Planes and stuff

This week Condor said good-bye to its Boeing 757 with a special farewell flight carried by D-ABOM between FRA-VIE-FRA. Condor's B753 were quite an interesting sight around Madeira, for many years...so this deserves a special post with some photos taken over the years... D-ABOB D-ABOM, more HERE D-ABOE, the only 757 cockpit I ever went. 20 years ago, hope everything is running smooth with Capt. Eric Altendorf. Still one of the best welcomes I had. D-ABOI, more HERE D-ABOJ, more HERE Willi, D-ABON, more HERE D-ABOC, more HERE D-ABOA These were really special planes and definitely will be missed around here.

  Willi, Condor's B753 speciall livery made its last flight today... Has been quite a while since I last saw a company Boeing 757-300 (and even more the D-ABON, Willi) around here but definitely, will be missed... More pics of D-ABON, HERE

Condor B753 D-ABON with the Willi special livery departing from runway 05, back to Dusseldorf

 Long time no see Willi..... Condor B753 D-ABON, arriving at Madeira's runway 05, from Frankfurt.... And the departure... The sun totally missed the meeting....

 Today we got another B753, from Condor and, if getting a B753 wasn't rare enough these days, it was D-ABON, carrying the Wir Lieben Fliegen Livery. Some time before the landing, runway in use changed from 05 to 23.... With sun, would be more interesting for the take-off but not that much for the landing... The sun was a bit shy.... Condor A321 D-AIAF starting the taxi to runway 23, while D-ABON was taking off... at the arrival...taxiing to the gate... Departure from runway 23, back to Hamburg...

After a long time, Condor brought it's special livery B753 "Willi"... When it arrived, complained about the crappy weather but actually, it turned out to be the best weather all day long...as meteo kept getting worst until almost no planes could land in the afternoon due to visibility and rain... After lunch and until now, only the small BAe Jetstream that flies the Porto Santo - Madeira route and an Air Force helicopter EH-101 with a MEDEVAC, have landed.... entering the apron, after landing on runway 23  The take off was already made under rain shower... Let's hope I can see it around here under more suitable weather... :)

No...not Mourinho... The first spotting session of 2013 was made specially to photograph Condor's special B753, the D-ABON. Despite the crappy weather, it's still a very nice catch over runway 05  The couple of Air Berlin's I got were an extra...quite new and shinning planes... D-ABMK over runway 05 treshold Made its maiden flight in Nov.2012 The "explosive one" :) CS-TNT, from TAP Portugal D-ABML, also quite new, with the first flight in the end of Nov.2012 Backtracking to the apron, after landing on runway 05 The take-off of DABON For these shots, no sun was good was it would get backlit...

Today, got acepted at Jetphotos.net a cockpit pic of a Boeing 757-300, from Condor (D-ABOE). It was taken back in 2005 in a fantastic meeting I had with a Condor captain with whom I had exchanged some e-mails. D-ABOE cockpit, LPMA, 2005 Anyway, realised that there aren't that many 753 flying these days...so, decided to share a few pics I've taken on these birds... Condor's / Thomas Cook D-ABOL on final to runway 05 D-ABON, with a fantastic special livery, landing on 05, back in 2005 ...and D-ABON, once more, this year and already fitted with winglets...quite a lasting special livery D-ABOK burning rubber in runway 05 D-ABOG, landing on runway 23 D-ABOM taking off from runway 23...

Like I said on last post, today we had a most expected return: D-ABON, Condor's 753 special livery! It's still is a very nice livery and it's interesting to see that it's been there for all these years... Arrived around 8.20 am and I almost got it's landing...dad duties first... Saw it passing by my side at GELO, arriving from Frankfurt... Anyway, with the balcony closed for works, had to find some angles to beat the backlight at that time of the day, which turned out to make some different angles, while parked... Linning up on runway 05 to depart to Munich On the afternoon, it still made a flight from Munich to Madeira and return to Frankfurt... (as I write this, it's entering Madeira Airport TMA...) Weather isn't that good.... LPMA 121700Z 04015KT 9999 TS FEW006 FEW023 BKN060 21/18 Q1011 RS06012KT 0507013KT 2306016KT~

After quite some time, Condor's 757-300 returned to Madeira last week. Immediatelly the first toughts went to the D-ABON , Condor's 753 with the fantastic hearts special livery... Only got it once, back in 2006 on a pic that's not definitelly one of my bests... Will probably be coming to Madeira tomorrow (twice) with the extra that now it has winglets... Let's hope I can manage to get some nice shots as probably I'll only have the oportunity to make some pics on the morning departure.... D-ABON landing on runway 05