NASA Dryden's McDonnell Douglas DC-8-72 airborne science laboratory, N817NA, banks over Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, California, on November 8 as it arrives at the newly opened Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility (DAOF) at Palmdale, seen here behind and beneath the aircraft. Initially the DAOF will primarily be used by NASA's Science Mission Directorate for use as the operations site for four of its airborne science aircraft, including the DC-8 and Boeing 747SP SOFIA aircraft. Limited space at NASA's Dryden facility meant that the DC-8's operations have been managed since late 2005 by the University of North Dakota and operated from Grand Forks Air Force Base, but opening of the DAOF has enabled it to move to Palmdale. Sadly, the pilot in command for the DC-8’s flight to Palmdale, Dryden research pilot Edwin W Lewis Jr, was killed in the unrelated crash that evening of Civil Air Patrol Cessna T182T N881CP into a mountain southwest of Las Vegas, Nevada, which also killed the other pilot on board. In his memory and in recognition of his ten years at Dryden and eight years before that as a pilot at NASA Ames, California, the DC-8 now carriers the name 'Col Edwin W Lewis' below the cockpit window.

Polish Air Force F-16C 4059 seen on October 21, 2007 during the final stages of its delivery flight from Fort Worth, Texas, prior to landing at Poznan Air Base, Poland. The aircraft arrived together with three others, bringing total deliveries to Poland to date to 31, comprising 21 single-seat F-16Cs and ten two-seat F-16Ds, out of a total of 48 aircraft on order.

This stunning colour scheme seen during a sortie on October 6, 2007 has been applied to F-16C 84-1393 from the Texas Air National Guard's 111th Fighter Squadron at Ellington Field, Houston, to mark the unit's 90th anniversary. All the colours and markings relate to specific periods in the squadron's history. The rudder bears colours worn by a Curtiss JN-4 Jenny flown by the unit in the 1920s, whilst the scheme on the wings and flaps also relate to the pre-World War Two era. The blue fuselage represents the Korean War period, whilst the code 'N5-A' was worn by the squadron's P-51 Mustangs in World War Two. The 'Ace in the Hole' and star on the fin replicate markings worn by squadron F-84s during the Korean War, whilst the grey of the fuselage underside represents current aircraft. Although partially obscured in this view, the ventral fin reads 'Est. 1917'.

Former 8th FW/80th FS F-16C 86-0305 newly painted in an arctic scheme on November 30, 2007 at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, complete with 'AK' tail code, ready for transfer to Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. In an effort to provide Kunsan with newer, more capable aircraft, its Block 30 F-16s are being transferred to Eielson as aggressor aircraft whilst Block 40 F-16s from Eielson transfer to Kunsan in exchange. The initial Block 40 aircraft arrived at Kunsan in October. Kunsan's completion of 86-0305 marked the first time this arctic scheme had been applied to an F-16 and the base is already working on the second and third aircraft. A total of 14 aggressor-painted aircraft are scheduled for completion at Kunsan and delivery to Eielson by April 2008 for the 18th Aggressor Squadron.

During the course of 2007, the Canadian Forces' CF-18 Hornet demonstration aircraft has performed its 13 minute display at 31 shows at 15 different display sites, flown by Captain Yanick 'Crank' Gregoire. For the 2007 season, CF-18A 188719 from 410 Squadron 'Cougars' at CFB Cold Lake, Alberta, was painted up in a scheme that marks 25 years of Hornet operations in Canada, carrying a stylised hornet insect and Air Force roundel. The design is applied on a vivid background of red on the port fin and blue on starboard fin. The aircraft is seen here earlier this year on May 23 over the Cold Lake Weapons Range.

Forca Aerea Brasileira (FAB - Brazilian Air Force) Mirage F-2000C FAB 4945 (ex 22/French Air Force) seen on the ramp at Dakar, Senegal, on October 27, 2007 during a stop-over together with FAB 4944 (ex 15/FrAF) whilst the aircraft were on their delivery flight from France. Support was provided by FAB KC-137 FAB 2402. These are the seventh and eighth of a total of 12 ex-French Air Force Mirages being acquired by the FAB.

NH Industries MRH90 A40-002 (MRH002),the second of the type for the Australian Defence Forces, undertakes one of its final test flights in France on November 1, 2007 prior to being shipped to Australia. Note that the helicopter wears Navy titles, but is painted in typical Australian Army camouflage. Both the Army and Navy are scheduled to operate the type, 46 of which are on order. Both A40-002 and A40-003 (MRH03) were flown into Brisbane Airport, Queensland, on November 13, marking the first deliveries of the type to Australia. Under the AIR9000 programme, Eurocopter has manufactured the first four MRH90s for Australia, whilst the remaining 42 are being assembled in Brisbane by Australian Aerospace.

Although in service for over ten years, the two Harbin Y-12-IIs of the Force Aerienne Islamique de Mauritania (Mauritanian Islamic Air Force) are rarely seen. The visit of 5T-MAE to Accra/Kotoka International Airport, Ghana, on November 18, 2007 was therefore most welcome.

Seen displayed at the second Libyan Aviation Exhibition (LAVEX 2007) at Metiga Air Base, Tripoli, Libya, on October 29, 2007, AgustaWestland A109E Power 5A-DTB is one of two recently delivery to Libya's General Security Police. A further eight are to be assembled locally at the new Libyan Italian Advanced Technology Company facility as Libya attempts to start an embryonic aerospace industry.

A340-600 (сер. N 856, борт F-WWCJ)
Brand new Airbus A340-642X F-WWCJ (c/n 856), which was due to become A6-EHG with Etihad Airways, unexpectedly lurched forward during an engine test on November 15, 2007 at Toulouse, only days before it was due for delivery. The aircraft crashed into a blast wall, severing the cockpit and injuring five of the nine people on board.

Former Air Littoral Bombardier CRJ200ER F-GPYP (c/n 7126) seen passing through Glasgow, Scotland, on December 1, 2007 on its delivery flight to Air Service, Gabon. The aircraft had been in storage for the last three years at Calgary, Alberta.

Libyan Airlines' first Bombardier CRJ900, 5A-DAA (c/n 15120, ex C-FPQO), seen on arrival at Luqa Airport, Malta, on November 30, 2007. The aircraft was delivered on October 16 and is the first to appear with the new titles and livery adopted by the airline, which was until recently known as Libyan Arab Airlines.

Embraer 190-100LR XA-AAC (c/n 190-00121, ex PT-SQP) was delivered to Aromexico subsidiary Aerolitoral on November 23, 2007 for operation on Aeromexico Connect services. The aircraft, the first of four for the airline, is on lease from GE Commercial Aviation Services and configured in a two-class layout with eleven executive and 88 coach-class seats.

Embraer’s first Lineage 1000 ultra-large executive jet (based on the Embraer 190), PP-XOL (c/n 190-00109), arrives at PATS Aircraft Completions in Georgetown, Delaware, on November 16, 2007. It will now be outfitted with a customer-selected interior designed by UK company Priestman Goode. The Lineage 1000 had made its first flight at Sao Jose dos Campos on October 26 and the aircraft is scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2008 to Aamer Jalil Al Fahim, who will base it in Abu Dhabi.

Imtrec Aviation An-12BP, seen here on December 16, 2006, in Laos, was written-off in a crash landing after take-off from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on October 17, 2007.

Previously unreported, Georgian Police Mil Mi-17 '33 White' is seen here recently at Upper Kodori near Gentsvish village, where it is based at a local airfield. As the helicopter still wears standard Georgian Air Force camouflage and markings, it may just be on loan to the Police.

LAN Chile’s latest Boeing 767-316ER, CC-CWY (c/n 35231), seen at Santiago-Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport, Chile, on November 15, 2007, just seven days after delivery. Departing by road in the foreground is the fuselage of ex-LAN Boeing 737-219 CC-CYC (c/n 21131), which was recently retired and has been acquired by a local businessman. The aircraft has been moved to a site south of Santiago, where it will be re-assembled and converted into a pub, which will probably be called 'Charlie Yankee'.

US Marine Corps/VMM-263 MV-22B Osprey 166686 'EM-03' arrives at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, on October 4, 2007. The tiltrotor was one of ten from the unit which flew in from the USS Wasp (LHA-1) to commence a seven-month deployment. Speaking at a Pentagon briefing on December 5, General James T Conway, Commandant of the USMC, said that initial reports were that the deployment was going well. He noted that, regarding the helicopters they are replacing (the CH-46E and CH-530), "They're doing everything those airplanes do, except they're doing it three times faster." He also said that the quietness of the Osprey was proving an advantage in getting troops in on the ground without the helicopter being heard from a couple of miles away.

Italian Corpo Forestale dello Stato (National Forestry Corps) Sikorsky S-64F Helitanker I-CFAH 'CFS-101' (c/n 64-080, ex N174AC, US Army/69-18472) 'Orso Bruno' (Brown Bear) seen whilst undertaking forest fire-fighting operations at Varazze-Cogoleto, Savona, Italy, on November 18, 2007. This is the last of four Helitankers ordered by Italy and was delivered in March 2007, replacing an S-64F with the same registration, I-CFAH 'CFS-101' (c/n 64-089, ex N236AV, 69-18481) 'Cavallo Pazzo' ('Crazy Horse'), which was written-off in an accident at Rome-Fiumicino Airport on July 6, 2005, during a test flight just prior to delivery.

Seen departing Dubai, UAE, on November 16, 2007 is newly acquired Pamir Airways Boeing 737-268 EX-311 (c/n 21276) operating the airline’s daily scheduled flight back to its base at Kabul, Afghanistan. The aircraft was until recently operated by Kyrgyzystan-based Itek Air and may be on lease from the latter, as it retains its Kyrgyz registration. Pamir was the first private airline in Afghanistan, originally formed in 1995, but suspended operations in 2006. It has recently restarted domestic flights and also operates to Jeddah and Riyadh. The 737 has only been introduced into service within the last month or two and it is unclear whether any other aircraft are yet operating with the airline, which says it is also seeking two Boeing 767s.

Swiss International Airlines Avro RJ100 HB-IYU seen on December 1, 2007 being moved back to London City Airport by barge after completion of repairs following its heavy landing there on August 18.

Seen at Tripoli-Mitiga Airport, Libya, on September 30, 2007, Fokker F28 Fellowship 4000 TT-EAS was, until recently, the sole aircraft operated by national flag carrier Toumai Air Tchad, which is based at N'Djamena Airport. The airline is still very young, having only commenced operations on October 29, 2004. The F28 has now been supplemented by Boeing 737-232 OD-WOL (c/n 23083), previously operated by Wings of Lebanon, which joined Toumai Air on June 30, 2007. Additionally, a Boeing 737 freighter is operated on cargo flights.

Primaris Airlines' Boeing 757-230ET N741PA (c/n 24737) seen on November 18, 2007 at Toronto/Pearson International Airport, Ontario, Canada, still in the colours worn since it was delivered to Primaris in 2006 but now with Air Peru titles. Air Peru International is a new business class carrier based at Lima-Jorge Chavez International Airport that has been established in association with Primaris to operate flights to the USA, Europe, Asia and South America.

Alenia’s demonstrator C-27J Spartan, C.S.X.62127 (c/n 4033, the third prototype), seen at Bamako, Mali, on December 1, 2007 during a humanitarian mission as part of Italy's Ridare La Luce (Give Back Light) aid operation. The aircraft operated four flights to Mali from Pratica di Mare Air Base, near Rome, two of them direct return flights with maximum load to a rough landing strip at Gao in eastern Mali. Two internal flights in Mali, from Bamako to Gao, were also flown by the C-27J, which transported medical equipment and relief materials.

Hainan Airlines (HNA) Airbus A330-243 (c/n 875, ex F-WWKB) was delivered to the airline on November 14, 2007 in a ceremony at Toulouse. Powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines and in a 222-passenger, two-class configuration, the aircraft, leased from CIT Aerospace, is the first A330 to join the Chinese airline. A second A330 for HNA, B-6118 (c/n 881, ex F-WWKD) also leased from CIT, made its first flight from Toulouse on November 15 and will also be delivered shortly.

Thales Systemes Aeroportes SA (Thales Airborne Systems) has been using McDonnell Douglas DC-9-21 F-GVTH (c/n 47308, ex OY-KGF) for several years as an airborne testbed for a wide variety of equipment, which is shortly to involve trials for satellite communications and weather radar projects. The aircraft, which is based at BA.106 Bordeaux-Merignac, was acquired from SAS at the end of 2000. Between March 2001 and March 2003 it was modified by SOGERMA for integration of electronic warfare systems and gained its Certificat de Navigabilite in March 2003. Most recently it has been used for testing the military 'Janus' mission system and civilian 'DETAC' on-board wind shear detection equipment. The DC-9 has 14 external antennae, the most prominent being the two radar warning receiver probes over the cockpit. The aircraft is seen here taking off from Nimes-Garon on September 9, 2005.

Cicare CH-14 Aguilucho tandem, two-seat helicopter prototype LV-X333 performs a demonstration on November 22, 2007, the day before it was officially presented to military officials at Campo de Mayo. The helicopter, the first to be indigenously developed in Argentina, was produced by local company Cicare following a proposal to the Ejercito Argentina (Argentine Army) and wears Ejercito titles.

EC-130J Commando Solo III: самолет психологической войны и постановки помех
Rarely photographed in its theatre of operations, USAF EC-130J 99-1932 from the Pennsylvania Air National Guard's 193rd Special Operations Squadron prepares to land at an unspecified base in South-West Asia on November 26, 2007. The aircraft have been used since 2006 in both Afghanistan and Iraq to conduct psychological operations, broadcasting in AM, FM, HF, TV and military communications bands.

Recovery operations are seen here under way following the landing accident to Finnish AF/HavLLv31 F-18C HN-434 at Kuopio-Rissala on November 13, 2007.

Russia's AirBridge Cargo Airlines Boeing 747-46NERF VP-BIG (c/n 35420) undertakes one of its final test flights in Seattle, Washington, on November 12, 2007. The aircraft, the first new 747-400 Freighter to join the cargo operator's expanding fleet, was handed-over on November 16 and is the first of two being taken on lease from GE Commercial Aviation Services to expand AirBridge Cargo’s existing fleet of five 747-200/200 Freighters.

Venezuelan Guardia National Bell 412EP GNBV-97114 seen following its crash at Puesto de la Guardia de Cabruta in Guarico state, Venezuela, on November 3, 2007.

Lockheed Martin's first F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, AA-1, gets airborne from Fort Worth, Texas, on December 7, 2007 for its 20th flight. This was its first sortie since last May, when an electrical problem cut short its 19th flight and led to the aircraft being grounded.