Covidien's Gulfstream 550 N607CV - Landmark Aviation's last dispatch from Dublin
Landmark Aviation reluctantly closed it's doors at Dublin on June 30th. Part of a 41 station FBO network across the USA, Canada, France & Ireland, the Dublin station fell victim to the GA downturn of the last 2 years despite having tripled it's market share over the last 3 years. Covidien Flight Department's Gulfstream 5 N607CV was the last aircraft dispatched by the Dublin team, all of whom turned out to see the G5 safely out. Pictured above are Landmark Aviation's Paddy Kilduff and Sean Cawley.
Ironically, on what was Landmark's last day of operations in Dublin, Gulfstream 550 msn 5035 made what is believed to be its first visit to Ireland wearing registration N607CV. The aircraft was previously registered N1TF with Gulf States Toyota and carried the personalised registration of company founder Tom Freidkin. As such it was a regular transit through Shannon en route from the US to Kenya where Freidkin has a big game business. On March 17 last it visited Dublin with new owner Covidien, parent company of Mallinkrodt Medical Imaging in Dublin and Puritan Bennet in Galway. With the link to Tom Freidkin broken it was inevitable that a registration change would occur and the aircraft has in fact assumed the marks of its predecessor at Covidien – a Dassault Falcon 900 which has been a regular to visitor to Dublin over the years. Registration N1TF hasn’t been relinquished however as it is currently reserved for Freidkin Aviation Inc of Houston Texas.