Planes and stuff

Portuguese has usually two airships detached at AM3 - Porto Santo. One is the EH-101, the other...the C-295 Due to some problems in the runway, on the edge that gives access to military apron (runway 18), the C-295 is beeing kept at the civil apron. In one hand it makes it easier to photograph it, on the other hand, the location, near the net doesn't allow that much choice on the angles... 16702 early in the morning... It's most comon mission, specially during summer seasson is the Medevacs to Madeira. Porto Santo has an healt care center with ER and some healt cares but more serious stuff has to be send to Madeira... During my stay there, there was at least a couple of Medevacs (at least one in the night) but I didn't got it flying until one day I was on top of Miradouro das Flores and noticed this sound.... The C-295 was making a low-level flight over the sea, bellow my position....fantastic view!!! With the 300D+18-200 on my hand, runned to the back of ...

Got another email from Jetphotos with a photo that's currently in 2nd place, on the Top of last 24h... Not great quality...it's just that kind of pic that calls the atention of people that click on it to check it out.... Sata's A320 CS-TKJ entering final to runway 05 at FNC/LPMA (Madeira)

One of the planes I was looking forward to catch at Porto Santo was PGA's Embraer ERJ-145 that sometimes makes the night flights from Lisbon. It's a model that PGA doesn't bring to Madeira and one that I think it looks rather nice in the simple PGA livery. Ended up getting a few more interesting traffic, like the Ryanair, with the medical emergency  but will be posting on those later... CS-TPJ arrived from Lisbon (LIS / LPPT) and was ready to depart to Porto (OPO / LPPR) Curiously had already photographed this ERJ earlier this year at Porto...check HERE

Still on vacations but was checking my e-mail and noticed a message from Jetphotos, informing me that this photo had been on the Top 4 shots of last 24 Hours... Not many oportunities to make these kind of shots and even with a small Ixus 80 and right (amazing) golden light, the results can be very nice.... After taking off from Lisbon at late afternoon, while turning to Madeira, on board CS-TKO, Sata's lastest A320 with a very nice golden light over Lisbon, Portela Airport (LPPT / LIS) and Montijo Air Base (BA6/LPMT), on the other side of Tagus river.

Probably no posts during next days... On vacations...Still will take the oportunity for some aviation shots but will only upload them later, at home... Around here the traffic is definitelly better than previous years althought nothing too special or too diferent from Madeira...well... at least is a diferent place... See you in a few days...

Last Tuesday we had around here another air ambulance. Just love those Learjet 35 and this one, from Air Med looks rather nice with a simple but pretty livery. It was the second time I photographed this plane (check the first one HERE ) Opposite to the first time, now I didn't manage to get the landing. It arrived from London Oxford (OXF) and was schedulled to depart two hours later to New Castle (NCL). Anyway, it was the first time I noticed something rather curious on the refueling routine... The pilot had already opened the fuel tanks and on both tip tanks, a can of something with a tube into the tank.... Made some googling and looks like its some kind of de-icing for fuel....check HERE Anyone had any more info on this procedure?? making some calls while waiting for the fuel truck... G-JMED

Withrawn from active duty twice (last time, this year), looks like the Portuguese Air Force Pumas are again on the first line to return, for the second time, to active duty. This time with the fire fighting and Civil Protection missions. The Air Force just published a report stating that the Kamov's currently beeing used by EMA (Public Compay that operates the civilian helicopters that operate to the Civil Protection) are of expensive maintenance rather than having these helicopters beeing operated by PoAF, it would be better to sell them and return the Pumas back to operation.... Let's see how it will turn....  

Remember the time when Sata had the Boeing 737 ? With the vacations arriving, remembered sharing some stuff from Porto Santo, taken during 2004 vacations, not long after I started photographic plane spotting.... CS-TGP at dusk in Porto Santo (LPPS / PXO) Curiously this same plane just went to the service with Jet2 last month, as G-GDFE....maybe we'll see it around Madeira again, with the new colors...

Big sunny summer days are allways nice...if well spent, they let you do an all lot of stuff... Yesterday, after work, beach and some more family time, there was still 20 minutes for some spotting, to get the late afternoon traffic with that real nice golden light typical for that time of the day... (although, at Madeira airport, the sun still goes behind the mountains a bit high...) The most expected catch was the Ukrain International Airlines B737, arriving from Kiev... Only had got it once and the time of its arrival is just on the edge of good light or total darkness.... This day, I was luck...no clouds and it arrived just in time for the last light.... (5 mins. earlier would be just perfect...oh well...) the same registration I had already got: UR-PSD this time I managed to get the beacon without too many tries... Anyway, while waiting for the Ukraine, took the time to get the other traffic that was around...nothing too exciting but with this kind of light,...

Talking about publishing...looks like the Spanish Air Force (Eda) display team will be the theme on a new book to be published before the end of the year.... ;) Check a few more pics HERE

Just received today a couple of Airliner World Magazines and a Madeira Airport DVD ... The reason? This magazine is offering a copy of this DVD  for new subscribers and the advertisement of this promo, on the the September Edition, was made using one of my pics,,, Well worth the Photo of the Week for the choosen pic....

For now the only Tuifly's special livery I'm still missing on my archives is the DB Air Two (D-ATUC)... Still, despite having already photographed D-AHFZ (GlücksbringAIR), none of the pics were one of "those"...so, managed to arrange things in order to pass by at the airport for the landing of this Tuifly special livery The sun was shinning on a beautifull afternoon and then...when the plane came, the sun on its tail must have scared the real one that got shy and went behind the clouds....crap.... regular approach and landing with quite some smoke...

A noite passada aconteceu algo de pouco habitual por cá...um apagão que, parece ter sido geral, ao nível da ilha... O companheiro de spotting, Alex aproveitou para fotografar o céu  mas, pelos meus lados, a luminosidade, mesmo com um apagão total é mesmo muito grande... De qualquer forma, aproveitei para algumas fotos que não seriam possíveis com a iluminação normal.... Ficam duas... O Banco com as luzes de emergência e, mais acima, os frequentadores de um bar não desanimaram, acendendo os faróis dos carros, enquanto que, nas ruas, o transito fluía como habitual.... Nas traseiras, os geradores do CC Fórum Madeira, mantinham a coisa bem iluminada...

A secção Regional da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa está com inscrições abertas para novos voluntários. Clique na imagem para mais info:

Today noticed a registration I hadn't met around here for quite a while...D-AHFO. The interesting thing about this one is that last time I photographed it, was wearing some colors I really enjoyed back then...Yellow Cab colors, from Hapag-Lloyd Express.... Personally I rather enjoy seeing it on HLX colors than Air Berlin.... Anyway, passing by the airport, it was departing... Took some general shots and when it was passing by me, on the take off run, noticed something on the nose.... Operated by Tuifly....  Anyway, like I said...the HLX livery looked a lot better...(for me...) Here, caught on a smoky landing, back in 2008....

Time to get back to my pics...and for another Photo of the Week. Last year, during August, Niki made a few flights with the Embraer ERJ-190 ... Those didn't last too long... The ERJ-190 is a plane that I find to be a very good looking one and with the extra that it's a extremely rare bird around here (like I said then...don't remember seeing another ERJ-190 around here and since then neither...) Anyway, only got it once...you can check the photos HERE OE-IHD on final to runway 05

Last Jun.,20th the Sata A320 CS-TKJ had a multiple birdstrike at LPMA  - Madeira during the rotation on the take-off to Copenhagen (CPH). Check the small info I published then HERE Until now, no pics of the landing were known. None of the usual Madeira Spotters were around at the time of landing and no other pics were published on the most known aviation photography sites. These pics would be specially interesting because there was a controversy on the fact that the birdstrike had made one of the cargo doors open in flight and the A320 made the landing with that door open. Speciallists stated that it wasn't possible or if it was open it would be just a little bit... Well, this weekend a foreign spotter sent me some hot shots on this. Sergey Bocharov was on the right spot at the right time! Thanks a lot for sharing these pics, Sergey. Just made a crop on the pics, resized (1200x800) and put a watermark on the pics.... By the way, if anyone out there has any mor...