft sections in the
company’s factory at Everett, Washington.
The prototype 777X, known as Flight Test
#1, now measures 252ft (77m) from nose
to tail, making it the longest passenger jet
the manufacturer has ever produced.
Josh Binder, vice president and
general manager of the 777X was
positive about the progress being made
on the prototype: “With the 777X, the
production system was integrated into
the development programme sooner
than any other airplane, and the team
is doing a great job of hitting our
milestones as expected.”
The new variant builds on Boeing’s
777 and the 787 Dreamliner whilst
introducing features such as the
largest jet engine ever built, the GE9X,
and a composite wing with folding,
raked wingtips. The addition of folding
winglets means the 777X’s 235ft (72m)
span can be accommodated by airports
compatible with the existing 777 family.
The 777-9 will be introduced prior to the
777-8 and will seat 400 to 425 passengers
in a standard configuration and offer a
range of 7,600nm (14,075km). A 777X for
static ground testing was completed in
September and three additional examples
will be built in efforts to expedite the flight
test programme. Deliveries are scheduled
to begin in 2020.
www.aviation-news.co.uk
Air New Zealand A321neo, ZK-NNA, departs
Hamburg Finkenwerder on delivery to
Auckland. Airbus
wears the company’s standard livery. Both
are powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1000G
engines and accommodate 214 passengers
in a single-class layout. The carrier is
expected to place further orders in 2019 as
it looks to replace its Boeing 777-200ER
fleet with either Boeing 787s, Boeing 777Xs
or Airbus A350s.
Successful Captive-Carry Flight
for Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne
Virgin Orbit’s modified Boeing 747-400,
N747VG, during the inaugural captive-carry
flight of a LauncherOne rocket. Virgin Orbit
Virgin Orbit has successfully test flown its
modified Boeing 747-400 with a captive-
carry LauncherOne rocket under its wing.
The aircraft made its maiden flight with the
70ft rocket, lasting 80mins, on November
19. The rocket was mounted under the port-
wing in the position previously used to ferry
a fifth engine.
Virgin Orbit chief pilot Lt Col Kelly Latimer
USAF (ret’d) was pleased with the flight: “The
vehicles flew like a dream today. Everyone
on the flight crew and all of our colleagues
on the ground were extremely happy with the
data we saw from the instruments onboard
the aircraft, in the pylon, and on the rocket
itself. From my perspective in the cockpit,
the vehicles handled incredibly well, and
IN BRIEF
BRITISH AIRWAYS has revealed it will
take delivery of its initial Airbus A350-
1000 in July. Speaking at an International
Airlines Group (IAG) Investor Day, the
airline’s chief executive Alex Cruz said it
expects four examples from an order of
18 will be in service by the end of 2019.
The incoming jets will be configured
in a 331-seat, four-class layout and
will be the first to feature its new Club
World business class product. Cruz also
confirmed the Heathrow-based carrier
will begin accepting Boeing 787-10s
during 2020.
For the latest news and updates from
the Editorial team, why not find us on
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search Aviation search
News Magazine @AvNewsMag
perfectly matched what we’ve trained for in
the simulators.”
Virgin Orbit will continue conducting test
flights with Cosmic Girl, its former Virgin
Atlantic 747-400 launch aircraft, and plans
for LauncherOne rockets to reach orbit in
2019. Progress on the programme has been
rapid of late, with there being less than a
month between the initial mating of the
rocket to the under-wing station and the
November 19 flight.
The 747, N747VG, is one of two new
projects to create an air-launch-to-orbit
operation, along with Scaled Composites’
Stratolaunch aircraft. Presently, only one
aircraft can release rockets in flight, Northrop
Grumman’s Lockheed L-1011 Stargazer.
Previously operated by Orbital ATK, the
TriStar, N140SC, has launched 43 rockets
since 1994.
9
MILITARY NEWS

Typhoon Passes 500,000 Flying Hours

Eurofighter has confirmed that the Typhoon has passed 500,000 flight hours. The milestone was marked on November 9 with the application of
special markings to four aircraft, one each from the German, Italian, Spanish and UK Typhoon fleets. Volker Paltzo, Eurofighter chief executive
said: “Passing the 500,000 flying hours milestone underscores the fact that today Eurofighter Typhoon is the backbone of NATO’s European air
defence.” Eurofighter

Rafale F3-R Standard Certified by DGA

The latest F3-R standard of the Rafale fighter has been qualified by
the French defence procurement agency, the Direction générale de
l’armement (DGA). Development of the new configuration began at
the end of 2013 and was based on the F3 standard. F3-R, certified
on October 31, enables French Air Force and French Navy Rafales to
carry Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles (AAMs), Thales
Talios new-generation laser designator pod and the laser-homing
version of the Armement Air-Sol Modulaire (AASM) air-to-ground
modular weapon. F3-R also includes upgrades to the Rafale’s sensors
and communications systems.
Work to upgrade the 144 Rafales, currently fielded by the
French, began in October. The first ten Rafale F3-R aircraft – four
of which were due to be delivered before the end of the 2018 – will
be used for operational trials by the air force and navy. Work is now
due to begin on the F4 standard which will focus on the Rafale’s
connectivity and ability to operate as part of a network.

ROKAF A330 MRTT 18-001 takes off from

ROKAF A330 MRTT Delivered Getafe for its delivery flight. Airbus

001 (c/n 1787, MRTT050, ex EC-331)

The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF)
has received an initial A330 Multi-Role
Tanker Transport (MRTT). Flown by an
Airbus and ROKAF crew, serial 18-
completed its ferry flight from Getafe,
Spain to Gimhae Air Base via a stopover
in Vancouver, Canada, arriving in South
Korea on November 12. Acceptance
evaluations – including refuelling F-15K
and F-16 fighters – were expected to take
around a month before the MRTT could
be deployed operationally. The air force
has completed initial pilot training for the
A330. Four A330 MRTTs are scheduled
to be delivered by the end of 2019 under
the $1.32bn KC-X programme.

10 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019

 302 Hikotai F-4 Retirement Schemes

The two special

McDonnell Douglas F-4EJ Kais, 07-8428 and
77-8399, have received special liveries to
mark the inal year of 302 Hikotai’s Phantom
operations. The irst of the two schemes,
applied to 07-8428, was unveiled in early
July. It made a public appearance later that
month at the Chitose Air Festival on the 22nd,
schemed F-4EJs, of
followed by Komatsu on December 2 – where both aircraft were
302 Hikotai, taxi out
to depart Hyakuri. on September on static display together. The 302 Hikotai
Both Peter Rolt 17 and Gifu on will soon move to Misawa, north Japan, to
November 18. A re-equip with the F-35A. The irst F-4EJs were
second, black livery was applied to 77-8399 assigned to the unit on October 1, 1974 when
– revealed publicly at the Hyakuri Air Festival the squadron was established at Chitose.

PHOTOSHOOT DIARY 2019

Aviation News introduces a new section to the magazine this month – an aviation photoshoot calendar – keeping you in touch with photographic events. If
you’d like to see your shoot listed here, just send the details to assistant editor Martin Needham at martin.needham@keypublishing.com
January
17: Aircraft Access Evening, Fleet Air
Arm Museum, Yeovilton
www.leetairarm.com/event/130.aspx
£40
February
3: Buccaneer Afternoon/Evening
Photoshoot, Bruntingthorpe
https://www.timelineevents.org/product.
php/592/a-afternoon-and-evening-of-
close-up-jet-photography-at-former-
raf-bruntingthorpe-sunday-3rd-
february-2019/
£60
March
7: Tours of Cobham Hall, Fleet Air
Arm Museum, Yeovilton
www.leetairarm.com/event/134.aspx
£12
9: Day/Night Photoshoot, Newark Air
Museum, Nottinghamshire
http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/Day-
Night_Photo_Shoot
£30
23: Vulcan XL426 Night Photoshoot,
Southend Airport
www.timelineevents.org/product.
php/577/a-cold-war-avro-vulcan-shoot-
with-b2-xl426-at-southend-airport-
saturday-23rd-march-2019/63492a13c0
105e9c2bd5bd4a58c4ede8
£65
April
14: Wattisham Station Heritage
Museum Nightshoot
www.timelineevents.org/product.
php/593/spring-time-opportunity-to-get-
up-close-and-personal-with-some-of-
britains-former-raf-icons-in-the-heart-
of-suffolk-sunday-14th-april-2019
£75
20: Solway Aviation Museum Night
Photoshoot
www.solway-aviation-museum.co.uk
Minimum £10 donation, places can be
booked by emailing info@solway-
aviation-museum.co.uk
27: Just Jane Sunset/Nightshoot,
East Kirkby, Lincolnshire
https://www.timelineevents.org/product.
php/558/lancaster-bomber-just-jane-
sunset-run-and-night-shoot-saturday-
27th-april-2019
£65
May
4: Evening Photocall, Abingdon
Air and Country Show, Abingdon,
Oxfordshire
Tickets not available at present, please
see www.abingdonairandcountry.co.uk/
the-show/nightshoot
September
27: JetFest Afternoon/Evening
Photoshoot, North Weald, Essex
www.timelineevents.org/product.
php/578/jetfest-on-the-apron-at-
north-weald-join-us-and-up-to-15-
ex-military-jets-for-an-afternoon-and-
evening-of-photography-friday-27th-
september-2019
£65
28: Hangar 11 Collection Nightshoot,
North Weald, Essex
https://www.timelineevents.org/
product.php/563/an-afternoon-sunset-
and-night-shoot-at-the-hanger-11-
collection-north-weald-saturday-28th-
september-2019
£65
October
12: Vulcan XM655 Nightshoot,
Wellesbourne Mountford,
Warwickshire
www.timelineevents.org/product.
php/567/avro-vulcan-b-mk2-xm655-
sunset-night-shoot-at-wellesbourne-
warwickshire-saturday-12th-
october-2019
£65
Readers are strongly urged to seek
conirmation that photoshoots are deinitely
taking place before travelling – photography
events can move location, date or be
cancelled, and this listing should only be
used as an outline. For more information,
check out individual websites, all of which are
listed here where possible.

Ex-RAF C-130J to Bahrain Maiden Flight

The UK Ministry of Defence has delivered
the irst of two surplus C-130Js to the Royal
Bahraini Air Force (RBAF). The former RAF
Hercules C5s were withdrawn following
the UK’s 2015 Strategic Defense and
Security Review (SDSR). Prior to delivery,
Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group
carried out in-depth maintenance and
prepared the Hercules for service with the
RBAF. The C-130J departed for Bahrain on
The irst of two C-130Js for the Royal
Bahraini Air Force departs Cambridge Airport
on delivery. Matt Varley
November 12. A second pair of C-130Js will
be delivered to Bangladesh in the spring.
Although plans originally called for the UK to
dispose of all 10 of its C5s on the second-
hand market, the loss of one of the RAF’s
C-130J-30s led to retention of one of the
short-fuselage models. Tom Kaminski
for Mi-38T
Russia’s latest military transport helicopter,
the Mi-38T, completed its maiden light on
November 23. The aircraft is a derivative
of the Mi-38, which irst lew in December
2003, and is intended to replace the Mi-
8/17 Hip. It has been manufactured by
Kazan Helicopters and lown by Mil test
pilots. The Mi-38T has two indigenously
produced Klimov TV7-117V turboshaft
engines, developing 2,800shp each.
These are more powerful than the
Canadian Pratt & Whitney 127T/S used in
the original Mi-38. Two helicopters are due
to be delivered to the Russian defence
ministry in 2019 and used for joint light
tests. Depending on the results, further Mi-
38T purchases could be planned for the
Russian Air Force.

www.aviation-news.co.uk 11
MILITARY NEWS
J-20As Display at Zhuhai
One of the highlights of the 2018 Zhuhai
Airshow in China was the participation of
Chengdu J-20As assigned to the 172nd
Brigade Flight Test and Training Base at
Cangzhou/Cangxian. Of note was the
weapons bays being opened towards
the end of the fighters’ flying display. A
standard missile load-out was visible,
Three Global Hawks for Japan
Japan is to acquire three Global Hawk
Block 30i unmanned air vehicles under
a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) contract
awarded to Northrop Grumman Aerospace
Systems on November 19. The US
Department of Defense contract covers
Series
Production
Il-76MD-90A
Flown
The first series production Il-78MD-90A,
factory number 01-09, made its maiden
flight on November 7. Its landmark trip was
announced the following day by Ilyushin
Aviation Complex chief executive Alexei
Rogozin. The aircraft flew from Ulyanovsk,
where the type is assembled in the
Aviastar-SP factory, and is the first of 39
due to be delivered to the Russian Air and
Space Forces under a defence ministry
contract announced by President Vladimir
Putin on October 4, 2012. The force hopes
to acquire up to 100 of these Il-76MD-90A
transport aircraft.
The type has been undergoing flight
tests since the first development prototype
made its initial flight at Ulyanovsk on
September 22, 2012. It was handed over
to the defence ministry on July 5, 2013 and
began tests at Zhukovsky five days later.
State flight tests to confirm its compliance
with defence ministry requirements began
in December 2016. Dave Allport
12
A pair of People’s Liberation Army Air Force
J-20As assigned to the 172nd Brigade Flight
Test and Training Base during the flying
display at Zhuhai on November 11.
with four PL-15 long-range air-to-air
missiles being carried in the two main
bays plus two short-range PL-10s in the
side bays.
three Block 30i (international) variants of
the Global Hawk fitted with an enhanced
integrated sensor suite payload, two ground
control elements, spares and support
equipment, and programme services.
Surveillance equipment is expected to
Tornado Retirement Schemes
RAF Marham’s two Tornado GR4 squadrons have unveiled colour schemes marking the type’s
withdrawal. Both Crown Copyright
Two aircraft have been painted to mark the
Panavia Tornado GR4’s pending retirement
from UK service. Both of RAF Marham’s
GR4 squadrons have unveiled special
schemes, with 31 Sqn revealing Tornado
IN BRIEF
The Australian Department of Defence
(DoD) has selected the MQ-9 REAPER
for its first armed unmanned air vehicle
(UAV). The Reaper will replace the Israel
Aerospace Industries (IAI) Heron 1 which was
retired in August 2017. In a DoD statement
on November 16, Minister for Defence
Christopher Pyne said the UAV “best meets
the capability requirements for Australia’s
first armed remotely piloted aircraft system”.
The MQ-9 was favoured over the IAI Heron TP.
The HUNGARIAN AIR FORCE has introduced
a Dassault Falcon 7X, s/n 606. It is part of
an ongoing overhaul of the Magyar Légierő
(Hungarian Air Force, HUNAF) transport fleet.
The business jet was acquired second-hand,
entering service with the 3 Szallitó Repülö
Század (3rd Air Transport Squadron) ‘Tevé’,
stationed at the MH 59. Szentgyörgyi Dezső
Repülőbázis (59th Szentgyörgyi Dezső Air
Base) at Kecskemét. As well as the Falcon,
the HUNAF has recently inducted a pair of
former Eurowings Airbus A319s, 604 and 605.
include Raytheon’s Enhanced Integrated
Sensor Suite (EISS).
The drones are scheduled for delivery by
the beginning of September 2022. The total
value of Japan’s Global Hawk programme is
estimated at $1.2bn.
GR4, ZD716/DH, on November 13. The
‘Goldstars’ aircraft follows the rolling out of a
IX (Bomber) Sqn ‘special’ earlier the same
month. Current plans will see the Panavia
type retired from service on March 31.
Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019
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 HAWGSMOKE 2018
Once every two years, squadrons operating the A-10C Thunderbolt II meet to
determine the type’s premier unit. John Gabor reports on the latest contest.
M
id-October saw the skies over
central Missouri come alive
for the biennial Hawgsmoke
competition. Hosted by
the 442nd Fighter Wing (FW) based
at Whiteman AFB, 12 units took part
to determine the USAF’s best A-10
‘Warthog’ squadron.
The brainchild of Col Cliff Latta (since
ret’d) of Michigan’s 172nd Fighter Squadron
(FS), the exercise continues a tradition first
established by the Air Combat Command-
organised gunnery competition, Gunsmoke.
First held at Nellis AFB, Nevada in 1949
and then staged periodically until 1995, the
contest was open to all ground attack and
bomber squadrons.
14
Above: During Hawgsmoke the 442nd FW’s
ramp became increasingly crowded as the
24 based A-10s were joined by 42 visiting
examples. John Gabor
Inset: The patch given to pilots attending
the event. John Gabor
Following the dissolution of the Soviet
Union in the early 1990s, the US made
sweeping cuts to its military. A casualty of
this was Gunsmoke and, prompted by its
cancellation, Col Latta set about establishing
a new exercise which would rekindle the
feeling of pride that Gunsmoke perpetuated
in the attack community.
The inaugural Hawgsmoke in 2000, held at
the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center
in Michigan, was won by the 118th FS from
Bradley Air National Guard Base, Connecticut.
Every two years, the winner of the previous
event runs the next, with the caveat that no
unit will organise two consecutively if it has
won twice in a row. With the 47th FS from
Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona taking top
honours in 2014 and 2016, running the 2018
competition fell to the 442nd FW, which last
hosted the exercise a decade earlier.
For those involved, it is more than just a
means of seeing who can drop bombs most
accurately or hit the target with the greatest
precision in the strafing pit. Maj Patrick
Glen, project officer for the 2018 contest,
explained: “We try to keep the same flavour
for each exercise. We keep the same events,
Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019
An A-10C from 163rd FS runs in on the strafing pit at Cannon Range, smoke pouring from its GAU-8 Avenger cannon. John Gabor
the Fallen Hawgs ceremony and a missing
man flyover always opens Hawgsmoke. Of
course, there’s the competition and then
there’s the awards banquet. There are other
things we compete on, from the beginning
to the end, everything is a competition and
that starts on the very first day. There’s
just something about Hawgsmoke that is
unlike anything else I’ve ever done; that
stays consistent. It doesn’t matter where
you go, that’s the esprit de corps within this
www.aviation-news.co.uk
community. That will never change because
it is a competition unique to A-10s.”
While the aim is to achieve the title of
best A-10 team in the USAF, the opportunity
for training and developing better pilots
and maintainers is not lost on those who
participate. When asked how Capt Mason
Vincent, of the 74th FS based at Moody
AFB, Georgia picked his team, he said: “The
first person I chose was a young lieutenant
who had only been in the squadron for
five months. Since he’s the youngest [and
newest] member of the squadron, we
thought it would be great for him to bring
a jet and fly at Hawgsmoke, so he could
see how everything works. The other guys
I picked are more experienced and fly at a
high level.”
The competitors were graded on five
events. The first, staged within the Truman
Military Operating Area on the way to the
bombing range, involved the teams
15
 neutralising a convoy observed moving
through the area.
Teams were given initial target details
and judged on their response to real-
time dynamic events during the mission,
including targets that were not part of the
original mission proile. The rest of the
competition, over Cannon Range near Fort
Leonard Wood, Missouri, was broken down
between bombing and straing. Competitors
were required to deliver bombs by utilising
three different attack proiles. These were
a 30° high-angle dive, a 20° low-angle/
Above: This 107th FS ‘Warthog’ has been painted in colours reminiscent of those worn by the
low-drag dive from medium altitude and a
squadron’s P-51 Mustangs during World War Two. The unit celebrated its 100th anniversary in
15° ‘pop up’ low-level delivery. The straing
2017. John Gabor
runs were shallow (no greater than 15°)
Below: A training bomb strikes a target on Cannon Range. It has a 10lb tip illed with white and called upon crews to have hit the target
phosphorus, which creates a white plume upon impact. Senior Airman Missy Sterling/USAF with a minimum of ten rounds within three
passes before being allowed closer for their
inal runs.
Once the events were completed, all
videos, notes, and score sheets were handed
to a group of judges. After many hours of
deliberation, the 74th FS was declared the
2018 Hawgsmoke champions and will host the
2020 exercise at Moody AFB, Georgia.

Below left: The pilot and crew chief of a 47th

FS A-10C prepare for the next mission.
John Gabor

Below: Aircraft from the 23rd FW and 107th

FS await their next Hawgsmoke missions.
Jeff Stoermer Jr

HAWGSMOKE 2018 TOP THREE

1st – 74th FS, Moody AFB, Georgia
2nd – 354th FS, Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona
3rd – 358th FS, Moody AFB, Georgia

PARTICIPANTS
47th FS, Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona
74th FS, Moody AFB, Georgia
75th FS, Moody AFB, Georgia
76th FS, Moody AFB, Georgia
104th FS, Warield Air National Guard Base, Maryland
107th FS, Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan
163rd FS, Fort Wayne Air National Guard Station, Indiana
190th FS, Gowen Field Air National Guard Base, Idaho
303rd FS, Whiteman AFB, Missouri
354th FS, Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona
357th FS, Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona
358th FS, Moody AFB, Georgia

16 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019

PRESERVATION

TriStar Receives
Patriotic Scheme

The Royal Saudi Air Force Museum has repainted its Lockheed L-1011 TriStar 200, HZ-AHP, in colours to mark the 88th Saudi National Day on
September 23. The occasion, which celebrates the anniversary of the unification of Saudi Arabia, also saw several Royal Saudi Air Force aircraft
painted in patriotic colours, including an Airbus A330 MRTT, Panavia Tornado IDS, and Eurofighter Typhoon. Paul Arnold − Aviation Image Network

Hampden Restoration Taking Shape

Significant progress has been made
on the RAF Museum’s restoration of
Handley Page Hampden, P1344. Work on
the project is ongoing at the museum’s
Michael Beetham Conservation Centre at
Cosford, Shropshire.
All four of the bomber’s fuselage sub-
sections have now been assembled, joined
and painted in 144 Sqn markings. A large
section has been built from scratch using
Handley Page pre-production drawings from
the late 1930s and measurements taken from
the wreckage of the original aircraft. Damage
to the tail has meant that a new version had
to be built – this has now been painted and
attached to the original rear fuselage.
The Hampden was recovered from
a crash site on the Kola Peninsula,
northwestern Russia, in 1991. It was one of
nine aircraft lost during a convoy protection
sortie on September 5, 1942.
Delighted with progress made over
the past 12 months, conservation centre
manager Darren Priday said: “Everything
is finally coming together after all these
years. We are currently trying to source
an original rear undercarriage and
tailwheel, but if one can’t be found it will
be replicated and made here. The aircraft
has been populated internally with items
from the museum’s reserve collection, and
the next year will see work commence
on manufacturing flying control wires to
enable the elevator and rudder to move, as
well as fabricating new bomb bay doors.”
www.rafmuseum.org.uk

Restored by Danish Airlines

Skytrooper
Takes Flight
A Douglas C-53 Skytrooper has flown for
the first time in 26 years after a three-year
restoration effort. The aircraft, 41-20095/
N34DF, Beach City Baby has been returned
to airworthiness by Pennsylvania’s Vintage
Wings Inc and made its first flight on October
6 from Beach City, Ohio.
Built in Santa Monica, the C-53 was
delivered new to the US Army Air Corps Ferry
Command in January 1942. It was used to
fly some of the first survey routes to and
from Britain, helping to establish the North
and SAS before
being purchased
by Governor James
Rhodes of Ohio as
his personal transport
in 1964.
Decades later, in
2015, Jason Capra
discovered the
abandoned aircraft
Vintage Wings Inc has succeeded in getting at Beach City and began a successful
C-53 Skytrooper, 41-20095, airworthy, it last
fundraising campaign to acquire and
flew in 1992. Ora Lassilavia via Jason Capra
restore it to airworthy condition. He and the
Atlantic network used to ferry aircraft and Vintage Wings team will continue to work
personnel between the two nations during on the C-53 at Franklin, Pennsylvania,
World War Two. It later flew with the North returning it to its wartime configuration
African Wing of Air Transport Command. After and using it as a ‘flying classroom’.
retirement from military use it was operated www.vintagewingsinc.com

ARC to Bring Typhoon Back to Life

Aircraft Restoration Company (ARC) has been chosen by
the Hawker Typhoon Preservation Group (HTPG) to provide
engineering support and oversee the rebuilding of Typhoon RB396.
The two organisations will work together, under the guidance of
ARC chief John Romain, as they seek to return the aircraft to flight.
In order to achieve their goal, fundraising remains HTPG’s
priority. Project founder Dave Robinson said: “Now the real work
begins. We will be agreeing the finer points of contracts, but the
work can only proceed as funds are raised. Our recent fundraiser
was the start of a journey that will last as long as it takes to build
the aircraft. We have almost everything we need to do so, although
there are some parts and drawings still missing, but we know where
those items are and we are working on sourcing or borrowing them.
So, the only thing to do is raise the funds.”
The team has already amassed more than £300,000 in two
years but needs to raise an estimated £220,000 over the next 12
to 18 months to finance the rebuild of the Typhoon’s rear fuselage.
www.hawkertyphoon.com

18 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019

Stuka Restoration Project on Display IN BRIEF
DOUGLAS DC-3, N213GB, arrived in The
Hague, the Netherlands for static display
at a theme park. The former US Navy
aircraft was delivered to the Madurodam
attraction on October 23, where it will be
reassembled and placed on display. The
park’s logo and ‘Madurodam Airport’ titles
have already been applied to both sides of
the fuselage.

McDonnell Douglas F-4M PHANTOM FGR.2

The Flying Heritage & Combat Armor
Museum (FHCAM) has opened a new
building to the public. Based at Everett in
Washington, it has enabled the attraction
– set up by Paul G Allen, who sadly died
in October – to increase its exhibition
space by more than 60%. Its centrepiece is
Junkers Ju 87R-4 Stuka 6234/L1+FW. The
aircraft, which was on the British register as
G-STUK between 2003 and 2007, is one
of several crashed examples recovered
from the Soviet Union following the fall of
the Iron Curtain in 1989. Built in 1941, it
served with Lehrgeschwader 1 and later
Sturzkampfgeschwader 5.
The Stuka was on a mission to bomb
Murmansk in northern Russia on April 24,
1942 when it was attacked and brought down
by Russian ighters. The wreckage remained
The fuselage, wings and wheel fairings of
the Stuka on display at the Flying Heritage &
Combat Armor Museum. FHCAM
in the wilderness until the early 1990s, when
it was acquired by a private collector and
transported to the UK. It was subsequently
obtained by the German Museum of
Technology in Berlin, before being acquired
by FHCAM, which has been restoring the
aircraft since 2013 with the intention of making
it airworthy. It is one of just three surviving
Stukas in the world and will continue to be
publicly accessible as work continues.
The facility was officially opened on
November 10 by Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
veteran Art Unruh, who lew as a waist
gunner on 52 missions during World War Two.
www.lyingheritage.org Thanks to Michelle
Donoghue/FHCAM
XT899/B has been repainted at Kbely
Aviation Museum, Czech Republic. The
aircraft had deteriorated after 26 years on
external display, but its overall blue paint
scheme has been refreshed and it returned
to display on October 24. This Phantom
served with the RAF from August 1968 and
lew with several units, including 6, 29, 92,
23 and 56 Squadrons. It was last assigned
to 19 Squadron, receiving its blue colour
scheme in 1991 to celebrate the unit’s 75th
anniversary. After retiring from service, it
was donated to the museum at Kbely and
delivered on January 16, 1992 by Gp Capt
Geoff Brindle and Wg Cdr Al Pulfrey.
A 360° virtual tour inside Duxford-based
CONCORDE G-AXDN is now available and
includes a look inside the pre-production
jet’s cockpit. To download and install the
app on an android or Apple device, go to
the Google Play Store or Apple App Store
and search for Concorde 101, G-AXDN or
Duxford. www.das.org.uk

Ambitious Plans as Canadian Lancaster Relocates

Avro Lancaster B.X FM104 has been transported to the British
Columbia Aviation Museum at Victoria International Airport in British
Colombia, Canada. Five large trucks drove about 2,500 miles (4,023km)
to deliver the rear fuselage, centre section and both wings along with
two shipping containers full of parts. The aircraft had previously been in
the care of the Canadian Air & Space Museum in Toronto.
Many airframes in the collection were repositioned to create space
for the Lancaster and for a replica 1916 Hoffar seaplane currently
under construction. Dioramas will be created around each group of
aircraft to enhance the displays and put them in context; a dockside
theme is being considered for the loatplanes.
The museum aims to return the Lancaster to the air, which
it hopes to achieve in partnership with locally based Victoria Air
Maintenance, known for the restoration of de Havilland Mosquito
B.35 VR796/CF-HML to lying status. A survey will be carried out to
assess the current condition of the Canadian-built Lancaster, and
a system for documenting the restoration work will be put in place
before work begins in earnest.

Evergreen Super New RAF Valley Gate Guard

Sabre Restored
The restoration of North American
F-100F Super Sabre, 56-3832, has been
completed by staff at the Evergreen
Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville,
Oregon. Acquired by the attraction in
2003, the jet had been in long-term
storage with the 309th Aerospace
Maintenance and Regeneration Group
at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. It had
previously been considered for use as
a QF-100 target drone but never lew
as such. The aircraft has been painted
in colours representative of an F-100 RAF Valley has a new gate guard replacing Hawker Hunter T.8C, WV396, which had greeted
from the 612th Tactical Fighter Squadron visitors to the Anglesey base since 1997. This latter aircraft has now been removed and donated
while the unit was stationed at Phù Cát, to Tacla Taid, the Anglesey Transport Museum. A Hawk T1, XX156, is now on display. The former
Vietnam. www.evergreenmuseum.org 208 Sqn aircraft wears the badge of Valley’s No.4 Flying Training School on the tail in place of
squadron markings. SAC Nathan Edwards, RAF Valley Photo Section

www.aviation-news.co.uk 19
 HINDS
STILL IN DEMAND
A
‘second wind’ has boosted the
Mi-24/35P/35M series, known
as the Hind by NATO, in the 21st
century. Orders from domestic and
overseas customers have led to increased
production and there’s a backlog for Mi-35P/
Ms, which guarantees production at least
into the early part of the next decade and
possibly to the mid-2020s.
Up to now 3,500 examples of the
fearsome-looking gunship and troop carrier
have been delivered since the irst orders
were fulilled in the Soviet Union during the
early years of the 1970s.
In more recent times, some 145
enhanced Mi-35Ms were delivered to ten
different operators between 2005 and mid-
2018, and at least 38 more are expected
to roll out up to 2020. The Hind is readily
available in both new-generation and
legacy variants. Key to the renewed export
20
interest is the enhanced Mi-35M, the so-
called third generation.
Export success has been driven by
competitive pricing for a helicopter that offers
a lot of ‘bang for the buck’.
Nations buying the Hind get a sturdy
weapons platform which has good hot and
high performance, armour protection and
mature digital mission avionics package for
day/night operations.
A variety of lethal, though affordable,
weapons are available, tethered to an ability
to transport up to eight fully equipped troops,
munitions or other stores weighing up to
3,306lb (1,500kg) inside a cargo cabin and
up to 5,289lb (2,400kg) with an external
sling. The cabin can be also converted for
casualty evacuation or ferrying technical
teams to forward bases.
At the same time, legacy versions,
represented by the Mi-24/35 and Mi-35Ps,
The long-established
Russian Mil Mi-24/35
family of assault
helicopters continues
to attract healthy
export demand, writes
Alexander Mladenov.
are still available at attractive prices. These
are mainly second-hand, refurbished
examples, taken from surplus Russian stocks.
While Mil is the design authority for the Mi-
24/35, all new-build Hinds are produced by
Rostvertol at Rostov-on-Don. Both companies
are subsidiaries of Russian Helicopters.
Earlier this century, there were deliveries
to some countries with restricted budgets –
Angola, Myanmar and Sudan – and Syria
also took ex-Russian Mi-24Ps provided
as military aid in 2017. In addition, East
European countries such as Bulgaria and
Poland are looking for second-hand Hinds,
offering refurbished Mi-24D/Vs, with recent
deliveries reportedly going to Senegal and
Ivory Coast.
NEW GENERATION
Flown for the irst time in its current
coniguration in the early 2000s, the Mi-35M
Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019

Above: As many as 120 examples of the Mi-24P remain on strength with the Russian Army
Aviation Branch. Andrey Zinchuk
Main photo: Two Klimov VK-2500 turboshaft engines power the ‘third generation’ Mi-35M.
Alexander Mladenov
is well suited to meet requirements for close
air support (CAS) and counter-insurgency
(COIN) work.
It has good survivability, sufficient
firepower and precise day and night aiming
and targeting capability – as well as secure
voice and data communications – and
features a plethora of airframe changes,
including integration of the Mi-28N’s main
rotor hub and composite blades.
It comes powered by the Klimov VK-2500-
02 turboshaft, rated at 2,200shp (1,618kW) for
take-off and 2,700shp (1,986kW) in the one-
engine inoperative (OEI) emergency mode.
www.aviation-news.co.uk
This more powerful engine, in combination
with a rotor system offering greater efficiency,
provides important performance gains in hot
and high operating conditions compared with
legacy Mi-24/35 versions. And flight safety
margins are better when flying on one engine.
The combination of the new rotor system
and uprated engines means the Mi-35M’s
service ceiling is higher by some 985ft
(300m) – to 10,170ft (3,100m) in standard
conditions, while rate of climb is now 2,440ft/
min (12.4m/s).
The most significant airframe changes
include shortened stub-wings with only four
weapons stations (compared to six on the
older Hind versions); and non-retractable
landing gear. According to Mil designers, this
new landing gear improves crash-landing
survivability during ultra low-altitude flight,
although it’s claimed to have caused a 6kts
(11km/h) reduction in maximum level speed.
There have also been measures to
improve the combat survivability of new-
generation Hinds by beefing up the armour
and adding redundancy in the oil system and
flight controls, while anti-surge protection
was applied to the engines when ingesting
powder gases from launched salvo rockets.
ARMAMENTS
The Mi-35M sports a bolstered weapons
suite thanks to the introduction of the
9M120 Ataka-V (NATO reporting name: AT-9
Spiral-2) anti-tank guided missile (ATGM).
Up to eight can be carried on a single eight-
round launcher.
This is an affordable, tube-launched
ATGM with line-of-sight radio guidance.
The baseline version comes fitted with a
tandem warhead, optimised for penetrating
the explosive armour protection of modern
tanks. There are also Spiral-2 versions
featuring thermobaric/high-explosive and
blast-fragmentation warheads – the latter
equipped with a proximity fuse said to be
suitable for use against air targets.
Air-to-air combat potential has meanwhile
been improved with the integration of the
9M39 Igla-V (SA-18 Grouse) missile, carried
in Strelets twin launcher packs. The missile
is promoted as suitable for self-defence,
anti-UAV and anti-helicopter operations.
Gun armament is a GSh-23L 23mm calibre
twin-barrel system in a nose-mounted
NPPU-23 turret.
The enhanced Hind is equipped with
the BVK-24 weapons control digital
computer and laser rangefinder unit, which
improves the precision of its unguided
weapons; the S-8 family of 80mm rockets
in 20-round packs; and large S-13 122mm
rockets unleashed from five-round packs.
Ordnance options also include UPK-23-
250 gun pods with a twin-barrel GSh-23L
guns and 250 rounds.
The Mi-35M in its current guise, however,
can’t use free-fall bombs, KMGU-2 bomblet/
mine dispensers or the older 57mm and
240mm rockets. Its new DB3-UV weapons
pylons feature built-up hoists and can carry
up to four 126 gal (575 lit) underwing fuel
tanks for ferry flights, while for extended
range/endurance operations the Mi-35M
can carry two rocket packs or gun-pods in
addition to two external fuel tanks.
The variant’s significantly expanded
navigation/flight and targeting capabilities are
centred around the KNEI-24 digital avionics
package (performing enhanced nav/flight
functions) and the OPS-24 observation/
targeting package for day/night combat
operations. Its main component is the
UOMZ GOES-342 gyro-stabilised payload,
integrating a forward-looking infrared
21
 To date, the enhanced Hind has been purchased domestically and sold to at least ten export customers. Alex Mladenov
(FLIR) sensor, Sony TV-camera, laser-range
inder and infrared goniometer.
Navigation accuracy on the Mi-35M has
been improved with the introduction of an
A-737-00 highly precise satellite navigation
receiver unit – working with both GPS and
GLONASS systems and integrated with the
existing DISS-15D Doppler sensor within the
KNEI-24 package.
The helicopter’s day/night operating
capability has been facilitated by NVG-
friendly illumination – and Mi-35M cockpits
are now compatible with the Russian-made
GEO ONV-1-01 Gen III night-vision goggles.
The baseline Mi-35M retained a defensive
aids suite largely inherited from the earlier
Mi-24V/P variants, comprising ‘federated’
systems such as the 1970s-vintage SPO-
15 radar warning receiver (RWR), UV-26
countermeasures dispensers for ejecting
26mm PPI-series of lares and chaff
cartridges, EVU exhaust-mixer boxes over
exhaust ducts (reducing the acquisition range
of heat-seeking missiles) and the standalone
SOEP-V1A omnidirectional IR jammer.
ENHANCEMENT
In 2016, the Russian Ministry of Defence
ordered an enhanced self-protection suite
for its Mi-35M leet, and by mid-2018 it
Brazil purchased the Mi-35M for anti-narcotics operations, its irst three helicopters were
delivered in April 2010. Alexander Mladenov
22
had been installed on most of its third-
generation Hinds. The irst Russian Air and
Space Force (RuASF) Mi-35Ms carrying the
improved equipment were seen in Syria in
April 2016.
Intended for use against heat-seeking
missiles, the Vitebsk-35 suite consists of an
L370-2-01 ultraviolet (UV) missile approach
warning system installed in conformal bulges
in forward and rear fuselage in addition
to three L370-5 directional IR jammers
– two on the fuselage sides and another
installed under the tail boom. The jammers
operate in conjunction with the existing
UV-26 countermeasures dispenser units as
the jamming effect is being enhanced by
pumping out IR lares from the dispensers.
A new version of the Mi-35M offering
better self-protection and armed with the
9М127-1 Vikhr-1 ATGM, a long-range
missile, originally developed for the Ka-50/52
family, was shown at the Army-2018 event
at Kubinka, near Moscow, last summer. An
Mi-35P was also on display, offered as an
upgrade of the legacy Hinds, boasting new
mission and light/navigation avionics as used
in the Mi-35M.
It had fewer improvements and was
proposed as an affordable alternative for
countries looking to update their Mi-35 or
Mi-35P leets. It’s expected this upgrade
package will be attractive to the Russian
Air and Space Forces (VKS), which has
a relatively large leet of Mi-24Ps with
considerable service life remaining.
To date, the enhanced Hind has been sold
to at least ten export customers – Venezuela,
Brazil, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Nigeria, Kazakhstan,
Pakistan, Mali, Uzbekistan and Serbia, and is
in service with the irst eight nations of those.
CURRENT Mi-35M
CUSTOMERS
VENEZUELA
The Servicio Aéreo del Ejército Venezolano
(Venezuelan Army Aviation Service) was
the launch customer for the improved
Hind derivative. Ten ordered in 2005 were
delivered in 2006 and 2007.
Its Mi-35Ms were itted with all-
Russian navigation equipment, while their
communication devices included Western
radio kits such as the Bendix-King KHF-
950-10 HF radio (replaced on the last few
machines with the KHF-1050) and two KTR-
908 VHF radios, as well as the South African
Reutech ACR500 multi-band digital UHF/
VHF radio.
Currently the leet is serving with the
Batallón de Helicópteros at San Felipe (where
the Mi-35Ms are known as ‘Caribes’). All the
helicopters were cycled through a structural
overhaul in Russia between 2014 and 2016.
BRAZIL
The second customer – the Força Aérea
Brasileira (FAB – Brazilian Air Force) – took
on its irst three helicopters in April 2010;
the remaining nine were delivered up to
November 2013. The FAB military chose
the Hind following a competition with
AgustaWestland’s AW109 and AW129 and
Eurocopter’s Tiger.
A second batch of three Hinds,
produced and light-tested by the end
of 2011, was postponed by the Brazilian
MoD due to inancial problems. They
remained in storage with the manufacturer
at Rostvertol in Russia until delivered late
Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019
The Mi-35M has a high degree of commonality with the legacy Hind derivatives. This enhanced Hind comes itted with the Vitebsk-35 self-
protection suite. Andrey Zinchuk
in 2012. A third and inal tranche of three
aircraft arrived in 2014.
The third-generation Hind in Brazilian
service – locally designed AH-2 Sabre –
is a speciic sub-version of the Mi-35M
itted with Western-supplied navigation
and communication equipment, including
German-made Rohde & Schwarz
MR6000R software-deined multi-band
VHF/UHF sets.
The Brazilian Hinds, operated by the
8th Group’s 2nd squadron at Porto Velho
air base, are tasked to support counter-
narcotics operations across the Amazon
region, mainly by intercepting suspect light
aircraft. According to FAB sources, the
Mi-35Ms had a successful introduction into
service, demonstrating 70% availability
during their irst year of operations.
RUSSIA
The Vozdushno-Kosmicheskie Sily Rossii
(Russian Air and Space Forces) became
A Russian Army Aviation Mi-35M armed with a 20-round pack of 80mm S8-series of rockets, the type’s main area suppression weapon. Andrey Zinchuk
www.aviation-news.co.uk
the third Mi-35M customer – ordering 26 in
May 2010 and 23 in 2011. Deliveries ran from
December 2011 to 2014.
Currently the leet is serving with ive
frontline squadrons (together with Mi-28NE/
UBs) at Ostrov, Pushkin, Budennovsk,
Korenovsk and Dzhankoy and the army
aviation training centre at Torzhok.
The Russian enhanced Hinds feature
the sophisticated KSS-28N-1 advanced
communication system, capable of providing
secure comms with ground command and
control centres as well as other aircraft. Most
of the leet has also been retroitted with the
Vitebsk-35 self-protection suite.
By July 2017, three RuASF Mi-35Ms
were reported lost – one in a patrol mission
in Dagestan in the Northern Caucasus
in September 2012 and two more during
the Russian campaign in Syria in July and
November 2016.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB)
meanwhile took on ive Mi-35Ms in 2018 to
patrol the troubled North Caucasus region.
These new Hinds, built at Rostvertol, are
used to supplement and gradually replace
the FSB’s worn-out Mi-24P/Vs of the 2nd
United Aviation Group at Mikhailovsk.
AZERBAIJAN
The Azәrbaycan Hәrbi Hava Qüvvәlәri
(Azerbaijani Air and Air Defence Force),
the fourth known customer for the third-
generation Hind, ordered 24 in September
2010. The irst batch of four Mi-35Ms,
delivered in December 2011, serve with
the attack helicopter squadron of the 843th
Composite Aviation Regiment at Baku Kala.
Others are also operated by the country’s
border guards.
IRAQ
In August 2013 the Iraqi Army Air Corps
became a new customer for the type, with
the irst of four Mi-35Ms delivered three
months later. By October 2014 it had
23
 Above left: The type’s air-to-air capability has been enhanced thanks to the integration of the 9M39 Igla-V heat-seeking missile. Alexander Mladenov
Above right: The Hind’s cabin can be equipped with folding seats for eight fully-equipped troops. Alexander Mladenov
28 – becoming the Mi-35M’s largest export
operator. The leet, operated by the 35th
Attack Helicopter Squadron, home-based at
Taji, took an active part in the war against the
so-called Islamic State, with two Mi-35Ms
known to have been lost in combat and
another badly damaged in a non-combat
related accident.
KAZAKHSTAN
The former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan
is known to have placed three separate
orders, each for four newly-built Mi-35Ms, to
replace its Soviet-era Mi-24s operated by the
Kazakhstan Air and Defence Force.
The irst four, ordered in late 2015 and
taken on strength in December 2016, are
operated by the 602nd Air Base at Shymkent.
The second batch, ordered in 2015, was
expected to have arrived by the end of last
year (2018) – but had not by the time of going
to print. Four more sales were agreed in early
2018 for delivery this year (2019).
PAKISTAN
In August 2015, Pakistan signed a contract for
four Mi-35Ms for its Army Aviation Corps to
provide better support for counter-insurgency
missions. It had been intended to order 20 for
use in the northwestern part of the country,
but it appears Moscow and Islamabad
have since agreed to an initial batch of
A total of 28 aircraft have been delivered to the Iraqi Army Aviation Command, making Iraq the biggest export customer for the type. Iraqi MoD
24
“According to Mil
designers, the new
non-retractable landing
gear introduced on the
Mi-35M improves
crash-landing
survivability during
ultra-low altitude flight”
four to avoid a negative reaction from India,
Pakistan’s geopolitical rival in the region.
The deal includes the four Mi-35Ms,
together with training, spare parts and
ground support equipment. The Hinds were
accepted at Rostvertol in mid-2017 and
delivered that August.
NIGERIA
A total of 12 Mi-35Ms were ordered by
Nigeria in 2014 and 2015 to boost the
country’s counter-insurgency capabilities.
The irst two for the Nigerian Air Force (NAF)
were taken on strength in 2017 at Makurda
Air Base and were quickly in combat. The
NAF has been involved in air attacks against
Boko Haram terrorist camps in the northeast
of the country. In May 2017 the Mi-35Ms
were dispatched for the irst time to attack a
camp in Parisu, Borno State.
The second pair arrived in Nigeria last
April and the remaining eight were expected
by the end of 2018 – but there had been no
delivery conirmation by the time this article
went to print. The Mi-35Ms serve with the
207th Wing at Lagos/Murtala Muhammed.
MALI
Mali operates three Mi-35Ms ordered
in 2016. The irst two were delivered in
September 2017.
UZBEKISTAN
In November 2017, Russian arms export
agency Rosoboronexport and Uzbekistan’s
Ministry of Defence signed a deal for 12 Mi-
35Ms, with deliveries in 2018. At the time of
going to print, they had yet to be delivered.
SERBIA
Serbia is known to have placed an order for
four Mi-35Ms, but there’s no information as
to when they will be delivered.
The Mi-24/35 Hind family has clearly
come a long way since the irst light in
September 1969. The type is the most
widely used attack helicopter of all time
and is set to continue serving well into
the 2050s.
Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019
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 BRISBANE AIRPOR
BUILDING FOR THE F
Australia’s third busiest airport is in the midst of the largest redevelopment
in its history. Chris Frame spoke to its chief executive for Aviation News.
B
risbane Airport is on the cusp of
a rebirth, with more than A$2.5bn
(US$1.8bn) having been spent on
infrastructure over the past eight
years. Works at the airport include a new
runway and associated taxiways, lighting
and road works. In addition, upgrades to the
International Terminal have transformed the
customer experience.
Gert-Jan de Graaff is the chief executive
officer of Brisbane Airport Corporation
(BAC). Starting the role in June 2018, he
returns to the Australian hub after a six-year
hiatus which saw him bidding for an airport
in Brazil as well as leading the operations at
one of America’s busiest terminals.
He spoke to Aviation News in September
about the redevelopment and what it will
deliver for the travelling public.
Q: Having recently taken up the position
of CEO at Brisbane Airport, can you share
with our readers your background, and what
attracted you to re-join BAC?
A: I started my career in airport
management in 1995 at Amsterdam Airport
Schiphol. I was there for about nine years
before moving to Stockholm Arlanda Airport,
Sweden, in 2005.
I moved to Australia to work with BAC
in 2007. My initial role there was general
manager commercial, overseeing the
commercial businesses; aeronautical,
retail, parking and property. During my
26
Above: Gert-Jan de Graaff returned to
Brisbane Airport as its chief executive officer
in June 2018 after a six-year hiatus.
Brisbane Airport Corporation
Main photo: The A$135m refurbishment of
the International Terminal was completed in
March. Brisbane Airport Corporation
last two-and-a-half years at the airport, I
was responsible for strategic planning and
development which included the dredging
contract for the new runway as well as the
International Terminal upgrade, so I’m very
familiar with the airport and the business.
In late 2012 I moved to Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, where I worked with a consortium to
try to buy an airport – and for the past few
years I have worked at John F Kennedy
International Airport, New York as CEO of
Terminal 4, the major international terminal
handling about 23 million passengers.
Interestingly, this is about the same capacity
as we currently handle [here].
It’s exciting, and a career highlight, to
come back to Brisbane Airport at such a
critical phase in its history. Having been
involved in the early stages for the major
development works for the new runway
project, it will be a privilege to cut the ribbon
on the new runway and see the first aircraft
land in 2020.
Q: Please share your perceptions of
returning to Brisbane Airport? What
changes have impressed you since you
were last here?
A: So much has changed. BAC has embarked
on the most ambitious transformation of
the airport since its construction. The major
development projects are tracking better
than I could have imagined. This includes
the recently completed extension and
apron expansion to the northern end of the
International Terminal, ongoing improvements
to the domestic precinct and the major capital
works programme that is set to deliver the
new runway by 2020.
There are several reasons this has
been a success. Firstly, Brisbane Airport
is well planned and relatively new; it was
only opened 30 years ago. Over the years,
Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019
RT CEO
FUTURE
BAC have put a lot of effort into building
relationships with key stakeholders at the
airport and dedicated time to ensure the
development projects were well scoped out.
I think this has allowed them to track well
throughout the last eight years. Opened in October 2018, the Dryandra Road underpass is a major part of the new runway
What is impressive is that everyone has project, enabling new taxiways to pass over existing airport infrastructure. Chris Frame
stuck to the plan; not just the airport team
but also the local government, meaning the short term (five years) and longer term from the community when new flight paths
we are very well positioned to deliver the (ten to 20 years)? come into effect.
projects on time and to budget. A: In the short term, our priority is to We then need to shift our focus on
While we’re approximately 7km from the complete the runway development. It is growing capacity to utilise the new runway,
city centre as the crow flies, the closest currently scheduled for opening in 2020 which will see the airport grow its services to
residential area is just 2km from the airport, and I am certain we will meet this deadline. include new carriers and new destinations.
so having a strong relationship with the local Commissioning the runway is more than In the longer term, we’ll look at developing
residents has ensured we have a licence just asphalt; it’s also about community our terminals further to ensure they can
to grow while minimising the impact on the engagement and ensuring we retain support accommodate the growth the new runway
local community, as we have consulted
with them along the way – and as such can
identify and address issues before they
become major roadblocks.
The second aspect is BAC is a very
good company. It’s a private company
and has been running the airport for over
20 years, focusing on developing it in the
best possible way with a clear eye on what
is expected from both passengers and
the local community. I have a wonderful
team, both within BAC and with external
suppliers, developers and local government.
Partnerships have always been at the core
of the airport’s success and this has created
a culture of collaboration between the airport
management team and all the stakeholders,
which has made a significant difference to
the overall success of the airport.
Q: Having returned towards the end of the Brisbane Airport Corporation features one of the largest collections of public art in Australia.
capital works programme, what do you now Various artworks were commissioned as part of the International Terminal’s redevelopment.
see as the main priorities for the airport in Chris Frame

www.aviation-news.co.uk 27
 Headquartered in the city, Virgin Australia operates domestic and international services from Brisbane Airport. Chris Frame
allows. This is part of our strategy to position
Brisbane as Australia’s number one gateway
for international travellers.
Looking further, say 20 years’ time – well,
I’d need a crystal ball! We are currently
working on our masterplan which has a
20-year outlook and considers the many
disruptors that will impact on our business.
An airport is a very interesting
business activity as we have a number of
businesses and most of them are impacted
by disruptors, which keeps us from
becoming complacent. The most critical
business for our airport is the aeronautical
activity, which is being disrupted by new
long-range aircraft that are coming online.
This is exciting as they allow direct lights
between Brisbane and other international
cities that we never could have imagined in
Emirates reintroduced the Airbus A380-800 on services to Dubai on September 1, 2018. Brisbane Airport Corporation
28
the past. An example is the A350 and 777X
that Qantas is considering connecting the
east coast of Australia direct to London or
New York.
In terms of parking, will people still be
driving in 20 years’ time and, if so, will they
park at the airport? That’s not clear but we
are planning for the advent of automation
in vehicles. Retail is changing too: decades
ago, duty-free was a huge part of the travel
experience, but with Amazon and other
online stores slashing prices, retail around
the world is being disrupted.
We’re lucky as we have a strong property
business which isn’t as exposed to these
factors as our other businesses are.
We believe that people will always need
somewhere to work and somewhere to live
and being so close to Brisbane’s central
business district offers us a stable base for
the airport’s future.
Q: One of the most noticeable changes
at the airport is the expansion of the
International Terminal building, completed
in April 2018. What are your perspectives
of the refurbishment and what beneits
does it deliver to international travellers
accessing Australia?
A: Call me biased but I think the
International Terminal is one of the best
terminal facilities in the world. From its
original design, it was forward thinking
with lots of natural light and glass used in
the construction. It has high ceilings and a
welcoming feel about it, which has made
it a fantastic building to work with. Recent
changes include recreating the retail and
lounge experience at the terminal and
Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019
‘bringing Queensland into the building’
with local materials used throughout the
decor of the building as well as state-
based retail offers.
Whilst there has been a noticeable
aesthetic change, a lot of work is also being
done behind the scenes to ensure the
smoothest movement through the terminal
for travellers. To achieve this, we have a big
focus on innovation and self-service, such
as self-service check in and bag-drop.
Additionally, we’re working with the
Australian government on piloting biometric
solutions and e-gates as well as developing
critical facilities for new-generation
aircraft. This has helped introduce
more modern aircraft that link
us to new destinations; Qantas
has recently based four Boeing
787-9s for transpaciic services
and Emirates has reintroduced the
Airbus A380 on services to Dubai.
Environmental Protection [and Biodiversity
Conservation] Act and the Airports Act. This
meant we could start working seriously on
the development of the new runway that we
are set to deliver in 2020.
I entered the frame in 2007, and over
the next ive years we engaged with the
community, got all the approvals in place,
identiied environmental issues and created
the necessary environmental protection
plans. We also developed the methodology
on how to build a runway in swampland
with the consistency of toothpaste, which
meant we needed to carefully work through
an array of construction concerns that were
unique to the location.
The physical construction work started
in 2012 with the dredging of sand from
Moreton Bay; through this we gained 360
hectares (890 acres) of land for the runway
site. This was followed by a period where
the reclaimed sand was able to settle. Over
the last two years the sand from the site
which hadn’t settled was removed and used
elsewhere in the development.
Work has recently begun on the
pavement projects, which is exciting as we
are starting to see a runway take shape.

Q: With the International Terminal

getting so much attention, how
do you ensure the older domestic
precinct remains competitive?
A: Both Qantas and Virgin
Australia have invested recently
in new facilities at the Domestic
Terminal, including new lounges,
which have greatly improved the
experience for premium travellers.
The lounges in domestic are
outstanding facilities offering
premium entry, valet parking,
dedicated screening and express
check-in zones.
At the end of this year (2018) the
Domestic Terminal leases held by
those airlines expire, so for the irst
time BAC will be able to take full
control of the facility. This will allow
us to invest in signiicant upgrades
to virtually all aspects of the
terminal, from the seating and rest
rooms to the lighting and ambience.
We will also use the opportunity
to redevelop the retail and eating
experience to match the quality
of that offered in the International
Terminal. From late 2019, travellers
will have a completely new
Domestic Terminal experience.

Q: The runway works have been a

major project at Brisbane Airport
this decade. As it nears its 2020
completion, can you give our
readers a rundown of the works
that have been undertaken?
A: Not a lot of people realise
that the irst planning for the
new runway was done in the
1970s; since the airport was
irst developed there has been a
parallel runway on paper. Around
the time of its privatisation [in
1997] the Australian government The airport saw around 25 aircraft visit in connection with Brisbane’s hosting of the November
passed two key pieces of legislation: the 2014 G20 Summit. Brisbane Airport Corporation

www.aviation-news.co.uk 29
 [It] will be 3.3km [10,827ft] long, 60m [197ft]
wide and topped with asphalt. However,
you can’t do much with just a runway, so
12km of associated taxiways have also
been constructed. On top of this, there are
300 hectares (741 acres) of landscaping
to stabilise the soil and sand around the
runway and taxiways. It’s a massive project,
20 years in the planning and eight years to
physically build. Once opened, we will have
the irst fully LED-lit CAT 1 runway in the
southern hemisphere.

Q: Please explain the need for an underpass

of the Dryandra Road which opened in
September 2018 and what beneits does this
deliver for the airport and the public?
A: The new taxiways needed to connect
the new runway with the existing airield.
However, between the two is Dryandra
Road, a major access road which links our
general aviation and aeromedical services,
such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service, with

Above left: Alliance Airlines operates several

scheduled services on behalf of Virgin
Australia. Chris Frame

Left: Qantas has a predominantly domestic

operation at the Queensland hub, but has
recently based four Boeing 787-9s for
transpaciic services. Chris Frame

Below: The new runway, which has been built

on 890 acres of reclaimed land, is expected to
open in 2020. Brisbane Airport Corporation

30 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019

the rest of the airield. We needed to build
an underpass for the new taxiways to pass
over the road. This was a real engineering
challenge. As it was built three metres below
the waterline, the underpass had to ‘self-seal’
as the cement settled, ensuring it remains
watertight. The road also carries all electrical,
data, telecommunications, water and sewage
lines, so the scale of works was signiicant.
Q: Does Brisbane Airport do anything unique
in its approach with airlines? Can you explain
how collaboration is achieved and what
beneits it delivers?
A: BAC has a very good relationship with the
33 airlines that currently serve Brisbane. We
have based our approach on the same style
of collaboration and partnership we use for all
our stakeholders, so we take the time to listen
to the airlines and approach the relationship
that way.
Each airline is different, which can present
a challenge given their various priorities, but
we build this relationship by taking on board
their needs and listening to their ideas. This
is mutually beneicial, as they all operate to
other airports, see things and gain ideas from
this broader airport experience.
Knowing this, we are always keen to
listen to their ideas as they may have
seen something we’ve not thought of yet.
A strong relationship allows all parties to
beneit, with recent examples being the new
lounge developments where the ‘Uniquely
Queensland’ theme found in the International
Terminal has been carried through into
the lounges. We’ve been able to create a
better overall experience for passengers
www.aviation-news.co.uk
Mr de Graaff was asked about the
airport’s current capacity and predicted
traffic volumes following the second
runway’s opening in 2020. He said the
airport was expecting to see signiicant
growth and to back this up provided the
following igures:
Runway capacity:
2017 – 50 arrivals/departures per hour
2027 – 100 arrivals/departures per hour
Landings/departures in peak:
2017 – 50 movements per hour/ One
every 72 seconds
2027 – 69 movements per hour/One
every 50 seconds
2037 – 87 movements per hour/One
every 40 seconds
Daily lights:
2017 – 600
2027 – More than 800 (1,000 by 2037)
Annual domestic passengers:
FY18 – 17.5 million
2027 – 25 million
2037 – 37.3 million
Annual international passengers:
FY18 – 5.8 million
2027 – 8.9 million
2037 – 12.9 million
Cargo; international and domestic:
FY18 – 190,800 tonnes
FY34 – 275,600 tonnes
of all carriers based on a respectful and
considerate approach.
Q: How does Brisbane Airport interact with
its passengers to ensure it is meeting and
exceeding their travel expectations?
A: Over the past decade we’ve moved from
an operational model, as solely the operator
of the airport, to a human model where we
interact much closer with passengers and the
travelling public. Everything we’re doing today
is based on the experience of our passenger
and we measure on a continuous basis how
travellers are enjoying the facilities.
For example, we have an automated
system in our restrooms where passengers
can give live feedback via a press-button
device on the quality and cleanliness of the
bathrooms, ensuring any issues can be
addressed quickly. We also work directly with
our retail providers to ensure a high-quality
experience is delivered and with security
contractors to ensure queues and waiting
times are kept to a minimum, and enjoy close
collaboration with airlines to ensure the airport
delivers services to destinations most desired
by both local and international travellers.
He closed by explaining that the airport
was an asset to Brisbane and its people: “The
airport provides jobs for around 24,000 people
working in 425+ businesses located on site.
There are 2.5 million people living in Brisbane,
meaning around one in every 100 living in our
city works here. That’s an interesting number
as it demonstrates how close our connection
to the community is, which helps explain
how it has embraced BAC and the airport so
warmly for so long.”
Samoa Airways is the most recent carrier
to start services, with the inaugural light to
Apia, Samoa taking place on November 14.
Brisbane Airport Corporation
31
  XXXXXXXXX
Flight Bag
THE ADMIRALTY AND THE HELICOPTER –
ROYAL NAVY HELICOPTER PROJECTS
Book: 64-page softback
Written by: James Jackson
Price: £11.95
Advances in new submarine technology allowed extended underwater
operations at high speed and presented a formidable threat to NATO’s
Atlantic lifeline sea lanes throughout the Cold War. The Royal Navy
quickly recognised the helicopter’s ability to operate from a variety of
vessel types to hunt and destroy submarines. It also appreciated the
load-lifting capability to revolutionise amphibious assault warfare.
The seventh in a series of Project Tech Profiles, this book has
33 black and white and 30 colour photographs, plus 21 diagrams. It
describes the development of pioneering requirements and numerous
projects and design studies drawn up to fulfil them from the early 1950s
to the present day. These range from the cancelled Bristol Type 191
tandem-rotor design and the tiny Fairey Ultra-Light, the Wasp, Wessex
and Sea King of the 1960s to the more recent Lynx, Merlin and Wildcat.
The weapons, including anti-submarine torpedoes and sea-skimming
anti-ship missiles developed to equip the Fleet Air Arm’s helicopters,
are also covered. In addition, there is mention of Westland’s proposed
tilt-rotor design during the 1970s before the company concluded that
conventional helicopters offered the best cost-effective and low technical
risk solution. This is a full account showing how the versatility of the
helicopter has been exploited by continuous development and tactics to
counter new threats, whether they be fast missile-armed boats, nuclear
submarines or Somali pirates.
Published by Blue Envoy Press: ISBN9780956195142; available from
www.blue.envoy.services@googlemail.com
WRECK RECOVERY IN BRITAIN THEN AND NOW
Book: 232-page hardback
Written by: Peter J Moran
Price: £29.95
This major work focuses mainly on World War Two crash
sites. After brief opening sections featuring World War One Zeppelin losses
over England and a summary of RAF casualties between the wars, the
narrative moves to the later conflict. Section titles include ‘The Salvage
Sections and RAF Maintenance Units’, ‘The Beginnings of the Mountain
Rescue Service’ and ‘The Missing Research and Enquiry Service’. The
latter service comprised RAF teams that scoured overseas battle areas,
especially Europe, for the graves of missing airmen and crash sites which
might contain human remains. Paradoxically, their remit did not extend to the
UK despite around 10,000 aircraft losses on land and in coastal waters. A
significant number of them, especially fighters in southeast England, dived
deeply into soft ground and attempts to recover the pilots were not always
successful with the limited equipment available. The surge in Battle of Britain
wreck recovery activity during the 1970s began to reveal human remains
and many examples are described in detail.
Inevitably, there was an outcry in some quarters over unofficial recovery
of human remains, countered by the argument that they should have been
recovered long before by the authorities. Recovery groups were almost
always supported by relatives of those pilots believed to be buried with their
aircraft. After an initial ‘code of conduct’ was reinforced by the Protection of
Military Remains Act in 1986, the MOD issued licences before a wreck site
could be excavated. They are not granted if human remains, live ammunition
or bombs are thought to be present. Every licence application, whether
granted or refused, is listed for the first time in this remarkable book which is
Illustrated with 320 black and white, 207 colour photographs and 30 maps.
Published by Battle of Britain International: ISBN9781870067942;
available from www.afterthebattle.com
32
The latest products for the
discerning aviation enthusiast
WINGS OF THE RISING SUN – UNCOVERING
SECRETS OF JAPANESE FIGHTERS AND
BOMBERS OF WORLD WAR II
Book: 336-page hardback
Written by: Mark Chambers
Price: £30
In the early years of the Pacific War it was imperative that the Allies
gathered intelligence to counter Japan’s combat aircraft. The first
breakthrough was the recovery of a crash-landed Zero fighter from an
island off the coast of Alaska in June 1942. This resulted in the US and
Great Britain establishing Technical Air Intelligence Units (TAIU) in the
Pacific Theatre and a TAI Centre in Washington, DC. The Zero was
brought back to flying condition and its secrets and shortcomings were
soon revealed and conveyed to its opponents.
As many more aircraft were captured, test flown and picked apart,
tactics were developed against them. At the same time, the state of
aeronautical technology, development and advancement in Japan
could be determined. The first chapter details the TAIUs, followed by
six chapters: evaluating fighters; bombers and reconnaissance aircraft;
seaplanes and flying boats; transport aircraft; turbojet and rocket-powered
aircraft, and special aerial weapons. The latter included fire balloons and
suicide aircraft, such as the Baka flying bomb.
The concluding chapter summarises what was gained from the
evaluations. There are two appendices: an illustrated roster of all
surviving Japanese World War Two aircraft and their current disposition
plus pertinent intelligence and flight-test reports, many quoted at length
throughout the text. Illustrated with 253 black and white and 49 colour
photographs, as well as 22 diagrams and artwork, this is a fascinating,
highly detailed volume.
Published by Osprey Publishing: ISBN9781472823731; available
from www.ospreypublishing.com
THE OTHER BATTLE OF BRITAIN – 1940
BOMBER COMMAND’S FORGOTTEN SUMMER
Book: 384-page hardback
Written by: Paul Tweddle
Price: £25
Unlike the well-known and heroic exploits of Fighter Command in the Battle
of Britain, the parallel role played by Bomber Command has not been
chronicled in this detail. This book with 24 black and white photographs
does a magnificent job of narrating its aircrew efforts and ordeals. A total of
732 of them were killed during the Battle period, almost as many as fighter
pilots lost.
The force consisted of Bristol Blenheim and Fairey Battle light bombers,
the medium Handley Page Hampden, and the heavy Armstrong Whitworth
Whitley and Vickers Wellington. Their tasks were many, including attacking
warships in harbour, airfields and oil targets and mining enemy waters. Most
of the operations took place at night with some in daylight taking advantage
of cloud cover. In excess of 100 aircraft frequently took part, ranging over
Germany even as far as Berlin but with minimal navigation aids making
target-finding very haphazard. Nevertheless, the limited results were a
propaganda coup which caused an enraged Hitler to turn his attention from
the fighter airfields to London in revenge.
Continued maximum effort raids against the invasion barges massing in
French ports resulted too in Hitler’s decision on September 19 to disperse
the invasion fleet. This is not a dry reference book but a very readable
re-creation of the bomber war in 1940. The author’s conclusion is certainly
true: “The Many deserve to stand shoulder to shoulder with The Few. Their
summer should remain forgotten no longer.”
Published by The History Press: ISBN9780750987066; available from
www.thehistorypress.co.uk
Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019
 J O I N U S A S W E C E L E B R AT E T H E

5 0 th a n n i v e r s a r y
of the first flight of

CONC
2
O R D
2019
E
S AT UR DAY N D
MARCH
WELCOME FROM PERFORMANCE FROM THE
CHIEF CONCORDE PILOT B R I T I S H A I R WA Y S B R A S S B A N D
C A P TA I N M I K E B A N N I S T E R
SPECIAL TOURS ON BOARD
C H A M PA G N E A N D C A N A P É S U N D E R
CONCORDE GUEST SPEAKERS

l i m i t e d s pa c e s ava i l a b l e
f o r m o r e i n f o r m at i o n o n b o o k i n g p l e a s e v i s i t
W W W . B R O O K L A N D S M U S E U M . C O M
F LY C O N C O R D E @ B R O O K L A N D S M U S E U M . C O M - 0 19 3 2 8 5 7 3 8 1
brooklands museum, via brooklands drive, weybridge, surrey kt13 0sl
 CONCORDE 50th ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE

CONCORDE
WHITE ELEPHANT
TO GOLDEN EAGLE
Captain Jock Lowe tells editor Dino Carrara how the British Airways
Concorde fleet was saved from retirement in the 1980s by a fresh
strategy that transformed the supersonic airliner into a money-spinner.

S
ince entering service with British
Airways (BA) in 1975 the Concorde
fleet had been making a loss. First
officer instructor (later captain) Jock
Lowe thought the carrier was not maximising
the aircraft’s potential. So, he gave some
presentations (arranged through the British
Airline Pilots’ Association representative Mark
Young) to BA directors. In May 1982, the
airline was reorganised into profit centres and
the Concorde Division was among them.
Sir Roy Watts, then chief executive and
later deputy chairman, appointed captain
Brian Walpole as general manager to head
the new division. He asked Jock Lowe to be
his number two as the product and planning
manager. Jock had flown Concorde since it
entered service and undertook technical work
on the fleet. He continued to fly three return
trips a month across the Atlantic, though
relinquished his training commitments to
spend more time in his new role
Just one other person, employed
in marketing, completed the Concorde
Division team and the aircraft’s remaining
personnel were assigned to different parts
of the airline.
BA was losing £15m a year through the
Concorde operation. Soon after the new
division was created the small team was
confronted by a new problem that would
make their task of turning Concorde’s
fortunes around much harder. The UK

34 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019

Main photo: Concorde Division capitalised on
the aircraft’s good looks and speed to turn
around the perception of the aircraft.
WO Rick Brewell (ret’d)/MOD
Above: In 1983, G-BOAA seen here at the Toronto’s main airport, took part in the Canadian
International Air Show. AirTeamImages.com/Caz Caswell
government had decided to end financial
support for the BA Concorde fleet which
would add another £15m to annual running
costs. With this impending extra burden
BA chairman John King (later Lord King of
Wartnaby) met Walpole and told him he had
two years to reverse Concorde’s fortunes or
operations would be ended.
While negotiations between the airline
and government officials went on the two
pilots set about their daunting task. Jock
told Aviation News: “We first of all looked at
every cost and ways we could save money.
Each department involved in the Concorde
operation was asked to find efficiencies.” It
was decided the number of cockpit flight
crews (consisting of a captain, first officer
and flight engineer) could be reduced from
30 to 20. Cabin crew working arrangements
were changed from a long-haul regime to
short haul. This made financial sense as the
Concorde scheduled services flown from
Heathrow to New York and Washington DC at
the time were under four hours. Cabin crew
had previously been given two days off before
working a return flight, but to save money this
was changed so they would come back the
following day.
Maintenance was by far the largest cost
and action was taking to make savings in this
area in two ways. Firstly, work schedules were
refined for increased efficiency and, secondly,
when BA took control of support contracts
from the government they were renegotiated.
The carrier reviewed the manufacture of
spare parts required, reducing some while
increasing others.
Jock also looked into flight scheduling:
“There had been a mythology in operational
planning that you couldn’t have a flight
leaving Heathrow in the evening because
there were historically big delays at JFK in
the early evening and Concorde didn’t have
enough spare fuel to cope with that. I went
out to New York and talked to the approach
air traffic controllers responsible for JFK in
New Jersey and found that those delays had
long gone. We switched from having two
flights in the morning from Heathrow to one
morning and one evening departure. We got
a lot more passengers as a result.”
One of the most important elements in
transforming the financial performance of
the supersonic airliner was to change how
it was perceived. Within BA, Concorde’s
reputation was poor due to its financial
losses. Jock said: “We realised we had to
change the image of the aircraft. Instead of
being a white elephant we said it’s a golden
eagle. We pushed the message that it is a
really great aircraft for British Airways and
the press picked up on our new approach.

Below: British Airways Concordes visited UK airports operating supersonic charter flights that
were cheaper than a scheduled service to enable more people to experience flying on the jet.
This Concorde is visiting Birmingham Airport. AirTeamImages.com/Carl Ford

www.aviation-news.co.uk 35
 A British Airways Concorde wearing the
livery adopted by the airline in 1985.
WO Rick Brewell (ret’d)/MOD
This made people feel more comfortable
buying tickets.”
GOVERNMENT DEAL
The negotiations with the UK Government
took some time and it wasn’t until March
1984 that funding stopped. BA had to buy
out the government involvement for £16.5m
which included a proit-sharing agreement
and substantial amount of spare parts. Jock
Lowe revealed: “One of the things I got
written into the agreement was that if Air
France stopped its Concorde operations, the
UK government was required to liaise with its
French counterparts so that British Airways
could keep going with its Concordes for at
least a year while we negotiated ongoing
support from the French manufacturers as
well as British companies.”
BA required tthe UK Government to
remain involved in one way, Jock said:
“Because Concorde was still way ahead of
any other airliner, with it lying at Mach 2,
we needed the government to underwrite
anything above £500m of insurance cover.
This amount was way beyond anything
that had been claimed before in an aircraft
A head-on shot at Heathrow shows to
good effect the drooping delta wing
and the visor in the lowered position
for better visibility from the cockpit.
AirTeamImages.com/Chris Sheldon
36
accident, but it was a safety net for British
Airways should something catastrophic
happen.” With BA now in full control more
costs were cut, Jock stated: “There was a
Concorde test rig at Farnborough running
fatigue light cycles. We stopped that as
it was already up to 20,000 cycles which
gave us enough conidence the aircraft
would be safe to ly for decades more.
We also came to different arrangements
with the manufacturers, Rolls-Royce and
British Aerospace. We gradually reduced
those costs.”
Pilots knew from their experience with the
public that there was great affection for the
aircraft, but the high cost of scheduled tickets
was beyond the pockets of most. Charter
lights were started to tap into this enthusiasm
and enable more people to experience
lying on Concorde, Jock said, with prices
set at a level to make lying on Concorde
“an achievable dream for everybody”. Such
lights usually involved round-robin trips
from Heathrow and other airports, featuring
a supersonic run over the Bay of Biscay or
the North Sea. As these tickets were sold by
travel companies, they stood to foot the bill
for advertising. More exotic charters were
lown, for example, to Cairo, while round-the-
world trips of three weeks included multiple
stops in a similar fashion to a cruise with
time for passengers to enjoy a destination. It
usually generated great media interest and
helped promote Concorde to other parts of
the world. Jock asserted: “We didn’t need any
more pilots or aeroplanes, there had to be a
little bit more maintenance, but they were still
proitable to run.”
Among the most lucrative of deals was
the tie-up with Cunard and its cruise liner,
Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2). Jock stated:
“There was a package where passengers
travelled to New York on the QE2 from
Southampton and came back on Concorde,
or the other way around.” The ship also
featured in a famous photograph along
with Concorde and the Red Arrows. The
photoshoot on May 18, 1986 was arranged
to mark the launch of BA’s new paint scheme
by the Landor design company.
Brian and Jock also became creative
in their efforts to raise the public proile of
Concorde: “We somehow managed to ly
over all the major sporting events, so that
Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019

the TV cameras would always pan up and
show the aircraft – we did lots of little things to
re-position the product.” The aircraft was also
showcased at events such as Farnborough,
the Royal International Air Tattoo and a
Toronto airshow. The Canadian event was
the irst non-trade airshow it attended,
appearing in 1979, returning annually until
1987 to help raise the proile of the aircraft in
Canada. Although a schedule service never
materialised to Toronto, there were numerous
charter lights from the city. Jock enthused:
“Three quarters of a million people turned
out to see the aeroplane take part for the irst
time at the Canadian airshow.”
ICONIC
Concorde’s famous shape became a regular
sight at signiicant events. It was lown
in formation with the Red Arrows at, for
example, the 50th anniversary of Heathrow
Airport in June 1996 and the Queen’s
Jubilee Flypast during the same month in
2002. (See the article starting on page 46,
featuring behind-the-scenes insight into two
events in which Concorde took part, from a
former RAF photographer tasked to capture
the lypasts on ilm).
In another push for publicity, four
Concordes lew in formation for the irst
Concorde, G-BOAG, at the International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in 1985. Concordes sometimes participated
in the air display (now known as the Royal International Air Tattoo). Charter lights were also lown into the
show carrying aviation enthusiasts. AirTeamImages.com/Wolfgang Mendorf
www.aviation-news.co.uk
time on Christmas Eve 1985 to mark the
impending tenth anniversary of the inaugural
regular supersonic route from Heathrow to
Washington. On board each aircraft were 100
staff who had been the lucky ones selected
from a draw. Jock explained: “It was a way
of getting internal support for the aeroplane,
because we got everybody involved. It wasn’t
hugely costly because we didn’t take any
aeroplanes out of service [for the photo
light] as it was Christmas Eve, so there were
fewer scheduled services.” He added: “All the
pilots who took part had previous military
experience or had lown formations before.
We did get some stunning pictures and some
good publicity out of it.”
Jock remarked: “Even now, people ask me
how did we get permission to do some of the
formation lights such as with the Red Arrows.
We obviously had to get clearance from the
Civil Aviation Authority regulator, but internally
we just didn’t ask anybody. We decided, we
had enough authority to make the decision.”
He added: “The senior management in British
Airways: Lord King, Sir Roy Watts, then Sir
Colin Marshall [who became Lord Marshall of
Knightsbridge] and the directors – particularly
those involved with marketing, such as Jim
Harris – gave us their backing and allowed
us to get on with the job. Their willingness to
All aspects of the Concorde operation were
examined and a change to the schedule,
by moving one of the two daily lights to
New York to an evening departure from
Heathrow, increased passenger numbers.
Bob O’Brien Collection
let us try things was one of the keys to the
success achieved.”
Every opportunity was taken to increase
revenue. The conventional commercial view
was that passenger numbers would increase
if you reduced the price
This led to an occasion when the cost of
a Concorde light from New York to London
was just $99 more than irst class on a
conventional airliner. The Concorde Division
asked the marketing department to ind
out how much passengers thought they
were paying for a ticket. Jock explained: “As
the clientele were usually high up in their
companies, such as chairmen, presidents,
board members or lawyers and bankers, it
was their secretaries or travel companies
that booked the tickets. The majority
guessed they were paying much more than
they actually were.
Jock recalled how BA’s marketing staff
favoured increased spending to advertise
Concorde lights were cheaper than people
realised, but he suggested the opposite –
a gradual fare rise to a rate expected by
passengers enjoying supersonic travel. “We
did that and eventually we got the surcharge
from irst class [the cost above that paid on
BA’s other long-haul aircraft types] up to 39%
[on Concorde].
37
 That meant we could ride out the
‘storms’ of unexpected costs, for example on
maintenance. It also cushioned us against
lower passenger numbers in winter and
economic downturns which would inevitably
reduce load factors. In fact, the more we put
the price up, the more kudos was attached to
Concorde, the more passengers we got. This
lasted for quite a few years. I had control of
all the fares and so also stopped companies
discounting Concorde tickets.
SUCCESS
The first year of the Concorde Division’s
new regime produced a net profit of £6m.
Jock enthused: “On average between 1983
and 2000 Concorde made a net profit of
£50m a year, obviously there were dips with
recessions and so on and there were some
extra costs that came in for maintenance, but
overall, we averaged that figure.”
Jock left this role in 1986 to become
general manager operations control where
he was responsible for all of BA’s aircraft fleet.
He still had some involvement with Concorde,
but to a far lesser extent. After working in
other positions, he returned to the Concorde
Division in the same role as his former boss,
captain Brian Walpole, though by now it had
the title of commercial manager. During his
time in this position from 1996 to 1997 the
38
Above: Concorde was seen at a number of
important events, sometimes in formation
with the Red Arrows, to help keep the aircraft
in the public eye. AirTeamImages.com/Keith
Blincow (ATI)
Below: “We had to change the image of the
aircraft… we said it’s a golden eagle,” said
Jock Lowe. WO Rick Brewell (ret’d)/MOD
Two more articles on Concorde follow in this
issue, but to read even more look out for
Concorde – Supersonic Legend
Brought to you by the award-winning team
behind Airliner World, this publication celebrates
the 50th anniversary of one of the most
iconic aircraft to have ever taken flight. A truly
watershed moment in the history of commercial
aviation, its Anglo-French design was the
epitome of speed, elegance and exclusivity. We
turn the clock back to bring you the very best
from the glory days of supersonic air travel,
charting the development of this remarkable jet,
its operational history and premature retirement.
With superbly illustrated articles featuring rare
archived photography, this 100-page special
tells the story of arguably the world’s most
recognisable commercial aircraft from the
inside, through the people who flew it and the
passengers it carried.
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team was just two secretaries and him. He
said: “I went through the same review of costs
and revenues we had done in the 1980s and
I put fares back up as discounting had started
again.” In 1999, BA dispatched Jock and a
former BBC executive to try to improve the
fortunes of Greek carrier Olympic Airways
and he retired two years later.
Unfortunately, two tragic events played
a part in Concorde’s eventual demise: the
crash of an Air France Concorde on July 25,
2000, which led to the type being grounded
for modifications, followed by the terrorist
attacks in the US on September 11, 2001.
The loss of the French Concorde dented
confidence in the supersonic airliner, while
the attack on the World Trade Center killed
dozens of regular passengers. The ripple
effects of 9/11 led to a major downturn in air
travel. Ultimately, low passenger numbers
and rising maintenance costs led to British
Airways retiring its Concorde fleet on October
24, 2003. Although for many, Concorde was
retired too soon, it had served British Airways
for a respectable 28 years. While Concorde
is fondly remembered for its high speed and
elegant lines, its highest industry acclaim is
that with a cleverly calculated approach it
was a major money-maker for British Airways.
And, like everything Concorde did, it was
done in style.
Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019
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 CONCORDE 50th ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE

CONCORDE PILOT’S PERS

HEATHROW TO
We put you in the cockpit
as former British Airways
Concorde chief pilot Captain
Mike Bannister talks us
through a typical flight from
Heathrow to New York’s
John F Kennedy International
Airport by the legendary
supersonic airliner.

B
ritish Airways’ most successful
Concorde route – between London
and New York – featured two
return flights daily. As captain Mike
Bannister attests, the turbojet-powered
aircraft was much more complex than
conventional airliners. Procedures, which
generally vary little between aircraft types,
were in some cases drastically different on
Concorde. So, buckle up in the jump seat as
he gets ready to light the afterburners...
those factors, we started thinking about how
much fuel to take.
The flight planners would have worked
out in advance the minimum amount that
we’d need. Around 90-92 tons was sufficient
to get to New York, hold for half an hour,
divert to the alternate airfield and land
with half-an-hour’s fuel. It was down to the
pilot flying the aircraft to determine if they
wanted to take any additional fuel. For every
extra ton of it carried, we burned more fuel
because of the additional weight. If we put
in pre-flight preparation. The flight engineer
would do an external check of the aircraft. At
the same time, the two pilots were preparing
the aircraft for departure: setting up the
navigation equipment, checking all the
systems and making sure the instruments
worked properly. Those activities were
independent and, from half an hour prior
to departure, we would come together and
work as an integrated crew. One person
would read from the checklist and the other
two would confirm that they have done the

“
Normally we would arrive at Heathrow
an hour and a half to two hours prior to
departure and do all the things that other
crews do. We considered the weather at the
destination, and at our alternate airfield, and
that at places en-route in case we needed to
divert if we had a problem. Consequent on
an extra ton of fuel on at Heathrow, we’d only
have half of that left by the time we got to
New York.
An hour before departure we’d head to
the aircraft. As Concorde was so much more
complex than a conventional jetliner, we
would spend a minimum of an hour onboard
appropriate item. With ten minutes to go we
would get the final loadsheet which told us
how many passengers there were, where
they were sitting, the fuel onboard and if
there was any cargo.
Concorde didn’t have an auxiliary power
unit (APU) to save weight. Others, like the

40 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019

SPECTIVE
O JFK

VC10, were also operating without APUs.

We’d use air supplies and ground electrics,
so we could start two engines on stand
and generate our own air and electrics to
run the aeroplane. The other engines were
started after we had pushed back. [This
would become increasingly more unusual
as Concorde progressed through its flying
career because more modern aircraft were
fitted with APUs as standard and didn’t
require air start units].

Above: On departure from Heathrow,

there would be just 17 minutes between
Concorde’s take-off and the Bristol Channel
where it would start its climb to supersonic
speed. AirTeamImages.com/Steve Flint

Left: Captain Mike Bannister on Concorde’s

flightdeck. Sam Chui

www.aviation-news.co.uk 41

TAKE-OFF
We never got any special priority for take-
off, we queued up with all the other aircraft.
When we got to the end of the runway and
received take-off clearance, we did some
more checks, including pre-selecting the
afterburners – there are switches at the
back of the throttle quadrant which you
turn on. Then we’d slam the throttles fully
open to use full power, irrespective of our
take-off weight, which is different from
other airliners. That’s something pilots of
other aircraft would always be aghast at
when they sat on the light deck. They were
used to working out how much power was
required for a take-off, set that amount
and gently increase power so as not to
overstress the engines. We were mindful
that the aircraft was quite noisy, and we had
sophisticated procedures based on weight,
the temperature and the wind which would
vary for every take-off to minimise noise.
The best way to minimise it was to get as
high as possible as fast as possible. Out of
Heathrow, reheat would be on for about one
minute and ten seconds. The afterburners
would kick in when the engines reached
approximately 75% thrust – at around
65-70kts (75-80mph) and
all four had to be engaged
by 100kts (115mph), that’s
one of the things the light
engineer would be checking.
On the runway the aircraft
was easy to keep straight
as it’s got a massive in.
At 100kts, the power is
checked. V1, decision speed,
is predicated on having one
of our engines fail and is
the chosen speed at which
we could still stop within the
length of the runway. If we
had an engine failure after
that speed the aircraft could
still get airborne. In actuality,
42
Above: A Concorde turns onto Runway
27R at Heathrow just prior to departure.
AirTeamImages.com/Steve Flint
Below: The engineer conirms to the
light deck that the locking pin, which
disengages nosewheel steering, and
ground communications headset have
been removed, completing the pushback
procedure. Key Collection
it’s a range of speeds, but we picked one,
so the crew knew what the handling pilot
would do if he had an engine failure before
or after that speed. V1, at maximum weight,
was usually around 165kts (190mph). Once
past decision speed, we would keep it on
the runway until we got to about 190kts
(218mph), at which point the handling pilot
would pull back on the control column to
pitch nose-up to roughly 13°.
Concorde was aerodynamically different
from a regular airliner in the way its wings
generated lift. Lift is created by the difference
in speed between the air passing over and
under the wing. Concorde’s delta wing would
generate vortex lift; two spinning vortices of
air near-parallel with the wings’ leading edges.
We didn’t lift off until about 215kts
(247mph), which is signiicantly faster than
the average airliner. At maximum weight
the take-off run was about 9,186ft (2,800m).
The runways at Heathrow are 12,801ft
(3,902m) and 12,001ft (3,658m) and usually
used three-quarters of their length. If we
experienced issues after take-off and
wanted to return to Heathrow, we would
have to jettison fuel; the maximum landing
weight was 70 tons less than the maximum
take-off igure.
Once in the air, Concorde wanted to
go as fast as it could as soon as possible.
Typically, anything lying below 10,000ft is
limited to 250kts (288mph) – we were always
trying to get air traffic control to lift that limit.
This was so we could get up to 400kts
(460mph), our optimum climb-out speed.
When passing through 250kts, the nose and
visor would go up.
GOING SUPERSONIC
We took the most direct route to the point
where acceleration to supersonic speeds
could start. We would ly in this stage at
Mach 0.95 because there was less drag,
making the aircraft more efficient. The best
height was 28,000ft, whereas airliners will
have accelerated more slowly but be higher
up, around 35,000ft, and
have reached their normal
cruise speed of around
Mach 0.84. After departing
Heathrow, it took us 17-18
minutes to the point over the
Bristol Channel, southeast
of Swansea, where we
started our acceleration to
supersonic speeds. Again,
a whole series of checks
had to be performed prior to
going supersonic.
Concorde had its own
North Atlantic tracks
– Sierra Mike, Sierra
November and Sierra
Oscar. Other airliners
Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019
choose routes over the Atlantic where the
winds are most favourable. Our altitude
meant the wind had far less of an effect on
Concorde and we got a better result not
bothering to avoid headwinds and chase
tailwinds. Saying that, the fastest crossings
between New York and London were made
with the beneit of getting the aeroplane into
the Jetstream. There were certain times of
the year; particularly between November
and January when it would coincide with the
north Atlantic [NAT] tracks we’d take every
day. The record crossing eastbound was
2hrs 52min 59secs – a typical light would
take on average between 3hrs 12mins to
3hrs 15mins. We always said 3hrs, 20mins
in the timetable and that way we always
appeared to be quicker than anticipated.
Under-promise and over-deliver. My quickest
time from JFK to Heathrow was 2hrs 54mins
35secs and I hold the record between
London and New York of 3hrs 6mins.
When we got to our supersonic point,
having got air traffic control clearance to
climb, we opened the engines up to full
power and switched on the reheat to push
us through the sound barrier, which is an
area of high drag. From Mach 0.95 up to
about Mach 1.7 the drag is higher and
so we needed the additional thrust of the
afterburners. Reheat would be on for eight
to nine minutes and was switched off when
the engines became efficient enough not to
need it any longer. That typically, was around
about Mach 1.7; Concorde, at the time, was
the only aircraft, military or civil, that could
www.aviation-news.co.uk
Above: Once airborne out from Heathrow
it took around 17-18mins to the point
over the Bristol Channel when Concorde
could accelerate to supersonic speeds.
AirTeamImages.com/Derek Pedley
Below: Taxiing Concorde presented its own
challenges, as the pilots sat well forward of
the nosewheel. Key Collection
continue to climb and accelerate from Mach
1.7 to Mach 2 without the use of reheat.
There was absolutely no sensation of
going through the sound barrier, the aircraft
was completely smooth. On the light deck,
the only indication was that the vertical
speed indicator would behave erratically
“As you are
slowing down you
are throwing sonic
boom cones forward
about 30 miles.”
for about three or four seconds as the
shockwave passed over the instrument’s
sensor. The only sensation the passengers
will have noticed were two nudges in the
back as the afterburners were brought on
in pairs.
Concorde’s designers had to contend
with the additional drag of going through the
sound barrier. All the weight in an aircraft
operates through its centre of gravity and
centre of lift, but the two don’t physically
correspond. The former will be forward of
the centre of lift and the distance between
them equates to a lever. As anything gets
faster, the centre of gravity remains static,
but the centre of lift moves aft, so the lever
increases. To counteract this, the pilot would
need to delect the control surfaces and, in
doing so, create more drag. The designers
realised that by pumping fuel from the
front of the aeroplane to the back the lever
becomes constant as the centre of gravity
moves backwards at a rate equal to that
of the centre of lift. This means the control
surfaces don’t need to be moved and no
drag is created. Ten tons of fuel would be
transferred from a tank close to the nose to
another under the in starting at Mach 0.7.
Another clever piece of design is
introduced as we reach Mach 1.3. The
Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus engines
can’t process air travelling above 500mph
(434kts) so it needs to be slowed down.
Two ramps inside each of the 11ft
(3.35m) long intakes were designed and
positioned in such a way that they created
a shockwave which slowed the air down as
it entered. The ramps were controlled by
the irst digital computers ever introduced
into civil aviation as their positioning was
very sensitive. As the air slowed it was
also being compressed and needed to
expand to match with the air outside the
engine. Because of this, half the thrust
43
 Reheat would be used for around 1min 10secs on departure
from Heathrow, enabling the aircraft to climb faster and keep
noise to a minimum. AirTeamImages.com/Carl Ford
generated was done so aerodynamically;
by air being slowed, compressed, sped up
and expanding again. Without the ramps,
the aircraft wouldn’t have been able to
accelerate much beyond Mach 1.3.
IN THE CRUISE
Mach 2 was reached around 50,000ft and
we would gradually climb as the aircraft
got lighter as fuel burned off – the thrust
remained the same. The fastest speed at
which Concorde could travel was Mach 2.04;
this was the maximum allowable overrun
and was only reached if we encountered a
pocket of cold air which caused the aircraft
to accelerate. At that point, the auto-pilot
would take steps to bring the speed down.
The original concept was for Concorde to
cruise at Mach 2.2, but travelling at that
44
speed led to an increase in temperature of
the aircraft’s skin; reducing the cruise speed
to Mach 2 meant there were fewer metal
fatigue issues.
Airliners would normally ly cross the
Atlantic at a ixed height, while Concorde
had approval for a band of heights and
clearance would usually be given to operate
between 50,000 and 60,000ft. We would ly
for two hours at Mach 2 (1,350mph) – which
is 23 miles a minute. You could stand a £1
coin on its edge while lying at twice the
speed of sound, turn with 30° of bank and
it would remain on its edge. The aeroplane
was that beautifully balanced.
When in the cruise you’re constantly
thinking ‘what if?’. What if a passenger is
taken seriously ill or if the aircraft has a
mechanical failure which meant it couldn’t
Concorde with its visor in the position for high
continue to New York? This is the same as
on a regular airliner, but because Concorde
is travelling more than twice as fast, we
had to think at least twice the distance
ahead in half the time. Consequently, in
the selection process for aircrew we were
always looking for people who could do the
normal job of safely operating Concorde
from A to B, but have lots of capacity to
take on the unexpected.
Situations such as these would be
discussed among the three members of the
light crew and usually be led by the pilot
lying the aircraft so if anything did happen,
we’d be able to react immediately. The
more you prepare, the less time you need
for preparations.
Diversion airields were mainly
predicated on runway length, Concorde
speed light. WO Rick Brewell (ret’d)/MOD
Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019
could land anywhere a Boeing
747 could. They would be
airports with good infrastructure
and had the capabilities to
get an unwell passenger to a
hospital quickly. Typical airields
were Shannon, St John’s in
Newfoundland, Windsor Locks
[now Bradley International
Airport, Connecticut] and
Newark. We didn’t use Boston
because of noise. If we got
two-thirds of the way across
the Atlantic and New York was
ruled out because of snow or
some other reason our preferred
alternate would be Washington’s Dulles
International Airport as it was also a
Concorde destination.
On an average light to New York you
would reach 58,000ft before decelerating to
make the descent. We had to slow down well
before the coast to be at subsonic speeds
about 50 miles (80km) before crossing the
coast. As you are slowing down you are
throwing sonic boom cones forward about
30 miles (48km) with a 20-mile (32km)
buffer built in. We would slow down to it
into normal traffic patterns and by the time
we’ve got down to 10,000ft we needed to be
back at 250kts (288mph). Having said that,
if there was nothing around and permission
was granted, we would ly faster.
APPROACH TO LAND
Pilots lying aircraft with swept wings can
ly slower by deploying laps at the back of
the wing and slats at the front. Concorde
had neither of these and so it was lown
at slower speed by pitching the wing up
more so more surface area would generate
greater drag. The downside is that as the
nose pitched up, the pilots couldn’t see
where they were going. It’s why Concorde
www.aviation-news.co.uk
The famous Machmeter and altitude display
as shown on G-BOAC at the Runway Visitor
Park, Manchester Airport. AirTeamImages.
com/Simon Willson
had the droop snoot, primarily for landing
but also to improve forward visibility on the
ground; Concorde would come in with a
very nose-up attitude of about 11-12° on
inal approach, whereas a standard airliner
would be 2-4°. It’s a big difference.
Our approach speed was 190kts
(215mph), much faster than other airliners
which would be at about 120kts (138mph).
That’s because the slower we lew, the
more nose-up we were to generate lift, but
the more surface area there was to cause
drag. It’s like pushing an iron through the
air. Having descended to 800ft we would
slow to 160kts (182mph) which was the
normal touchdown speed – compared to
110-120kts (126-138mph).
This technique, called a reduced noise
approach, was the most efficient and quietest.
That was our preferred method, the only
downside was if there were aircraft ahead
of us on approach, we’d be catching them
up. Air traffic control had to accommodate
us doing that and, in time, they got very
Without slats and laps to slow the aircraft down, Concorde
lew at a nose-up attitude of 11-12°. Key Collection
adept at itting us into the pattern.
We would sometimes have to
decelerate earlier than we wanted
because traffic ahead of us was
travelling that much slower.
An instrument accurately
reported the height of the main
wheels above the ground, but
it was still down to the pilot to
judge where the main wheels
were to make a smooth landing.
As we were about to land, we
would be travelling at 160kts and
descending at 850-900ft (259-
274m) per minute. As we got the
main wheels on the ground, the
wing would lose around 90% of its lift and
want to pull the nose down. We would have
to lare to keep the nose from pitching down
before landing the nosewheel almost as a
separate manoeuvre, whereas the pilot of a
conventional airliner would almost be able
to let the nosewheel fall. We would have to
get the nosewheel on the ground before we
could start slowing down. As we touched
down at such a high speed, Concorde had
the irst set of carbon ibre brakes in civil
aviation and a very effective thrust-reverser
system. We could stop in slightly less
distance than a 747.
The next thing was to taxi to the terminal.
As well as being 30ft behind the nose, the
nosewheel is under row ive in the cabin.
To turn left we would taxi until we were
right over the edge of the taxiway before
turning. We would shut down two of the
four engines as we taxied in and even then,
at that light weight, the aeroplane would
want to accelerate. We were constantly
braking because it was constantly speeding
“
up. Once back at the terminal, we’d be in
customer care mode. Just outside the light
deck door saying hello and goodbye to all
the customers.
45
 CONCORDE 50th ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE

CONCORDE
IN FOCUS
During his time as an RAF photographer, Rick
Brewell was involved in two air-to-air photoshoots
with Concorde. He explains to editor Dino Carrara
about the challenges of those sorties.

A
s I drove to London’s Heathrow
Airport on June 13, 1990 for an
assignment, I knew it was going
to be a memorable day, both on
the ground and in the air. However, unlike
thousands of other people making their way
to the busy hub that Wednesday, I wasn’t
catching a flight. Instead, I was covering an
event involving veterans from the last world
war and two legendary aircraft.
British Airways had commissioned the
composer Peter Hope to write an orchestral
piece of music to honour RAF pilots who
flew in the Battle of Britain – ‘The Few’, as
Winston Churchill famously named them.
The Central Band of the Royal Air Force was
tasked to perform the work, which had been
called ‘Speedbird Salutes The Few’, against
the backdrop of British Airways Concorde,
G-BOAA, and Battle of Britain Memorial
Flight (BBMF) Spitfire Mk IIa, P7350.
The event took place in the British
Airways maintenance area and was
attended by around 40 people. After the

46 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019

 Left: Two icons together. A British Airways Concorde and BBMF Spitfire with the famous white
cliffs in the background along with The Dover Patrol Monument. This memorial pays tribute to
those who lost their lives keeping the English Channel open for navigation during the World War
One. It also honours those in the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy who were killed in the Dover
Strait from 1939 to 1946 (sic). All photos WO Rick Brewell (ret’d)/MOD

Below left: Sqn Ldr Paul Day, then OC of the BBMF, shares a joke with Concorde captain Jock
Lowe. Both were present at the event held for the debut performance of the ‘Speedbird Salutes
The Few’ piece of music on June 13, 1990 commissioned by British Airways.

Below: Two emblematic craft in one photo – the Royal Yacht Britannia and Concorde.

RAF Lyneham was the rendezvous point for Rick Brewell in the back seat of a 100 Sqn Hawk, and Concorde, G-BOAE, on June 5, 1994 prior to
flying over ships taking part in the D-Day 50th anniversary commemorations.

www.aviation-news.co.uk 47
 Concorde lying over the Canadian frigate HMCS Toronto in the English Channel – one of many ships involved in the D-Day anniversary events.
performance there was to be a formation
light of the Concorde and Spitire along
the south coast using the White Cliffs of
Dover as a backdrop. As the Directorate of
Public Relations photographer for the RAF, I
was given the assignment of ensuring both
occasions were documented on ilm.
Towards the end of the proceedings at
Heathrow, I heard two of the pilots involved
having a joke with each other. Spitire pilot
Sqn Ldr Paul Day, who was then the officer
commanding BBMF, said to Concorde
captain Jock Lowe: “It’s just a shame I have
only brought with me the Mk IIa Spitire, if I
had been lying one of the later versions, I
would have given you a run for your money!”
After taking the necessary photos at
Heathrow, I headed to nearby RAF Northolt
Durdle Door, the arched rock formation on the Dorset coast, visible below Concorde.
48
to board the cameraship, a Hawker Siddeley
HS125 of 32 Sqn, along with Rolls-Royce
photographer Jack Titley. Once airborne,
I positioned myself next to one of the
windows and realised this was not going to
be an easy task. First of all, there were two
layers of glass and also a Perspex screen
which made it very awkward to photograph
through. Unless the camera was pointing
directly through the layers, the image was
out of focus. Secondly, the weather had
deteriorated and had become dull and
slightly misty, with low cloud. However,
these problems paled into insigniicance
after inding out, once in light, that I had
no direct communication with the pilots of
my cameraship! Instead, I had to run back
and forth to the cockpit to give instructions
to them on manoeuvring our aircraft into
the correct position and distance from
the two subject aircraft. Additionally, I
needed to direct the Spitire into the right
position while formating on Concorde. Not
an easy task given the large difference in
performance – just getting these two aircraft
in the same bit of sky at the same time
would be hard enough, let alone formate in
a particular position.
We met up with the two legendary aircraft
along the south coast. After getting them
both into position we were able to get the
shot we wanted, albeit with Concorde’s
nose high, due to it having to ly at a slow
speed for the airliner whereas the Spitire
was going lat out. We were in formation for
around 20 minutes of the 45-minute light.
Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019

D-DAY ANNIVERSARY FLIGHT
The other time I lew with Concorde was
as part of the 50th anniversary of D-Day
commemorations. I travelled to what was
then HMS Daedalus [Lee-on-Solent] airield,
with the shoot scheduled for June 5, 1994.
Two 100 Sqn Hawks had lown from their
base at RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire,
with one of them to act as my cameraship.
The assignment was to photograph a British
Airways Concorde over the ships from the
nations that had gathered for the anniversary.
We took off and initially headed towards RAF
Lyneham in Wiltshire where we rendezvoused
with a British Airways Concorde, G-BOAE,
over the base. We transited in formation over
Portsmouth (from where the ships had sailed)
The former RAF Mount Batten lying boat base is visible below Concorde with Plymouth in the background.
www.aviation-news.co.uk
Concorde makes for a majestic sight as it heads away from the lotilla in the background.
out into the English Channel, with the lotilla
heading to Normandy. The ships were sailing
in two lines and we lew with Concorde on our
port side, capturing it over some of the ships
below in the left-hand row. After this pass we
broke right and headed west, and I managed
to capture Concorde with all of the ships in
the distance.
We routed along the south coast and I
photographed Concorde over some landmarks
and military bases in Devon: Durdle Door
rock formation, the former RAF Mount Batten,
Plymouth Hoe and the nearby Her Majesty’s
Naval Base Devonport. The second 100 Sqn
Hawk had also lown with us and I took the
opportunity to get shots of it with the airliner.
One of the Concorde pilots came over
the radio to check we had everything we
needed. I conirmed we had and thanked
them and then he said: “Right, good day
to you.” At that point he put the power on
and left us like we were stood still. I was
surprised to hear the roar from the airliner
over the noise of our own jet. It was an
incredible sight to see Concorde accelerate
away and then climb into the distance. The
sortie lasted around 40 minutes with 25 of
those alongside Concorde.
These two air-to-air photoshoots were
among my most notable and seeing the
supersonic airliner close up in its natural
environment are memories I cherish.
49
 COLOGNE BONN
AIRPORT: COLOGNE BONN KONRAD ADENAUER AIRPORT
COST: FREE AIRPORT VIEWING AREA OPENING TIMES: 0500HRS – 0000HRS

Cologne Bonn airport’s viewing terrace offers excellent

views on three levels, as Spencer Bennett discovered.

C
ologne Bonn Konrad Adenauer
Airport serves Germany’s fourth
largest city and nearby Bonn; once
the capital of West Germany. It
is the seventh largest airport in Germany,
handling 12.4m passengers in 2017, and is
the third busiest in terms of cargo, processing
Above: Cologne Bonn is Germany’s third The terrace looks out over the cargo
busiest airport for freight, as illustrated in the area and some stands on Terminals 1 and
scene behind this Ryanair Boeing 737-800. All 2. All three of the airport’s runways can
photos Spencer Bennett unless stated be seen, with the best views of 14L/32R
Below: An airport chart with the location of to the left. Runway 14R/32L is visible to
the observation deck marked. Not for airborne/ the south, although aircraft on approach
operational use, Navblue pass behind terminal infrastructure before
10

838,526 tonnes over the same period. landing. Runway 25/07 can be seen
E007 07 E007 08 E007 09 E007 10
The facility is named after the first 1E in the distance beyond the cargo
chancellor of West Germany and 4 L°
THR Coordinates
RWY 06 N50 51.6 E007 07.4
N50
53
terminal. All movements can be
1 37
unlike many airports in the country is 1 RWY 24 N50 52.2 E007 09.3
RWY 14L N50 52.8 E007 07.7
viewed irrespective of which runway
ELEV 230
open 24 hours. There is an excellent VIEWING
RWY 32R N50 51.3 E007 09.9
RWY 14R N50 52.3 E007 07.3
is in use. Runway 14L/32R, being
observation deck on top of Terminal AREA RWY 32L N50 51.5 E007 08.3 the longest of the three, is most
D2
D1

1, which is open daily from 5am until often in operation. This is helpful
38 51
12
15 6x1

4 R°
x6 9

1 37
0m 6ft

midnight, and is served by a lift as 1

243°
4
as, when 14L is in use, landing
2
well as stairs, thus suiting visitors aircraft will pass directly in front of
C1

ELEV 221 E 2

with limited mobility. The deck is split E1

the terrace just before touchdown,
N50
over three levels, all with essentially ELEV 272
and departing aircraft taxi past prior
18 112
6

TWR 52
63 x1

F 1
x4 47

the same view. The first comprises to take off. Only some of the aircraft
5m ft

G2
B1

the largest area and offers the most G 1 parked on stands at either terminal
5m
9x4 7ft
seating, but views across the airfield ELEV 231
24567x14
80
are visible but all traffic can be seen
L
are through glass making photography 063°
32 17°
3
ELEV 302 during taxi.
A2

06
A1

challenging. The two upper levels offer 0 500 1000m

VOR/DME KBO
2 R° An Airbus A320 landing on
3 17
higher vantage points unobstructed ELEV 259
3
Runway 14L will need a lens of
0 1000 2000 3000 4000ft
by glass. 250-300mm on a cropped sensor

50 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019

Right: The observation deck affords good
views of the airfield, including Runway
14L/32R which is the one used most often.

camera (375-450mm full-frame), whereas

to capture an image of a similar sized
aircraft taxiing, up to 200mm (300mm full-
frame) would cover most options. To shoot
the nearest aircraft parked on the cargo
apron – for instance if a Boeing 777F like
the FedEx Express example in the photo
opposite – requires about 110mm (165mm).
Runway 14R is for much of the day backlit,
except from sunrise to around 9.30am in the
summer months. It is further away from the
observation deck than 14L, with a lens of
400-500mm (600-750mm full-frame) needed
for an A320 on final approach.
Photographically, the viewing area is An MNG Airlines A300-600F on final approach
best from about lunchtime, when the sun to Runway 14L at dusk. Martyn Cartledge
has moved around sufficiently to give better
lighting for aircraft landing on Runway 14L,
improving as the day goes on. The deck
has toilets and an arrivals and departures
board – there are no food outlets, but
several options are available downstairs in
Terminal 1.

WHAT TO EXPECT
Movements at Cologne Bonn are dominated
Cargojet flies services to three Canadian cities from
by Eurowings which currently offers both Cologne Bonn; Halifax, Hamilton and St John’s.
scheduled and seasonal charter flights
across Europe. Long-haul flights ceased
in October as the airline is consolidating
its widebody services at Düsseldorf, a
45-min drive away. As a result the airport’s
longest route is now Iran Air flying to Tehran
on a Friday. The airport has a large low-
cost presence – in addition to Eurowings,
Cologne Bonn is also served by Wizz Air,
Norwegian and Blue Air. Aeroflot’s no-frills UPS has its European Air Hub at Cologne Bonn,
subsidiary Pobeda has links to Moscow and it handles an average of 76 flights per day.
Saint Petersburg, whilst Ryanair currently
offers flights to 34 destinations. Turkey
is a popular choice with services flown
by Atlasglobal, Pegasus Airlines, Turkish
Airlines, SunExpress and Corendon Airlines.
Cargo plays a major role at the airport
and this offers extra interest for the
enthusiast. UPS has its European Air Hub
at Cologne Bonn and serves around 50
destinations. Other freight operators include
Star Air, DHL, FedEx Express, MNG Airlines
of Turkey and Atran Airlines of Russia.
Additionally, Cargojet operates flights to
Halifax, St John’s and Hamilton in Canada,
while EgyptAir Cargo provides a link to
Cairo. Much of this activity takes place at Views extend across to the western areas of the airport and
the ramps used by the Luftwaffe’s VIP fleet and A310 MRTTs.
night Monday to Friday, although Sunday
afternoon/evening is also busy.
To the south are the military ramps,
home to the Luftwaffe’s Flugbereitschaft
des Bundesministeriums der Verteidigung
(Special Air Mission, Federal Ministry of
Defence/FBS BMVg), with a fleet of Airbus
A319, A321, A340 and Bombardier Global
5000 ministerial transports and Airbus A310
Multi-Role Tanker Transports.
A visit to Cologne Bonn airport offers an
interesting mix of traffic and its observation
deck is a popular haunt for enthusiasts.

www.aviation-news.co.uk 51
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1130/18
 COLOMBIAN
KFIRS FLY ON
The Colombian Air Force received its first Kfirs in 1989 and, as Sérgio
Santana explains, the type remains a potent fighter thanks to upgrades.

P
olitical instability has been an
ever-present backdrop during the
Kfir’s service in Colombia. When
the government has been forced to
quell insurrection in many parts of this South
American country, the multi-role combat
aircraft has been used to rain fire on the
various rebel groups fighting for control.
More recently, the jet’s horizons have
widened as the Força Aérea Colombiana
(FAC, Colombian Air Force) has
participated in international ‘war games’,
including Red Flag exercises in the US.
A planned purchase of the type in the
early 1980s was blocked by geopolitical
wrangling and the result of the US
Presidential election. Incumbent Jimmy
Carter lost the November 1980 vote to
Ronald Reagan, who vetoed the transaction
soon after his inauguration because the jet
used the General Electric J79 engine, and
other equipment, under a US licence.
In the final days of his re-election
campaign, Carter had given the green light
to Israel for the sale of Kfirs to Colombia
and Venezuela. However, not long after
Reagan’s later decision, the aircraft – based
on a modified Dassault Mirage 5 airframe
– was on its way to South America. In May
1981 it was announced that 12 Kfir C-2s
would be sold to Ecuador, which had briefly
battled with Peru in a border dispute in
January and February that year.

54 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019


The Israeli Government offered aircraft,
fighter pilots and special forces to reinforce
the Ecuadorian contingents during the
skirmishes with their Peruvian counterparts.
The Reagan administration then released
the Kfir for export to win Israel round over
Peace Sun, a multi-stage programme to
provide the Royal Saudi Air Force with
McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15C/D
Eagle air superiority fighters from 1981.
In Colombia the FAC was forced
to continue relying on 14 single-seat
Dassault Mirage 5COA fighters (the
Colombian version), a pair of two-seat
Mirage 5COD trainers and two Mirage
5COR reconnaissance aircraft. These
were received between January 1972 and
November 1973 and were the backbone of
its offensive force – which was found wanting
when the country went to the brink of war.
ENCOUNTERS AT SEA
Relations between Colombia and
neighbouring Venezuela were strained in
1987. Disputes dating back to 1969 over the
delimitation of the continental shelf, shared
by both countries, were still unsolved and
deteriorating. In the early hours of August
9, 1987, the Armada de la República
Colombiana (ARC, Colombia’s navy) sent
www.aviation-news.co.uk
the frigate FM-52 Caldas, one of four
Almirante Padilla-class ships, to a disputed
part of the Gulf of Venezuela.
Caldas was tracked by a Venezuelan
vessel, augmented by sister ships, over
the following two days. By the morning of
August 12, a pair of Venezuelan Air Force
General Dynamics (now Lockheed Martin)
F-16A Fighting Falcons made low-level
flights over the frigate, whose own nation’s
air support arrived later that day. Venezuelan
F-16As and Colombian Mirages engaged
each other on August 13 but there were no
weapons fired, and the Caldas was relieved
by another ship, the Independiente. But the
incident was spilling on to land. Venezuelan
troops moved towards the border with
Colombia while ships of both nations aimed
their guns against each other.
Diplomatic interventions by other
governments in the region ended the crisis
on August 18. The Independiente withdrew
to its home port after Venezuela warned
Colombia it was prepared to sink the vessel.
The performance of the Mirage 5s during
that brief conflict was found to be inferior
to that of the F-16As, compelling the FAC
to renew its request for Israeli Kfirs. The US
embargo was lifted in October 1987 and
six months later the Colombian congress
A Kfir of 111th Combat Squadron
recovers to Rionegro during Exercise
Relampago. Tech Sgt Jorge Intriago/USAF
approved the deal. A contract for 12 Israel
Aircraft Industries (later Israel Aerospace
Industries − IAI) Kfir C-2s and one Kfir TC-7
(a TC-2 upgraded to TC7 standard) was
signed on October 6, 1988. The agreement
also covered the subsequent improvement
of the single-seat Kfirs – and all the FAC’s
Mirages – to ‘C-7’ standard. Colombia also
refers to single seat models as COA and
two-seaters as COD.
From late April 1989, the new fighters (with
serials ranging from FAC 3040 to 3051) began
to arrive, with FAC 3045 the first. The single
TC-7 (FAC 3003) was delivered the following
year. With Ecuadorian Air Force personnel
giving support to train pilots and mechanics,
the Colombian Kfirs entered service with
Escuadrón (Squadron) 213 at Base Aérea
Militar Germán Olano, in Palanquero, the
home of the FAC’s Mirage 5 force.
UPGRADES
The C-7 upgrade was applied to only nine
of the C-2s acquired in 1987 (FAC 3041,
FAC 3050 and FAC 3051 were not included).
They received a new engine, the J79-J1E,
with 18,750lb of afterburning thrust, enabling
the maximum take-off weight to be increased
to 35,274lb (16,000kg). Two hardpoints
were added under the fuselage, for a
55
 Photographed in 1996, FAC 3049 was one of nine Kfir C-2s acquired in 1987 to be upgraded to C-7 standard. Peter R Foster

total of nine, and an Elta E/L-8202 jamming bomb (LGB) kit, manufactured by the MTB Douglas AC-47 gunships in Operación
pod fitted to the inboard port wing pylon. A Missiles division of IAI. The first 12 kits Colombia, sometimes also referred to as
hands-on throttle and stick (HOTAS) system arrived in February 2001, with the IAI cockpit Operación Casa Verde.
was meanwhile added to the cockpit. laser designator system (CLDS). Using The Kfirs flew bombing missions against
All the Kfirs retained the Elta EL/M-2001B Griffin, the trajectory of a 500lb Mk82 bomb strategic targets, including ‘Bravo’, an
radar, which had also been installed in the can be corrected during the glide path – and important camp operated by the FARC
FAC’s Mirage 5COAs in 1988. The Israeli jets it can hit a laser-marked target from a low (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionárias de
also had a WDNS-391 (weapons delivery angle to overhead. Colombia, Colombia Revolutionary Armed
and navigation system, for smart weapons Forces) – a guerrilla group which had been
delivery) along with an Elbit 82 system for INTO ACTION in conflict with the government for many
stores management; video capability; and an The new jets went through a baptism of years. The jets used 250lb ‘dumb’ bombs,
armament control display panel. An air-to-air fire on December 9 and 10, 1990, south of dropping 186 on 30 missions, during the
refuelling probe was also installed. the capital, Bogotá, when two Kfirs joined 1990 campaign. The aircraft have remained
The jets modernised to C-7 standard Mirages, a Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, a Bell active in similar missions, flown in support
could operate with the Griffin laser-guided 212 and a UH-1H, a Sikorsky UH-60 and of army, police and marines ground forces,
fighting the FARC close to populated areas.
In late 2001, peace talks between the
government and FARC representatives
failed and a large-scale offensive known
as Operación Tanatos (the god of death
in Greek mythology) began in February
2002 against targets in the demilitarised
zone in the centre of Colombia, an area
dominated by the guerrillas. It involved
more than 30 of the FAC’s offensive
assets, including the Kfirs, which hit
facilities such as bridges, drug production
laboratories, runways and camps.
Mirages and Kfirs flew at an average
rate of three missions per week, per
squadron, until 2007 to prevent insurgents
occupying towns. The pilots flew at night
to try and avoid anti-aircraft fire and were
Above: In 2014, the 169th FW deployed six F-16s to Rionegro for Relampago, a two-week required to minimise collateral damage by
exercise with Colombian Air Force Kfirs. Maj Matthew Booth/USAF
ensuring positive target identification before
Below: Colombia ordered one Kfir TC-7, FAC 3003, which was delivered in 1990. Later upgraded the weapons were launched – all this in
to TC-12 standard, it crashed on September 27, 2013. Peter R Foster mountainous, jungle terrain.

56 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019

 Kfirs continued to be deployed on Above: Kfir COA, FAC 3059, releases its brake parachute after landing at Nellis AFB, Nevada.
Staff Sgt William P Coleman/USAF
similar offensives: in late September 2010,
Operación Sodoma killed FARC commander Below: The Colombian Air Force’s sole 767MMTT supported both Kfir deployments to Red Flag.
Víctor Julio Suárez Rojas (nicknamed ‘Mono Maj Matthew Booth/USAF
Jojoy’) during an attack on the organisation’s
headquarters near the Serranía de la
Macarena mountains.
Operación Osiris in October 2011 saw
four Kfir C-10s attack the base of the FARC’s
‘Antonia Santos’ mobile column in Sardinata,
killing 11 guerrillas and injuring 30. Two
months later, Operación Demóstenes –
against the Ejército de Liberación Nacional
(ELN or National Liberation Army, another
terrorist organisation) – in Morales, south of
Bolívar, killed a leader in a group known as
‘La Negra Yesenia’. In September 2012 the
Kfirs were involved in Operación Selene, in
Hacarí targeting the ELN.
In 2016, the FARC signed a peace
accord with the Colombian Government.
The following April Kfirs took part in
Operación Corsário III, in the north of
the Santander region, when ten ELN was accepted in April 2009, with deliveries reconnaissance pod and Rafael Litening
guerrillas were killed, including alleged ending in December 2010. laser designator pod; Spice 1000 laser/
ringleader Danilo Picón Cuadros. Among The new aircraft were given the serials GPS/infrared-guided bomb; GBU-12
recent counter-terrorist missions involving FAC 3052 to FAC 3061 (three Kfir C-12s and Paveway, AI-MTB Grin and GBU-49
the Kfirs was an attack in June 2018, in seven C-10s, all single seat) and FAC 3004 Paveway II laser-guided bombs; and Rafael
the municipality of Fortul, when 16 FARC to FAC 3006 (three Kfir TC-12s). They would Python 5 and Derby air-to-air missiles.
dissidents were killed. join the updated FAC 3003 (TC-12), FAC In addition to using the WDNS-391,
3040 and FAC 3041, FAC 3043 to FAC 3045 management of these weapons is via the
MORE KFIRS and FAC 3047 to FAC 3051 (three C-10s, EL/M-2032 multimode radar (standard in the
To remain on a par with other air forces in seven C-12s). C-7, but replaced by the EL/M-2052 active
the region, which were being updated with As well as the Griffin LGB and the electronically scanned array radar, nine of
fourth-generation fighters and advanced Rafael Python 3 air-to-air missile, the which have been acquired); Elbit Systems
armaments, the FAC added to its fleet of these newer Kfirs can operate the Rafael DASH (Display And Sighting Helmet,
Kfirs with 13 ordered in April 2008. The first RecceLite electro-optical/tactical infrared replaced by the Targo model); two new

Six of the eight Kfir COAs that attended Red Flag 12-4 in 2012, marking the first time the country had taken part in the multinational exercise.
Staff Sgt William P Coleman/USAF

www.aviation-news.co.uk 57
 RED FLAG PARTICIPATION
Eight Colombian Kfir COAs accompanied
by a KC-137 (FAC 1201) and a Boeing
767MMTT (FAC 1202) attended the Red Flag
multinational exercise for the first time in
2012 (the ‘12-4’ event). The Kfirs were tasked
with air interdiction sorties alongside USAF
B-1Bs and B-52Hs, involving multiple threats.
They performed so well that they received
permission to fly offensive counter-air on the
last day, protecting the coalition packages.
The Kfirs returned for Red Flag 18-3, from
July 23 to August 3, 2018. No detailed results
of their performance have been revealed but
sources suggest they again performed well.
Currently the Kfirs are operated by
Escuadrón de Combate 111 Dardos, under
the administrative command of the Grupo
de Combate 11 and tactical command of the
Comando Aéreo de Combate No 1 CT,. Germán
Olano Moreno, in Palanquero.

Two F-16s of the 169th FW ‘Swamp

Foxes’ fly in formation with a Kfir over
a mountainous region of Colombia
during Exercise Relampago. Maj
Matthew Booth/USAF

multi-function cockpit displays; Elbit/Elisra
SPS-45V6 jamming system; Elbit Systems
AES-212 Emerald-1 electronic warfare
system (installed on the C-10s); and a Link
16 data link. Target data from the C-10s can
be transmitted to the C-12s.
The Kfir fleet has suffered several losses.
The first, on May 2, 1995, involved C-7 FAC
3042. Another C-7, FAC 3046, was lost on
June 4, 2003. It crashed about 19 miles
(30km) north of the Captain Germán Olano
Air Base. On July 20, 2009, Kfir TC-12
FAC 3004, flown by IAI personnel, ran off
the runway at the Rafael Núñez Airport
in Cartagena. There were two incidents
in 2010. On September 20, TC-12 FAC
3005 was on a reconnaissance mission
and crashed in Santa Elena de Opón, the
crew ejected safely. And on November 26,
Kfir C-10, FAC 3050, suffered a technical
failure when landing in Puerto Salgar after
flight tests, and left the runway. The pilot
evacuated the aircraft safely. On September
27, 2013, TC-12 FAC 3003 crashed near the
Captain Germán Olano Air Base while on a
training mission. There were two incidents
in 2014. On February 18, TC-12 FAC 3006
crashed in Norcasia (Caldas), killing one of
the pilots; the other ejected. On December
31, technical failures led to the loss of control
of Kfir C.12 FAC 3041 in the approach phase
to the Combat Air Command No 1 in Puerto
Salgar. The pilot ejected safely.
The losses have officially been
attributed to structural, hydraulic and
electrical problems, as well as engine
failures during landings.
Colombia’s upgraded Kfirs are among
the most lethal fighters in the region. The
pilots have proved their prowess in the
challenging environment of Red Flag and
also the capabilities of the Kfir.

Prior to attending Red Flag 18-3, six 111th Combat Squadron Kfirs took part in training from Davis-Monthan AFB working with F-16s of the 162nd
FW and the resident 354th FS with A-10s. Staff Sgt Angela Ruiz/USAF

58 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019

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TALES FROM THE LOGBOOK..
.

THE LAST
FRONTIER
The Centre of Aviation Photography (COAP) recently organised a trip
that headed to the aviation wilds of Alaska. Rich Cooper, with assistance
from Dietmar Schreiber, describes an unforgettable adventure.

T
hey call it The Last Frontier. It’s
a place where the wilds come
to life. Where extreme weather,
hunting and living off the land
is not just a pastime but a necessity, and fabric of life in a way that, to my mind,
where some communities are so isolated must be unique.
there are no roads to lead them home. Sure, there are remote communities
It’s where aviation is interwoven into the that rely on air-delivered lifelines the world

60 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019

Main photo: An air-to-air photo sortie was flown with Alaska Air Fuel’s Douglas DC-4, N96358. All photos Rich Cooper/COAP unless stated

Above: Coinciding with the group’s visit to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport was the arrival of a 747-400LCF Dreamlifters, N780BA,
flown by Atlas Air to transport 787 Dreamliner wings on behalf of Boeing.

over, but there’s the sheer scale of the
place; Alaska is more than twice the size of
Texas. Throw into the mix the majesty of the
scenery, how aviation plays an intrinsic role
in daily life, and the dynamic of ice and snow
bathed in beautiful light; it all combines to
capture the imagination.
Of course, you then need to add the
propliner factor in the mix. Douglas, Convair
and Curtiss are the manufacturers whose
aircraft predominate for getting large, heavy
deliveries into small, unpaved strips – often at
short notice and worked around the weather.
Here, in the most challenging of environments,
these 60 to 70-year old metal workhorses, find
a pocket of reprieve from their modern airliner
replacements. The sight and sound of working
propliners, and the characters behind them, as
they provide vital lifelines to remote dwellings
day after day, leaves an indelible mark on your
aviation-shaped heart.

www.aviation-news.co.uk 61
 But that is not all. Alaska has more still!
Take the huge cargo hub of Ted Stevens
Anchorage International Airport, the western/
eastern gateway to North America with its
endless stream of heavy widebodies looming
into view over the mountains that surround
it. Then, right next door is the stunning Lake
Hood, with beautiful scenery surrounding
the world’s largest floatplane lake. This state
has aviation running through the veins of
the sight-seeing, aerial-commuting, wildlife-
hunting, lake-living scenes, as well as a
preservation movement of its own. All in
stunning natural surroundings.
It led to ‘Exotic Wings No35: Alaska’
appearing on The Centre of Aviation
Photography (COAP) calendar for late
September and I was one of six guys who
travelled to capture that moment on camera.
Grumman G-21 Goose, N703, became an unlikely cameraship for the group during its flight with
After a long time in this industry, I have built
Desert Air Alaska DC-3 N272R. Dietmar Schreiber
up a wide friendship base across many
aviation genres. I have long admired the the thrill of the chase is all part of it and Anchorage at 8.06pm. On touchdown, we
work of Austrian photographer Dietmar that’s cool, but it’s just as good to undertake met up with the photographers from the US
Schreiber and he had become my guru for a trip where you’re treated like a VIP. Dietmar and the Netherlands, before collecting our
this trip. It made perfect sense, he has been and I worked hard to ensure that this would minivan and rendezvousing with Dietmar.
out to Alaska more often and worked with go without a hitch, and the two of us working We travelled the short distance from
the propliner scene closer than anyone in together paid dividends. the terminal to our hotel for the next seven
the last five to ten years. With the outline structure in place nights, chosen for its location, the on-site bar
The best plans are often those that create to include six days of action, the flights and restaurant and its proximity to the action
a structure to work within but have enough were booked for an arrival in Alaska on at the airport. It also has the shoreline of
flexibility to allow last-minute changes while September 25. Making up the six people on Lake Hood practically lapping the edge of its
still achieving the goal. That suits Alaska the trip were one from the UK, two from the car park. It was perfect.
perfectly. You cannot plan what do to out Netherlands and one from the USA, plus our
there in advance, you have to be in it to win it. Austrian guru and me. WELCOME TO ALASKA
Our plan involved getting out there in a solid Our route from London would be a The first real indication I had of just how
location and working around the weather and 9.25am departure from Heathrow to Seattle saturated in aviation we would be, was
availability of the operators in the region. with Virgin Atlantic. The transit from Seattle simply by opening my hotel room curtains
Local knowledge helps that, and it’s was with Delta Air Lines, departing at on the first morning. Less than 100 yards
where travelling with COAP comes into its 5.30pm the same away was the world’s largest seaplane base;
own. For some, the stress of planning and day and landing at a row of tranquil floatplanes moored on a

A FedEx Express MD-11F is framed against the beautiful Alaskan

landscape as it makes an approach to Runway 7R at Anchorage.

62 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019


mirrored expanse of water, rimmed with the
orange and red hues of autumn. A perfect
photographic setting.
A massive, ‘Alaskan-sized’ breakfast at
the adjoined Pipers Restaurant would set
us up for the day ahead, which began with a
trundle around the perimeter of Anchorage
to get our bearings and suss out some of
the vantage points. The cloud was pretty low,
so seeing heavy Boeing 747s create their
own weather vortex on take-off and landing,
literally sucking in clouds to engulf their
metal hulk, would add some great contrast
to the gin-clear skies.
Getting down to business we met up with
one of the based propliner operators, Desert
Air Alaska, to check its schedule and work
out the intricacies of an air-to-air sortie. That
was to be my first encounter with the ‘been
around the block’, character-filled aviation
stalwarts of Alaskan aviation. The carrier’s
www.aviation-news.co.uk
Desert Air Alaska flies two DC-3s alongside a
Convair CV-240.
owner and founder, Dennis Gladwin, was in
the workshop-come-reception, sipping hot
coffee and all too happy to tell his tales from
when he started hauling cargo to remote
Alaskan sites in 2001.
We also managed to secure a
cameraship, albeit a somewhat unusual
one, in the form of a privately owned
Grumman Goose based on Lake Hood.
What a proposition… air-to-air with a
working DC-3, shooting from a 1940s
Grumman G-21 Goose, complete with
water landing at the end of it. This
machine, N703, is one of around 30 G-21s
in flyable condition and was built for the
US military in 1944. Its restoration took
8,000 man-hours to complete after it was
abandoned in Alaska following commercial
work in the 1960s.
We left the workshop with a plan on
paper and headed to Ted Stevens airport for
a trip inside the airport fence. What a view.
Streams of cargo airliners on approach over
Fire Island, surrounded by snow-capped
peaks in crystal-clear air and bathed in
beautiful light. Highlights included the cargo
rarities of an Everts Air Cargo MD-82F,
N965CE, a Northern Air Cargo Boeing 737-
232F – one of the few smoky ‘classics’ still
in operation – and a Boeing 747-400LCF
Dreamlifter, N780BA, flying Dreamliner
wings between Japan and the US.
After about four hours, we headed back
over to Lake Hood to meet up with the pilots
and prepare for the air-to-air flight. Excitement
was palpable, and that was just because we
were flying in a Goose, let alone the prospect
of the DC-3 off our wing. A plan on how to work
the group inside the aircraft was settled. We’d
only been together a few hours, and we
63
 were already a team on a mission. Our DC-3
was to be the all-metal N727R, a 1944-build
machine operated by Desert Air since 2001.
Multiple circuits in the surrounding vista
in different directions culminated in an
enthralling splashdown after completion. It
was one of those times when you are just
not sure whether to keep shooting or put the
camera down, with your breath taken away
by the vista before you. Magic. We had well
and truly arrived in Alaska.

FAIRBANKS FUN
After all that excitement and huge meals,
combined with jetlag, it would be lovely to
have a leisurely, relaxed morning with a lie-
in, but you’d be on the wrong trip. We totally
believe in making the absolute most out of
everything, it’s an immersion in photography.
The (very early) morning began with a six-
hour drive north to the cargo and propliner
hub of Fairbanks International Airport.
Dawn broke with perfect skies and we
took in some of the stored aircraft around
the Fairbanks airport perimeter such as a
compound of three Curtiss C-46s and five
Convairs buried in the bushes.
We hooked up with the congenial
airport manager for a tour of the aprons;
a fascinating place, where you’re either a
super-busy company or your business is in
tatters. There were remnants of airlines past
located on the ramps, peppered by busy
small regional carriers, passenger airlines,
another lake and the ‘big boys’ of Everts
Air Cargo all in one place. After seeing the
expanse of this vital central hub, we headed
into the slick offices of Everts to roam their
active ramps containing C-46s, DC-6s and
DC-9s. Being readied for a mission was a
DC-6, N251CE, with a 1944 C-46F, N1837M,
Hot Stuff receiving attention in the hangar.
Behind that there was a backlot of stored
airframes and parts that would give most
museums a run for their money.
Above: A dynamic shot of the G-21 Goose. Dietmar Schreiber
The six-hour trip south was a beautiful
Below: Two of the photographers working hard to get the best shots of a Everts Air Cargo DC-6. and easy drive, interspersed by stops

64 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019

and airfields along the way such as Clear
Airport and Nenana Municipal Airport (with
wrecked ex-Brooks Fuel DC-6 N82FA) and
an injection of caffeine at a garage and
convenience store straight out of the annals
of Americana.
Flying in Alaska can be unpredictable
and seat-of-the-pants. The following day was
just that. We needed to see where Alaska
Air Fuel’s (AAF) active DC-4, N96358, was
and where it would be flying to in the coming
days. The only way was to go and see the
guys face-to-face. So, with fog engulfing
Anchorage, we made the journey to Wasilla
Municipal Airport to find out. To our surprise,
both company DC-4s were there; N3054V is
kept in reserve and not airworthy at present, Above: Only one Douglas DC-6 in the Everts Air Cargo fleet wears this striking blue livery, the
while N96358 can be anywhere in the state. 1953-built N451CE.
We met up with the AAF crew and Below: Curtiss C-46F Commando, N1837M Hot Stuff, receives attention in the Everts Air Cargo
chewed the fat with owner Chris Houchen, hangar at Fairbanks.
another legendary Alaskan aviator who is
also teaching his daughter, Sarah, to fly.
She expects to be qualified to join her dad
in the cockpit of the company DC-4 soon.
The active machine N96358, was built in
1954 (as a C-54E) and was acquired in 2012
following the collapse of its former operator,
Brooks Fuel.
The rest of the AAF team were up to their
elbows in the piston engine parts and black
oil of N96358; the conversation with them
was spiked with tales of gold mines and
frozen runways. It became clear there was
a possibility that, if the engine was fixed,
their aircraft would undertake a fuel flight at
the end of the week. Accordingly, tentative
plans were now in place for us to join up with
this beautiful propliner as its entrepreneurial
crews undertook a mission to keep villages
alive with the supply of fuel − the epitome of
the Alaskan scene.
Returning for the evening at Anchorage,
the fog had lifted, and some of the
photographers headed to Lake Hood for
sunset shots of the floatplanes. Others
went to visit TransNorthern Aviation where Below: Lake Hood, the world’s largest seaplane base, was expanded in the 1970s through the
permission was granted for ramp access digging of a canal which joined Lake Hood to nearby Lake Spenard.

When Northern Air Cargo retired its

Douglas DC-6s in 2008, Everts Air
Cargo purchased Northern’s entire
fleet to keep its own aircraft airworthy.

www.aviation-news.co.uk 65
 Lake Hood sees an
average of 200 arrivals and
departures each day.
and Dakotas beckoned in the last light of the
day. Here were VC-117D N29TN in white and
C-117D N28TN in red, both built in 1952,
and the last commercial C-117s in the world.
That night was spent sampling the Alaskan
wild salmon, which did not disappoint, as
well as learning a little Austrian slang.
WARBIRD FLIGHTS
More air-to-air photography was scheduled
for later in the week. Anyone who has
undertaken this pursuit knows that there
are a million factors between getting off the
ground and landing again with an aerial
photo sortie under your belt. This trip was
to take place with the Commemorative Air
Force (CAF) Alaska Wing, with a T-6 Texan
and a BT-13 flown by highly experienced
pilots in the local surrounds. A photographer
occupied the back seat of both WW2-era
trainers, with the canopy back.
The rattling, rasping engines of these
brightly coloured aircraft would shake your
bones as you fastened your grip on the
camera in the rushing wind, craning to
get the shot in the stunning winter light.
Incredible flying. What’s more, as is the way
of Alaska, an unexpected bonus appeared
in the form of Grumman G-44 Widgeon,
N302, built in 1944 and based in Alaska
since 1956. Dietmar was to go up on his
own sortie with this orange beauty, and
we would have the pleasure of jumping
on board purely for the enjoyment of flight.
“A few hours ago, this old bird was full of
66
dead moose after my hunt this morning”,
welcomed ‘captain Jim’, the Widgeon’s pilot.
A perfect introduction.
With that done and dusted, a meal out in
a local restaurant with the CAF pilots was
in order, with some brilliant Alaskan craft
beers sunk. Make no mistake, the social
side of these trips is just as awesome as
the photography.
“A few hours ago,
this ‘old bird’ was
full of dead moose
after my hunt this
morning”, welcomed
‘captain Jim’, the
Widgeon’s pilot.
A huge variety of locations, aircraft and
photography opportunities were taken in the
following day. We visited Palmer Municipal
Airport in the morning, where we were able
to spend time shooting two DC-3s, N400MF,
operated by Kingdom Air Corps, and,
N59314, another near-airworthy example
belonging to Bush Air Cargo. Palmer is also
home to two Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars
– N1394N is out of action and the second,
N8501W, is ‘nearly’ airworthy. It has regular
engine runs, smoke ’n all since its arrival here
in 2001.
On the way back, we stopped at Merrill
Field where a Fairchild C-123 was seen in
among the float and bush planes, before
hitting Anchorage Ted Stevens again as well
as an obligatory visit to Lake Hood.
Moose are another integral part of Alaska
life and we wanted our own encounter. It
wasn’t long before we saw an adolescent
female moose wandering across the road
and into a residential area. We followed,
cautiously. She couldn’t care less as she
took stride after gangly stride into a front
garden and enjoyed a lunch of lawn. As we
sat and watched, a young lad came out of
the house opposite and started bouncing a
basketball, which he dropped. By the time
he’d picked it up, the moose had lolloped
over to him, completely unnoticed. As he
picked the ball up and lifted his head, he
was face-to-face with the moose, just inches
away – I have never seen a human move so
fast.
THE DAY OF THE DC-4
Our final day provided the last chance to
shoot the AAF DC-4 air-to-air (the only
place in the world such a shoot could take
place) and it depended on whether the
engine maintenance was successful, what
the weather was doing, and if we could
get a cameraship. The fog had engulfed
Anchorage once more and was not looking
Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019
 The Commemorative Air Force Alaska
Wing’s Vultee Valiant was one of a
pair of World War Two training aircraft
flown for photo missions. Note one of
photographers from the trip in the rear
seat with his camera raised taking shots.

like it was going to disappear anytime soon.

This would also affect our aircraft, a Piper
Navajo that had to relocate from the west
– where there were no roads, and the only
way for the pilot to get to us was to fly his
machine out of the wilderness.
Patience was required as we waited for
the fog to lift, the engine to be fixed and the
photoship to emerge. A speck on the horizon
seemed to be on finals and yes, at last,
things were coming together. The Navajo
landed, it transpiring the pilot and the DC-4
owner knew each other from old (of course),
and we were on. Minutes turned to seconds
and we were taxiing out to the hold with a
windscreen full of churning propeller blades.
We took off, with the tried and tested
seating/shooting arrangements already
second nature. The brief was for the DC-4 to
undertake its flight plan and we would join

Above: TransNorthern Aviation’s two Douglas DC-3s glisten in the evening sunshine.

Below: The group met up with Alaska Air Fuel’s DC-4 as it flew over the Knik glacier from
Wasilla to Pioneer Field, Valdez.

www.aviation-news.co.uk 67
 alongside, heading east and climbing over
the glaciers. The DC-4 is a working machine
and it had a heavy schedule, which would
see it depart Wasilla and visit 13 airfields
over the next four days to deliver tens of
thousands of gallons of fuel, and the crew
just stopping wherever the weather and
schedule allowed. For the AAF crew, this is a
way of life.
The flight over the glacier was majestic;
an occasion to just stop shooting and
take it all in. The scale was almost
incomprehensible. Dietmar had been
chasing this moment for more than five
years. It was worth the chase and we
savoured every second of the join-up.
That was it. What a way to end. The day
hadn’t even dawned, but we had left the
hotel and checked in for our departure from
Above: One member of the group had arranged to photograph a Grumman Widgeon air-to-air,
Anchorage. We’d be heading south on DL34 providing the rest of the group with a second opportunity to fly in a Grumman floatplane during
to Seattle for a 10.40am landing. Then, we’d the trip. Dietmar Schreiber
swap back over to Virgin, boarding VS106
and departing at 2pm, for an arrival at Below: As the Alaskan landscape looms large over the DC-4, it’s easy to see why the state is
called ‘The Last Frontier’.
Heathrow at 7.25am the next day.
Reclined in my seat on a Boeing 787 aviation until you’ve seen how people American soil, where I had not committed a
Dreamliner, I couldn’t help but feel that this depend on it for their life. And here I was, single pixel to capturing my normal military
air travel – as far removed as it seemed sitting in the comfort of a Dreamliner, at aircraft targets. Nor had I chased one and
– was inextricably linked to the same 30,000ft, eating junk food and watching a needed to wade through all the associated
aviation, the same world of flight that we film. Yet the pursuit of ‘flight’ connects the headaches and barriers that come with
had witnessed over the last few days. In two vastly different worlds in a magical way military engagements. It rekindled something
my opinion you haven’t ‘flown’ until you’ve that I had not considered before. It was of the passion for photography in me again
felt the rattle of the fuselage all around you strangely liberating to have come away and I cannot wait to return for another
on a canvas seat. You haven’t experienced from a photography excursion, especially to recharge of my aviation soul.

THE CENTRE OF AVIATION

PHOTOGRAPHY (COAP)
Bringing you the best in aviation photography!
The Centre of Aviation Photography (COAP)
was set up by Rich Cooper and Steven Comber
in 2015 to bring new, amazing experiences
for aviation photography all over the world. It
concentrates on taking small groups to specific
events or bespoke itineraries for the best
opportunities in aviation photography.
There are also photography and post-processing
workshops, air-to-air photo flights, photoshoots
and seminars, and it’s free to join. It also has a
busy media and publishing division too.
Sign up to the website, all free, to receive emails
about our operations and keep an eye on our
social media channels for more news.

Web: www.centreofaviationphotography.com
Twitter: @COAPhoto
Insta: @centreofaviationphotography
Facebook: /centreofaviationphotography
Media: www.coapmedia.com

68 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019

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REGISTER REVIEW BY STUART MCDIARMID

REGISTER REVIEW
The latest changes on the UK, Irish, Isle of Man and Guernsey registers.

EasyJet Airbus A319 G-EJAR has been acquired by Allegiant

Air and has taken up the registration N315NV. Keith Burton

RESTORATIONS
REG’N MODE(S) TYPE C/N OWNER G-ERGP 407663 Pilatus PC-12/47E 1564 Eden Rock Aviation S.à.r.l.,
G-AHAA 4076EE Miles M.28 Mercury 6 6268 SA Blanchard, North Coates, Luxembourg-Findel
Lincolnshire G-ETPB 4074CA Pilatus PC-21 311 QinetiQ Ltd, Boscombe Down,
G-CIMU 406DCD Agusta AW139 (built by 31583 Bristow Helicopters Ltd, Aberdeen Wiltshire
AgustaWestland SpA) International, Aberdeenshire G-FXRS 407571 Raytheon 400A (Nextant 400XT RK-317 Flexjet Ltd, Birmingham, West
G-MMDJ 4076DB Solar Wings Typhoon/Tri- T1082633 AM Webb, (Great Fransham, conversion) Midlands
Flyer 250 Norfolk) G-ICEL 4076C8 Robinson R66 Turbine 0892 HQ Aviation Ltd, Denham,
G-MNZP 4027B5 CFM Shadow Srs.BD (Modified) K039 GC White, (Southampton, Buckinghamshire
Hampshire) G-ISLM 40767C ATR 72-212A 762 Blue Islands Ltd, Jersey, Channel
G-MTBH 4027E3 Mainair Gemini Flash II 524-187-5- M Sheehy, (Celbridge, Co. Islands
W327 Kildare, Republic of Ireland) G-JZBP 40753F Boeing 737-800 64440 Dart Group PLC, Leeds Bradford,
G-MVPY 402E0D Solar Wings Pegasus XL-Q SW-WQ-0188 P Lombardi, (Birdbrook, Essex) West Yorkshire (operated by jet2.com)

G-MWOV 40336A Whittaker MW6 (Modified) PFA 164-11301 TJ Gayton-Polley, (Billingshurst, G-KENL 407705 Sackville BM-65 KL01 KF Lowry, (Tilehurst, Berkshire)
West Sussex) G-LAVA 4075B9 Airbus Helicopters EC135P3 2064 Airbus Helicopters UK Ltd, Oxford,
G-OSTY 4016BD Reims Cessna F150G 0129 AP Daines, Beccles-Ellough, Oxfordshire
Suffolk G-LINJ 40598E Robinson R44 Raven II 12168 Helicentre Aviation Ltd, Leicester,
EI-SKP 4CAFE5 Reims Cessna F172N 2101 National Flight Centre Ltd, Dublin Leicestershire
Weston, Co. Kildare G-OFZY 400E88 Eurocopter AS355N Ecureuil 2 5744 Atlas Helicopters Ltd, Lasham,
Hampshire
G-PAWW 4076F6 UltraMagic M-90 90/187 SJ Thomas, (Wick, South
NEW REGISTRATIONS Gloucestershire)

REG’N MODE(S) TYPE C/N OWNER G-SAJB 400947 Embraer ERJ135ER 145473 Loganair Ltd, Glasgow,
Renfrewshire
G-CKYP 407672 Agusta AW139 (built by 41339 Bristow Helicopters Ltd, Aberdeen
AgustaWestland Philadelphia International, Aberdeenshire G-SPTX 4075D3 Dassault Falcon 7X 282 Concierge U Ltd, (London W1)
Corporation) G-TACN 4076F1 Diamond DA62 62.044 Flight Calibration Services Ltd,
Brighton City, West Sussex
G-CKZJ 4706AB Kubicek BB26E 1483 MR Crossley, (Old Newton, Suffolk)
G-TALP 400A5D Cessna 172N Skyhawk II 172-71900 Tatenhill Aviation Ltd, Tatenhill,
G-CKZX 4076D4 Stoddard-Hamilton GlaStar 5374 PM Harrison, (Hubberts Bridge,
Staffordshire
Max-4 (built by ML Calkin) Lincolnshire)
G-TCCF 407694 Airbus A330-243 248 Thomas Cook Airlines Ltd,
G-CLAE 4076BA Boeing 747-4EVF 35170 Cargologicair Ltd, London
Manchester, Greater Manchester
Stansted, Essex
G-TCCI 407694 Airbus A330-243 728 Thomas Cook Airlines Ltd,
G-CLAU 4076DE Airbus Helicopters AS350B3 8597 Airbus Helicopters UK Ltd, Oxford,
Manchester, Greater Manchester
Ecureuil Oxfordshire
G-TTNF 407536 Airbus A320-251N 8408 British Airways PLC, London
G-CLBM 4076FF Robinson R44 Cadet 30040 Heli Air Ltd, Wycombe Air Park,
Heathrow, Middlesex
Buckinghamshire
G-UZHN 40756C Airbus A320-251N 8409 easyJet Airline Company Ltd,
G-CLBO 407703 Bölkow Bö.105P 6059 AB Airflight GmbH, (Düsseldorf,
London Luton, Bedfordshire
Germany)
G-UZHO 40756D Airbus A320-251N 8411 easyJet Airline Company Ltd,
G-CLBT 4076EF BRM Aero Bristell NG5 Speed LAA 385-15547 CW Thompson, (Lathom,
London Luton, Bedfordshire
Wing Lancashire)
G-UZHS 407687 Airbus A320-251N 8506 easyJet Airline Company Ltd,
G-CLDD 4076F3 Piper PA-32R-300 Lance 32R-7780248 JL Mossman, (London N1)
London Luton, Bedfordshire
G-CLDO 4076F5 BRM Aero Bristell NG5 Speed LAA 385-15547 R Potter, (London SE1)
G-UZMC 407666 Airbus A321-251NX 8386 easyJet Airline Company Ltd,
Wing
London Luton, Bedfordshire
G-CLWJ 40768F Schleicher ASG-29E (officially 29748 P Johnson, Milfield,
EI-GFB 4CAF93 Boeing 777-31HER 32730 Aercap Ireland Ltd, (for Rossiya
registered as an ASW-27-18E) Northumberland
– Russian Airlines, Moscow-
G-DAYR 4076EB Bombardier Challenger 605 5764 Gama Aviation (UK) Ltd, Vnukovo)
Farnborough, Hampshire (NB)
EI-GGR 4CAFBD Airbus A330-202 638 Wilmington Trust SP Services
G-DGUN 407700 Agusta AW109SP Grand New 22222 Castle Air Ltd, Trebrown, Liskeard, (Dublin) Ltd, (leased to Air Italy,
Cornwall Milan-Malpensa)
G-DHKR 4074F4 Boeing 757-223(PCF) 29426 DHL Air Ltd, Leipzig, Germany EI-GGX 4CACEC Zenair CH.601UL Zodiac (built 00006 N Farrell,
G-DHKZ 400518 Boeing 757-236(PCF) 25620 DHL Air Ltd, Leipzig, Germany by Czech Sport Aircraft AS)
G-DMAZ 405FFD Bombardier Global 6000 9309 TAG Aviation (UK) Ltd, EI-GHA 4CAFCA Boeing 737-490(SF) 28895 Aircraft 23810 QC Holdings Ltd,
Farnborough, Hampshire (NB) (leased to Mistral Air, Rome-
G-ELAK 4076A6 AB Sportine LAK-17 FES 249 GN Fraser and GA Marshall, Ciampino, Italy)
(Bathgate, West Lothian/ EI-GHE 4CAFDD Airbus A320-232 1957 AS Air Lease XXXIV (Ireland) Ltd,
Kinnesswood, Perth & Kinross) (for Indigo as VT-IKC)

70 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019

Condor has taken Air Transat A330-200, C-GUBL, on lease, reregistering it as G-TCCI. The aircraft is operated by Thomas Cook Airlines. Karl Nixon

EI-GHI Not Piper PA-22-150 Tri-Pacer 22-5181 H Taggart G-CDCK Mainair Pegasus Quik 8078 Cancelled by CAA (Permit to Fly expired
allotted 12.08.18)
EI-GXI 4CAFC4 Boeing 737-800 44851 Ryanair DAC, Dublin (NB) G-CEHA BAe Avro 146-RJ85 E2333 Cancelled as Permanently WFU
EI-NEU 4CA8FB Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner 38794 Cesium Funding Ltd, (leased to (parted out at Cranfield, Bedfordshire
Neos, Milan-Malpensa, Italy) 05.18. Fuselage to Cotswold Airport,
Gloucestershire for scrapping 08.18)
EJ-IOBN 4CAFDA Embraer 190-100ECJ Lineage 19000632 Gain Jet Ireland Ltd, Shannon,
Co. Clare G-CGPV Cameron C-80 11466 To France
M-ABLM 424B2E Airbus A330-343 773 Yamasa Sangyo Co. Ltd, (for Thai G-CHJC Rolladen-Schneider LS6-C 6290 To France
Air Asia X as HS-XTH) G-CHKW Robinson R44 Raven I 1504 Cancelled as Destroyed (rolled over
2-YALA TBA Bombardier CRJ200LR 7486 Constel Aviation Services S.à.r.l, during a ground run at Perth, Perth &
(stored at Ljubljana, Slovenia) Kinross 13.03.18)
G-CJIS Airbus EC225LP Super Puma 2+ 2911 To USA as N586AC
G-CKDB Schleicher Ka.6CR 6431 Cancelled as Permanently WFU (CofA
CANCELLATIONS expired 12.03.16)
REG’N TYPE C/N REASON
G-CKEP Rolladen-Schneider LS8-B 6158 To Germany
G-AXVK Campbell Cricket CA-327 Cancelled by CAA (Permit to Fly expired
G-CKMU Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner 63313 To Norway as LN-LNU
27.04.15. Preserved at owner’s home)
G-DDSB Schleicher Ka.6E 4300 To France
G-AZLH Reims Cessna F150L 0757 Cancelled by CAA (CofA expired
30.11.03. Last noted dismantled at Little G-EJAR Airbus A319-111 2412 To USA as N315NV
Staughton, Cambridgeshire 02.18) G-ELUX Rolladen-Schneider LS8-18 8277 To France
G-BAEU Reims Cessna F150L 0873 Cancelled as Destroyed (CofA current to G-EZRR Airbus A320-214 8075 To Switzerland as HB-JXL
21.06.19. Details unknown)
G-FDZD Boeing 737-8K5 35132 To Canada as C-FTZD
G-BALY Practavia Pilot Sprite 150 OS-10009 Cancelled as Permanently WFU (no
G-FOZZ Beech A36 Bonanza E-2788 To Romania
Permit to Fly issued, not completed)
G-IIIO Schempp-Hirth Ventus 2cM 41 To Czech Republic
G-BDWP Piper PA-32R-300 Lance 32R-7680176 To Germany
G-IMHK P & M QuikR 8462 Cancelled as Destroyed (Permit to Fly
G-BFSR Reims Cessna F150J 0504 Cancelled by CAA (CofA expired
current to 13.03.19, details unknown)
17.07.09. Last noted stored at Cranfield,
Bedfordshire 08.17) G-IRAP Bombardier Global 6000 9309 Re-registered as G-DMAZ
G-BIKB Boeing 757-236 22173 Cancelled as Destroyed (flown to Madrid, G-ISSV Eurocopter EC155B1 6757 To Germany
Spain 02.08.17 and parted out)
G-BOUF Cessna 172N Skyhawk II 172-71900 Re-registered as G-TALP
G-BOVX Hughes 269C 380673 To France
PREVIOUS IDENTITIES
G-BPYS Cameron O-77 2008 Cancelled as Permanently WFU (CofA
expired 03.01.10) REG'N P.I. REG’N P.I.
G-BSUW Piper PA-34-200T Seneca II 34-7870081 Cancelled by CAA (CofA expired G-AHAA ex OY-ALW G-SPTX ex F-WWHD
07.09.10. Last noted stored at Fenland, G-CIMU ex VH-ZHH G-TACN ex OE-FHM
Lincolnshire 04.18)
G-CKYP ex VH-ZFO G-TALP ex G-BOUF
G-BTDI Robinson R22 Beta 1670 To Germany G-CKZX ex N98MX G-TCCF ex C-GJDA
G-BUZT Kolb Twinstar Mk.IIIA PFA 205-12367 Cancelled by CAA. (Permit to Fly expired G-CLAE ex VQ-BUU G-TCCI ex C-GUBL
03.07.07)
G-CLBO ex 86+59 (German Army) G-TTNF ex F-WWBD
G-BVOC Cameron V-90 3291 Cancelled as Permanently WFU (CofA
expired 27.03.14) G-CLDD ex D-EEMY G-UZHN ex D-AVVW
G-BWZS Eurocopter AS350BB Ecureuil 2945 To Canada G-DAYR ex D-AFAC G-UZHO ex F-WWBN
G-BXMD Eurocopter AS350BB Ecureuil 3026 To Canada G-DGUN ex VH-CZT G-UZHS ex D-AUBV
G-BXVM Van’s RV-6A PFA 181-13103 To Poland G-DHKR ex N676AN G-UZMC ex D-AYAR
G-BYBJ Medway Hybred 44XLR MR156/135 Cancelled by CAA (no Permit to Fly G-DHKZ ex VH-TCA EI-GFB ex A6-EBT
issued) G-DMAZ ex G-IRAP EI-GGR ex A7-ACF
G-BZNS Mainair Blade 1263-1000-7- Cancelled as Destroyed (Permit to Fly G-ELAK ex LY-GRD EI-GGX ex HA-YBC
W1057 current to 23.09.19. Details unknown)
G-ERGP ex LX-ERG EI-GHA ex N708AS
G-BZZD Reims Cessna F172M 1436 To Slovenia
G-ETPB ex HB-HYY EI-GHE ex A7-ADE
G-CBFM SOCATA TB-21 Trinidad TC 710 To France
G-FXRS ex N452FL EI-GHI ex G-APZX
G-CBMK Cameron Z-120 10293 To the Netherlands
G-ISLM ex M-ABKN EI-GXI ex N1786B
G-CBSS IAv Bacau Yakovlev Yak-52 833707 Cancelled as Destroyed (hit a tree during
forced landing Couvin, Belgium 14.02.17) G-JZBP ex N1786B EI-SKP ex G-PTCA
G-CBVE Raj Hamsa X’Air Falcon 912(1) BMAA/HB/229 Cancelled by CAA (substantially damaged G-LINJ ex YR-JTG EJ-IOBN ex N730MM
when it hit a ditch on landing at temporary G-OFZY ex G-ORDH M-ABLM ex B-6125
airstrip at Thorney Road, Peterborough,
G-SAJB ex G-RJXJ 2-YALA ex XY-ALA
Cambridgeshire 26.06.10)

www.aviation-news.co.uk 71
REGISTER REVIEW BY STUART MCDIARMID

Airbus A320neo, G-UZHS, was one of four new aircraft added to easyJet’s fleet during the month of October. AirTeamImages.com/Rolf Jonsen

G-JNAS Grumman-American AA-5A AA5A-0604 Cancelled by CAA (CofA expired M-BULL Cessna S550 Citation SII S550-0148 To USA as N550WE
Cheetah 09.03.07. Last noted stored at Farley M-FINK BAe 125-1000B 259037 Sold abroad (the IOM Register says ‘new
Chamberlayne, Hants 12.17) state of registry unknown’ – possibly
G-MTUJ Solar Wings Pegasus XL-R SW-WA-1297 Cancelled by CAA (Permit to Fly expired France)
31.05.94) M-LEYS Beech C90GT King Air LJ-1804 To USA as N155RS
G-MTXB Thruster TST Mk.1 8038-TST-065 Cancelled as Permanently WFU (Permit M-MARI Bombardier Challenger 605 5826 To Canada as C-FYTZ
to Fly expired 30.08.03)
M-TSLT Bombardier Global 6000 9762 To San Marino as T7-KLT
G-MVKJ Solar Wings Pegasus XL-R SW-WA-1396 Cancelled by CAA (Permit to Fly expired
07.08.03) M-WMWM Cessna 525A CitationJet CJ2 525A0113 To Australia as VH-EJT
G-MVKW Solar Wings Pegasus XL-Q SW-WQ-0134 To Lithuania
G-MWIG Mainair Gemini Flash IIA 790-0690-7-W583 Cancelled as Permanently WFU (Permit
to Fly expired 15.11.07) Key: NB – Nominal Base
G-MWZJ Solar Wings Pegasus XL-R SW-WA-1534 Cancelled as Permanently WFU (Permit A place name in brackets relates to the owner’s address as where the aircraft is based is unknown.
to Fly expired 30.08.05)
G-MYDO CFM Shadow Srs.CD K197 Cancelled by CAA (Permit to Fly expired
22.11.95, was based in Spain)
UPDATES & CORRECTIONS
G-MYDR Thruster T300 9072-T300-505 Cancelled by CAA (Permit to Fly expired
18.01.13) REG'N DETAILS
G-OAGC Eurocopter EC225LP Super 2890 To USA as N585AC G-APZX Became EI-GHI 17.10.18
Puma 2+ G-BWBB Became N100LB 25.10.18
G-ORDH Eurocopter AS355N Ecureuil 2 5744 Re-registered as G-OFZY G-CCNC Became 4X-BNL 09.18
G-PHRG Hybrid Air Vehicles Airlander 10 001 Cancelled as Permanently WFU (broke G-CCRB Type officially changed to a Twinstar Mk.III (Modified SS) 26.10.18
free from mooring mast and damaged
beyond repair at Cardington, Bedfordshire G-CEOI Became OE-ZEO 14.09.18
18.11.17) G-CFDC Became 36RI/F-JBOT (French Ultralight registration & callsign)
G-POWC Boeing 737-33A 25402 To Canada as C-GFFN G-CGNY Became HB-LMN 03.09.18
G-PVML Robin DR400/140B Major 80 972 Cancelled as Permanently WFU (CofA G-CKUY Became D-HNHF 09.18
expired 27.02.12. Last noted dismantled G-COBI Became V5-WAN 01.17
at Headcorn, Kent 10.16)
G-COBM Became V5-WAU 03.17
G-RADY Bombardier Challenger 850 8081 To Germany as D-AFAN
G-CROP Became OK-1986 21.09.18
G-RJCC Cessna 172S Skyhawk SP 172S10525 To Italy
G-EXLC Became 4X-CXY 07.18
G-RJXJ Embraer ERJ135ER 145473 Re-registered as G-SAJB
G-FELC Became I-FELC 09.18
G-RVRC Piper PA-23-250 Aztec E 27-7405336 Cancelled by CAA (CofA expired
18.03.15. Last noted at Draycott, G-FCTK Type officially changed to a DH.82C Tiger Moth (Modified) 24.10.18
Wiltshire 05.14) G-GIDY Became PH-MUG 02.18
G-SBCB Cirrus SR22T 0523 To Czech Republic G-GWAA Became F-HBBK 24.07.18
G-TAWH Boeing 737-8K5 38107 To Canada as C-GQWH G-HDEF Became N857HL 09.18
G-TRMP Sikorsky S-76B 760362 To USA as N76TE G-LLOO Became N500TB 11.10.18
G-TWOA Schempp-Hirth Discus 2a 82 To Germany
G-MWYJ Type officially changed to a Pegasus Quasar II TC (Modified) 16.10.18
G-WTAY Robinson R44 Raven II 13637 To Czech Republic
G-MZHG Type officially changed to a Whittaker MW6-S (Modified) 10.10.18
G-YORC Cirrus SR22 2206 To Germany
G-NGAA Builder officially changed to AJ Palmer and F Sayyah 02.10.18
G-ZENI Zenair CH.601HD Zodiac PFA 162-14366 Cancelled as Permanently WFU (no
G-OLFF Became LZ-ACT 08.12.17
Permit to Fly issued, believed not
completed) G-PTCA Became EI-SKP 05.10.18
EI-CMB Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee 28-7725094 To United Kingdom G-SNSF Became PR-CGN
Cruiser G-TRAN Became 9A-PAD
EI-DBP Boeing 767-35HER 26389 To Malta as 9H-KIA M-ABKZ Became 5A-FLF 04.10.18
EI-ESL Boeing 737-8AS 34988 To Republic of Korea as HL8323 2-COOK ex N526AG, based at Retford Gamston (updates Page 71, December 2018)
EI-ESM Boeing 737-8AS 34992 To Republic of Korea as HL8326
2-EALD ex A6-EHH (updates Page 71, December 2018)
EI-FVO Boeing 737-800 42278 To Argentina as LV-HQH
2-EALG ex A6-EHD (updates Page 71, December 2018)
EI-GEZ Boeing 737-73V 32413 To Ukraine as UR-SQD
2-MFID ex 9M-FID (updates Page 71, December 2018)
M-ABKN ATR 72-212A 762 To United Kingdom as G-ISLM
2-MMYD ex 9M-MYD (updates Page 71, December 2018)
M-ABLJ Airbus A330-343 713 To Malaysia as 9M-XBD
2-WBFA Became YL-RAJ 17.08.18
M-BASH Bombardier Challenger 605 5745 To USA as N609SA

72 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019

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AIRPORT MOVEMENTS COMPILED BY CARL HOPE
AIRPORT MOVEMENTS
A round-up of notable aircraft visiting UK airports.
ABERDEEN
2/9 HB-VPL Premier 1A. 3/9 LN-JHH Challenger 350.
4/9 SE-MEN Beech F.90-1; SP-KPG Saab 340A Sprint
Air. 10/9 D-CURT Learjet 31A; 9A-DWA CitationJet
525A CJ2+. 13/9 P4-PKZ Challenger 604; D-HOAF
H145 Wiking Helikopter Service. 16/9 LX-FPF
CitationJet 525B CJ3. 21/9 N1SG Falcon 900. 23/9
D-CGRC Learjet 35A. 26/9 SE-RGX CitationJet 525
CJ1. 30/9 OO-KIN Citation 680 Sovereign; 168542/AB-
617 MH-60S HSC-11, USN.
1/10 N421QS Gulfstream G450; OO-ACC CitationJet
525A CJ2+; 165829 C-40A USN. 2/10 9H-DDJ Learjet
75; ZS-PAV Beech A.36TC. 5/10 VH-LEP Global
6000. 6/10 TF-FTZ Cessna 172S. 9/10 N420EX
Hondajet. 10/10 I-DELO Gulfstream G550. 11/10
D-CJET CitationJet 525B CJ3. 12/10 ES-PVR Learjet
75. 13/10 ES-LSA Saab 340A/F Aerotranscargo. 14/10
N795CP Gulfstream G550; D-AJET Legacy 650.
15/10 OO-GMJ Beech 350. 17/10 OK-SLX Citation
560XL. 19/10 D-ALOA Legacy 650; EC-MLV Citation
680 Sovereign; D-CFAX Learjet 60. 20/10 D-ISLT
CitationJet 525A CJ2+. 21/10 N821AM Global XRS.
22/10 LN-KYV Beech 350. 23/10 D-INOB CitationJet
525A CJ2. 25/10 RA-67218 Challenger 850; VP-BGM
Challenger 605; 9H-DDJ Learjet 75. 30/10 HA-KAD
737-4Y0(SF) ASL Airlines.
BIRMINGHAM
1/9 XX405 Gazelle AH1 AAC dep 7th; A6-VPS
Gulfstream G450. 2/9 D-AINL A320-271N Lufthansa
f/v; LY-KLJ 737-524 Kras Air f/v. 3/9 HB-JCM A220-300
Swiss f/v; TC-JIN A330-202 Turkish Airlines f/v;
UR-CGW An-12BP Ukraine Air International also 23rd;
TC-GRS Citation 680A Latitude. 4/9 A4O-SY 787-8
Oman Air to MAEL f/v; G-VLNM A330-223 Virgin
Atlantic to MAEL f/v; TC-MNG A300-605R/F MNG
Airlines f/v; F-GJFA Beech 200 also 8th; HB-FWI
PC-12; I-PZZR Hawker 800XP; YU-PNK Citation
560XLS+. 5/9 LY-PGC 737-4S3 GetJet op for Primera
Air f/v; D-ISAR Premier 1A. 7/9 9A-BTE Fokker 100
Trade Air f/v; HB-JSF Challenger 650. 8/9 OK-TSD
737-8Q8 Travel Service op for CSA. 9/9 LN-LNN
787-9 Norwegian to MAEL; D-AZFR BAe146-200
WDL op for SAS f/v. 10/9 N871FR Gulfstream G650.
11/9 N650XA Gulfstream G650; OE-GIE CitationJet
525B CJ3+; OE-GMM Citation 680 Sovereign. 12/9
EC-MRL Gulfstream G550; T7-ROK Challenger 604.
74
Above: Cubana Il-96, CU-T1250, arrived at
Gatwick on November 12, departing two days
later. Tony Best
14/9 VT-GHK 737-800 Air India on delivery; T7-RAS
Hondajet. 18/9 9H-MPW 737-484 Air Horizont f/v;
D-AINM A320-271N Lufthansa f/v; 9H-PIK Citation
550 II; HB-JLG Challenger 350. 19/9 EC-MVM A320-
232 Vueling f/v; G-VWND A330-223 Virgin Atlantic
to MAEL f/v; OY-PSJ 737-86N Primera Air f/v. 21/9
UR-CQE An-26 Vulkan Air; PH-LAU Falcon 900EX;
SP-KCK CitationJet 525A CJ2. 23/9 D-ABNN A320-
214 Eurowings f/v; HB-FWC PC-12. 24/9 ES-ACM
CRJ900 Nordica op for SAS f/v; D-BVHA Falcon
2000EX; F-HLRX Falcon 2000S; HB-JFI Falcon
2000LX. 25/9 D-BFIL Legacy 450. 26/11 LZ-FLL An-
26B Edwin Air Cargo; N656TT Gulfstream G650ER
also 30th. 27/9 EC-MJS A330-243 Wamos Air op for
Thomas Cook f/v. 28/9 D-ABZL A320-216 Eurowings
f/v; TC-LCF 737 MAX 8 Turkish Airlines f/v, 30/9
TC-LCA 737 MAX 8 Turkish Airlines f/v.
DURHAM TEES VALLEY
2/10 HA-KAP Citation 650 VII n/s. 3/10 D-CNUE
Learjet 60 n/s; EC-LYL Citation 560XLS+ n/s. 4/10
ES-LSD Saab 340A/F Airest Cargo; D-CFAF Learjet
60. 7/10 I-TOPD Beech 400A dep 9th; D-FALK
Cessna 208A Businesswings also 10th. 11/10 D-IABE
PA-42-720; D-CHIP CitationJet 525B CJ3+. 12/10
D-FAST Cessna 208A Businesswings. 14/10 SP-KPE
Saab 340A & SP-KPV Saab 340A/F Sprint Air. 16/10
N360PZ Falcon 7X dep 18th. 18/10 F-GULY Beech
C.90B; LX-JFA PC-12 n/s. 19/10 D-CFAF Learjet
60 n/s. 22/10 D-ITRA CitationJet 525 CJ1. 24/10
Adria Airways began a thrice-weekly service between London Southend Airport and Paderborn-
Lippstadt Airport on November 8. Saab 2000, S5-AFJ, operated the maiden service. The route
is now operated by a Nordica ATR 72-600 and is due to switch to an Adria Airways CRJ700ER.
Keith Burton
EI-PRO AS365N also 26th; D-IROL Do.228-100
Businesswings. 25/10 D-IMHA CitationJet 525A CJ2+.
26/10 YL-RAI ATR 72-202/F RAF-Avia. 28/10 D-IPCH
CitationJet 525A CJ2+ dep 30th. 29/10 D-IDAS
Phenom 100 dep 31st. 30/10 LN-IDC Citation 560
Encore dep 1/11. 31/10 S5-ACJ ERJ145LU Aero4M.
EAST MIDLANDS
1/10 OY-RUN ATR 72-600 Danish Air Transport for
painting; OO-SKY CitationJet 525A CJ2; D-ISLT
CitationJet 525A CJ2+. 2/10 OK-JRT Citation 680
Sovereign+. 3/10 PH-CYT PC-12. 4/10 N702GT 777-
F16 Southern Air; N200JB Challenger 300; D-IPPY
Avanti. 5/10 N146QS Global 6000. 6/10 G-DHKR
757-223/PCF DHL on delivery; F-HAHA Citation 510
Mustang. 7/10 N741CK 747-4H6/F Kalitta Air op for
DHL. 8/10 LX-LAR Learjet 45. 9/10 EC-MUU A319-111
Volotea Airlines for painting, ex-N913FR. 10/10 A7-BFK
777-FDZ Qatar Airways Cargo. 11/10 OE-FPP Citation
510 Mustang; OK-TVU 737-86N Travel Service. 12/10
5114/61-PA C-130H ET02.061, French AF; N451FX
Gulfstream IV; CS-TFR Learjet 45. 14/10 5116/61-
PB C-130H ET02.061, French AF; N202N Learjet
60. 15/10 F-HJPH Citation 510 Mustang; D-IAAY
Phenom 100. 16/10 F-HDPY Citation 510 Mustang.
17/10 N453FX Gulfstream IV. 18/10 N581JN MD-11F
Western Global Airlines. 19/10 F-WTDC ATR 72-600
for painting for Manta Air; D-CCCB Learjet 35A;
D-CHDJ Citation 560XL. 21/10 D-CAPO Learjet
35A; D-IOHL CitationJet 525A CJ2. 22/10 CS-TKK
A320-214 SATA for painting; 166376 C-37B VR-1,
USN. 23/10 UR-82009 An-124-100M-150 Antonov
Airlines. 24/10 D-COLO CitationJet 525C CJ4. 25/10
Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019
N113CS Gulfstream G650ER; D-CTIL Learjet 35A.
28/10 2-MATO Challenger 601; D-CGAA Citation
560XLS+. 29/10 N474SR 737-83N(F) West Atlantic on
delivery, to become G-NPTC; LX-TAI PC-12; LX-VCC
747-8R7F Cargolux. 30/10 LX-FCL 747-467F Cargolux
F1 charter; D-IBJJ CitationJet 525A CJ2; D-ILHE
CitationJet 525 CJ1+; D-CKJE Phenom 300. 31/10
N310TK Gulfstream G550; LX-JFV PC-12; D-ATCA
A321-211 Condor for painting.

EXETER
1/10 OO-SCJ PC-12. 2/10 D-CGAA Citation 560XLS+.
4/10 ZM419 Atlas C1 70 Sqn, RAF; D-CTTT Citation
560XLS; PH-VBG Falcon 2000EX. 6/10 N771AM
Falcon 2000LX. 8/10 D-IAAD Phenom 100. 10/10
OE-GBE Astra SPX; D-INOB CitationJet 525B CJ3;
HB-PJF PA-32R-301T. 11/10 YU-SVL Citation 560XLS.
12/10 EI-STA 737-31S ASL Airlines. 13/10 9H-GPS
Citation 560XL. 14/10 D-IAAT Phenom 100; HB-JGQ
Challenger 300; HA-KAP Citation 650 VII; N19NE
Falcon 7X; N889CG Gulfstream IV. 15/10 PH-CJM
Citation 680 Sovereign. 16/10 F-HEGA Phenom 300;
D-CSUN Citation 560XLS+.
Flybe Aviation Services
15/10 4X-EMC E190LR Arkia Israeli Airlines.
GLASGOW
1/9 F-HIPE Phenom 300; D-CMDH Citation 680
Sovereign; D-IAAB Phenom 100. 2/9 OK-BMI Beech
400A; N1901G Gulfstream G650ER. 3/9 ZZ418
Shadow R1 14 Sqn, RAF; N999EA Falcon 900. 4/9
N67MT Falcon 50EX. 5/9 9H-PAL Citation 550 Bravo.
6/9 N910YD TBM910 c/n 1; SP-AST CitationJet 525
on delivery; F-GZPE Avanti; N950M Citation 750 X;
D-IMGW CitationJet 525A CJ2+. 7/9 9H-DDJ Learjet
75; OO-SNA A320-214 Brussels Airlines; D-ARCO
Global 6000. 8/9 D-IBBS CitationJet 525A CJ2+; OO-
PCI PC-12. 9/9 C-FALI Challenger 350. 10/9 OY-JSW
CitationJet 525A CJ2+; 12-3040 C-146A 524 SOS,
USAF; D-AWBC BBJ1 PrivatAir op for British Airways.
12/9 14+04 Global 5000 FBS, German AF o/s; 15+01
A319-133X(CJ) FBS, German AF o/s. 13/9 C-FBCR
Challenger 604; N2858B T-6C RAF on delivery, to
become ZM329. 14/9 N910TT TBM910 c/n 1251 on
delivery. 15/9 D-CAWK Citation 680A Latitude. 16/9 T7-
WMB Global 6000; N492CA Citation 680 Sovereign+.
17/9 D-BFIL Legacy 450. 18/9 9H-MPW 737-484 Air
Horizont; HB-JGI Falcon 7X; 9H-BRE 737-3Y0 Maleth
Aero. 19/9 I-ADJQ E190LR Air Dolomiti f/v; SP-AST
CitationJet 525 CJ1; C-FSEP Challenger 605. 20/9
VP-BSA 737-800 Nordwind; N673HA Gulfstream
G650; OY-JTT 737-73S Jettime; OE-IBM Legacy
650. 21/9 D-ASTJ A319-111 Germania. 22/9 N194W
Falcon 7X. 24/9 A4O-MD 737 MAX 8 Oman Air on
delivery; T7-OCC Citation 750 X; I-FORR Learjet 40.
25/9 OY-EDP Citation 650 III; 168071/BH KC-130J
VMGR-252, USMC. 27/9 D-CLAM Phenom 300. 29/9
LX-JCT CitationJet 525A CJ2. 30/9 10-3068 C-146A
524 SOS, USAF.
This Uzbekistan Airways Boeing 767-300ERF, UK67001, made two appearances in the UK during
November. It arrived at Doncaster Sheffield Airport on November 12, departing the following day
before visiting London Stansted on November 15. Graham Miller via Correne Calow
D-CAMB Learjet 31A. 16/11 SP-ZSZ Challenger
300 n/s. 20/10 LX-ONE Learjet 45. 21/10 YU-APG
A320-232 Air Serbia also 25th. 24/10 OY-JTS 737-7K2
Jettime n/s; OE-FPK CitationJet 525A CJ2+ n/s;
SE-DJI Falcon 7X. 25/10 F-GRNT Merlin IIIB Airlec
Air Espace; LX-LAR Learjet 45. 26/10 LN-RDY Dash
8-Q402 Widerøe; N717EP Challenger dep 28th. 28/10
9H-JEH Global 6000; LN-WDL Dash 8-Q402 Widerøe.
30/10 YU-PBB Citation 560XLS+.
LONDON GATWICK
4/9 TC-JNC A330-203 Turkish Airlines. 5/9 TC-LNA
A330-223 Turkish Airlines; TS-IFM A330-243 Tunisair.
6/9 A6-EURA A380-842 Emirates Airline. 7/9 B-5957
A330-343E Air China; D-AWBC BBJ1 PrivatAir op
for British Airways. 15/9 CS-TJJ A321-251N TAP Air
Portugal. 18/9 A6-EUW A380-842 Emirates Airline.
25/9 HA-LTE A321-231(SL) Wizz Air; Citation 680A
Latitude NetJets Europe. 27/9 OK-SWF 737 MAX 8
Travel Service/Smartwings; YL-CSN A220-300 Air
Baltic; D-IAAB Phenom 100.
LONDON HEATHROW
22/9 F-HAHA Citation 510 Mustang f/v. 26/9 ANX-1201
Gulfstream 550 Mexican Navy f/v; SE-RON A320-
251N SAS. f/v 28/9 A7-ALU A350-941 Qatar Airways
f/v; HB-JCQ A220-300 Swiss f/v. 29/9 VP-BML 737-800
Aerolot f/v; SX-DNH A321-231 Aegean Airlines f/v.
30/9 JA840J 787-8 Japan Airlines f/v; VP-BRH 737-8LJ
Aerolot f/v.
1/10 B-1499 787-9 Hainan Airlines f/v; N821AN 787-9
American Airlines f/v. 2/10 VP-BKQ A321-211(SL)
Aerolot f/v. 4/10 A7-AMF A350-941 & A7-AND A350-
1041 Qatar Airways both f/v; EC-MUF A320-214 Iberia
f/v; I-MOFI Falcon 2000LX f/v. 6/10 A7-BEX 777-300ER
Qatar Airways; OO-ABA A340-313E Air Belgium op
for British Airways; VP-BCA A320-214SL Aerolot f/v.
7/10 5B-DCU A319-112 Cobalt Air f/v. 9/10 OY-JTP
737-79L Jettime op for SAS f/v. 10/10 A7-CEE 5000
f/v; M-NAME Global 6000 f/v. 12/10 D-ATUK 737-8K5
TUI op for Eurowings; RP-C3506 A350-941 Philippine
Airlines f/v. 15/10 B-1119 787-9 Hainan Airlines f/v.
16/10 TF-ICE 737 MAX 8 Icelandair f/v. 18/10 G-TAWI
737-8K5 TUI Airways op for SAS f/v; 22/10 B-1133 787-
9 Hainan Airlines f/v. 26/10 SP-LNG E195AR LOT f/v.
27/10 G-TTNF A320-251N British Airways on delivery;
VP-BPF 737-800 Aerolot f/v. 28/10 OY-LHD A320-231
Danish Air Transport op for SAS f/v; YR-BGM 737-8H6
Tarom f/v. 29/10 HL7203 777-300ER Korean Air f/v;
VQ-BHR 737-800 Aerolot f/v. 30/10 B-1017 A330-343E
Shenzhen Airlines f/v; N24974 787-9 United Airlines
f/v. 31/10 A7-AM A350-941 Qatar Airways f/v; HL7204
777-300ER Korean Air f/v; N796AV 787-8 Avianca f/v;
N1905W Gulfstream G550 f/v.
LONDON LUTON
1/10 N280LM Gulfstream G280. 3/10 SE-RNR
Challenger 350. 5/10 LX-LGN & LX-LQI Dash
8-Q402s Luxair & EI-RNE E190-100STD Alitalia all
London City diversions. 6/10 T7-RSP Global 6000;
N75EK Falcon 2000LX. 7/10 LX-PCA PC-24 irst visit
of type; N737AT BBJ1. 8/10 OY-CVW Beech 350.
9/10 PH-PKF Falcon 2000LX; VT-KZN Gulfstream
G150. 10/10 N114HC Falcon 50EX N492CA Citation
680 Sovereign+. 11/10 XA-GEN Legacy 650; N797M
Gulfstream G200; N2E Gulfstream 650ER. 12/10
A6-MHH A319-115(CJ) Qatar Amiri Flight. 13/10
9HJEH Global 6000. 16/10 LX-ABM Global Express
5000. 17/10 LZ-AOB A319-112 Goverment of Bulgaria;
C-FYLD Astra SPX. 21/10 C-GXMP Global Express;
OH-SSS PC-12. 24/10 P4-GEM Falcon 900EX. 25/10
N1898B Falcon 8X. 27/10 A6-ANK Legacy 600. 29/10
B-602N Gulfstream G650ER; VP-BAA Global 6000.
30/10 C-GEYJ Challenger 350. 31/10 T7-EDV PC-12;
T7-PRM Gulfsrtream G200; YU-SRB Legacy 600.
LONDON SOUTHEND
3/10 F-GZGD Cessna TR.182 n/s; F-GKCR PA-28R-
201T n/s. 4/10 D-AECH E190LR Lufthansa f/v, London

LIVERPOOL
1/10 VP-BNE Gulfstream G550. 2/10 D-CTRI Learjet
35A. 3/10 OO-ASL Beech 200C dep 7th; HA-TAG
Saab 340A/F Fleet Air International. 4/10 SE-RFH
Citation 680 Sovereign also 7th. 5/10 OY-GSA PC-12
dep 7th. 6/10 D-IVIP Beech 200; OY-JJH Do.328JET
Sun-Air n/s. 7/10 D-IPCH CitationJet 525A CJ2+; The latest Alpha Jet for the Nigerian Air Force passed through Manchester Airport on
D-CAWK Citation 680A Latitude. 9/10 93/XL TBM700A December 4. The aircraft continued its delivery light after a fuel stop, departing to Madrid-
ET00.060, French AF. 10/11 D-BAHB Falcon 2000LX; Barajas Airport. Richard Porter

www.aviation-news.co.uk 75

AIRPORT MOVEMENTS COMPILED BY CARL HOPE
A second Airbus A320 for Aruba Airlines, P4-AAF, was delivered through Glasgow Airport
on December 1. The aircraft had been stored at Montpellier, France since October, having
previously flown for Nesma Airlines as SU-NMC. Iain Mackenzie
Airport City diversion. 5/10 D-IVIP Beech 200 n/s;
2-RBTS CitationJet 525B CJ3 f/v; 9H-FGV Phenom
100 also 8th; 2-JSEG Eclipse EA.500; SP-ATT Beech
400A n/s; D-CJET CitationJet 525B CJ3 dep 7th. 6/10
OY-OLD Falcon 8X type f/v; TF-FTZ Cessna 172S f/v,
n/s; YU-SPC Citation 560XLS+. 11/10 OY-SWO Falcon
2000S dep 16th. 12/10 2-COOK PA-46-500TP f/v.
15/10 D-AECG E190LR Lufthansa f/v; PH-EZF & PH-
EZX E190STDs KLM Cityhopper both f/v, all London
City diversions. 16/10 OE-GCG Citation 560XL f/v;
F-HZLL Cessna 172S. 19/10 PH-TIN Diamond DA40A
n/s. 20/10 PH-VCC Diamond DA62. 23/10 VQ-BSF
Falcon 7X f/v. 24/10 D-CDIM Learjet 35A f/v; T7-JAT
Global XRS f/v, also 28th. 25/10 OK-RAL Cessna
T.206H. 28/10 F-HTLS Phenom 100 f/v. 30/10 VP-BNW
Hawker 850XP. 31/10 2-OFUS Cirrus SR-22.
MANCHESTER
1/10 A7-ALG & A7-ALG A350-941s Qatar Airways
both f/v; 9H-ZAK 737-3YO Maleth Aero f/v; EC-LZD
A320-214(SL) Evelop & EC-GZA CRJ100ER Iberia
Regional both Valencia CF football charters. 2/10
A7-ALC & A7-ALF A350-941s Qatar Airways both f/v;
TF-ICY 737 MAX 8 Icelandair f/v; EC-LPG CRJ1000
Iberia Regional Valencia football charter; SE-RNR
Challenger 350 f/v. 3/10 A7-ALS & A7-AME A350-941s
Qatar Airways both f/v; N211QS Challenger 650 f/v.
4/10 A7-ALA A350-941 & A7-ALE A350-941s Qatar
Airways both f/v; f/v; EI-RNA E190LR Alitalia Cityliner
f/v, London City diversion. 5/10 A7-ALP A350-941 &
A7-ALQ A350-941s Qatar Airways both f/v; 2-TBMI
TBM950 f/v. 6/10 A7-ALR & A7-ALX A350-941s Qatar
Airways both f/v; HL8290 BBJ1 f/v; N2MG Global
Express f/v. 7/10 A7-ALD & A7-ALJ A350-941s Qatar
Airways both f/v; OY-JTP B737-79L Jettime f/v, op for
SAS; PH-NDK Falcon 900B f/v; OO-PCM PC-12 f/v.
8/10 A7-ALH A350-941 Qatar Airways f/v. 9/10 A7-ALV
A350-941 Qatar Airways f/v; N492CA Citation 680
Sovereign f/v. 10/10 A7-ALO A350-941 Qatar Airways
f/v; 9H-VJZ Global Express f/v. 11/10 A7-ALI A350-941
Qatar Airways f/v; D-AINM A320-271N(SL) Lufthansa
f/v. 12/10 A7-ALM A350-941 Qatar Airways f/v. 13/10
ES-ACE CRJ700 Nordica f/v, op for SAS. 15/10 A7-ALT
A350-941 Qatar Airways f/v; LX-NMX CitationJet 525B
CJ3 f/v. 16/10 A7-ALB A350-941 Qatar Airways f/v.
17/10 A7-ALU A350-941 Qatar Airways f/v; EC-MTV
B737-8K5 AlbaStar f/v; N795CP Gulfstream G550
f/v. LZ-ASO Avanti f/v. 18/10 N216QS Challenger
650 f/v. 19/10 N979TX Citation 525 f/v. 21/10 A7-ALK
A350-941 Qatar Airways f/v; OE-LBY A320-214
With thanks to: D Apps, D Banks, D Bougourd, S Boyd, J Brazier, N Burch, A Clarke, I Cockerton, KW Ede, M Farley, N French, P Gibson, J Gregory, G Green,
I Grierson, D Haines, M Harper, G Hocquard, S Lane, G Morris, S Morrison, R Roberts, RJ Sayer, A Smith, D Turner, Blackpool Aviation Society, Manston
Movements, Solent Aviation Society/‘Osprey’, South Wales Aviation Group, CIAN, GSAE, The Aviation Society, EGPE ATC, www.dtvmovements.co.uk,
Aerodata Quantum Plus and RHADS.
76
Austrian Airlines f/v. 22/10 A7-ALW A350-941 Qatar
Airways f/v; I-BIXR A321-112 Alitalia f/v Juventus
football team; N673HA Gulfstream G650 f/v. N780KS
Gulfstream G550 f/v. 23/10 SE-RON A320-251(SL)
SAS f/v; N797KK Global Express f/v. 24/10 EC-MXP
A320-214(SL) Vueling f/v; I-BIXS A321-112 Alitalia f/v,
Juventus team return flight; ES-NSA Saab 340B(F)
NyxAir f/v. 27/10 OO-TCT A320-212 Condor f/v, for
maintenance at Thomas Cook; UR-CQV An-26B
Vulkan Air f/v. 28/10 CS-TJI A321-251N(SL) TAP
Portugal f/v. 31/10 N541CX Citation 750 X f/v. SE-DJI
Falcon 7X f/v.
NORWICH
2/9 OE-FAT Citation 510 Mustang; SE-DSU RJ100
Malmo Aviation to Air Livery, dep 12th. 4/9 LX-JFX
PC-12. 6/9 OE-LVM Fokker 100 to Air Livery. 9/9
UR-PSK 737-94XER Ukraine International Airlines
to KLM Maintenance, dep 13th. 12/9 SE-DSZ RJ100
Malmo Aviation to KLM Maintenance. 14/9 ZJ692
Sentinel R1 5 Sqn, RAF. 15/9 LX-RSQ Learjet
45 also 16th & 21st. 16/9 SE-DSZ RJ100 Malmo
Aviation dep ex KLM Maintenance. 17/9 OO-SKY
CitationJet 525A CJ2; VQ-BZM Gulfstream G450 to
Air Livery, dep 7/10. 19/9 LX-LAR Learjet 45. 20/9
9H-MCM Citation S.550 S/II also 23rd. 21/9 OE-IXI
Challenger 605 also 30th. 22/9 OO-KOR CitationJet
525A CJ2+; SE-DJN RJ85 Malmo Aviation to KLM
Maintenance; OO-FPE CitationJet 525B CJ3. 24/9
EI-RJN RJ85 to KLM Maintenance. 29/9 G-JMCK
737-4D7(SF) Atlantic Airlines to KLM Maintenance,
dep 21/10.
Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 737-700BBJ, A36-001, visited Cardiff on November 10 in
connection with that day’s Wales vs Australia rugby match, played at the Principality Stadium.
Phil Woods
PRESTWICK
2/9 165348/AX C-130T VR-53, USN; 15004 CC-150
437 TS, RCAF dep 4th. 3/9 A6-RJY BBJ1; TF-BBG
737-36E(BDSF) Bluebird Cargo; 57-1439 KC-135R &
58-0089 KC-135T 6th AMW, USAF both n/s; N431HM
DC-3C with N21FS Beech 3NM, N184KP Beech 3TM
& N223CM Beech D.18S Swiss Classic Flight; T-720
Beech 1900D LTDB, Swiss AF. 4/9 177705 CC-177
437 TS, RCAF. 5/9 60-0365 KC-135R 117 ARS, Ks
ANG also 7th n/s; 15005 CC-150 437 TS, RCAF n/s.
6/9 N71GE Falcon 8X; 60-0363 KC-135R 71st ARS,
AFRC; N737M BBJ2. 7/9 60-0318 (dep 4th) & 63-8023
(n/s) KC-135Rs 126th ARS, Wi ANG; UR-CEZ An-12B
Cavok Air, 8/9 130612 CC-130J 436 TS, RCAF also
11th; 03-3118 C-17A 183rd AS, Ms ANG n/s; 58-0098
KC-135R 132rd ARS, Me ANG n/s; 58-0095 KC-135T
& 63-8034 KC-135R 92nd ARW, USAF both n/s; 58-
0034 KC-135R 6th AMW, USAF n/s. 10/9 07-46312,
07-4637 & 14-5788 C-130J-30s 19th AW, USAF;
63-8878 KC-135R 22nd ARW, USAF. 12/9 59-1519
KC-135R 174th ARS, Ia ANG n/s; 177701 CC-177 429
TS, RCAF dep 14th; 84-0164 C-12U A/6-52nd AVN,
US Army; MM62222/46-86 C-27J 46a BA, Italian AF
also 13th. 14/9 06-4631 C-130J-30 19th AW, USAF;
99-0402 C-37A 76th AS, 86th AW, USAF; A7-BFL
777-FDZ Qatar Airways Cargo op for Air France. 15/9
165810/BH KC-130J VMGR-252, USMC dep 17th.
16/9 91-1237 165th AS, Ky ANG; 11-5740 C-130J-30
19th AW, USAF. 17/9 84-0165 C-12U E/1-214th
AVN, US Army; 15003 CC-150 437 TS, RCAF. 18/9
SE-RKL Gulfstream G550; SE-RMT Global 6000;
91-1237 C-130H 165th AS, Ky ANG also 28th; N830LX
TBM930 c/1250 on delivery; 57-1441 KC-135R 174th
ARS, Ia ANG dep 20th; SE-LRA Saab 2000 Saab.
19/9 F-WMIL A350-1000 Airbus for crosswind testing;
165378/JW C-130T VR-62, USN n/s. 20/9 SE-DHO
Learjet 35A. 21/9 57-2606 KC-135R 174th ARS, Ia
ANG. 22/9 96-1003 C-130H 109th AS, Mn ANG. 23/9
92-2104 HC-130N 39th RQS, AFRC dep 26th; 08-
0809 & 05-0556 U-28As 319th SOS dep 29th. 24/9
74-1679, 74-1688 & 74-2132 C-130Hs 186th AS, Mt
ANG all n/s. 26/9 166500 UC-35D MCAS Miramar,
USMC n/s; 900531 C-26D Naples AOD n/s; 130601
CC-130J 436 TS, RCAF. 27/9 169036 C-40A VR-61,
USN n/s; HB-VSM PC-24; LX-EAA Learjet 45. 28/9
08-8194 C-17A 62nd/446th AW, USAF; 144617 CC-
144C 412 TS, RCAF.
Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019
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Aviation News January 2019 77
AIR BASE MOVEMENTS FROM MAR WWW.MILITARYAVIATIONREVIEW.COM
AIR BASE MOVEMENTS
A selection of the most interesting aircraft to visit air bases in the UK recently.
RAF BRIZE NORTON
1/10 125/XO TBM700A ET00.041, French AF.
4/10 130601 CC-130J 436 TS, RCAF n/s; 78/XE
TBM700A ET00.041, French AF. 6/10 0455 C-295M
242 Tsl, Czech AF. 7/10 96-0001 C-17A 758th AS,
AFRC dep 12th. 8/10 105/XK TBM700A ET00.041,
French AF. 10/10 4270 Gulfstream G450 Pakistan
Army dep 14th. 13/10 TC-GAP Gulfstream G450
Turkish Government. 15/10 253 CN-235MPA 101
Sqn, Irish Air Corps. 18/10 15-5842 HC-130J 130th
RQS, Ca ANG dep 20th, also 22nd n/s. 22/10
166513/BH KC-130J VMGR-252, USMC also 25th &
29th. 24/10 163556 UC-12F NAF Atsugi n/s. 30/10
177703 CC-177 429 TS, RCAF n/s also 31st n/s.
31/10 0011/F-RBAD A400M ET00.061, French AF.
RAF CONINGSBY
4/10 ZM140 F-35B 617 Sqn, RAF o/s. 13/10 168849/
LK P-8A VP-26, USN dep 18th. 16/10 ZZ387 Wildcat
AH1 1 Regt, AAC.
RAF LAKENHEATH
4/10 162144 C-2A VRC-40, USN also 25th. 24/10
87-0030 C-5M 60th/349th AMW, USAF dep 26th.
29/10 85-0008 C-5M 436th/512nd AW, USAF;
98-0056/AK C-17A 517rh AS, 3rd Wg, USAF. 31/10
03-3113 C-17A 183rd AS, Ms ANG n/s.
RAF LEEMING
2/10 ZJ181, ZJ184, ZJ200, ZJ205, ZJ226 & ZJ228
Apache AH1s 653 Sqn, AAC. 9/10 JY-CMC Legacy
650 Arab Wings n/s, VQ-BMZ Gulfstream G650
Government of Jordan.
LEUCHARS – WATERLOO
BARRACKS
26/10 99-0402 C-37A 76th AS, 86th AW, USAF.
RAF LOSSIEMOUTH
2/10 MM62298/41-03 P-72A 41° St, Italian AF. 3/10
06-6154 C-17A 62nd/446th AW, USAF. 4/10 130601
CC-130J 436 TS, RCAF. 9/10 140101 CP-140 RCAF
dep 22nd. 16/10 ZM333 Phenom T1 45 Sqn, RAF
n/s. 18/10 900530 C-26D AOD Sigonella n/s. 22/10
130613 CC-130J 436 TS, RCAF. 24/10 169003/LK
P-8A VP-26, USN dep 31st. 26/10 168764/LK P-8A
VP-26, USN dep dep 2/11; 168848/LK P-8A VP-26,
USN dep 31st. 28/10 168857/LK P-8A VP-26, USN.
78
RAF MILDENHALL
1/10 165348 C-130T VR-53, USN also 2nd; 161588
P-3C VP-46, USN dep 5th. 4/10 163291 P-3C
VP-46, USN; 165151 C-20G VR-1, USN; 166694
C-40A VR-59, USN; 165152 C-20G VR-51, USN
also 5th; MM62298/41-03 P-72A 41° St, Italian AF.
9/10 89-1052 AC-130U 4th SOS, USAF dep 11th.
10/10 157326 EP-3E VQ-1, USN n/s. 11/10 162144
C-2A VRC-40, USN also 13th; 162171 C-2A VRC-
40, USN; 78-0578/OK E-3G 442nd ACW, USAF.
12/10 00-0182 C-17A 167th AS, WV ANG; 166693
C-40A VR-57, USN also 13th, 14th, 15th, 17th,
18th, 20th, 21st, 28th, 29th & 30th. 12/10 169319
UC-12W USMC. 13/10 163591 KC-130T VR-55,
USN also 15th n/s, 16th n/s, 17th n/s & 23rd n/s.
20/10 11-00266 MC-12S US Army dep 22nd; 15-
5842 HC-130J 130th RQS, Ca ANG. 22/10 169225
KC-130J VMGR-252, USMC. 23/10 92-3290 E-8C
116th ACW, USAF; 87-0041 C-5M 337th AS, AFRC.;
166514 KC-130J VMGR-252, USMC o/s, also 29th
o/s. 24/10 FA-77 F-16AM 10 Wing, Belgian Defence
– Air Component; 166513/BH KC-130J VMGR-
252, USMC also 29th. 29/10 900528 C-26D AOD
Sigonella n/s also 30th n/s. 31/10 99-0402 C-37A
76th AS, 86th AW, USAF.
RAF NORTHOLT
1/10 ZM333 Phenom T1 45 Sqn, RAF also 18th
n/s. 2/10 258 Learjet 45 102 Sqn, Irish Air Corps;
Four French Air Force Rafales visited RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk from November 25-28 for
Exercise Point Blank, including this Tiger Meet marked Rafale C, 128/30-GG, from EC 3/30
‘Lorraine’. Matt Varley
VFA-136 Kittyhawks’ CAG bird 166820, was
one of eight Boeing F/A-18E/F arriving at RAF
Lakenheath from the USS Harry S Truman on
October 4. All eight aircraft had departed by
October 28. Matt Varley
MM62169 Avanti Italian Army n/s; ZJ135/T Merlin
HC3i 846 NAS, RN; ZZ398 & ZZ403 (also 11th)
Wildcat AH1s 1 Regt, AAC. 3/10 252 CN-235MPA
101 Sqn, Irish Air Corps. 11/10 VQ-BMZ Gulfstream
G650 Government of Jordan. 12/10 N-973 MH-60R
Royal Danish AF. 12/10 ZZ403 & ZZ511 Wildcat AH1s
1 Regt, AAC. 13/10 TC-GAP Gulfstream G450 Turkish
Government. 16/10 ZM504 Juno HT1 DHFS also
17th. 18/10 165151 C-20G VR-1, USN; AT-01 & AT-03
Alpha Jets 1 Wg, Belgian Defence – Air Component
both n/s; 83+12 Sea Lynx 88A MFG5, German Navy
n/s; ZM532 Juno HT1 DHFS n/s; ZH843 Merlin HM2
814 NAS, RN n/s. 19/10 84-0083 C-21A 76th AS, 86th
AW, USAF. 24/10 N-324 NH90-NFH 860 Sqn, Royal
Netherlands AF; 166376 C-37B VR-1, USN dep 26th.
RAF WADDINGTON
1/10 10+27 A310-304MRTT FBS, German AF.
RNAS YEOVILTON
26/10 166513/BH & 166514/BH KC-130Js VMGR-
252, USMC.
Key: n/s night stop; o/s overshoot.
Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019
HURRICANE SQUADRON
IN THE EYE OF BATTLE
PART 2

With the Battle of Britain behind them, 253 Sqn’s Hurricanes saw action as
night fighters before deployments to North Africa and Italy. In the second of two
parts, Tom Spencer continues to detail the unit’s time with the Hawker fighter.

F
rom Hibaldstow, near Lincoln, 253
Squadron began operating at night
in the autumn of 1941 as part of
the night defences for the Midlands
industrial area. It began training with a novel
method to intercept enemy bombers. An
airborne searchlight was housed in the
glazed nose of Douglas ‘Turbinlite’ Havocs
of 1459 Flight, which were paired with a
‘parasite’ ighter. The procedure involved the
Havoc detecting and illuminating the bomber
for the Hurricane to engage. The squadron
also undertook night intruder work over the
Continent at this time.
Hurricane IIbs were painted black for their
new night ighter role. 253 Sqn Records
In November, Sqn Ldr Roy Watts
assumed command and Flt Lt Richard
Stevens, DSO, DFC and bar, at that time
the RAF’s leading scorer at night, arrived
as a light commander. Stevens’ record
was remarkable in that his kills had been
achieved in single-seat Hurricanes without
the beneit of radar or other aids. His irst
sortie with 253 was on December 12 but
sadly he was lost in Z3456 during an
intruder attack to Gilze-Rijen airield in the
Netherlands on the night of December 15/16.
His death was a great loss the squadron and
the RAF.
Flt Lt Derek Yapp, who had previously
served with 253, was posted in as
commander of ‘A’ Flight two days before
Christmas. By this stage the squadron’s
Hurricane IIbs were painted black overall,
beitting their night role.
The unit’s link with India was reinforced
with aircraft named after areas in Hyderabad
State – for example, Z3171/SW-P becoming
Hyderabad City and Z3971/SW-S
Samasthans II.

The nose-mounted searchlight is evident on ‘Turbinlite’ Havoc II AH470/F of 1459

Flt. It was based alongside 253 Sqn at Hibaldstow, Lincolnshire. J D Oughton

www.aviation-news.co.uk 79
 This photo: Norwegian Lt Werner
Christie served with 253 Sqn during
late 1941. He is standing on the wing
of Hurricane IIb Z2798/SW-V, named
The Paigahs. D S Yapp
Right: Sqn Ldr Roy Watts served in
253 Sqn during the Battle of Britain
and commanded the unit in late 1941.
D S Yapp
Meanwhile, to increase irepower, a
number of cannon-armed Hurricane IIcs
arrived in January 1942, at which time
night-defence patrols and Turbinlite Havoc
co-operation were interspersed with convoy
protection duties. During one such patrol off
the Humber on February 5, Plt Off P Landon
and Sgt J C Tate destroyed a Do 217 in
concert with a section of Hurricanes from
133 (Eagle) Sqn.
The approach of spring heralded a
modest increase in Luftwaffe night activity,
with 253 active in the defence of York on the
night of April 28/29 – remembered as one of
the ‘Baedeker Raids’ − named after a series
of famous German guidebooks which listed
information on British cities.
That night, Fg Off Bill Maguire in Z4705/
SW-B destroyed a Do 217, the irst of the
Rhodesian’s 13 victories; and Fg Off H D
Seal and WO Yves Mahé, a Free French
pilot, each claimed a He 111.
One of 1459 Flight’s Turbinlite Havocs
had meanwhile illuminated a Dornier 217, but
In late December 1942, P-38F, 41-7550/UN-8 ‘Marion
III’, of the US 94 Fighter Squadron was lown into
Maison Blanche, Algiers by Capt J C Tate who had
previously lown with 253 Sqn. E Ryding
80
the accompanying 253 Sqn Hurricane could
not make an attack. But two nights later it
was a different story – Flt Lt Charles Winn in
Havoc AH484/A illuminating an He 111 which
Derek Yapp shot down: the irst and only
conirmed success for the Turbinlite Havoc
night-ighting concept.
Promoted on May 1, Yapp became
the squadron’s OC, having been acting
commander for some time due to the
sickness of Sqn Ldr Watts. The shortening
nights reduced enemy activity, but standbys
and night patrols continued. Perhaps to
enliven the routine, when tasked for a sector
recce on May 12, WO Mahé lew to the
Netherlands and shot-up several targets of
opportunity in an unauthorised ‘Rhubarb’
raid, though what, if any, action was taken
against him is not recorded.
The squadron then detached to Friston,
East Sussex, in mid-June for three weeks
of exercises. Havoc co-operation continued,
though 253’s frustration with the Turbinlites
was well founded. There were two contacts
in July and 253’s Hurricanes claiming a
‘probable’ and a ‘damaged’; and another,
inconclusive, combat in August.
DIEPPE ACTION
The AOC of 12 Gp, AVM R E Saul, presented
the squadron with its badge during a visit
to Hibaldstow on July 31, 1942 in front of
a small parade. It depicts an arm clad in
Mogul armour, wielding an Indian battle-axe,
signifying both 253’s role and its association
with India. The design had been suggested
by the Nizam (ruler) of Hyderabad.
Turbinlite co-operation sorties continued –
although during the night of August 11/12 Flt
Sgt Terrence Pepper was lost when BN227
ditched in the North Sea. On the 16th,
253 detached to Friston alongside 32 Sqn
in preparation for Operation Jubilee – the
ultimately disastrous raid on Dieppe.
On the morning of the 19th, the
squadron came to readiness early and the
OC, Derek Yapp, in HL570 soon led 12
Hurricanes to attack gun emplacements
Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2019

near the port. With intense enemy ire, Fg
Off Harry Seal in BP771 was shot down
and became a PoW. Flt Sgt J C Tate, an
American, was slightly injured when he
brought back BP769/SW-Z badly damaged
and crashed near Friston. Several other
aircraft were also hit and damaged.
By mid-morning the squadron was back
straing gun positions, which had caused
havoc on the beaches. Enemy ighters were
seen but avoided as 253 delivered some
effective attacks and, although none were lost,
several more Hurricanes were damaged.
At lunchtime the OC led 12 aircraft in
another attack to cover the evacuation,
successfully hitting many gun posts. Enemy
ire was again intense, hitting Flt Lt John
Ellacombe who baled out of BP707 but was
picked up by one of the departing vessels.
The OC was also hit but got home, while
another pilot returned trailing a 15-yard length
of French telephone wire from his tailwheel. A
defensive patrol completed a frenetic day for
the squadron, which returned to Hibaldstow
Attached to 1459 Flt, Sqn Ldr Charles Winn
piloted the Havoc that co-operated with 253
Sqn in several attacks on Luftwaffe bombers.
C V Winn
www.aviation-news.co.uk
Italian CANT Z 501, 147, of 182° Sq RM was forced down by 253 Sqn
Hurricanes and captured on January 26, 1943. The aircraft was later
allocated the serial HK976. E Ryding
on the 20th. For his leadership during the ditched. There were more shipping escorts
action, Derek Yapp won the DFC. off Bougie, Algeria, the following day, the OC
shooting down a recce Ju 88 of 1(F)/122 in
NORTH AFRICA the early afternoon.
On September 14 Yapp, posted to 59 Although employed on relatively mundane
Operational Training Unit, handed command duties, the pilots clocked up an impressive
to Sqn Ldr L H T ‘Red’ Bartlett, and early the number of sorties, creating a record of more
following month 253 became non-operational than 1,900 lying hours in January. There
in preparation for a move overseas. were only occasional combats – a Ju 88
Later in October, the squadron embarked was damaged on January 25 with another,
in the SS Duchess of Richmond for North from III/KG 54, probably destroyed above a
Africa where it was to provide air support convoy on February 5.
following the Anglo-American landings A week later the squadron moved further
in North Africa. Re-equipped with new east to Jemappes, a PSP (pierced steel
Hurricane IIcs, 253 Sqn lew from Gibraltar planking) strip in a valley, from where, on
into Maison Blanche, Algiers, on November the 14th, two Hurricanes scrambled and
13. The groundcrew, led by Fg Off L Wild, intercepted recce Ju 88D w/nr 430121/
had disembarked at the nearby port the F6+EH off Cap Bougeron. Sgt C P Ashcroft
previous day. A former apprentice at Halton, shot down the Luftwaffe aircraft.
the RAF training school in the Chilterns, Wild A more unusual success followed the
had risen through the ranks and had been next day. During the early evening on a
with 253 since 1940. convoy patrol, Flt Lt Mason and Sgt W V
The unit then became part of 323 Wing Whittaker encountered an Italian CANT
and, with 43 Sqn, provided protection over Z.501 lying boat of 182° Sq RM (Regia
base areas and ship convoys and lew C-47
transport escorts. It was soon in action, and
on November 14 Flt Lt G Fisher intercepted
and probably destroyed a Junkers Ju 88.
The squadron had a surprise visitor when
P-38 Lightning, serial number 17550/UN-
8, of the 94th Fighter Squadron, USAAF,
arrived, piloted by the now Capt J C Tate,
who had earlier lown with 253.
On the 21st, 253 moved east to
Philippeville, where it continued operations
in spite of weather and logistical problems
and, above all, mud. As the Anglo-American
armies entered Tunisia, it moved further east
to Sétif on January 5, 1943, attacking and
damaging a Ju 88 en route.
From its new base, an inland location,
253 stepped up operations, mainly lying
convoy patrols which were essential to
combat the Luftwaffe, even though the
Hurricanes had to traverse inhospitable
mountains to reach the coast. During one
of a number of patrols on January 9, Fg Sqn Ldr ‘Red’ Bartlett commanded the unit
Off (later Flt Lt) Keith A H Mason attacked throughout its time in North Africa. via G R
a Ju 88 of III/KG 76 which subsequently Pitchfork
81
 Marina), attacking and forcing it onto the sea
where it was captured and towed into port.
Giuseppe Tiseo and his crew became PoWs
and the aircraft was subsequently given the
RAF serial number HK976.
Poor weather, and the mud it created, did
not prevent the squadron breaking its flying
hours record in February, although the total
was not recorded in the squadron’s monthly
summary, but with the enemy fully occupied
in Tunisia, air activity off Algeria lessened.
To improve the Hurricane’s performance
and manoeuvrability, it was usual to
remove two of the four cannon, the
remaining pair still providing plenty of
firepower. With this armament, Plt Off D
T N Kelly and Sgt R C Shorthouse shot
down a Ju 88 of I/KG 54 near Philippeville
on March 4, its crew baling out. The
same pilots damaged another Ju 88 two
days later in what was to be 253’s last
successful combat over North Africa.
The squadron moved back to Maison
Blanche in mid-March for a rest and to
provide the air defence for Algiers. On the
23rd, the large troopship SS Windsor Castle
was torpedoed 120 miles (193km) west of
Algiers – 253 providing top cover through the
day until the ship sank. In the early evening,
by which time the ship had sunk, Fg Offs
Derek Stevenson and New Zealander ‘Red’
were tasked but could find no trace of the
ship. As darkness fell, and with compass
problems, they became hopelessly lost.
Eventually seeing land beneath, Little baled
out of KW933 and his leader crash-landed
HW489/SW-W, writing it off in the process.
The pair were in fact over the Spanish
island of Majorca, and after a brief period of
comfortable internment returned to England.
While defending Algiers, 253 Sqn
received a few Spitfire Vs, but they were left
behind when the unit returned to Jemappes
in April. By then, enemy resistance in
Tunisia was crumbling and fighting in North
Africa ended in early May.
INTO ITALY
Moving several times during the month,
253 ended up at Sousse on the Tunisian
coast on June 15, covering the landings
on the Italian-held island of Lampedusa.
After it was secured, the squadron moved
in, and from there covered shipping in
transit for the invasion of Sicily. In early
July it temporarily returned to night duties.
Its Hurricanes mounted nocturnal patrols
over Sicily on the 10th during the invasion
to extinguish any searchlights that could
expose vulnerable transport aircraft
carrying the airborne force.
Remaining on Lampedusa until early
August, 253 then withdrew to La Sebala near
Tunis to convert to Spitfires – ending its long
association with the Hurricane, the last of
which finally departed on August 27.

Hurricanes of 253 Sqn stationed at Lampedusa during the Acknowledgements: The author is grateful to Eric Ryding, the late AVM
Invasion of Sicily, the unit’s primary role during this period was Charles Winn and Sqn Ldr Derek Yapp DFC for their kind help in the research
to give convoy protection to the invasion. KX838/W is nearest. for this article.
E Ryding

The next issue is an RAF Tornado special and will be on sale on January 17, 2019*
*UK scheduled on sale date. Please note that the overseas deliveries are likely to be after this date.

January 2019
Volume 81 No 1.
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consumer protection regulations. 526-EAS02.01
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www.bradford.co.uk/spiritconcordewatch
Or call our 24hr hotline on 0333 003 0019
526-EAS02.01 Order Ref:362487
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