By Chris Smith
| Time for my usual
November family break to London with spotting
either side and a couple of museums in the middle. I can normally only join them for a couple
of days as I'm needed to run the show at work
during the same week; but not this year
so a full week was had trying (and mostly
failing) to pick off
everything the skies above central London had to offer
whilst doing all of the touristy stuff. Once again I chose to fly KLM and connect in Amsterdam like last year; it's easy, cheap and quick enough. In an ideal world I wanted to fly into London City to experience the 5.5° approach, but they're only open until midday on a Saturday meaning only leisure flights tend to operate. |
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| Day
One Saturday 24th November |
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| REG | A/C TYPE | OPERATOR | NOTES |
| I was greeted by a nice Challenger on arriving at the base airport; unfortunately the Voyager I needed from the prior day filed a departure plan after what was looking like a night-stop, and despite an unobstructed view of 23 departures from home, the mist won and it evaded me for a second time. | |||
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Durham Tees Valley Airport MME / EGNV |
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| G-MAJK | British Aerospace Jetstream 41 | Flybe (Eastern Airways) | |
| OE-IGA | Bombardier CL-600-2B16 Challenger 650 | International Jet Management | |
| PH-EXI | Embraer ERJ-175-200STD | KLM Cityhopper | My flight |
| Due to fog in Amsterdam the flight was delayed around 40 minutes or so, and on landing in Amsterdam I could appreciate why - we touched down on 36R (aka "Aalsmeerbaan") before I saw the ground! KLMs new E175s have the same 88-seat configuration as the Flybe examples, yet on the latter the seats are all out of kilter with the windows whilst KLM are not, this is perhaps to do with KLM operating the E175+, a more advanced version incorporating some of the technology going into the E2 variants. The most noticable visual differences are the massive winglets, much more photogenic than the conventional models, and big windows. There are two prime spotting gates at Schiphol, G8 and D31, the latter was quite close to where I entered the terminal and where I needed to be for the next flight, so I went to G8 at the opposite end and then slowly walked back on myself, noting anything of interest along the way. The Dutch Sikorsky is a new addition to the Schiphol Fire Service and is on what appears to be a mock-up oil rig similar to our own XZ652, and can be seen clearly during taxi, with no markings and a recent arrival the registration is only rumoured at this point. I have only logged UK/Dutch/Irish aircraft I needed. | |||
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Amsterdam Schiphol Airport AMS / EHAM |
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| 4L-TGO | Boeing 737-7CT | Georgian Airways | |
| 9A-CTJ | Airbus A320-214 | Croatia Airlines | |
| 9H-AEN | Airbus A320-214 | Air Malta | |
| 9V-SMQ | Airbus A350-941 | Singapore Airlines | |
| B-18901 | Airbus A350-941 | China Airlines | |
| B-2028 | Boeing 777-F1BLR | China Southern Cargo | |
| B-8359 | Airbus A330-323 | China Southern Airlines | |
| CN-NMF | Airbus A320-214 | Air Arabia Maroc | |
| D-AIPK | Airbus A320-211 | Lufthansa | |
| D-ITAN | Cessna 525 CitationJet CJ1 | Corporate | |
| EC-KOM | Airbus A330-202 | Air Europa | |
| EC-MHA | Airbus A321-231 | Vueling Airlines | |
| EC-MLC | Bombardier CL-600-2E25 CRJ-1000 | Iberia Regional (Air Nostrum) | Op for SAS Scandinavian Airlines |
| EI-FZJ | Boeing 737-800 | Ryanair | |
| F-GKXS | Airbus A320-214 | Air France | |
| F-GUGG | Airbus A318-111 | Air France | |
| G-UZHH | Airbus A320-251N | easyJet UK | |
| G-UZHS | Airbus A320-251N | easyJet UK | |
| HB-IPY | Airbus A319-111 | Swiss International Airlines | |
| HB-JYC | Airbus A319-111 | easyJet Switzerland | |
| LX-TCV | Boeing 747-4R7F | Cargolux Airlines International | |
| LZ-FBA | Airbus A319-112 | Bulgaria Air | |
| N189DN | Boeing 767-332ER | Delta Airlines | |
| N508DN | Airbus A350-941 | Delta Airlines | |
| N665UA | Boeing 767-322ER | United Airlines | |
| N667UA | Boeing 767-322ER | United Airlines | |
| N813NW | Airbus A330-323 | Delta Airlines | |
| OE-IJY | Airbus A320-214 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-LDA | Airbus A319-112 | Austrian Airlines | |
| PH-BHO | Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | KLM Royal Dutch Airlines | |
| PH-BVO | Boeing 777-306ER | KLM Royal Dutch Airlines | |
| PH-BXO | Boeing 737-9K2 | KLM Royal Dutch Airlines | My flight KL1011 |
| PH-EXS | Embraer ERJ-175-200STD+ | KLM Cityhopper | |
| PH-EXV | Embraer ERJ-190-100STD | KLM Cityhopper | |
| PH-HXE | Boeing 737-8K2 | Transavia Airlines | |
| (PH-NZV) | Sikorsky S-76B | Schiphol Airport Fire Service | PWFU |
| PH-TFC | Boeing 737-8K5 | TUI fly Netherlands | |
| PK-GIK | Boeing 777-3U3ER | Garuda Indonesia | |
| SP-SBG | Mil Mi-2 Hoplite | Schiphol Airport Fire Service | PWFU |
| SX-DGP | Airbus A321-232 | Aegean Airlines | |
| TC-LNB | Airbus A330-223 | Turkish Airlines | |
| VT-JEH | Boeing 777-35RER | Jet Airways | |
| VT-JET | Boeing 777-35RER | Jet Airways | |
| VT-JEU | Boeing 777-35RER | Jet Airways | |
| After breathing a sigh of relief at having avoided the "Polderbaan" on arrival it never occured to me they might be using it for departures...so after a three year long taxi we eventually took off for Heathrow onboard Skyteam-liveried PH-BXO subbing for the usual -800 and my first flight on a rare -900. | |||
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London Heathrow Airport LHR / EGLL |
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| A6-API | Airbus A380-861 | Etihad Airways | |
| B-KPO | Boeing 777-367ER | Cathay Pacific Airways | |
| C-FRTG | Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | Air Canada | |
| C-GHKR | Airbus A330-343 | Air Canada | |
| EC-HUI | Airbus A321-211 | Iberia | |
| ET-AUA | Airbus A350-941 | Ethiopian Airlines | |
| HS-TUB | Airbus A380-841 | Thai Airways International | |
| I-BIXS | Airbus A321-112 | Alitalia | |
| N24974 | Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | United Airlines | |
| N647UA | Boeing 767-322ER | United Airlines | |
| N68061 | Boeing 767-424ER | United Airlines | |
| N77066 | Boeing 767-424ER | United Airlines | |
| N78017 | Boeing 777-224ER | United Airlines | |
| VH-ZNG | Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | Qantas | |
| VT-AND | Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner | Air India | |
| Day
Four Tuesday 27th November |
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| We each pick something we want to do over the course of the break and I chose the RAF Museum at Hendon, having never been. There are six hangars (although three, four and five are a singular building split into thirds), the first appears brand new, or at least it's newly refurbished, then you move into what is an original officers mess and hangar, before going into what looks like it might have been a production line at some point, then finally to six which consists of the RAFs recent history with lot's of tasty fast jets, some still in service and others that should still be. All in all an excellent museum well worth a visit, and whilst it's free to enter a donation is courteous and well worth it. | |||
| RAF Museum Hendon | |||
| Outdoors | |||
| BAPC.68 | Hawker Hurricane I (replica) | Royal Air Force | Marked P2725/TM-B |
| TB288/HT-H | Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XVI | Royal Air Force | |
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| H1 | |||
| BL614/ZD-F | Supermarine Spitfire Vb | Royal Air Force | |
| F1010/C | Airco DH.9A | Royal Flying Corps | |
| ML824/NS-Z | Short S.25 Sunderland Mk.V | Royal Air Force | |
| XR977 | Folland Gnat T1 | Royal Air Force - RAFAT | |
| XZ585/A | Westland WS.61 Sea King HAR3 | Royal Air Force | |
| Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II | Royal Air Force | Mock-up | |
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| H2 | |||
| 8417/18 | Fokker D.VII | Luftwaffe | |
| A6526 | Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2B | Royal Flying Corps | |
| BAPC.107 | Bleriot XXVII | Royal Flying Corps | |
| BAPC.165 | Bristol F.2B | Royal Flying Corps | Marked E2466 |
| BAPC.181 | Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2B (replica) | Royal Flying Corps | Marked 687 |
| C3988 | Sopwith Dolphin DR.5 | Royal Flying Corps | |
| F6314 | Sopwith Camel F1 | Royal Flying Corps | |
| G-AETA | Caudron G.3 | Royal Flying Corps | Marked 3066 |
| G-ATVP | Vickers Gunbus FB5 (replica) | Royal Flying Corps | Marked 2345 |
| G-EBIC | Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5A | Royal Flying Corps | Marked F-938 Royal Flying Corps |
| G-EBJE | Avro 504K | Royal Flying Corps | Marked E449 |
| N5912 | Sopwith Triplane | Royal Flying Corps | |
| WZ791 | Slingsby T.38 Grasshopper TX1 | Royal Air Force | |
| ZK-TVC | Vintage Aviator RE8-1 | Royal Flying Corps | Marked A3930/B |
| ZK-TVD | Albatros D.Va (replica) | Luftwaffe | Marked D.7343/17 |
| H3 | |||
| 13064 | Republic P-47D Thunderbolt | Royal Air Force | Marked KL216/RS-L |
| A9-591 | Bristol 152 Beaufort VIII | Royal Air Force | Marked DD931 |
| E6655/B | Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe (replica) | Royal Flying Corps | |
| G-ABMR | Hawker Hart | Royal Flying Corps | Marked J9941/57 |
| G-AIXA | Taylorcraft Plus D | Royal Air Force | Marked as LB264 |
| G-BEOX | Lockheed Hudson Mk.IIIA | Royal Australian Air Force | Marked A16-199/R |
| HA457 | Hawker Tempest II | Royal Air Force | Marked PR536/OQ-H |
| LN-BNM | Noorduyn AT-16-ND Harvard IIB | Royal Canadian Air Force | Marked FE905 Royal Canadian Air Force |
| MN235/I8-T | Hawker Typhoon IB | Royal Air Force | |
| N-9899 | Supermarine Southampton I | Royal Air Force | |
| NV778 | Hawker Tempest TT5 | Royal Air Force | |
| PK724 | Supermarine Spitfire F.24 | Royal Air Force | |
| RD253 | Bristol 156 Beaufighter TF.X | Royal Air Force | |
| WH301 | Gloster Meteor F8 | Royal Air Force | |
| WP962/C | De Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunk T10 | Royal Air Force | |
| XA302 | Slingsby T.31 Cadet TX3 | Royal Air Force | |
| XG154 | Hawker Hunter FGA9 | Royal Air Force | |
| XM463/38 | Hunting Percival P.84 Jet Provost T3A | Royal Air Force | |
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| H4 | |||
| 920/QN | Supermarine Stranraer | Royal Air Force | |
| BT474 | Fiat CR.42 | Luftwaffe | Marked 13-95 |
| DG200 | Messerschmitt BF.109E-3 | Luftwaffe | Marked 12 |
| G-17-101 | EH Industries EH101 Merlin HM1 | Corporate | |
| G-ABBB | Bristol Bulldog IIa | Royal Flying Corps | Marked K-2227 |
| K4232 | Avro 671 Rota I | Royal Flying Corps | |
| KL110 | Sikorsky R4B Hoverfly I | Royal Air Force | Marked KK995/E |
| P2617/AF-F | Hawker Hurricane I | Royal Air Force | |
| RW393 | Supermarine Spitfire XVIe | Royal Air Force | Marked TB675/4D-V |
| VT812/N | English Electric DH.100 Vampire F3 | Royal Air Force | |
| WE139 | English Electric Canberra PR3 | Royal Air Force | |
| WV783 | Bristol 171 Sycamore HR12 | Royal Air Force | |
| X4590/PR-F | Supermarine Spitfire Ia | Royal Air Force | |
| XG474 | Bristol 192 Belvedere HC1 | Royal Air Force | |
| XP299 | Westland WS.55 Whirlwind HAR10 | Royal Air Force | |
| XS925/BA | English Electric Lightning F6 | Royal Air Force | |
| XV424/I | McDonnell Douglas F-4M Phantom FGR2 | Royal Air Force | |
| XV732 | Westland WS.58 Wessex HCC4 | Royal Air Force - 32 Squadron | |
| XW323/86 | Hunting Percival P.84 Jet Provost T5A | Royal Air Force | |
| XW855 | Westland WA.341E Gazelle HCC4 | Royal Air Force | |
| ZE887/GF | Panavia PA-200 Tornado F3 | Royal Air Force | |
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| H5 | |||
| 10001 | Bristol Bolingbroke IVT | Royal Air Force | Marked L8756/XD-E |
| 494083 | Junkers Ju-87 | Luftwaffe | |
| 584219 | Focke-Wulf Fw190F-8/U1 | Luftwaffe | Marked 38 |
| 701152 | Heinkel HE.111H-20/R1 | Luftwaffe | Marked NT+SL |
| 730301/D5+RL | Messerschmitt BF.110G-4/R-6 | Luftwaffe | |
| HE807 | Consolidated B-24L Liberator B.VI | Royal Air Force | Marked KN751/F |
| L5343 | Fairey Battle I | Royal Air Force | |
| MP425/G | Airspeed AS.10 Oxford I | Royal Air Force | |
| N51RT | North American P-51D Mustang | US Air Force | Marked 413317/B-VF |
| N5237V | Boeing B-17G-95-DL Flying Fortress | US Air Force | Marked 483868/A/N |
| N9115Z | North American B-25J Mitchell | US Air Force | Marked 34037 |
| R5868/PO-S | Avro 698 Lancaster I | Royal Air Force | |
| TJ138/LV-O | De Havilland DH.98 Mosquito B35 | Royal Air Force | |
| VN679 | Heinkel He-162A-2 | Luftwaffe | Marked 120227 |
| W1048 | Handley Page Halifax | Royal Air Force | Wreck |
| W2068/68 | Avro 652 Anson I | Royal Air Force | Fuselage only |
| XL318 | Avro 698 Vulcan B2 | Royal Air Force | |
| XM717 | Handley-Page HP.80 Victor K2 | Royal Air Force | Forward fuselage only |
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| H6 | |||
| 03-3119/CH | General Atomics MQ-1B Predator | US Air Force | |
| 64-0553 | Lockheed C-130E Hercules | US Air Force | |
| 83-24104 | Boeing-Vertol CH-47D Chinook | US Air Force | Painted as ZA718/BN |
| XW547/R | Blackburn Buccaneer S2B | Royal Air Force | |
| XX824/AD | Sepecat Jaguar GR1 | Royal Air Force | |
| ZA457/AJ-J | Panavia PA-200 Tornado GR1B | Royal Air Force | |
| ZG477 | British Aerospace Harrier GR9A | Royal Air Force | |
| ZH588 | Eurofighter EF-2000 Typhoon | BAe Systems | |
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| On the Monday we had been to the British Museum (I don't recommend by the way, it's all the same stuff if you've seen one exhibit you've seen them all), and Dave A tipped me off that the Science Museum was right next door and had 20+ airframes in it - as it turned out it wasn't next door and Dave must have thought I was in the Natural History Museum, in any case the tip was greatly appreciated and I managed to allocate an hour to go and investigate it. Once again entry is free so with that in mind I just targeted the aviation exhibits, quickly wizzing round and logging them, before moving on to the next location; London Heliport. | |||
| Day
Five Wednesday 28th November |
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| Science Museum | |||
| 1364 | Meggitt BTT-3 Banshee | Corporate | |
| 191316 | Messerschmitt Me.163B-1a | Luftwaffe | |
| BAPC.62 | Cody Biplane | Private | Marked 304 |
| BGA2091 | Schempp-Hirth Standard Cirrus | Private | Marked DFY |
| D7560 | Avro 504K | Royal Flying Corps | |
| G-AAAH/G | De Havilland DH.60G Gipsy Moth | Private | |
| G-AACN | Handley Page HP.39 Gugnunc | Private | |
| G-ACWP | Avro Cierva C.30A | Royal Air Force | Marked AP507/KX-P |
| G-ASSM | Hawker-Siddeley HS.125-1 | Corporate | |
| G-AZPH | Pitts S-1 Special | Private | |
| G-EBIB/G | Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5A | Private | |
| G-LIOA | Lockheed 10-B Electra | Corporate | |
| J.8067 | Hill Pterodactyl I | Royal Air Force | |
| KN448 | Douglas C-47B Dakota IV | Unknown airline | Cockpit only |
| L1592/KW-Z | Hawker Hurricane I | Royal Air Force | |
| N747BN | Boeing 747SR-46 | Boeing Co | A small "slice", painted in BA 90s c/s |
| P9444/RN-D | Supermarine Spitfire Ia | Royal Air Force | |
| S1595/I | Supermarine S.6B | Royal Flying Corps | |
| W4041/G/P | Gloster E.28/39 | Royal Air Force | |
| XG900 | Short SC.1 | Royal Air Force | |
| XN344 | Saunders-Roe Skeeter AOP12 | Army Air Corps | |
| XP831 | Hawker P.1127 | Royal Air Force | |
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| I didn't know what to expect here, I've been meaning to swing by the last few times I've been in London but never found the time, I figured there might be some resident Robinsons or something on the deck but it appears to be visitors only, averaging around four movements per hour. I only stayed half an hour before heading back to re-join the family. Whilst I experienced limited success here, if you're not on your own there is a bar next door in the Crown Plaza Hotel which would be ideal to sit in and sink a few beers to pass the time between movements. S76 G-ROON was noted as I was walking to the nearby Clapham Junction station, I assumed it landed at the heliport, which curiously the full title of which is "NetJets London Heliport". | |||
| London
Heliport EGLW |
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| G-EHMS | MD Helicopters MD902 Explorer | London's Air Ambulance | |
| G-FDHS | Leonardo AW109SP Grand New | Knaresborough Aviation / Apollo Air Services | |
| G-ROON | Sikorsky S-76C | Rooney Air / Cardinal Helicopter Services | |
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| Day
Six Thursday 29th November |
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| Looking at my required airframes list, Gatwick looked to be the highest yielding prospect for me, and with only one known spotting spot across the whole estate - namely the BLOC Hotel in the South Terminal - a reservation was made. This hotel rivals even the Heathrow T4 Premier Inn but is not nearly as cheap, the different types of rooms have names; you need to book an "Aspire" room for the airport views, with 844 being ideal as it's a corner room on the top floor and affords shots of 26 arrivals or 08 departures as well as a panoramic view of most of the apron, as shown in the clip below. | |||
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London Gatwick Airport LGW / EGKK |
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| 9XR-WP | Airbus A330-343 | Rwandair | |
| A6-EEZ | Airbus A380-861 | Emirates | |
| A7-BCF | Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner | Qatar Airways | |
| A7-BDA | Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner | Qatar Airways | |
| CN-RNV | Boeing 737-7B6 | Royal Air Maroc | |
| CS-DXV | Cessna 560XL Citation XLS | NetJets Europe | |
| CS-TPQ | Embraer ERJ-190-100LR | TAP Express (Portugália Airlines) | |
| EC-KCG | Boeing 737-85P | Air Europa | |
| EC-LQN | Airbus A320-232 | Vueling Airlines | |
| EC-LZZ | Airbus A320-214 | Vueling Airlines | |
| EC-MAH | Airbus A320-214 | Vueling Airlines | |
| EC-MAO | Airbus A320-214 | Vueling Airlines | |
| EC-MBD | Airbus A320-214 | Vueling Airlines | |
| EC-MEG | Airbus A320-214 | Iberia Express | |
| EC-MHS | Airbus A321-231 | Vueling Airlines | |
| EC-MIR | Airbus A319-111 | Vueling Airlines | |
| EC-MXG | Airbus A320-232 | Vueling Airlines | |
| EI-FHD | Boeing 737-8JP | Norwegian Air International | |
| EI-FIL | Boeing 737-8AS | Ryanair | |
| EI-FJG | Boeing 737-8JP | Norwegian Air International | LV-HXQ NTU |
| EI-FJX | Boeing 737-8JP | Norwegian Air International | |
| EI-FVH | Boeing 737-8JP | Norwegian Air International | |
| EI-FVI | Boeing 737-8JP | Norwegian Air International | |
| EI-FYH | Boeing 737-8MAX | Norwegian Air International | |
| EI-GBB | Boeing 737-86N | Norwegian Air International | |
| EI-GXL | Boeing 737-800 | Ryanair | |
| G-CJGI | Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | Norwegian Air UK | |
| G-CKOG | Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | Norwegian Air UK | |
| G-CKWA | Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | Norwegian Air UK | |
| G-CKWB | Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | Norwegian Air UK | |
| G-CKWE | Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | Norwegian Air UK | |
| G-CKWF | Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | Norwegian Air UK | |
| G-EZEH | Airbus A319-111 | easyJet UK | |
| G-EZOF | Airbus A320-214 | easyJet UK | |
| G-EZRU | Airbus A320-214 | easyJet UK | |
| G-GATK | Airbus A320-233 | British Airways | |
| G-TCXB | Airbus A330-243 | Thomas Cook Airlines | |
| G-TUIL | Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | TUI Airways | |
| G-UZMA | Airbus A321-251NX | easyJet UK | |
| G-UZMB | Airbus A321-251NX | easyJet UK | |
| G-UZMC | Airbus A321-251NX | easyJet UK | |
| HA-LXD | Airbus A321-231 | Wizz Air | |
| HB-JXE | Airbus A320-214 | easyJet Switzerland | |
| I-DAVA | McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | Trygon Aviation | Evacuation trainer |
| LN-DYG | Boeing 737-8JP | Norwegian Air Shuttle | |
| LN-NGQ | Boeing 737-8JP | Norwegian Air Shuttle | |
| LN-NGS | Boeing 737-8JP | Norwegian Air Shuttle | |
| LN-NGW | Boeing 737-8JP | Norwegian Air Shuttle | |
| LN-NIA | Boeing 737-8JP | Norwegian Air Shuttle | |
| N427HG | Gulfstream G-V | Kellen Acquisitions LLC | |
| OE-ICB | Airbus A320-214 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-ICG | Airbus A320-214 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-ICI | Airbus A320-214 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-ICM | Airbus A320-214 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-ICP | Airbus A320-214 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-ICR | Airbus A320-214 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-IJE | Airbus A320-214 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-IJK | Airbus A320-214 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-IJO | Airbus A320-214 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-IJQ | Airbus A320-214 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-INH | Airbus A320-214 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-INQ | Airbus A320-214 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-IVI | Airbus A320-214 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-IVJ | Airbus A320-214 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-IZE | Airbus A320-214 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-IZS | Airbus A320-214 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-IZW | Airbus A320-214 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-LQB | Airbus A319-111 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-LQF | Airbus A319-111 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-LQK | Airbus A319-111 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-LQQ | Airbus A319-111 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-LQT | Airbus A319-111 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-LQU | Airbus A319-111 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-LQV | Airbus A319-111 | easyJet Europe | |
| OK-TVF | Boeing 737-8FH | Travel Service Airlines | |
| TC-JVG | Boeing 737-8F2 | Turkish Airlines | |
| UR-PSC | Boeing 737-8HX | Ukraine International Airlines | |
| VQ-BAQ | Airbus A319-112 | Rossiya Airlines | |
| YL-CSE | Airbus A220-300 | Air Baltic | |
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| Strangely, the hotel windows are not sound-proofed and I was awoken by multiple CFMs and worryingly also by a stong smell of Jet A1 (!!) two hours ahead of my alarm, so I got up and did some lite spotting before checking in for my flight back to Amsterdam and sitting at the departure gates for a couple of hours picking off arrivals and departures. Having never flown our flag carrier before I'd booked with BA and got old DTVA regular A319 G-DBCH, which was a bitter sweet experience given the previous operator should still be alive and kicking. Not BAs fault but the calibre of clientele on this flight was shocking. If I was to be hyper-critical the aircraft wasn't as immaculate as their Dutch rivals. | |||
| Day
Seven Friday 30th November |
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| London Gatwick Airport | |||
| 9H-AEI | Airbus A320-214 | Air Malta | |
| A6-EUY | Airbus A380-842 | Emirates | |
| B-6540 | Airbus A330-243 | Air China | |
| B-LRP | Airbus A350-941 | Cathay Pacific Airways | |
| C-GOGN | Boeing 767-338ER | WestJet Airlines | |
| CN-RNV | Boeing 737-7B6 | Royal Air Maroc | |
| CS-TNY | Airbus A320-214 | TAP Portugal | |
| EC-KLB | Airbus A320-214 | Vueling Airlines | |
| EC-LAA | Airbus A320-214 | Vueling Airlines | |
| EC-MJR | Airbus A321-231 | Vueling Airlines | |
| EC-MJS | Airbus A330-243 | Wamos Air | |
| EC-MNY | Airbus A330-243 | Wamos Air | |
| EC-MXM | Boeing 737-85P | Air Europa | |
| EI-FHW | Boeing 737-8JP | Norwegian Air International | |
| EI-FHZ | Boeing 737-8JP | Norwegian Air International | |
| EI-FVW | Boeing 737-8JP | Norwegian Air International | |
| EW-514PO | Embraer ERJ-195-200LR | Belavia Belarusian Airlines | |
| G-CKOF | Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | Norwegian Air UK | |
| G-CKWC | Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | Norwegian Air UK | |
| G-DBCH | Airbus A319-131 | British Airways | My flight |
| G-GATJ | Airbus A320-232 | British Airways | |
| G-POWK | Airbus A320-233 | Titan Airways | |
| G-VIIV | Boeing 777-236ER | British Airways | |
| G-VMNK | Airbus A330-223 | Virgin Atlantic Airways | |
| LN-LNL | Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | Norwegian Air Shuttle | |
| OE-IVV | Airbus A320-214 | easyJet Europe | |
| SX-DGZ | Airbus A320-232 | Aegean Airlines | |
| TC-JYO | Boeing 737-9F2ER | Turkish Airlines | |
| TF-ICE | Boeing 737-8MAX | Icelandair | |
| TF-WIN | Airbus A321-211 | WOW Air | |
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| BA2760/78AM once again brought me to the Polderbaan, this time the opposite end 18R, meaning once again the taxi was longer than the flight almost! I entered the terminal almost at D31 this time so I decided to just hang around here and spent a few hours spotting away happy as a pig in shit. Dave Rose gave me a tip on some of the more exotic stuff on the ground, most of which I could see from where I was but an Aeromexico Dreamliner was at the far end, getting hungry I decided to head for McDonalds, checking each pier en-route, alas the 787 eluded me. One achievement I did make was completeing the Cityhopper fleet, I needed quite a few and I nailed almost all of them in a ten minute window as they all departed en-mass, including our own KL1537 - it was like bowling a strike. I slightly fudged PH-EXP mind - it was my last one left and I was able to confirm it was both on the ground and on the Cityhopper ramp - and I saw everything on the Cityhopper ramp and thus EXP too, albeit I couldn't say exactly which one it was amongst the sea of Embraers. We departed on 24, or the "Kaagbaan". | |||
| Amsterdam Schiphol Airport | |||
| A6-EDX | Airbus A380-861 | Emirates | |
| A6-EFG | Boeing 777-F1HLR | Emirates SkyCargo | |
| A7-BEW | Boeing 777-3DZER | Qatar Airways | |
| B-1340 | Boeing 747-4HAERF | Suparna Airlines | |
| CN-ROZ | Boeing 737-8B6 | Royal Air Maroc | |
| CS-TTU | Airbus A319-112 | TAP Portugal | |
| D-AEAT | Airbus A300F4-622R | EAT Leipzig | |
| D-AGBE | Dassault Falcon 7X | Volkswagenwerke AG | |
| D-AILA | Airbus A319-114 | Lufthansa | |
| D-AINH | Airbus A320-271N | Lufthansa | |
| D-AIPH | Airbus A320-211 | Lufthansa | |
| D-AIZD | Airbus A320-214 | Lufthansa | |
| D-BEKP | Bombardier BD-100-1A10 Challenger 300 | Windrose Air Flugcharter GmbH | |
| D-CUUU | Cessna 560XL Citation XLS+ | DC Aviation | |
| EC-MAI | Airbus A320-214 | Vueling Airlines | |
| EC-MBY | Airbus A320-214 | Vueling Airlines | |
| EC-MGF | Airbus A319-111 | Vueling Airlines | |
| EC-MUZ | Boeing 737-85P | Air Europa | |
| EC-MYB | Airbus A320-214 | Vueling Airlines | |
| EI-DTK | Airbus A320-216 | Alitalia | |
| ES-ACE | Bombardier CL-600-2C10 CRJ-701ER | Nordica | |
| F-GRHB | Airbus A319-111 | Air France | |
| F-GRZL | Bombardier CL-600-2C10 CRJ-702 | HOP! | |
| F-GRZN | Bombardier CL-600-2C10 CRJ-702 | HOP! | |
| F-GTAZ | Airbus A321-212 | Air France | |
| F-HBLH | Embraer ERJ-190-100STD | HOP! | |
| G-XJCJ | Cessna 550 Citation Bravo | XJC Ltd | |
| HA-YFJ | Raytheon 400A Beechjet | Pannon Air Service | |
| HB-IJE | Airbus A320-214 | Swiss International Airlines | |
| HB-JXB | Airbus A320-214 | easyJet Switzerland | |
| HZ-AK71 | Boeing 777-FFGLR | Saudia Cargo | |
| LX-JCV | Boeing 747-4EVERF | Cargolux Airlines International | |
| N1201P | Boeing 767-332ER | Delta Airlines | |
| N272BG | Gulfstream G-V-SP (G550) | Contrail Aviation LLC | |
| N395AN | Boeing 767-323ER | American Airlines | |
| N810NW | Airbus A330-323 | Delta Airlines | |
| N900NC | Gulfstream G-VI-ER (G650ER) | News International Corp | |
| OE-FZB | Cessna 510 Citation Mustang | GlobeAir | |
| OE-IVM | Airbus A320-214 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-LKD | Airbus A319-111 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-LKG | Airbus A319-111 | easyJet Europe | |
| OE-LKK | Airbus A319-111 | easyJet Europe | |
| OK-PBS | Cessna 525 CitationJet CJ1 | Corporate | |
| OO-ABE | Airbus A340-313 | Air Belgium | |
| OO-TUX | Boeing 737-86N | TUI Airlines Belgium | |
| OO-XLS | Cessna 560XL Citation XLS+ | Air Service Liège | |
| OY-RSE | Pilatus PC-12/47E | Fournais Aviation | |
| PH-BHN | Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | KLM Royal Dutch Airlines | |
| PH-BVS | Boeing 777-306ER | KLM Royal Dutch Airlines | |
| PH-EXN | Embraer ERJ-175-200STD+ | KLM Cityhopper | |
| PH-EXP | Embraer ERJ-175-200STD+ | KLM Cityhopper | |
| PH-EXT | Embraer ERJ-175-200STD+ | KLM Cityhopper | |
| PH-EXW | Embraer ERJ-175-200STD+ | KLM Cityhopper | |
| PH-EXX | Embraer ERJ-175-200STD+ | KLM Cityhopper | My flight |
| PH-EXY | Embraer ERJ-190-100STD | KLM Cityhopper | |
| PH-EXZ | Embraer ERJ-175-200STD+ | KLM Cityhopper | |
| PH-EZD | Embraer ERJ-190-100STD | KLM Cityhopper | |
| PH-EZS | Embraer ERJ-190-100STD | KLM Cityhopper | |
| PH-EZY | Embraer ERJ-190-100STD | KLM Cityhopper | |
| PH-HSJ | Boeing 737-8K2 | Transavia Airlines | |
| PH-HXC | Boeing 737-8K2 | Transavia Airlines | |
| PH-HXG | Boeing 737-800 | Transavia Airlines | |
| PH-HXM | Boeing 737-800 | Transavia Airlines | |
| PH-HZG | Boeing 737-8K2 | Transavia Airlines | |
| PH-NDK | Dassault Falcon 900B | Solid Air | |
| PH-XRC | Boeing 737-7K2 | Transavia Airlines | |
| SE-ROC | Airbus A320-251N | SAS Scandinavian Airlines | |
| SU-GCR | Boeing 737-866 | EgyptAir | |
| TC-ATB | Airbus A321-211 | AtlasGlobal | |
| TC-JIT | Airbus A330-223 | Turkish Airlines | |
| TC-TJT | Boeing 737-8HC | Corendon Airlines | |
| TS-IMQ | Airbus A319-112 | Tunisair | |
| VP-BIK | Boeing 747-46NERF | AirBridgeCargo Airlines | |
| VQ-BRJ | Boeing 747-8HVF | AirBridgeCargo Airlines | |
| YL-CSC | Airbus A220-300 | Air Baltic | |
| YR-BGL | Boeing 737-8H6 | TAROM | |
  |
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| After the poor bizjet season we've had DTVA experienced something of a resurgence whilst I was away, with every day being busy (watch that change now I'm back!!) and a couple remained on the ground when I got back in to DTVA. Whilst the passenger experience has come along leaps and bounds over the last few months, the guy in the row in front of me said to his mate "smallest airfield in the world yet slowest service" - now I know I'm quick to defend the place, but I was almost last off the plane and had a 10 mile drive home from the airport, and yet I stepped off PH-EXX at 2150, and walked through my front door at 2220 - so yes, very slow service ***rolls eyes*** !!! | |||
| Durham Tees Valley Airport | |||
| G-MAJU | British Aerospace Jetstream 41 | Flybe (Eastern Airways) | |
| N978PW | Dassault Falcon 900EX | TAS Corp LLC | |
| OK-PPP | Raytheon Nextant 400XT | Time Air | |
| Finally; the bits and bobs I noted over central London over the seven days whilst supposedly 'off duty' ! Due to poor weather I had very limited success. | |||
| Central London | |||
| Sunday 25th | |||
| CS-TPW | Embraer ERJ-190-100LR | TAP Express (Portugália Airlines) | Inbound LCY |
| EI-RNE | Embraer ERJ-190-100STD | Alitalia CityLiner | Inbound LCY |
| G-BPRI | Aérospatiale AS355F1 Twin Squirrel | MW Helicopters / Excel Charter | |
| G-ISLK | ATR-72-500 | Flybe (Blue Islands) | Inbound LCY |
| G-LCYY | Embraer ERJ-190-100SR | BA CityFlyer | Inbound LCY |
| G-OHLI | Robinson R44 Raven II | NCS Partnership / Heli Air | |
| G-PODD | Robinson R66 Turbine | Jamiroquai Ltd | |
| G-PSJS | Robinson R22 Beta | Private | |
| HB-JBG | Airbus A220-100 | Swiss International Airlines | Inbound LCY |
| LX-LQA | Bombardier DHC-8-Q402NG | Luxair | Inbound LCY |
| LX-LQB | Bombardier DHC-8-Q402NG | Luxair | Inbound LCY |
| Monday 26th | |||
| M-XHEC | Eurocopter EC155 B | Catena Aviation Ltd | |
| HB-JVP | Embraer ERJ-190-100LR | Helvetic Airways | Inbound LCY |
| Tuesday 27th | |||
| C-FCAE | Boeing 767-375ER | Air Canada | ex LHR |
| EP-IJB | Airbus A330-243 | Iran Air | Inbound LHR |
| F-HPJJ | Airbus A380-861 | Air France | OTT CDG-MIA |
| N669UA | Boeing 767-322ER | United Airlines | ex LHR |
| N723AN | Boeing 777-323ER | American Airlines | ex LHR |
| N729AN | Boeing 777-323ER | American Airlines | ex LHR |
| N733AR | Boeing 777-323ER | American Airlines | ex LHR |
| N797UA | Boeing 777-222ER | United Airlines | ex LHR |
| Thursday 29th | |||
| 9H-FCB | Dassault Falcon 7X | Albinati Aviation | Inbound LTN |
| A6-EDH | Airbus A380-861 | Emirates | ex LHR |
| B-8298 | Gulfstream G-V-SP (G550) | Beijing Han Yu Airlines / Mandarin Air | Inbound Luton |
| CS-DSD | Dassault Falcon 7X | NetJets Europe | Inbound Luton |
| HL7423 | Boeing 747-48E(BDSF) | Asiana Cargo | OTT JFK-BRU |
| TC-LKA | Boeing 777-36NER | Turkish Airlines | ex LHR |
It's no match on the two Daves Miami/Orlando report but I do my best! Thanks for reading if you got this far.