Air Pictorial 1999-11
-
Russian Frontal Aviation Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot attack aircraft being bombed up for a mission over Chechnya. Note that only one aircraft carries the post-Communist marking in addition to the red star.
One of the few new types at Helitech was Eurocopter EC155B F-WQEY.
The almost timeless South Downs form the backdrop to this view of Shoreham’s RAFA show. For an event commemorating the Battle of Britain, RAF participation was lamentably small.
Painted in markings similar to those which it will carry in service, EH101 PP9 recently undertook a tour of Canada to promote the Cormorant SAR version. The future helicopter will replace the ageing CH-113 Labrador fleet, one of which is seen on the right.
The French Navy Crusader is fast approaching retirement
The Spanish Buchon, G-BOML, operated by the OFMC and part of this year’s Breitling Fighter Collection, in which Mark Hannah was fatally injured.
Gate guardian at the former RNAS Ford airfield (HMS Peregrine) is Hawker Hunter GA.11 WW654. It sports a double diamond motif with the code 834 on the fin.
NKC-135E 55-3132, which flies as an airborne electronic warfare laboratory, visiting Mildenhall for exercise Northern Lights.
Carried for just 20 days, this colour scheme on Luftwaffe Tornado 45+88 marked 100,000 flying hours on the type by JaboG 33 at Buchel AB. It first flew in this form on October 3, 1999.
The latest A109E Power for the Dyfed Powys Police.
The prototype FJ-4B Fury (BuNo 139531) pictured at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in early 1957. The ‘B’ suffix indicates an enhanced ordnance capability and here it is apparent with the additional bomb pylons in the outboard locations. This aircraft tested carrying the shape for a Mark 26 nuclear weapon on the inboard left pylon.
Finally restored as it should be (although still without bomb racks or ordnance), the first FJ-4B Fury is seen here at the Pima Air and Space Museum, Tucson, Arizona, in late 1999. This aircraft spent its life as a test aircraft and has been repainted in the colours and markings it wore while conducting 'Buddy’ refuelling tests at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, in the 1950s.
A hoax bomb-warning, found in the toilet of BA 747-400 G-BYGB, resulted in an emergency landing at Berlin Tegel on September 22, 1999. The aircraft, seen with a British Regional ERJ-145, landing on a service from Manchester, later continued its flight to Hong Kong.
Royal Air Cargo has recently acquired Boeing 727-171 C-FPXD (c/n 76658) for parcel operations out of Toronto, Canada. The dark blue-painted aircraft was built in 1968.
Hawaiian Airlines has announced its intention to order Boeing 717s.
An autumn backdrop for No 133560, an ET-133 of No 414 Sqn, CF, a type which now has a retirement date.
Boeing 767-300ER OE-LAZ was delivered to Lauda Air on August 9, 1999, and is the seventh 767 in the fleet. It is configured to hold 36 passengers in business class and 209 in economy, and has a state-of-the-art inflight entertainment system. On August 30, the aircraft departed on an 11-day around-the-world flight for 100 winners in a German newspaper competition.
Algerian start-up operator Antinea Airlines has acquired Boeing 737-200 7T-VVA, seen taxying out at Le Bourget in August 1999.
British Aerospace Aviation Services (BAeAS) delivered its 25th Airbus A300B4 freighter conversion at Filton on October 6, 1999. The aircraft was the second of six for DHL Worldwide Express. The current BAeAS orderbook is for 49 aircraft and 19 options, of which 25 have been delivered.
In the early 1990s British Aerospace decided on a number of improvements to the 146 family, such as digital avionics and integrating a different engine. To emphasise the changes, British Aerospace decided to re-brand the aircraft in 1992 as the Avro Regional Jet, with each model identified by its approximate passenger capacity: RJ70 (former 146-100), RJ85 (former 146-200) and RJ100 (former 146-300).
Specially painted to promote the Avro series of regional jetliners, these Avro RJs illustrate the three family variants which were launched in the early 1990s.
The single biggest order for the RJ was placed by Northwest, and deliveries are currently underway.
BAe 146-300 G-UKSC was due to transfer to Buzz, the new low-fare operator established by KLM. It was seen at Manchester in October 1999.
Side view of the RJ85, drawn to 1:144 scale and, bottom, fuselage cross-section points for the RJ70
Given the long nose of the Swiss EKW C-3605, the pilot, Clive Davidson, sensibly enlisted the aid of a marshal to negotiate the trip to the runway. Lancing College is in the background.
Following on from last month’s photograph of a Tassili Airlines PC-6, the oil support operator has leased this DHC Dash 7-102, C-GFOF, which passed through Prestwick in late-September 1999.
An AMX of 32° Stormo, the unit which recently began an exchange with the Israeli AF.
Custom-built for Charles Lindbergh was the Miles Mohawk G-AEKW, seen here at Heston in 1937. It was finished in black and orange colours.
The M.39B single-seat research aircraft of ‘libellula’ configuration, with George Miles at the controls.
Norwegian-operated Cessna Grand Caravan LN-PBB overran the runway at Sumburgh Airport on September 6, 1999, on a newspaper flight from Inverness. The two crew were unhurt, but the aircraft was badly damaged.
UK WAH-64 Apache ZJ168 made its first flight from GKN Westland’s airfield at Yeovil on August 26, 1999 and in early October visited UK Land HQ at Wilton, where it was shown to Army personnel; 67 have been ordered by the MoD for the AAC.
Excel Air Service, which flies sightseeing tours over Tokyo, took delivery of the first ten-seat Mitsubishi MH2000 on October 1, 1999. The type is Japan’s first indigenous helicopter and received its certificate on September 24.
Jim Pearce’s restored Edgar Percival EP.9 G-APWZ, the only known flying example of its type.
Schweizer 330 N433CK crashed at Helitech on September 29, 1999. The three people on board were unhurt.
Based on the Malibu Mirage, the latest Piper Malibu Meridian single-turboprop business aircraft is considerably different with a marked increase in performance and updated avionics and systems. The PT6A-42A replaces the earlier Teledyne Continental TIO-540 and the wing and tail have been redesigned. In the pressurised interior, the cockpit has the latest colour displays with information presented in analogue and digital format, a Garmin GNS-530 comms/nav system and a GPS. The first of four prototypes flew in August 1998 with the last flying in September 1999. US certification and first deliveries are due in July 2000 and production is currently planned to run at around 30-40 aircraft per year.
Piper Malibu Meridian
'I say! Tell the Captain we’ve lost the wingtip’
For three days in July 1999, BA Boeing 747-400 G-BNLR operated scheduled long-range services from London Heathrow minus the port winglet. Assymetric flight on the aircraft produced no noticeable degradation to its flying characteristics, but fuel burn increased by 2.5% in the cruise. While the practice of operating regularly with just one winglet is not recommended, Boeing’s Despatch Deviation Manual does give clearance to fly safely in this condition. The cause of the deletion? A ground handling incident and the unavailability of a spare.
The 1999 Rugby World Cup is highlighted on Air New Zealand 747-419 ZK-NBW, seen at London Heathrow on September 24, 1999.