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JC Wings BOAC Vickers VC10 Series 1101 G-ARVK Scale 1/200 XX2374

The Vickers VC10-1101, with the registration G-ARVK, had a career intertwined with testing and a notable incident. 

BOAC Service: This VC10 served with British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and then BA

Liveries: G-ARVK sported the classic BOAC "Golden Speedbird" livery during its service. It did serve with Gulf Air and final with the Royal Air force. Do not think it was actually painted in BA red tail livery as it went to Gulf Air in 1975.

 

Test Flight Incident: Information available indicates that G-ARVK was involved in an incident during a test flight for certificate renewal. Details suggest:

A depressurization event occurred around 4,000 feet.

Engine number 4 shut down.

Warning lights for the rear passenger door and galley door came on.

The crew managed the situation and landed the aircraft safely.

G-ARVK's operational history started in 1964 and ended in 1998.

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JC Wings British Airways Concorde Aerospatiale-BAC G-BOAD Scale 1/200 EW2COR001

British Airways Concorde G-BOAD, also known by its hull number 210, had a fascinating journey that mirrored the rise and fall of the supersonic Concorde itself. Here's a glimpse into its history:

Birth and Early Flights (1978): G-BOAD entered service in 1978.

Commercial Operations: It carried passengers at supersonic speeds on various routes for British Airways.

Final Farewell (2003): On November 10th, 2003, G-BOAD flew its last commercial flight from London Heathrow to New York JFK, marking the end of an era for Concorde.

Museum Display: Following its retirement, G-BOAD wasn't scrapped. Instead, it took a scenic route on a barge up the Hudson River, similar to how Space Shuttle external fuel tanks were transported, to its final destination - the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York City. There, it became a prized exhibit for aviation enthusiasts to admire.

G-BOAD's story is a reminder of the technological marvel that Concorde was, and the allure of supersonic travel. If you're interested in learning more about Concorde's broader history, I can share some details about its development and eventual retirement.

 

AZERBAIJAN A320neo AT LONDON GATWICK 26TH APRIL 2024 : Had to dash up again this time to get this beauty. For some reason the livery reminds me of BMI, do no ask me why. Again it was very cold and a chilly wind blowing my way. They changed runways ends so enables me to capture the photos much closer of the aircraft. Lots more coming later so please follow and enjoy these photos. It will inspire me again to go out in the cold. Malcolm at Airspotters.com and also Emptywalls.uk my other photography website.

Here's some interesting information you can share about the Azerbaijan Airbus A320 4K-AZ141:

Multiple Past Identities: The aircraft has worn a few different registrations before its current one, 4K-AZ141. It was previously registered as VP-BTS and F-WWIC, hinting at a possible ownership or leasing history before joining Azerbaijan Airlines.

Globally Traveled: While information on specific routes is limited, photos of the aircraft have been captured at airports in Izmir, Turkey (January 2024) and London, Gatwick (April 2024), indicating it operates on international routes.

Relatively New Aircraft: This Airbus A320, identified by its manufacturer serial number (MSN) 11181, is a fairly new addition to the Azerbaijan Airlines fleet. While the exact date of entry isn't publicly available, photos of the aircraft online date back to January 2024.

Named after a City: 4K-AZ141's registration code adheres to the Azerbaijani aircraft registration format, where the prefix "4K" identifies the country and the suffix can sometimes be linked to a specific city or region. In this case, "AZ141" might be مرتبط با (murtbit ba - related to) Zangilan, a city in southwestern Azerbaijan.

Herpa Wings Tupolev Tu144D Aeroflot Technik-Museum Sinsheim CCCP-77112 Scale 1/200 556323-001

The Tupolev Tu-144D Aeroflot with registration number CCCP-77112 was a supersonic passenger jet that is currently on display at the Technik-Museum Sinsheim in Germany. It was part of the Soviet Union's answer to the Anglo-French Concorde and was one of the first commercial airplanes to achieve supersonic speeds.

Here are some interesting facts about the Tu-144D Aeroflot CCCP-77112:

• The aircraft made its maiden flight in 1979 but never entered regular scheduled service.
• It only completed over 80 test and trail flights.
• It remained in storage for almost 20 years until the Technik-Museum Sinsheim purchased it and ferried it by barge from Moscow to Sinsheim, Germany for display.
• The distance traveled to transport the aircraft was over 4,000 kilometers.

The Tu-144D is a fascinating piece of aviation history, and the Technik-Museum Sinsheim is a great place to see it up close. If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend checking it out.

 

OMG! Qantas A380 FINALLY Lands at London Gatwick - You WON'T BELIEVE the...

LONDON GATWICK QANTAS A380 LANDS EARLY .

What a wake up call for a Monday 530am. I have not got up that early since retiring. It was like work all over again and indeed it was work. It would have been so easy to say stay in bed, I leave it and not go up to Gatwick, but so glad I did. It was raining and cold and a long walk to the spot where I wanted to be.

I saw SDTV walking past and will no doubt catch the take off later.  They are live today at Gatwick and you can see them here https://www.youtube.com/@SDTVLiveAviation . I will upload a short video later on YouTube, but for the best video watch SDTV. 

Please like follow us as well. Cheerio for now Malcolm Airspotters.com

YEOVILTON WHEN CONCORDE WAS OUTSIDE

This is really for the Yeovilton group but will share with the other groups I belong to as well. 1974 was the time this arrived at Yeovilton. Some say it was the proper start of the museum. I was lucky to go then as today the Concorde is stashed away indoors and hard to photograph. I remember thinking this is not like the British Airways one I have seen on the telly.

It was a prototype of course and would vary a lot to the final Concorde. I have been on G-BSST shown here, G-BBDG and G-XDN (was also outside Duxford at the time) , but have never flown on any at all. My favorite is Brooklands as it is in the BA Red tail livery and still remains outside to this day. None will ever fly again sadly. The one at Brooklands, I was there when they were putting it together again.

They used railway line to support the wings. They were threaded inside the wings. I will have to find my pictures of this as I am sure you will love to see them. Local boy scouts were called in to do a lot of the paint prep work too.

Please follow us and like our posts. We always ask but such an easy thing to miss. 90% will view and not like. We need to show blogger we are liked and that is important to maintain our blog.

Malcolm from Airspotters.com

LONDON GATWICK TONIGHT 9TH APRIL 2024

 Twilight is a great time for capturing unique airport photos, with the combination of soft light and the drama of planes landing and taking off.  I did manage to get the China Southern 787 photo I was after? 

I saw a lot of variety with other aircraft coming and going as well. Gatwick is a very busy airport!  There were 3 in a row coming into land at one point. 

I also managed to get a Cathay Pacific out of Heathrow, 

I wish TUI would repaint there 787's. You can still see the Thomson has been blacked out. 

Very lucky to live near Gatwick when you love Aviation like I do. Malcolm