Planes and stuff

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...

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

Last March, 28th Transavia France made its premiere on domestic flights to Madeira. It started the (Paris) Porto - Madeira - Porto (Paris) route. A local newspaper stated that the first flight would be received by the Fire Dept. water canons so I decided to go to the area behind the apron...there would be plenty of days to photograph regular landings but a water canon "bath" is allways something special.... I got late and when I arrived at the area behind the apron, noticed that there wasn't going on any kind of movements from the Fire Dept. and realised that there wasn't gona be any "bath"... Though of going for the landing but by then, the plane was already coming into final...no time for the landing...stayed there just for the record...planes slowly taxiing aren't really my favorites.... Landed on 23.... Lots of people on the balcony but at that time, TAP's A330 was preparing to depart to Caracas, which also brings a lot of people to the airpo...

A couple of weeks ago, Sata's ATP at Madeira got grounded with tail rudder problems, due to strong winds... Yesterday...it was still grounded, for obvious causes...LOL There's been another ATP replacing this one but is also sufering some problems, like a couple of days ago, when it had to stay at Porto Santo, due to altimeter problems....

Last Saturday, a couple of outside spotters were around for a spotting day at Madeira. The main purpose: to get the SBA's 767, in the morning. I only joined them at lunch time for a "espetada" on a nearby restaurant, after which we went around before the rest of the afternoon traffic. The first place we went was the old Noratlas, a well known wreckage at Água de Pena, near the airport. This was Portuguese Air Force Noratlas 6419 that sufered a terrorist atack with a bomb, back in 1975, carried through by FLAMA , an independentist group that was quite active back then. PoAF took the usable stuff and made a public sell of the wreckage. Runway 23 quite visible, from the cockpit. After a visit to under the runway 23 (which has an area of playgrounds and several sports) we went behind the airport, for a catch of CS-TNN take off, from runway 23. An early take off, so no interesting background... . With no more more traffic to take off, it was time to go for t...