EAA AirVenture 2011 at Oshkosh!

From today until July the 31 is running the "World's Greatest Aviation Celebration" at Oshkosh

To those who won't go there stay tuned in the official EAA Airventure Website and watch daily videos on Youtube produced by AvWeb.com and AeroTV.com

Windy days

Does anyone has Saint Peter's cell number? It was just to ask him if he wouldn't mind to close all the windows and doors. It's windy here.

About my Swiss experience...

A few posts ago I've told you about my experience on my trip to Switzerland. The Airline, aircraft, airports, etc. Now this post is to talk about something a bit different from this Alpine paradise.

Those who are related to the business aviation or at least have knowledge about the subject are well familiar with one or two Swiss aerodromes such as Samedan at St. Moritz. But Switzerland isn't just business aviation with aerodromes near the ski resorts. As a matter of fact on a train trip from Geneva Aeroport to Brig, a small city in the Canton of Valais I saw 5 airfields and could count more two that are the Geneva Airport and de Lausanne Aerodrome. I mean this was only in a space of a Inter regional train 2 hour trip, amazing. Two of the airfields had a well treated and seem in top condition grass strip, the rest were all with concrete or tarmac runways.

But of course that an airfield without aircraft isn't interesting but fact is that except one aerodrome all the others had light airplanes, light helicopters and a huge quantity of gliders, I must say that I'm in live with this. One of these airfields is Sion Airport witch is a regional airport not bigger than Cascais in Portugal and approximately the same type of normal operation such as air schools, business jets, commuters and some helicopters, here there was also helicopters and airplanes for crop dusting. Interesting.

On the first day of my time in Lausanne suddenly I heard a familiar noise that sounded like a radial aircraft engine and as I was in a very beautiful wood tower in a high point of Lausanne soon I've started looking at the sky for the origin of this noise. Small sparkling in the eyes and there he was, a very beautiful Navy Blue WWII aircraft. Now that's one thing that I wasn't prepared to see in Lausanne. First with the cloudy sky and the distance I thought that the "flying musem" was something like a Curtiss Hell Diver but in a research here at home I found out that it is a General Motors TBM3.

And what a machine!

Resuming if I found out that the swiss living conditions are very good there are no doubts about it. Now, would I leave Portugal to go a live there in the case of a Flying Job? You bet I will.

Paris Air Show 2011 - Eurocopter X3

New Engine options presented at Paris Airshow

On the way back to Lisbon

On the last Post I described my trip to Lausanne, Switzerland. Now here's the way back to Lisbon.

First there was the train ride from Lausanne to Geneva in order to get to the Airport. The check in went normally without problems and the queue wasn't long as it was early  for my flight. After a coffee and a small internet consult, about that internet in Geneva Airport has 1 hour free all you have to do is sending your cell number to receive the password, as I was saying after the coffee I've headed for the security checks witch I think are getting to small for the number of passengers but very well organized witch allowed to walk through without major delays.

The boarding went normally and there I was again in an Airbus A319 from Iberia. Now there was a special thing about this aircraft. It's name was the "Lince Ibérico", Iberian Lynx, in all seats among with safety card a on board magazine there was the explanation of the name of the aircraft. Normally Iberia names their aircraft with personality names but this was different. On the flyer there was a small text about the Iberian Lynx witch is the only wild cat close to extinction. There are only small groups mostly in Spain that live in pure freedom  and there are several tries in Spain and Portugal with a moderate success to reproduce the species in natural reserves and specially made parks to that effect.

After flying on the "Lynx" there I was again on Terminal 4 of Madrid Barajas and after another smooth landing I really start to think seriously about the best landing contest thing.

This final leg started in the worst way... with a delay. Well it wasn't a huge delay just about 30 minutes but still a delay. You have to do it better Iberia.

With a good tail wind and a fast boarding the delay was practically recovered and at the time of landing there was only a 10 minutes delay witch is a good recovery.

The landing at Lisbon Airport wasn't so smooth as the rest of this journeys landings due to some cross winds and turbulence on final of runway 03 but even though a good one.

Balance of this trip: first of all I would like to express here my appreciation  for the sympathy of the Iberia crews not perfect but very good; second I think that the flights went very normally without anything abnormal to report about the them; third the price was really a good price and the turnaround at Madrid is no sacrifice after all I'm a Pilot.

One thing I think isn't so good but I understand due to the economical situation of Europe and specially Airlines, you see there was no catering service unless you pay and a Sandwich at 7€ is to much I'm sorry after all Iberia is still a Flag Airline not a low cost that treats passengers as cattle sometimes. But there are economical reasons for this and the competition for the internal routes in Europe is at it's top and of course with the competition of the low cost airlines reducing anything on board is a tough competition and the truth is that my tickets were cheaper than Easy Jet's cheapest ticket when I bought them so let's think it compensates the sacrifice.

Flight trip to Geneva with Iberia

Las week I went on a trip to Lausanne, Switzerland. About a month ago I've started to prepare this journey and when I looked at the tickets price it was very interesting that the only low cost airline that flies to Geneva didn't have the lowest prices. The lowest price airline that could take me from Lisbon to Geneva was Iberia. Only with a small issue, a scale at Madrid Barajas Int Airport. Even though this wasn't so bad at all I mean, I love airplanes so what could be better than a two leg trip instead of one leg? He He.

First part of the journey was in an Airbus A320 that left Lisbon quite on time with a rolling take off and if it wasn't the massive air traffic in Madrid it would arrive earlier than the predicted. The flight was normal with no problems at all and the landing was very very smooth, my congrats to the cockpit team.

Soon the airplane stopped at the terminal 4 of Madrid Barajas Airport and there I was at this very recent terminal completely adapted to the reality of the increasing commercial aviation demands. As it was only a one hour and a half wait I decided to walk in the terminal watching the commercial areas but always with the other eye on the aircraft outside that could be seen from this massive windows.

The terminal seems to me that it's well organized and has everything to don't let you to get lost or lose your flight. One remark, the PA system doesn't warns about the flights to you have to consult the terminal departures boards but even that it's very easy because there are so many.

After finding the gate of my flight I've embarked on an Airbus A319 and headed for Geneva.

This second leg went as the first one just a bit longer as this one was a 2 hour leg and the other one was a 1h10m leg. The flight went with no remarks of anything abnormal and the landing was very smooth once more these guys at Iberia might have some kind of competition to see who gets the smoother landing I think.

After Geneva another passion of mine: trains, Lausanne here I go.

Safety Report – 07/14/2011 – Delta 767 Clips Vertical Fin of Bombardier Regional Jet

From: Flightstory.net

Date: 07/14/2011 07:56pm
Location: Boston, MA

Aircraft Type: Boeing 767-300 Registration: Unknown
Operator: Delta Air Lines Flight: 266
and
Aircraft Type: Bombardier CL-600-2D24 Regional Jet CRJ-900ERRegistration: N132EV
Operator: Atlantic Southwest Airlines (Delta Connection) Flight: 4909

Phase: Taxi
Level of Damage: Unknown
Injuries & Fatalities: None

With its left wingtip, Delta Airlines flight 266 bound from Boston to Amsterdam clipped the vertical stabilizer of Atlantic Southwest Airlines (Delta Connection) flight 4909, a Bombardier CRJ-900ER (N132EV). The collision occured while both planes were taxiiing for departure. Damage to the Bombardier vertical fin has been pretty bad as you can see in the photo below. NTSB is investigating.

Photo: Boston Herald, Mark Garfinkel/AP

Photo: Boston Herald, Mark Garfinkel/AP

Airbus delivers 800th A330

Airbus has recently delivered it's 800th A330 to Aircastle Advisor Ltd for operation with Hainan Airlines, this airplane is a A330-200F and it's the third one flying with HNA colours. Until now have been ordered about 1140 A330s around the world and the A330 family has accumulated more than 14 million hours flight time.

Photo: Airbus

Flying... as passenger :(

Probably some of you have already questioned why this blog isn't being updated with regularity. The truth is that I'm passing through a period with almost no flights and no news to tell. Sadly I must say but there are no news about new flights or flying jobs that I had been called to respond to innumerable CVs sent already, some of them to some remote regions of the globe, but that's the life of a low time pilot.

So tomorrow I'll embark in some flights but as a passenger. Destination: Lausanne, Switzerland. Firts leg from Lisbon, LIS, to Madrid, MAD, and then to Geneva, GVA, finally by train to Lausanne. This will be my first flight in Iberia the Spanish flag Airline let's see if "nuestros hermanos" can convince me as a passenger.