Planes and stuff

 The recent events reminded me about the only time I photographed an F-15...A USAF F-15E, from Lakenheath Air Base Paris Air Show, Le Bourget 2009: Registration / Serial: 96-0201 Alternate Serial: AF96-201 Military Code: LN Aircraft Original Type: McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle Aircraft Generic Type: Boeing F-15 Eagle Aircraft Version: Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle C/n (msn): 1331/E211 BTW....3x0 to Kuwait Air Force... 

 Looks like yesterday, the KC-10 Extender made its last flight with USAF. As far as I know, we only had one of those at Madeira, 84-0186, back in August 2005 Check some more pics, HERE A print from FlightRadar24 Facebook:

From yesterday, another rare small military bird: A C-21A (a Learjet 35A), from United States Air Force Europe (registration 40087 / 84-0087), arriving from Faro (FAO/LPFR). Departed to Ramstein Air Base, during the afternoon... Curiously, had already got it back in 2011 (Check HERE )

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

O dia D foi há precisamente 70 anos. Fica um registo de um C-47 (42-100558) presente em Le Bourget, com a pintura alusiva ao dia D, nomeadamente as riscas alvi-negras que foram pintadas nos aparelhos aliados para serem devidamente identificados aquando das operações no dia do desembarque (e dias posteriores...) Infelizmente, fico com a ideia que pouco se aprendeu, ou que pelo menos, o que se aprendeu já começa a ser esquecido novamente, apesar dos bonitos discursos que sempre são feitos nestas alturas...

Last Wednesday we got what was most probably the year's highlight: a Boeing C17A Globemaster III from USAF's Mobility Command. USAF planes aren't that usual around here and one of these big birds, even less.... (not sure if it was the first or second time but was probably the first time) Definitly pic of the week: landing on 05 It came from Ramstein Air Base   to make the medevac of 1 US military that was at Madeira (yeah...probably not the John Doe soldier...) The news on its arrival came in with a very short notice and most of guys dropped off everything and went running to the airport... Good thing that they weren't used to be around and looked to be a little bit "lost"....it gaves us time to get to the airport. The famous approach to 05 was made with a way loooooong downwind making it a strange and looong final over land and sea... (definitly GELO didn't mean anything to them....) On final to runway 05 On the apron, with the a...

Bem sei que o ano ainda nem vai a meio mas, ontem tivemos o que será, com toda a probabilidade, o Movimento do Ano, no Aeroporto da Madeira: um Boeing C-17A Globemaster III, da Força Aérea Norte-Americana. Por agora fica apenas esta imagem, assinalando a mudança de cabeçalho no blog. O resto das fotos, lá para amanhã ou sábado, já que alguma delas há de servir para foto da semana que se avizinha... Entretanto, não podia deixar de assinalar uma outra coisa que se salientou ontem de uma forma brutal, tal como em anteriores ocasiões idênticas: A Irmandade do Spotting em movimento... :) Se há coisa que dê mais gozo do que apanhar estes movimentos, é fazê-lo partilhando o momento com aqueles que têm a paixão do spotting, tal como nós, e ontem isso viu-se como já não me lembrava nos últimos tempos, a tentativa de avisar o máximo número de pessoas, por telefone, por sms, por Facebook, de Santa Cruz, ao Funchal e do Porto a Lisboa, o pessoal desdobrou-se em contactos ansiosos com o máx...

This week was playing around with some pics taken on last vacations and it doesn't look too bad... Hope you like it too...a couple of Curtiss P-40 Warkhawks (replicas)...

Remember the USAF KC-10 ( 84-0186) from a couple of entries ago (check HERE )? Here's a few more details on this big bird... Looks like the refueller also can get refuelled... A nice detail...it's almost like looking at a model with an open cut, so we can se the inside... This one was configured with some passenger seats, besides the cargo and fuel areas A close-up on guidance lights for the refueling systems As far as I know it was the only time we got one of these around here...(here with 2005, a C-130J from USCG)

Was reading some online news today, when I remembered that North-Americans celebrate its independence today... Congrats! It's a nice reason to share some pics of US Military Planes around here...(not usual visitors...) USCG C-130J 2005 together with an USAF KC-10 Extender ( 84-0186) 05-0730, a beautifull USAF C-40 (737) 40087, small Learjet from (C-21) from USAFE(urope), with TF-BBE, from Bluebird Cargo entering the apron and yet another pic of the KC-10 Stratotanker.... As far as I know it was the only time we got one of these around here... 2006, another C-130J from USCG that was here the same time the KC-10 and the 2005

No...it's not the title of a joke... Today we had, for the first time (as far as I know) a Korean Air plane. Although it wasn't wearing full airline livery (was a BBJ) it's still one of the best catches of the Year... Arrived early in the morning, after a flight through the Atlantic, from Atlanta (ATL/KATL). on final to runway 05 with very nice golden light... HL8222 Taxi to Alpha 11 for a night-stop. Also on the apron, after a night stop there was 40087, a C-21 from USAFE (United States Air Force Europe) (with TF-BBE, from Bluebird Cargo arriving, on the back, from Lisbon, on the daily cargo flight to Agroar) The kind of pic you don't get accepted at Airliners.net or Jetphotos.net While waiting for the Korean, took some time to register the magnificent sunrise, behind Desertas

Once again, was still unsure of what pic I'de choose for this week's photo but, this afernoon, while talking to my colleague about the curiosity of beeing 06/06, realised that it was the aniversary of " D DAY " and instantly remembered this fantastic C-47 at Le Bourget that I had photographed back in 2005, bearing the colors of an American C-47 during that operation, with the white and black stripes... Decided that it would make a nice pick for this Week's photo...(and gave it a litle bit of a processing to make it more on the spirit of D-Day.... ;) ) 42-100558 at the Air Museum of Le Bourget.  Preserved at the Musée de l'Air since 1970, but in 2004 it was repainted in these fake colours. It now represents USAAF 42-100558 'Buzz Buggy', but it is in fact ex FAF 92449, F-BEFB, USAAF 42-92449.

On a weekend that the Portuguese Spotters were on the hunt for the Air Force One, at Lisbon, it's a good time to share a couple of pics of something closer (at least in the livery....lol) to that one.... It looks really nice in this livery and like the Air Force One this Weekend, this one was also here due to a NATO meeting...

These last days we've had some unsuall night-stoppers at Madeira, due to weather conditions not only in Madeira but also in the rest of Europe. Last Sunday, Primera had to divert to Porto Santo and then it came a few hours later to Madeira but, probably due to flight limits of the crew it stayed for the night, departing Monday morning. Monday, Luxair arrived about 3 hours later and stayed also for the night, departing this morning. Unfortunately didn't get any night shots of these birds so, decided to share a couple of very unusual night-stoppers... The first and only time we had a KC-10 around here and it ended up staying a few more days than expected due to a technical problem. The C-130 was one of the new J versions for the US Coast Guard. As far as I know it was also the first and only time we had these around here. We had the regs. 2005 and 2006 from USCG, scales related to the presence of a USCG ship that was in Funchal port. US military traffic is more the Laj...