The Spanish Customs Service (Aduanas), part of the Spanish Ministry of Finance (Ministerio de Hacienda}, recently received a new Eurocopter AS 365N3 Dauphin (EC-KUH, c/n 777). The helicopter is the third of its type to enter service with the Customs Service, the others having been delivered in 2002 and 2004. The service also operates three Bo 105s and a BK117, plus six CASA C-212-200 Aviocars, flown by pilots of Ala 31 of the Spanish Air Force.

Iranian cargo airline Yas Air, based at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, was established in 2008. Its fleet consists of two Ilyushin Il-76TD Candids (EP-GOL, ex EP-PCB, and EP-G0M, ex EP-PCC). It plans to expand its operations using Antonov An-74s, possibly sourced from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards.

The first Airbus A380 for Qantas (VH-OQA, c/n 014) lifted off the runway at Hamburg just after 1700hrs on August 19, 2008. The aircraft is the first of 20 for the airline and was due to be delivered from Toulouse on September 19. Qantas is scheduled to make its first passenger flight with the giant airliner on October 20 between Melbourne, Victoria, and Los Angeles in California.

Boeing 777-32W(ER) PT-MUA (c/n 37664) is the first example for TAM Linhas Aereas of Brazil, and the first new airliner from the Seattle company to be delivered to the airline. Named The Magic Red Carpet, it departed Paine Field in Washington state for Sao Paulo on August 17, 2008. TAM ordered four 777-300ERs in February 2007 and a further four in August the same year.

Nav Canada, the company responsible for Canada's air navigation system, recently added two Bombardier CRJ-200ERs to its fleet of flight inspection aircraft to undertake instrument landing system calibration. Both aircraft, C-GNVC (c/n 7519, ex N660BR) and C-GFIO (c/n 7526, ex N662BR), previously flew with Independence Air and Atlantic Coast Airlines. They will replace CL-600 Challengers C-GCFG and C-GCFI, operating alongside Dash 8-100 C-GCFK. C-GNVC is pictured before a calibration mission at Pearson International Airport, Toronto, Ontario, on August 18, 2008.

Bombardier's latest airliner, the 100-seat CRJ1000 NextGen, made its maiden flight from its Mirabel facility near Montreal, Quebec in Canada on September 3, 2008 in the hands of test pilots Jacques Thibaudeau and Chuck Ellis, along with test engineer Eugene Lardizabal. The aircraft took off at 1002hrs and remained airborne for 3 hours 25 minutes, during which it reached an altitude of 30,000ft (9,150m) and a maximum speed of 260kts (481 km/h). The first CRJ1000 (C-FRJX, c/n 19991) was previously the prototype CRJ700 and 900. A total of 39 firm orders and 24 options have been placed by Adria Airways, Brit Air, Myair.com and an undisclosed customer.

Icejet of Reykjavik has established a base at Southend, Essex, for cargo flights to Europe. It has based one Dornier Do 328 Jet on rotation there, and has flown cargo to Milan, Malaga and St Tropez. Three aircraft (TF-MIK, -MIO and -NPA) will take turns to fly from Southend. TF-MIO (c/n 3181) is pictured landing at Southend on September 10, 2008.

For the fortieth anniversary of the first flight of the Aero Vodochody L-39 Albatros the Czech Air Force has painted a special scheme on the tail of L-39ZA 2433 (c/n 232433). The L-39ZA is assigned to 221 Letka (Squadron) of 22.Zakladna Letectva (Air Base) at Namest nad Oslavou. On the port side is an image of Jan Vlcek, the man chiefly responsible for designing the aircraft, while an albatross bird is painted in the starboard. The first prototype L-39 made it maiden flight on November 4, 1968, in the hands of Rudolf Duchon. Over 2,900 L-39s were built, making it one of the most successful jet trainers of all time.

Embraer 190-100IGW B-3126 (c/n 190.00201, ex PT-SGJ) of Kunpeng Airlines was handed over on August 28, 2008. The airline ordered five examples of the Embraer 190 at the Farnborough International Airshow in July this year. The aircraft was delivered on August 30/September 1, flying to China from Sao Jose dos Campos via Recife, Las Palmas, Palermo and Dubai.

C-130H Karnaf (Rhinoceros) 522 taxiing at Lod Air Base 27 prior to the ferry fly-past to Nevatim Air Base 28 on August 25, 2008.

The end for C-130H Hercules 86-0412. Faced with the prospect of dismantling the aircraft after a forced landing outside Baghdad, the US Air Force elected to use controlled explosions to reduce it to more portable sections.

The Chilean Air Force Boeing 767 is painted in the attractive blue scheme applied to several of the force's other large aircraft.

Cargojet Airways of Toronto has acquired a Boeing 757 and a 767 freighter to augment its fleet of 12 727-200Fs. Both entered service in August 2008. They are Boeing 757-236F C-FKCJ (c/n 24792, ex SE-DUO) and 767-223F C-FGAJ (c/n 22319, ex N317AA), based at John C Monro Hamilton International Airport, Mount Hope, Ontario, where they are shown on August 27.

Sikorsky X2 (N41AX) during its maiden flight on August 27, 2008 at Horseheads, New York.

On display at the airshow held at Panevezys in Lithuania on July 19, 2008 was one of the two Eurocopter EC 135s assigned to the Aviacijos Rinktine (Aviation Group) of the Valstybes Sienos Apsaugos Tarnyba (Border Guards) based at Trakai. LY-HCO and -HCE (ex D-HECJ and ’CN) were delivered to Vilnius on December 19, 2006. The helicopter on display was equipped with a Nitesun searchlight, a FLIR, loud speakers and comprehensive communications suite.

What is believed to be the first two Beech C-12V Hurons staged through Glasgow Airport on their way back to the United States on August 25, 2008, after a two-month deployment to Wiesbaden in Germany. Both 94-0320 and 95-0091 are assigned to a US Army Reserve Command unit. The C-12V is a C-12R (Model B200C) equipped with a redesigned glass cockpit featuring a dual FMS300 GPS, a TCAS II air traffic warning system and a terrain avoidance warning system.

A second AgustaWestland AW139 is due to join the original example (ES-PWA, c/n 31069, seen here) with the Piirivalve Lennusalk (EPVLS, Estonian Border Guard Aviation Group) in the autumn of 2008. ES-PWA became operational at Tallin on October 16, 2007. The AW139 was selected to replace the service's Mil Mi-8T Hips.

Beechcraft 99A CC-CFM of Aerocord crashed on July 10, 2008 near Puerto Montt in Chile, with the loss of all nine on board.

On August 4, 2008 the first production Hawk Mk 128 Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) for the RAF made its maiden flight between BAE System's facilities at Brough, East Yorkshire, and Warton, Lancashire. The aircraft, ZK012 (build number RT003/1241), is depicted at the latter airfield on August 22, where it is operated alongside the two pre-production aircraft that have been flown since 2005. The Mk 128 will become the T.2 when it enters RAF service early next year in the advanced operational and mission training role at RAF Valley, Anglesey.

The QinetiQ Zephyr being hand launched before dawn on the Yuma range, viewed through night vision goggles.

At 1901 hrs on August 6, 2009 Grumman C-2A Greyhound BuNo 162173 of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30 (VRC-30) flown by Capt. Todd Zecchin caught the number three wire, completing the last of the USS Kitty Hawk's 407,511 arrested landings. The USS Kitty Hawk (CV63) will be decommissioned at the end of January 2009 at Bremerton, Washington.

Libya's Afriqiyah Airways received its first Airbus A319-111 (5A-ONC, c/n 3615, ex D-AVYM) at Hamburg, Germany, on September 8, 2008. One of three ordered in 2006, along with eleven A320s and three A330-200s, it is configured to carry 124 passengers and will operate from the carrier's Tripoli hub.

Boeing 737-4B7 N802TJ (c/n 24874) of Transjet 2 is being used by the Republican Party's US Presidential candidate John McCain as a shuttle between events on the campaign trail. Adorned with the title Straight Talk Express, it is shown arriving at Orlando McCoy International Airport on July 31, 2008. Meanwhile Mr McCain's rival, Democratic candidate Barack Obama, used a Midwest McDonnell Douglas MD-80 until chartering Boeing 757-28A N755NA (c/n 30043) of North American Airlines. The new aircraft has been painted with the slogan Change We Can Believe In.

The first of seven Boeing 737-500s for Aero Contractors of Lagos in Nigeria was delivered in late August 2008. The aircraft (737-522 5N-BKR, c/n 26699, ex VP-BSX), which formerly served with S7 Airlines, underwent pre-delivery work at ATC at Lasham, Hampshire, before flying to Southend, Essex, on August 14 for painting by Air Livery, returning to Lasham on August 23. Aero Contractors will receive all its 737s by the end of 2009 and will use them on both scheduled domestic and international flights around Africa.

Seven Boeing 737s of Futura were grounded at it main base, Palma Mallorca Airport, on September 8, 2008. Another seven were parked up at Tenerife Reina Sofia Airport.

By mid-August Boeing had completed work on the first BBJ 3 (N786B), based on the 737-900ER. The aircraft left Boeing Field in Washington, where it had been undergoing flight trials, for Georgetown. Delaware, where DeCrane Aircraft will install the long-range auxiliary fuel systems and head-up display. As the fuel system is a new feature of the basic aircraft, it will undergo a two-month certification trial at Georgetown before proceeding to the completion centre where the customised interior to be installed. The eventual customer for the aircraft has not been released, but it is due to be handed over in 2009.

Basler BT-67 C-FTGI on the ground at Galway Airport on September 3, 2008.

16 августа 2008г. В США (Форт-Уорт, штат Техас) состоялась выкатка четвертого Lockheed Martin F-35
On August 16, 2008 Lockheed Martin completed the assembly of the fourth Joint Strike Fighter at Fort Worth, Texas. The aircraft, a short-take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B (BF-2), is expected to make its first flight in 2009. A single Lighting II is undergoing structural tests, while the non-conforming first prototype F-35A (AA-1) and the initial F-35B (BF-1) are involved in the flight test programme, having accumulated 45 and nine flights respectively by mid-August. However, since July 23 AA-1 has apparently been grounded because of faulty cooling fans, while BF-1 reportedly has a software glitch and last flew on July 30. A further six aircraft are in final assembly, while another 14 are in various stages of manufacture. Meanwhile, on August 19, Northrop Grumman completed work on the fuselage barrel of the first F-35C Carrier Variant (CF-1) at Palmdale, California.