Flight Image of the Day

Dambusters memorial

2013-05-17T11:03:24Z

With the 70th anniversary of the Dambusters raid - Operation Chastise - here's a couple of pictures to commemorate the event. First up is this shot of an Avro Lancaster from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight taken by AirSpace user Sunshine Band. More details on the history of this particular bomber is here. The second image comes from the UK Ministry of Defence showing the same Lancaster performing a fly-past over Derwent reservoir in the Peak District, a key training location for the raid.

Sunshine Band (top), Crown Copyright (bottom)

X-47B under the covers

2013-05-15T08:55:04Z

Great image from Rex here of the Northrop Grumman X-47B on board the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush ahead of its successful maiden carrier flight.

Rex Features

Lusty Lindy starts her engines

2013-05-13T16:25:31Z

This from regular AirSpace contributor Martin Needham: "On 12 May 2013, Andre Tempest's Handley-Page Victor, XL231 "Lusty Lindy" roared into life and performed her first taxi run in almost three years. She is seen here kicking up the spray left by a downpour on what was a grim Yorkshire day."

Martin Needham

Thank Phuket, it's Friday

2013-05-10T16:03:57Z

Gorgeous photograph this one, featuring a Boeing 747 operated by Thai Airways International at Phuket airport in Thailand. The picture was taken by AirSpace contributor ApisitiJ. Flightglobal's Ascend database records the airline as operating 16 of the passenger jets, with a further two converted to freighters.

Italy takes first upgraded Tornado ECR

2013-05-09T14:45:39Z

Alenia Aermacchi, in collaboration with BAE Systems and Cassidian, has delivered the first upgraded Panavia Tornado ECR (the Electronic Combat/Reconnaissance variant) to the Italian Air Force. Alenia Aermacchi is in the process of upgrading the avionics and systems of 15 Tornado ECRs for the service. The aircraft upgrade includes the addition of several subsystems as well as modifications to the on-board systems, avionics equipment and mission software.

Alenia Aermacchi

Joint Warriors whirl their blades

2013-05-07T14:49:45Z

British and French combat helicopters recently got together for a Joint Warrior exercise in the UK, which coincidentally also provided an excellent photo opportunity. Staged at West Freugh airfield in Scotland, the manoeuvres included using British Army Apaches and French army Gazelles to escort Royal Air Force Chinook transport helicopters carrying troops into a simulated combat zone, with the services taking turns in leading the offensive. Other participants shown in this 16 Air Assault Brigade-provided image are Lynx and Puma aircraft from the respective services.

"Here comes the boom"

2013-05-03T09:18:55Z

Lifted from the US Air Force's image gallery is this shot of a Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle - based at RAF Lakenheath in England but deployed for Operation Enduring Freedom - topping up its fuel tank from a Boeing KC-10 Extender over Southwest Asia. And the title? Again from the USAF site.

Happy 100th Birthday Alenia

2013-05-01T08:00:00Z

To celebrate its 100th birthday, Alenia Aermacchi has sent through this cracking pic of its four key products all crowding into the same small piece of sky. So we have a Eurofighter, a C-27J, a M-346 and an SF-260. Molto bellisimo.

Alenia Aermacchi

US Navy gaggle over the Pacific

2013-04-29T14:47:03Z

Top shot from Rex, via the US Navy, of this gaggle of aircraft from the John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group flying in formation during an air power demo over the Pacific Ocean.

Rex Features

All at sea: MRH-90 takes to the waves

2013-04-26T13:47:37Z

Pictured aboard HMAS Choules earlier in April is this Australian Army Aviation Corps MRH-90 helicopter with, the picture caption reads, "lashings fitted and engines still running on the flight deck off the coast of Sydney, NSW". Australia has 15 of the NH Industries-built transport helicopters in its inventory with a further 31 on order according to Flightglobal's World Air Forces directory.

Commonwealth of Australia

'Thank you'

2013-04-24T14:03:58Z

Nice picture - and indeed, sentiment - on our AirSpace forum from regular Hounddogone of British Airways' "Firefly" a specially liveried Airbus A319 which was used to transport the Olympic torch to London prior to the games last year.

The Luftwaffe on Jersey (not for the first time)

2013-04-23T08:00:00Z

As one of the few parts of the British Isles (and here someone may wish to correct my geographical ignorance) occupied by the Germans in the Second World War, Jersey has a rich inheritance of fortifications left over from that period and, among the older generation, a difficult relationship with their former occupiers. So quite what they made of the return, in 1967, of these Luftwaffe aircraft (a Messerschmitt Bf 109 - with Rolls-Royce engines, apparently - and a Heinkel He 111) we can only guess. Apparently they stopped off briefly in the Channel Island on their way to film The Battle of Britain. Thanks to local photographer Mick Bellee for the images.

Mick Bellee

Airbus tells a tall tail

2013-04-22T13:01:12Z

Alright, it's a poor headline but I was struggling for a suitable pun. Anyway, just released by the good folk in Toulouse is this image of the vertical tail section for the first A380 for Qatar Airways. It's fresh from the company's paint shop in Hamburg where it took 10 days to complete. The carrier has 10 of the super-enormo-jumbos on order with first delivery due early next year.

Airbus

Spray on display

2013-04-19T15:29:27Z

Another great picture from AirSpace regular Hounddogone, this time of an Emirates Airbus A380 on a damp take-off roll at London Heathrow.

User Hounddogone on flightglobal.com/AirSpace

Low-level Hawk catches the eye

2013-04-18T16:42:22Z

Spotted on Flightglobal's AirSpace gallery is this excellent shot by user Viper28 of a BAE Systems Hawk T1 trainer being flown by the Royal Air Force. Our World Air Forces directory lists the service as operating 58 of the type.

Viper28 on flightglobal.com/AirSpace