May 2012 Archives

From a shaky start Boeing is finally ramping up deliveries of its new jumbo. Today saw the 20th handover, with this example, a Freighter, destined for Atlas Air, on contract to global logistics firm Panalpina. This is the first time in Panalpina's history that an aircraft has been painted in the company's livery. Its first service will be between Everett and Hong Kong and then on to Luxembourg with cargo on board. Atlas Air has ordered nine 747-8 Freighters, two of which they will operate for Panalpina.

Credit: Boeing

A Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, deployed from RAF Mildenhall refuels a Boeing F-15C Eagle, deployed from RAF Lakenheath, while flying an alert mission exercise with the 493rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron in Iceland earlier this month. The squadron, made up of both US Air Force and NATO personnel, is fulfilling an air policing mission that assists in assuring Iceland's air sovereignty.

Credit: US Air Force

Lovely image from user Hounddogone on our AirSpace gallery of a Bombardier Q400 landing at London City Airport. An approach that puts the 'eep!' into 'steep'.

 Credit: User Hounddogone on Flightglobal/AirSpace

Here's our Image of the Week - another Saab Gripen, this time operated by the Royal Thai Air Force at Chiang Mai in Thailand. The photo is on our AirSpace gallery, posted by user ApistJ.

Credit: user ApisJ on Flightglobal.com/AirSpace 

Recently added to Saab's website is this picture of Swiss air force pilots perform test flights with Saab Gripen E/F test aircraft. On 30 November last year the Federal Council selected Gripen E/F as the preferred candidate to replace the Swiss service's ageing fleet of Northrop F-5E/F Tigers. This example is piloted by Lt Col Fabio Antognini, together with Richard Ljungberg Saab chief test pilot.

Credit: Saab

To celebrate 30 years of flights to London Heathrow, American Airlines has released this tremendous, nay, glorious image of members of staff dating from 1988. I think it's probably the hair - just the wrong side of boufant - that does it for us. As to whether the jet is still in service, well, it's American, so who knows...

Credit: American Airlines

Fresh out the box at Boeing's Everett plant is global parcel behemoth UPS's 50th 767-300 Freighter. According to Boeing's order figures it's still got another nine of the type to arrive. Meanwhile its great rival, FedEx, has 27 of the cargo aircraft on order.

Credit: Boeing

Great photo from user Hounddogone on flightglobal.com/AirSpace of a Singapore airlines A380 on approach to London Heathrow as the sun goes down.

Credit: user Hounddogone on AirSpace

Picture: Alaska Airlines

Alaska's waters are rich in salmon, a delicacy that is regularly flown to the contiguous forty-eight and beyond on Alaska Airlines aircraft. The Salmon-Thirty-Salmon livery, that highlights the carrier's connection with its home state, had been pulled out a while ago, but the Alaskan airline has announced it is reintroducing it later this year. A reason for spotters to rejoice!

Fresh from its EBACE launch, here's an image released by Cessna of its latest offering, the Citation Longitude. Very nice, if you like that sort of a thing.

Credit: Cessna

AirSpace user boeing764 posted this shot of a KLM Boeing 777-200 (PH-BQF) on short final to Vancouver (eh) on 1 May following a flight from Schiphol.

Credit: user boeing764

From the Commercial Aviation gallery on Flightglobal/AirSpace here's Cargolux's shiny new Boeing 747-8F shortly after departure to Bangkok.

Credit: user Commercial Aviation on AirSpace

AirSpace user Hounddogone posted this picture of a sunset-lit Saudi Arabian Airlines 747-400 on short final approach to London Heathrow.

Credit: User Hounddogone on Flightglobal/AirSpace

Kazakhstan's government has been dipping into the helicopter market recently, taking both Russian and European types. One the one hand we have the sleek (relative) modernity of Eurocopter's EC-145 and on the other we have the er...well...more industrial looking* Kamov Ka-32. Now, can anyone tell them apart?

Credit: Eurocopter

Credit: Russian Helicopters

*When we say 'industrial' we mean like a VW Combi with a set of rotors bolted on.

Like something straight out of Apocalypse Now comes this picture from the US Marine Corps. OK, so it's not the 'Nam, but the Philippines, and shows a pair of Boeing CH-46E Sea Knights on exercise on Palawan. The helicopters are with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262, Marine Air Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

Credit: USMC