Planes and stuff

More than 10 years ago and still one of my favorite movements ever at Madeira. A previously unprocessed and unpublished pic of US Coast Guard C-130J 2005 at Madeira. Back then it was based at Elisabeth City USCG Air Station .

Back to April, also on the day of Brussels Smurf (check HERE ), Condor time... Thursdays are usually a strong day's for the german airline with several planes trough the day... On the afternoon, the departure of A321 D-AIAC, with its "brother" D-AIAH waiting of the runway and smaller A320 D-AICH on the apron, still with the older colors: First pic I publish here of D-AIAC....on the right, Portuguese Air Force C-295 16711 was performing a MEDEVAC mission from Porto Santo (Check HERE )

Today, a bit of stuff for the Photo of the Week...not really on the mood for planes... Zaanse Schans... a really nice place, although being essencially a tourist place, is well worth the visit...specially if you manage to dodge the rain :)

No...no talking about the Police... Back to Amsterdam, a shot of KLM B737 PH-BGH.... I guess, the dificulty here is getting just one....still with a bigger "brother" on the back, an A330... By the way...a good moment to remember the only time I got KLM colors at Madeira... Check HERE

From the day we got Brussels Smurfs (check HERE), a shot that ilustrates how nice it is this spotting location. The "rampas" This is 1 of 2 local roads behind the airport, with public access and a great view, (on the afternoon, for photographing) over Madeira's airport apron, runway 05 landing's or runway 23 take-off's Google Maps :  32.692648, -16.782913

Probably influence of the British Royal wedding, this weekend but decided to give this photo of the Week to British Airways A320 G-GATH landing on runway 23 with a bit of wind, on the same day of the first shots on B738MAX (check HERE ) Like I said...a bit windy...

This week we had a factory Airbus A321NEO doing some tests at Madeira airport, with some TAP pilots (and factory), according to some media... Don't really know if they were testing the plane for TAP or the winds for the aeronautical authorities for the famous winds study at Madeira Airport... Anyway, despite I'm not specially proud of the results, it's a great catch for the personal record... After arriving from Beja, it refueled and then departed for quite a few (15?) touch&go's before proceeding back to Toulouse...when I got back to Funchal it was still making T&G's Going around due to windshear Pushing back after refueling...allways nice to see those big engines of the NEO taxi Pratt&Whitney engines... take-off one of the landings, with the beacon... a bit of wind for the touchdown....

Back to April, to the day of the first shots of the B738MAX (check HERE ), a click on the departure of Volotea's A319 EC-MTN, from runway 23

Yeah...I know it's a corny title... ;) Anyway, just as Thomas Cook Uk resumed its flights to Madeira I tought of getting this one. After all, allways liked Monarch's livery (specially on the A321) and (in my opinion) this hybrid livery looks a lot better than the regular Thomas Cook one.... Despite the good weather a few km from the airport, at LPMA it was dark and raining... Didn't managed to get the landing but, still managed a quick touch&go of my own for its departure... G-TCVB (former Monarch's G-ZBAE) pushing back to ruway 05 Departure with the beacons :) Not too shiny but still, hardly ever get them, so it's nice enough :)

A bit of stuff...for a change on planes... Not a big Eurovision song contest show fan (hell...not a fan at all...) but as it took place in Portugal, decided to see the final... Won't even comment the winnner...nor the Portuguese song... Definitely loved the Estonia song...I know it's probably not that kind of contest type of song but it was really amazing...the voice, the music and the presentation and light show on her dress....Top indeed! Congratulations Estonia (and Elina Nechayeva)

On the same day of Brussels Airlines Smurf, OO-SND (Check HERE ), we also got another rare visitor... Privilege B767 on a charter flight (the first of a few flights) due to a Medical Meeting... EC-LZO on final to runway 05 A little bit of wind, over the runway... Stickers of the Medical company that charted the plane....

Gibraltar, despite its low amount of traffic, is definitely an interesting airport to visit... Didn't took many pics this time but it's allways interesting when, in your car, you have to hold short of the runway and need a clearance to "taxi" trough the runway after the passing traffic :) (well... in this case, the "clearance" is given by the police, lifting the barriers and spike strip...) Easyjet A319 OK-LKM coming to a stop in the runway / street intersection

Quite a few months after Easyjet started flying with the A320 NEO to Madeira, finally made my first shots of the bird, last sunday... Got it arriving from London Gatwick... G-UZHA about to land on runway 05 After getting a glimps of one of these birds at AMS and failing lots of their flights from LGW to Madeira, finally, last Sunday, had the oportunity of beeing at Santa Cruz at the right time to get it... I guess this one should be mum's NEO, as last Sunday was Mother's Day in Portugal and that was the only reason I was around....

Por hoje fica um registo de um Embraer 195LR da Air Europa Express, a dar um toque diferente a uma paisagem TAP em Lisboa EC-KYP, a preparar o embarque...ao fundo, o CS-TOV, o A333 retro da TAP, a dar um arzinho da sua cauda, poucos dias antes de vir à Madeira, pela primeira vez. Ver AQUI

Allways liked those action pics where you can fit a few planes on the framing...lately hadn't been doing many of those. On the day I went photographing, for the first time, the B738MAX (Tui Belgium OO-MAX, check HERE ), managed to get this one also, more interesting specially because Transavia usually makes short take-offs and on this day, it made a real slow departure up in the air...also...no Airbus on the pic :) That's dificult, here... Transavia France F-HTVJ departing with Luxair's LX-LGV finishing push-back and TUI Netherlands PH-TFB and TUI Belgian B738MAX OO-MAX on the stands

This summer season, Thomas Cook started using a Thomas Cook Balearic A320 for one of its flights from Germany to Madeira. It's definitely something diferent around here, a Thomas Cook with spanish registration :) EC-MTJ on final to runway 05 After getting it for the first time with the cell phone, while gettting out of my plane, now some "decent" shots of it :) entering the stand with one of the hilights of the day on the back, Brussels "Smurfs" special livery, for the first time at Madeira. Check HERE

Alguns orgãos de comunicação social noticiaram hoje o anúncio de fecho efetivo das operações, a partir de Junho, da SBA, tal como da também Venezuelana Aserca. Seria apenas mais uma companhia de um país sul-americano, não fosse o facto de estar ligada à Madeira pelo facto de ter, durante uns tempos, feito ligações entre Caracas e a Madeira. Fica um dos registos feitos por cá, para recordar.... Após o rebranding ficou com umas cores fantásticas... A notícia, AQUI

From the same day of TAP's A330 retro CS-TOV (check HERE ), TUI Airways B738 G-FDZB departing from runway 23... The first pics of this airline I publish from this year...

A shot made while taking off from Lisbon's runway 21... Terminal 2 (aka barracão) apron crowded with Ryanair's (and a lonely Easyjet finishing push-back)

Last Friday we got, for the first time, Brussels Smurfs special livery. It looks really fantastic (as all the other Brussels special liveries, by the way....) Arriving from Brussels, around 17:25, it's a more interesting hour (light regarding) than the previous schedulle of sunday at the end of the morning... OO-SND The approach was windy and the touch down just a little bit longer than usual (for many of the planes, this day) Pushing back, with the other highlight of the day....Privilege B767 EC-LZO that came with on  charter flight on behalf of Acuna Fombona, for a medical conference at Madeira. The father smurf is the F/O and Smurfette is the Captain...in this case was about right, as the Captain was a woman and one of the nicest captains I've met ;)