19205 makes 4k Flight Hours in EUNavFor Mission in Somalia region

In July the 22nd the Portuguese Navy Helicopter Westland Lynx Tail number 19205 reached 4000 hours of flight during its mission in the Aden Gulf and Indian Ocean.
The 19205 now called "Playboy" as it's called after the flight detachment assigned flies in Somalia region for the second time as the first was in 2011 with the Fénix detachment witch I was part of.
This Helicopter is the last of the Portuguese Navy Helicopter fleet of five Westland Super Lynx Mk95 that now operate from the "Vasco da Gama" class frigates and "Bartolomeu Dias" class frigates.

As note to readers recently the Portuguese Navy Helicopters reached the total number of 20,000 hours of flight divided by Five helicopters.

Couldn't forget the guys of "Playboy Flight" detachment operating from N.R.P. "Alvares Cabral" and from here send a huge  hug to all and wish you all a safe return home. Oh, and Guys please take some pictures of those special nose/side arts will you?

There's EAA's Oshkosh 2013

EAA's Instagram

Some Blogs Facebook pages and YouTube channels from american friends aviation press and associations are almost bombing Me with information regarding this years EAA's Oshkosh Spirit of Aviation. I still think that this is a trip of a lifetime to Me and hopefully one day I will be able to get to Oshkosh until there let's share the news and the views of those who being there keep in mind those who don't.

Aero TV Network - Airborne Special Oshkosh Day One

Aero TV Network - Airborne Special Oshkosh Day Two

AVWeb report about the "Smallets Jet" attending to Oshkosh AirVenture

To know more about this years edition of Oshkosh AirVenture heres the link of the AirVenture Live by EAA. Enjoy! http://www.airventure.org/live/

Lockheed U-2 at 70,000 ft

This video shows BBC's Top Gear presenter James May, or Captain Slow to the fans flying in a US Air Force U-2 at 70,000 ft for another BBC show images of the flight are staggering and What a view. Breathtaking no doubt.

A Pilot Career with the Airlines

Today a friend of mine, Alan Carter who runs the blog pilotisnotafourletterword posted on his Facebook page an interesting article about Pilot Career and Airlines on witch it talks about the options to become an airline pilot, schemes, FTO choice, etc.

Here it is: pilotcareernews.com

Pic of the Day!

Today's "Pic of the Day" is a photo of the Santa Cruz Airfield. Why? Well today I went in a small flight to Santa Cruz, LPSC from Cascais, LPCS to train some touch and go and engine failure in circuit. Santa Cruz is a quite short runway in the western coast of Portugal and at about 30 minutes from Cascais by small airplane like a Cessna 172 as the one that took me there today. The runway is only 546 meters long and has some greenhouses close to the runway 35 threshold so it is used very often for those who fly from Cascais to practice their landings and sometimes as the airfield is near the beach and the Santa Cruz village pilots stop to enjoy a coffee at the airfield bar or a good fresh fish lunch in the village.

The aircraft in the photo belongs to the local airclub that operates from Santa Cruz and the photograph has its copyrights written and was retrieved from the Portuguese Ultralight Association Airfields Map.

New Aerodrome in Portugal

Aviation isn't only made by bad news around here at least I try not to think as it and here is a video of the almost ready Aerodrome of Castelo Branco. The runway already has its markings and the star of operation is set to be soon, still this year are the predictions.

The new airfield is a strong gamble by the local City Hall who is trying to bring industry and business companies to the local. Integrated with the airfield there is a logistical hub and the City Hall intentions are to set cargo operations via air and road as the Aerodrome is not far from the Spanish border and can make a difference to clients from the area who will not have to wait for their products to come from Lisboa, LPPT, or from Porto, LPPR Airports.

Aerodromo de Castelo Branco from sky photo on Vimeo.

New Boeing 787-9 rolled out with new paint

Last week was another week of nightmare to Boeing's Dreamliner Program but at least it ended with a good news, the roll out of the new version of the Dreamliner the "-9", this time with a new paint job that is well suited. I like it.

Image copyrights Boeing

Portuguese C212 Aviocar

This is the tail of the Portuguese Casa C-212 Aviocar from the 401 Squad "Scientists" a very nice detail that this picture doesn't do the proper justice to its quality.

All the C212 fleet has been replaced by the newly EADS Casa C-295M and the C-212 fleet is now parked at Montijo Airbase waiting for new owners.

Pic of the Day!

Recent international news claim that an immigrant in New Zealand is to fat to live there, apparently it seems that the State considers that it will become to expensive in healthcare terms. To me this kind of news seems quite comic nothing more, people around here aren't so fat as in other countries and we have a well open an tolerant society regarding immigrants so this can only be a joke.

Here's the Pic of the Day reminding that everyone can fly... even fat ones. Enjoy!

Pic of the Day!

Today's pic is a view from space of the Gibraltar strait Northern Africa and Southern Spain and Portugal. Enjoy.

Portuguese Flag Airline TAP Dusseldorf-Lisbon route

So TAP Portugal starts flying from Dusseldorf to Lisbon and inaugural flight made by my cousin Luís Almeida. Congrats "Mister"!

Landing St.Barths in a piper aztec

Here are two things I love in aviation, on one side the Piper Aztec that was the aircraft on witch I have made my Multi Engine and Instrument Rating examination and St. Barths. in the French Caribbean one of the most challenging runways there is in the world.

AirVenture 2013 -- The World's Greatest Aviation Celebration!

In just about 3 days will start probably the Biggest and Best Aviation Airshow of the world, Oshkosh Air Venture 2013. Here's a sneak peek of this years edition.

Viseu Airshow August 11th.

Panthera maiden flight

Now here's a project that we should keep our eyes in. The new Pipistrel Panthera. Very smooth lines and composite materials to keep the weight down and performance up high.

Diamond's New DA52

Another Boeing this time a Southwest 737

A few days ago a Southwest Boeing 737 had a nose gear collapse after landing at New York La Guardia Airport.

This is a video recorded by a passenger of the moment of the landing.

Boeing 787 Nightmare-liner

It burns it leaks fuel it seems to do everything that a plane should not do in normal conditions. Is the Dream Liner becoming more like a Nightmare Liner?

Moments ago Aviation Herald reported that an Air India B788, registration VT-ANL from Delhi to Kolkata India, had an oven emitting some smoke in the aft galley, the crew rapidly disconnected the power and discharged fire extinguishers onto and into the oven. The fire was put out and the aircraft landed safely in Kolkata. After an inspection it was determined that the fire was contained only inside the oven so the oven was removed and the aircraft could continue schedule flights.

Not long time ago an Ethiopian Airways had a fire when on the ground at Heathrow Airport, London (UK), prior to that a Japan Airlines JAL had another fire this time on its battery witch caused the return to the drawing boards to improve the battery module. And lets not forget the leaking fuel problems on another JAL 787. Things to the 787 and Boeing aren't as good as they wanted to and this problems all together can become a major set back in sales right now that Boeing presented the new 787-9, a larger version of the Dream Liner.

Pic of the day!

"Something's Different About American" featuring Disney's Planes

American Airlines and Disney's Planes. Nice!

Asiana 214 ver 2

CNN's animation and witness description of Asiana flight 214 accident

Asiana Boeing 777 crash landed at San Francisco International

Asiana flight 214 incoming from South Korea crash landed this morning, local time, in the San Francisco International. According to witnesses the airplane a Boeing 777 approached the airport around 11:30am local time and when was about to land somehow the tail came off the plane.

Unknown author - a passenger of the flight

More Live information via CNN here http://weplaylive.tv/live-news-stream/

KTVU.COM courtesy

News update, USA Today via 9News (KUSA) stated 2 fatalities of this terrible crash.

http://www.9news.com/news/article/343941/339/Asiana-airplane-crashes-at-San-Francisco-airport-

Braga Airshow 2013 part II

Braga Airshow 2013

Finally some time to post about Braga Airshow.

Braga is a city up in the north of Portugal and it's well known by it's religious monuments mainly by the Bom Jesus do Monte and the Sameiro. Both are chapels with the surroundings shaped to bring inner peace to those who travel there to pray take a walk or just enjoy the views.

Bom Jesus do Monte - Unknown  Author

Sameiro - Paulo Matos

Braga also has a kart and a race circuit located in Palmeira only a few kms north and the Aerodrome has it's runway right in the middle of the race course and alongside with the finish line seem fabulous the only problem with it is that the airfield wont have the possibility to grow as it is restricted by the race circuit all around.

Braga Kart and Race Circuit and "inside" Airfield, LPBR - Unknown Author

Past June the 23rd. the Braga Airclub organized a small Airshow and the idea was to have pilots and aircraft sleeping from the 22nd. to the 23rd. and a small aerobatic demonstration that Sunday. I even thought on going by airplane but did not had the chance to plan things as necessary so I took advantage of having home at Braga and went there Sunday to watch some wings up in the sky. This Airshow was quite modest and only with show in the air visitors couldn't access the ramp and stay close to the aircraft but with the restrictions of space and organization problems that would cause I think this is totally understandable and I really hope that this initiative gets repeated for the next years. I also would like to express my sincerely gratitude to the organization for a well organized airshow, with some faults it's true, but with legs to continue from now on I am sure that if able I will try to be present next time.By the way a 2€ ticket was quite cheap so I cannot ask for Luxury when paying that, congratulations guys and keep up the good work. Here I leave You some pictures of the day.

Aero Fénix Museum De Havilland DHC-1 CS-AZX 

Aero Fénix Museum De Havilland DHC-1 CS-AZX 

Aero Fénix Museum De Havilland DHC-1 CS-AZX 

Aero Fénix Museum De Havilland DHC-1 CS-AZX and Piper Colt

Bellanca Citabria 7ECA CS-AJC

 Bellanca Citabria 7ECA CS-AJC

Aerobatica Pitts S2-B 

Aerodreams Comp-Let Shark Aero

Aerodreams Comp-Let Shark Aero

Espionage and political crisis all in one piece.

Last two days Portugal has got a few new pages to add to History books as the Minister of Finances Vitor Gaspar and only a few hours after the appointment of the replacement the Foreign Affairs Minister Paulo Portas also requested his decommission from the office to the Portuguese Prime Minister Passos Coelho. Now this is only to make the picture of the following news.

As You probably know last couple of weeks there is a case that has created an international incident regarding the US UK and the rest of Europe Russia and well... probably the entire world to be honest. All this because of a systems annalist? Really? Hum maybe not. As far as I know Edward Snowden worked as a systems annalist for the NSA in the US and now left the US with several Gigabytes of INTEL regarding the activities of the National Security Agencies of the United States of America. Europeans got angry because have found out that were being spied all the time by the Americans, the Russians received Snowden at Moscow's International Airport but were unable to let him enter the country due to the cancellation of Snowden's passport by the US ans Bolivia and Equator already stated that were open to give political asylum to Snowden but in order to obtain that he would need to get to one of these countries territory. Being almost captive in Moscow Airport he was unable to go to an embassy or consulate to appeal for political asylum and US authorities still want to get him.

Now what the tow paragraphs above have in common? Well Snowden probably will leave Russia in an airplane registered in one of those tow countries Bolivia or Equator entering like that at one of those countries territory as Air Law states that the laws inside of an Airplane are the laws of the state of registration of that airplane.

Yesterday there was a flight of Bolivia's President Evo Morales returning to Bolivia and the flight was supposed to cross Portuguese ans Spanish airspace probably with a technical scale at one of these two countries. Both Governments denied that because there was a suspicion that Edward Snowden was on board and both countries didn't wanted to get evolved on this case.

In Portugal probably this was the last political decision of the Ex-Foreign Affairs Minister Paulo Portas before present his resignation.

Now the Bolivian Government is quite unhappy with the situation and stated that will denounce this happening to the Human Rights Comission of the United Nations and the President Evo Morales had to stop at Viena, Austria for more than 13 hours.

photo: Patrick Domingo AFP

Mooney and Cessna

Today there was a nice surprise on my Facebook, a video that it's becoming viral of a flight of a Mooney and a Cessna crossing the LAX Class B Airspace, and the best way of a small aircraft passing it is below it. This video shows the formation flight of the two aircraft at low altitude. A true enthusiast Must See! :)

A MENTIRA DA CRISE (divulga antes que chegue a censura)

This is completely off topic of this aviation blog and is in Portuguese also but I would not feel comfortable without sharing it. José Gomes Ferreira is an economical annalist and speaker on the private Portuguese TV channel SIC and here he states about the problems faced by the so called Troika Mission joining IMF European Union Financial Stabilizing Fund and the European Central Bank. The Troika mission stated right at the beginning of the economical rescue of Portugal that some measures had to be taken as fast as possible. Some measures such as later retirement age public employees reduction were taken but others weren't. In this interview José Gomes Ferreira  states that it seems that Portugal isn't ruled by the politicians but instead is ruled by lobbies of companies who seem to be more interested in their profit than anything else.

As a Portuguese citizen this is quite clear to Me and of course that I am unhappy with all this and I wonder how much will this cost to all of us.

As a Pilot and aviation enthusiast it's very sad to see airfields shutting down all type of companies related with aviation closing airshows cancelled and etc. etc. etc.

In this country it seems that one day not so far away people will only live to pays the bills and with Hope of Social Security will die moments before the retirement so it can be a very cheap citizen that pays taxes only to raise others profits.

from flightdiary.net

A few minutes ago I was reading the description about Lisboa, Portugal Airport, LPPT (ICAO, LIS (IATA), at flightdiary.net. The description is based on wikipedia but it seems to be accurate. Interesting ist the comments of other readers I think that ANA the company responsible for the management of the facility and now bought by the French Vinci Group should listen to this and improve ASAP after all Lisboa has become one very important tourist destination in Europe and there are plans to increase the number of available piers to Cruise ships creating with the combination of the two a major tourist hub connecting airplane and cruise ship.

So, Vinci please LISTEN!