Mensagens

A mostrar mensagens de maio, 2010

New photo of the Week - 4 Years ago....

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Usually, I keep more personal stuff out of the blog but, this week decided to make an exception... 4 Years ago, around this time, I was outside the operating room, in a quite anxious state. Life was about to change even more than those last 9 months... It hadn't been easy months but it managed to get to that point, and about to became more "real"... Some time after 9a.m., a nurse came out with a little car bringing what it seemed to be just a bunch of bedding clothes, wrapped around....well, it wasn't just clothes.... Happy Birthday!

Military...

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It's been a busy week, with virtually no posts at all... Last weekend was Monte Real Air Base aniversary. That's the base were Sqn.201 and 301 (F-16's) are stationed. They organised a spotters day/open day base and during this week national spotters have been publishing photos of the event. I must admit I still haven't seen much of it.... Anyway, around here, F-16's (or pretty much any kind of military planes, exception made for the PoAF C-130 , C-295 and C-212 ) are quite rare birds... Next month we'll have PoAF Celebrations around here, so maybe we'll have finally the oportunity to see some great mil.traffic and operations.... Definitely the "100" should be a confirmed presence...but the real interest should be in more flyable stuff...lets hope those come too.... :))

Arkefly

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The only time I went to the airport just to photograph an Arkefly was on the day of its premiere . That Tui livery (boring blue, as I call it...) isn't defnitely a thing to make you want to wake up early on a Sunday morning, so I hadn't any other photos of that airline... This summer season it started coming on other days of the week, still wasn't going on purpose just to it but on the day after the ashes I was there for the other traffic when Arkefly landed, from Amsterdam. Entering the apron with the early morning sun, managed to give a nice look for the boring blue.... For the departure back to Amsterdam, the sun had already gone.. The take-off wan't too late but still, this is a 500mmm shot...

Air Force Celebrations at Madeira

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Some more info added, with dates/locations and schedulles of the events. Check HERE Mais alguma informação adicionada, com datas/locais e horários dos eventos Ver AQUI

New Photo of the Week - Wet reverse

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This Week's photo is one that I just got rejected by Airliners ... Well, too bad...It's one of my favorites from the ones I've taken lately... Actually, the last pics they rejected were some that I though to be really nice......(and I still think they are....)... Probably will end up beeing acepted by any other screener, some time from now...

Condor by White

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Last Thursday noticed, on the afternoon, that the Condor flight was beeing made by CS-TQK , from White . The week before the same had already happened but as it was a first day of flights after a the ashes shut the airport for a few days, thought that it was related to the need of extra flights.... Didn't go to the airport the last week but on the one before, did get that White , making a Condor flight in the morning (it came back on the afternoon, although I didn't get it then) It was a rainy early morning and the little sun was on the wrong place...ISO400 and 1/250 at 363mm... Defnitely not the best conditions.... After a few arrivals we went to the terminal's balcony to shot the departures and other arrivals, as runway in use changed to 23 and on the "cargo", we get nothing of that runway. Wind wasn't too strong or steady. While the White pushed back to runway 23, on the back, the other "catch" of the day, a rare B767 from Euroatlantic

Getting the rudder back

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A few days ago I wondered when would CS-TGL fly again ? Well, last Thursday, besides the interest of all the traffic that came to retrieve the passengers held by a few days of airspace closed due to the ashes, I had the luck to see the operation to mount the tail rudder back on CS-TGL . Was told that it might leave tomorow to Ponta Delgada. If so, then these were the last pics I took of it, as tomorow I won't be going for sure to the airport.... Getting things ready behind the tail... Meanwhile, just a few meters away, new generation of prop transportation was continuing the legacy of the old ATP...

New Photo of the Week - 6 Years of Madeira Spotters

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Last Weekend Madeira Spotters made something diferent for it usual monthly meeting. This is the month the Association is celebrating its 6 years so the meeting was organized at Mr. António Abreu's barbecue with a great balcony for LPMA. Too bad the sun didn't come to the meeting (the rain did...) but important was the gathering the time well spent with the guys. Too bad not everyone could come... After all, planes are great and photography also but friendship we create with a lot of other people with the same interests than us is much more important! A special thanks to Mr.António Abreu.

One of the best....

Today was one of the best days for spotting at LPMA - Madeira, since I can remember. After a few days with the airports closed it was time to get all the people out.... It was also probably the day with the most wide-bodies and a fantastic variety of traffic since ever (or at least since I can remember....) Only been to the airport until 11am but anyway, still managed to get some shots that are probably worth to share...soon....

Traffic's back

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It's nice to see that finally the traffic is back to Madeira. There are still many flights cancelled but some airlines already started to go regular on Madeira. The first airline to arrive was Niki, with OE-LET, from Vienna. Haven't been to the airport today but, it's good ocasion to share of couple of pics from last week. It was a long time since I last had photographed a Niki. It was a dark early morning but still it made some nice reflections of the fuselage... A nice detail on the wing tips Still today, an highlight to OO-TCN "Kim Clijsters", from Thomas Cook and the Austrian, with an A319 (OE-LDG) that came in the afternoon. A few more traffic is expected for today, let's hope things get to normal state soon.

Half Walkaround on the French Stratotanker

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Still no traffic today at Madeira. The ashes are really giving a hard time to aviation and everything else depending on it... Anyway, still lots of traffic to share from last weeks... This one could be the military traffic of the year, if the PoAF wouldn't be making its celebrations at Madeira, this Year (at least I hope that the PoAF can really make the celebrations worth it, around here....) Anyway, it was the first time I had the oportunity to shoot and have a close look to a 707 or, in this case, a C-135.... Somehow, the US KC-135 look more imponent on photos than this one, anyway, my own photos didn't turned out nothing special....a big thumbs up for the guys at Lajes that can make those amazing military photos! It landed on runway 23 on the very beggining of the runway, when it got near us it was already coming on the runway... Like we talked about then, I guess the last 4 jet plane that was around here was the inaugural 747.... Looking in this perspective it l

Ashes....

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The ashes from the Icelandic vulcano are still making damage on the air traffic... This was the situation of the flights to Madeira a few minutes ago... I supposed that all the other on which there's no info, won't be coming too....

New Photo of the Week - Going around

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This Week was hesitating between 2 pics, for the Photo of the Week. Decided for this one just because it has more red than the other one....LOL...portuguese will understand.... (it's a criteria just as good as any other.... :)) Anyway, last Saturday went to the airport at the afternoon, thinking it would be a good afternoon of spotting with some nice traffic, including the unusual Euroatlantic B757, bringing Braga team and supporters to the game with C.D.Nacional.... Well...glad there were quite a few guys, so we were in a nice chat... The weather was quite unstable and the wind also, with the runway in use changing a lot of times and even then, planes were getting tail winds on final to the runway in use. This Air Berlin , in particular, was coming to runway 05 and started getting quite strong tail winds...made  a go-around and entered directly into the circuit to runway 23 getting also some tail winds but landing ok. On the take-off, wind also didn't make things eas

Parabéns aos Vermelhos...

Confesso que não ligo mesmo nada a futebol mas, quando me explicaram, na semana passada, o ponto de situação do campeonato no pontapé de saída para a última jornada, não pude deixar de ficar curioso em acompanhar os resultados (só mesmo os resultados....não tenho paciência para ver um jogo de futebol, de início ao fim....) do Benfica, Nacional-Braga e Marítimo. Cresci numa família (Pai e Irmão) de Portistas mas, sinceramente, agora (sacrilégio.....), normalmente pouco me interessa se o FêQêPê ganha ou perde (ou qualquer outra equipa...). De qualquer forma, iria sentir algum prazer em saber que o Braga tinha ganho o campeonato, não por qualquer sentimento anti-Benfiquista, simplesmente por achar interessante que uma equipa como o S.C.Braga desse uma "abada" nos três "Grandes", ficando em primeiro lugar... De qualquer forma, Parabéns aos Benfiquistas, pelo Campeonato e....vejam lá se acalmam a apitaria que amanhã é dia de levantar cedo.... ;P

When?....

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When will it fly again? Any news on the CS-TGL ?

A Swiss Air Berlin

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Often, the Air Berlin flight from Zurich is made with Belair planes , that despite the Air Berlin full livery, bear the Swiss flag and registration. Despite being a litle used to it, I still find curious to see the Swiss flag/reg on that livery. This one landed on runway 23.... And took-off from runway 05....

Travel Service by Smartwings

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This afternoon is Travel Service day. Let's see what will they bring us today. There's some interesting stuff that they could bring so, let's hope they don't come with the regular livery.... Last April, 24th they came at night with a Smartwings plane, wich is allways a great catch around here due to the colorfull and nice livery and also because it's very rare... As far as I know there was only one other ocasion Smartwings was here. It was in 2005 and I caught it's arrival together with the already gone Tony Silva...... You can check the pics HERE Anyway, a couple of pics from last April, 24th....

New Photo of the Week - A Tuifly special

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Since Tuifly restarted flying to Madeira, the hunt began for the companies new special liveries. On the week before Easter they brought a couple of them in the same day, unortunately was no good for me, as I couldn't go. The most usual one around here has been the blue Haribo , which I had already photographed last year, but finally, last week, they brought a new one (for me at least...some of the other guys had already got it). It was the one advertising a German car....(Hey...not saying the name, unlesse they pay me good bucks!! ) ;-P Got a couple more pics of it but I guess the light poles were feeling photogenic that day.... More on that later....