Finnair departure

Yesterday's Finnair departure to Helsinki from runway 05 was quite a nice one, with a long take-off and then the wing down right after airborne...

Was driving while they were cleared for take-off and got near the usual place at cantinas just in time to get out and making a few shots while it was passing by...

Here's a couple of them...

A321 OH-LZH departing from runway 05

Photo of the week: Tails

It's allways nice to see a full (or almost) with some variety of planes and airlines...

I guess mondays are still the days of the week with most traffic at Madeira and if the variety of types isn't that much (Airbus medium haul rulling..)  the mix of tails isn't that bad (as for the fuselages, white is winning for a long distance)

The Lufthansa plane is not a regular on mondays..the 2 weekly flights are made on Saturdays but due to the Leslie storm, those flights were changed to monday.

Memory on Finnair

For today, a memory on Finnair's B757 with the previous livery...
The last Finnair B752 has been retired from the airline in 2014...

OH-LBO, was retired in 2013 and is now N903TB, flying for L-3 Communications Advanced Aviation...

Photo of the Week: Christmas in February

Finally, after more than 2 months and way passed Christmas, managed to get Finnair's special reindeer livery... was pretty sure I wouldn't get it...
Thank you Finnair for keeping the spirit up in the air ;)

With a landing with not sun on the side to highlight the reindeer, waited for the take-off and it payed well, on some nice sunny shots....

Photo of the Week: A321 OH-LZL departing back to Helsinki, from runway 23, with another rarity on the apron, a private Embraer 190 (A6-HHS, from Falcon Aviation, getting ready to depart)

Taxi to runway 23

despite the plants and fence, still a nice rotation on a good spot...

Waiting for Christmas...

Finnally, last monday had the oportunity to get Finnair's Christmas livery...A321 OH-LZL with the reindeer....
Altough I didn't know if by the end of February, the Christmas stickers would still be on the plane....Anyway, had been quite a long time since I last had photographed a Finnair...would be worth it anyway, specially with runway 23 in use....

On final to runway 23

Unfortunatelly as it touched down, the runway was quite dark, with no sun at all....it was a bitch..the side shots where we could most see the stickers were quite dull....

Fortunatelly, for the take-off shots, the sun wasn't shy at all and was well worth the wait....more on those later....probably for the next photo of the week...

Photo of the Week: Finnair

From the same day of the SAS (check HERE), finally a Finnair...last year only got it once...also in January...
Landing on runway 23, arriving from Helsinki...

A321 OH-LZI

and with the "cherry" on the top :)

smoke on!

SAS

It's been quite a long time since I last got an SAS (and even more a Finnair...but, more on that, later...)

LN-RGH landing on runway 23

Nordic traffic on the afternoon...SAS LN-GRH together with Finnair OH-LZI
(Like I said, more on the Finnair landing, later...)

Photo of the Week: USAF....oh...wait...Braathens :)

Yesterday, the guys at Lajes (Terceira, Azores) got the Air Force One, with President Obama on its way to the south America.

I remembered getting around here an USAF C-40 with a livery somehow similar to the Air Force One back in 2007 so, decided it was going to be the Photo of the Week but then looked at all the little treasures that I had photographed that day (all now gone), including a Braathen's B737 that I still hadn't processed and published...so Photo of the Week goes for the Braathens...

USAF C-40 50730

Another gone pearl...XL Airways (UK) still with the old livery and with a Canadian registration with "Operated by Sunwing" sticker - C-FTAE

Photo of the Week: Braathens B737-700 LN-TUI...another gone airline..

And, yet another golden catch (despite the quality...)
A Finnair B752 OH-LBO

Finnair

A close-up on the push-back of Finnair's A321 with sharklets OH-LZH, on it's departure back to HEL (Helsinki):

New Photo of the Week: spirit from Christmas past... :)

Looks like this year we won't be having any Christmas livery around here ....so, I'll retrieve one from last year...Finnair's A321 OH-LZL with Santa Claus livery.
Merry Christmas!

First Finnair of the year...

....for me...

Finnair is an usual visitor on Monday afternoons but this was the first time I got it this year...

This is one of those liveries that when I saw the first pics I tough it was awful but after seeing it live I really like it...

OH-LZK arriving at runway 05, from Helsinki

The most ususal construtors around....Boeing (737), from Transavia and Airbus...now with sharklets...

Taking off back to Helsinki...realy like this spot for some take-offs but looks like the sun isn't still on the right spot for it...

Monday afternoon apron

Monday afternoon, with TAP's A319 CS-TTV in front of a mainly nordic apron line, with a couple o SAS planes (B738 and B737), Finnair's A321 OH-LZK and Transavia France.

Week Photo: Santa, by Finnair

Beeing an holliday, today had finally the the oportunity of getting Finnair Christmas special livery.

Finnair's A321 with sharklets OH-LZL arriving from Helsinki with Santa Claus Official Airline livery.

Some of the end of the afternoon traffic, with SAS's LN-RNU on downwind (check the sky) 

Take off back to Helsinki after a big rain and with the light almost gone due to the clouds...

Photo of the Week: Finnair, finnally

Today, Finnair came, finally with another schedulle, just by the end of the morning.
Only had photographed Finnair's A321 on the day of its premiere here, in last year's October (check HERE)

OH-LZL arriving from Helsinki, on final to runway 05

Sunday morning special!

After quite some time, finally made some pics of Thomas Cook OO-TCH with Ice Watch special livery.

Down with white fridge liveries !
At least this one is rainbow colourful :)

After arriving from the Canaries, getting ready to return to Brussels

An overview of Madeira's (LPMA/FNC) apron

The last two ones (A320 Smartlynx YL-LCD and YL-LCA) are going to TAP fleet
Have been here for a few days with some TAP maintenance checks

TAP take off from runway 05, through the tails

HB-VMX TCS Ambulance flight ready to receive its passengers
(Cessna 550B Citation Bravo)

Finnair through the times

As Finnair starts operating the new A321 with Sharklets and new livery to Madeira, I guess it's a good occasion to publish a few memory shots on previous planes/liveries.

I remember Finnair at Madeira with the good old MD :)
Still, I only started photographing planes in 2004 and back then they were already bringing the Boeing 752.

OH-LBO taking off from runway 05 with a livery used a couple of rebrandings ago...
This airplane is already stored (since September 2013)

In 2005 they were already using a new livery and in 2007 got my first Finnair B752 with winglets.

OH-LBT earlier this year, linning up on runway 23
It's one of the 2 only B752 still on duty with Finnair, currently

Finnaly, last week (Oct.27th 2013) Finnair brough its first A321 to Madeira.
It was also the first A321 around here and the first Finnair with the new 2010 livery here. (Check HERE)

OH-LZG, taking off to Helsinki

Week Photo: Finnair: 3 Premiers in a row

Today was finally the day I was expecting for some time: Finnair brought something new and it was 3 times new... :)
They made their first flight with the Airbus A321 which was also the first A321 with sharklets at Madeira and also the first time we had their new livery around here.

On final to runway 05, arriving from Helsinki, Vantaa (HEL/EGHK)
Not taken from the exact location I wanted but it turned out ok, also.

On the back, another bird I usualy don't photograph, despit beeing (in my opinion) one of the best looking liveries around : Edelweiss
More on this later (where the most interesting ended up beeing the passengers and not the plane itself...)

Pushing back to runway 05, for a positioned departure, back to Helsinki

Another first: Finnair

Yesterday was definitely a day of first catches...
Besides getting my first Binter of the year (check HERE), also got the Finnair, for the first time, this year (it was probably the first time I made a Monday afternoon spotting session...)

Didn't manage to get to the airport in time for the arrival so, with runway 23 in use, decided to try something a little bit different, for the departure....

Finnair's B752 OH-LBT lined up in runway 23 with a local spotter making some shots.
If you come to Madeira, it's definitely a place to visit, with runway 23 in use...
Check Google Earth at:
 32°42'26.53"N
 16°45'54.38"W

Dedicating this post to Andreas. When you come to Madeira, this is definitely a must! ;)