Glw Apt 2019 May

Glasgow Airport Movements 2019

May

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Flightradar 24

Glasgow International Arrivals & Departures

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Things began to pick-up at Glasgow airport this month although despite the increase in traffic, on some days most stands were deserted outwith the busy periods. It should be all-change in June though with the number of flights gradually ramping-up towards summer levels.

I had a fairly busy month, initially spending several days in Dusseldorf, courtesy of Loganair, which gave me a chance to check out the viewing facilities at Germany`s third-busiest airport. Shots taken and some general information can be viewed here:
Germany - Dusseldorf Airport.

Closer to home. the British Pipe Band Championships returned to Paisley on Saturday 18 May and just a few days later, elements of the D-Day Dakota Squadron en route from the USA to the 75th anniversary commemorations at Duxford and in Normandy, began to arrive at Prestwick. June 6th this year will mark the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, and as part of the commemorations, Daks Over Normandy will see numerous C-47s / DC-3s gather at Caen-Carpiquet Airport for troop drops and flypasts over the Normandy beaches and landing zones. It`s planned that all participating aircraft will meet at Duxford prior to the main event to practice formation flying and the IWM airfield will also host a major display which will attract huge crowds. An escort of Spitfires and Mustangs will then escort the troop transports when they set-off en masse across the Channel for France.

A real bonus for Scottish enthusiasts unable to make either of the main events was that the North American contingent of around a dozen C-47s from the USA transited through Prestwick en route to Duxford with the Ayrshire gathering open to the public on Friday 24 / Saturday 25 May.

More shots taken during my visit and information, including individual aircraft histories of the eight examples present on Saturday 25th, can be found on a dedicated page: Click Here to view. There`s also a condensed version at the bottom of this page, which unlike the main entry, features some of the other aircraft that were at Prestwick over the Daks weekend.

Corfu

At the end of the month I returned to Corfu for a week-long break, once again staying at the excellent Corfu Holiday Palace Hotel at the foot of the Kanoni peninsula. Unlike Corfu’s better known coastal resorts there are no clubs and only a handful of tavernas here so although this area is a great place to relax, many people may consider it too quiet. There was low cloud and heavy rain at Glasgow on departure day which ruled out any aerial shots of the surrounding area on takeoff, although the sky was much clearer by the time we crossed the Dutch coast. Tankers and other merchant ships, an oil rig transporter plus an off-shore wind farm could all be clearly seen 30,000-plus feet below.

Once over Germany, in the general area of Frankfurt, there was a fair bit of traffic with other airliners coming into view, one particular aircraft, a Ryanair 737, shooting past at right angles and although probably several thousand feet below it was well within camera range, albeit only for a split second. I had a go at photographing a few of these other planes including an Emirates A380 but mostly ended up with blurred specs in the frame. This is the best of the bunch.

Yet again my wife and I, having booked a sea-view room, were given a much appreciated upgrade to one of the luxury bungalows which was even closer to any aircraft on finals, and had an infinity pool. I’ve covered the hotel and general area in detail following my previous visits: See my Corfu Airport Introductory Page. I`ll add an additional link here once I’ve finished editing the latest batch of shots.

Late May / June, when I prefer to visit Corfu avoids the crowds but isn’t the best time for aircraft movements as there are often long periods with no activity. The volume of tourist flights doesn't ramp up fully until July and August but it was even slower than usual this time with far less variety plane-wise. Apart from some occasional afternoon thunderstorms five years ago, I`ve always had hot and sunny weather here but grey skies, low cloud and heavy rain spoiled the second half of this holiday.

There’s always a chance of an unusual visitor, whether an airliner seldom seen in the U.K. or a biz-jet or military flight making a fuel stop. Highlights during the week were one of the latest additions to the Arkia fleet, Airbus A321LR 4X-AGK in the Israeli carrier’s latest colours, a Mexican-registered Gulfstream 650 and from the Hellenic Air Force, a Spartan and two PZL-Mielec M-18 Dromader water-bombers. The latter aircraft take up temporary residence on the island during the summer months to help combat forest fires.

Special-liveried airliners are fairly common here with the best by far for me this time being NordStar Airlines Boeing 737-86J(WL) VQ-BNG complete with a smiling Siberian Husky nose and another giving the `thumbs-up` on the tail - I’ll bet even world famous naturalist and author Gerald Durrell (7 January 1925 – 30 January 1995) never saw any of these animals during his time on Corfu! The livery advertises the 2019 Winter Universiade, an international student and youth sports competition which took place from 2–12 March 2019 in the Russian city of Krasnoyarsk in Siberia.

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Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) stats have now been released for March 2019 which show that Glasgow International handled 646,757 passengers during the month which is a drop of 2.7% compared with March 2018 and aircraft movements saw a far larger fall of 8.6% compared to last March. Aberdeen Airport, also owned by AGS Airports saw its passenger numbers for March 2019 decline by 7.3%.

May`s weather improved as the month went on and by Wednesday 15th Scotland was warmer than Paris, Berlin, Rome, Amsterdam and Athens. A temperature of 25.8C was recorded in the Northwest Highlands, making it the country`s warmest day of the year so far. The warmest May day on record for Scotland was set on 25 May 2012 when the temperature at Inverailort in the Highlands reached 30.9C.

Over on the north side of the River Clyde at Bowling, this Country & Western singer had stripped off and was blasting out Hank Williams numbers on the deck of a barge tied-up on the Forth & Clyde Canal. No doubt he`s called `Slim` something-or-other! The tiny cygnets were just out of earshot, keeping to the shade. This month’s mini-heatwave didn’t last though and more familiar conditions returned before May ended.

A very mild winter and spring with next to no snow or frost in the Glasgow and Paisley area, has resulted in a profusion of colour, well illustrated by these stunning displays of flowers and trees in bloom on the Formakin Estate located in the Renfrewshire countryside only a few miles from the airport. There is a downside to the lack of ice and snow, however, as millions more midges than usual will hatch this year ready to sink their fangs into unsuspecting walkers!

Air Departure Tax

Controversial plans by the Scottish government to cut the amount of Air Departure Tax (ADT) paid by passengers flying from Scottish airports have been scrapped after a backlash over the environmental impact. The government`s intention had been to reduce the levy by 50% before eventually abolishing it, but the resultant hike in greenhouse gas emissions from the expected increase in flights raised concerns. The government has now confirmed that the tax cut will not happen as it`s no longer compatible with the latest climate targets.

Derek Provan, chief executive of AGS Airports which owns and manages Aberdeen International and Glasgow airports, described the decision as a "huge blow for our airports and for Scotland's connectivity". The chief executive of Edinburgh Airport, Gordon Dewar, said that the country`s airports and airlines operating from them have been led down a path of failed promises for three years by this Scottish government. The Scottish capital`s airport had previously published a report which predicted that halving the departure tax would create almost 4,000 jobs and add £1bn to the Scottish economy.

Currently, Air Passenger Duty (APD) is in operation and will continue to be charged on all passenger flights from Scottish airports, apart from those in the Highlands and Islands, until it is replaced by ADT. The rate of tax varies according to where the passenger is going and the class of travel, and ranges from £13 for the cheapest class of short-haul flights to more than £500 for some long-haul flights. APD raises about £300m in Scotland and £3bn across the UK every year. The alternative Air Departure Tax (ADT) was originally due to be introduced in Scotland last year, but has been hit by a series of delays, supposedly mainly down to legal issues regarding tax exemptions for flights departing Highlands and Islands airports.

The commitment to cutting ADT in half when it is eventually introduced, before abolishing the tax completely sometime in the future, was included in the SNP's manifesto for the 2016 Holyrood election, with the party arguing it would boost the economy and tourism. But there was speculation that the policy, which was backed by the Conservatives and the aviation industry, would be ditched after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon declared a "climate emergency" at last month's SNP conference. The Scottish Parliament was given powers to charge tax on passengers leaving Scottish airports under the Scotland Act, which came into force in 2016.

Strike One! Strike Two!

On Wednesday 23 May, six regional airports closed their doors at midnight at the start of a 24-hour strike by air traffic controllers, disrupting the travel plans of around 6,000 people. The airports affected, all managed and operated by Highland and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL), were Benbecula, Dundee, Inverness, Kirkwall, Stornoway and Sumburgh. HIAL is a public corporation wholly owned by the Scottish Ministers and is also responsible for Barra, Campbeltown, Islay, Tiree and Wick.

HIAL’s airports are vital to the social and economic welfare of the areas they serve, but are loss making, and are therefore supported by subsidies from the Scottish Government. The controllers` union Prospect has called for a staff pay rise of at least 10%, arguing that ATC staff in the private sector earn much more. The industrial action came after discussions, facilitated by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, broke down and if the situation is not resolved the dispute could drag on through to August. The only other means of travelling to and from many of the islands is by ferry and these services often run to capacity at the height of summer.

The day after the HIAL industrial action, the Unite Union announced that its members would strike at Aberdeen and Glasgow airports for 12-hours on Friday 7 and Monday 10 June as a result of a long-running row over pay and pensions. Workers at both locations, many of whom are in security roles, will walk out from 04:00 until 16:00 hrs each day but Unite warned that further disruption to summer travel is likely if the dispute is not resolved. Industrial action threatened in April was postponed to allow talks to continue but the opposing sides failed to reach an agreement. AGS, the owner of both airports, said robust contingency plans would be put in place to ensure `business as usual`.

The British Pipe Band Championships 2019

On Saturday 18 May, it wasn`t the illegal use of drones that pilots on approach to the airport had to keep a lookout for, but low-flying maces! More than 4,000 Pipers, Drummers and Pipe Majors of all ages braved wet conditions to take part in the British Pipe Band Championships in Paisley. The event, said to be only second in size to the World Pipe Band Championships, featured 123 bands. The competition attracted a large crowd to see pipers from as far afield as the USA, Belgium and Denmark.

Although the playing fields can`t compete with Levengrove Park with its dramatic backdrop of Dumbarton Castle which will host the Scottish Pipe Band Championships this coming July, the Paisley event was first-class and a great day out, despite the unsettled conditions. Parking close to the venue at Paisley was easy with no sign of traffic congestion while I was there. Despite the large number of participants and visitors, much of the available ground at St James was unused and having attended the Scottish Championships at Dumbarton several times in recent years, there seemed to be more room at Paisley with the various arenas and practice areas better spaced.

Grade 1 victors this time round were St Laurence O`Toole (below) from the Republic of Ireland, followed closely by Scottish Power then Inveraray & District with erstwhile World Champions Field Marshall Montgomery `only` achieving a respectable 5th place. Most of the other bands would be more than happy with that position but no doubt Pipe Major Richard Parkes MBE and the rest of Field Marshall Montgomery would look on it as a total disaster! Many more shots taken during the event can be viewed here.

Jet Airliners

Visiting jet airliners worth a mention this month included Airbus A380-861 A6-EON (f/v) Emirates (Expo 2020 green livery) and Boeing 737-8GS(WL) C-GFEH (f/v) Sunwing Airlines (1st); A380-861 A6-EDC (f/v) Emirates (2nd); Boeing 737-8K2(WL) PH-BCK (f/v) on delivery from Boeing Field to KLM at Amsterdam Schiphol (3rd); Airbus A321-231 D-AISV Lufthansa (f/v) (4th); A380-861 A6-EUI (f/v) Emirates (5th); Airbus A380-861 A6-EOM (f/v) Emirates (United for Wildlife Livery) and Boeing 757-256(WL) TF-FIR Icelandair (80 years of Aviation Livery) (6th); A380-861 A6-EEF (f/v) Emirates, Boeing 757-21B G-LSAH Jet2, Boeing 737-8SH(WL) C-GLRN Sunwing Airlines (f/v) BAe Avro RJ8 G-JOTR JOTA Aviation (worked some BA flights during the month) (7th); Airbus A380-861 A6-EDM (f/v) Emirates (8th); British Airways Airbus A319-131 G-EUPJ in BEA retro scheme (10th)...

A380-861 A6-EOK (f/v) Emirates (Expo 2020 green livery) (12th); A380-861 A6-EEQ (f/v) Emirates (United for Wildlife livery) (13th); A380-861 A6-EDN (f/v) Emirates and Boeing 757-256(WL) TF-FIU Icelandair (Aurora Borealis Livery) (14th); A380-861 A6-EUJ (f/v) Emirates, Boeing 737-8K2(WL) PH-BCH (f/v) on delivery to KLM at Schiphol, A320-251N G-UZHM (f/v) easyJet, plus Trade Air Fokker F100 9A-BTE (15th); A380-861 A6-EDO (f/v) Emirates, Boeing 737-86N(WL) G-DRTU Jet2 (f/v) and Embraer ERJ-145EP G-SAJL (f/v) Loganair. Airbus A319-115 OY-RCG (f/v) (not photographed) of Atlantic Airways also visited. This small carrier is the national airline of the Faeroe Islands, also operating an Airbus A319-112, an A320-214 and a pair of Leonardo AW139s helicopters which are also used for Search & Rescue. Two new Airbus 320NEO airliners are on order (16th)...

Virgin Atlantic`s `Pretty Woman` (Boeing 747-443 G-VROY) called in on Friday 17 May to pick-up passengers bound for Orlando.

A321-251NX G-NEOU British Airways (17th); A380-861 A6-EUK (f/v) Emirates (18th); A380-861 A6-EUH (f/v) Emirates, Airbus A319-115 OY-RCG Atlantic Airways returned, Trade Air Fokker F100 9A-BTE and Dornier Do-328JET-310 OY-NCN Sun Air of Scandinavia (19th); Airbus A380-861 A6-EEL (f/v) Emirates and Airbus A321-231(WL) HA-LTC Wizz Air (20th); A380-861 A6-EEM (f/v) Emirates, Dornier Do-328JET-310 OY-NCN Sun Air of Scandinavia (British Airways colours) and Loganair Embraer ERJ-145MP G-SAJO (f/v) (21st); A380-861 A6-EOA (f/v) Emirates (Expo 2020 Orange livery) (22nd); Boeing 737-8K5(WL) OO-JAH TUIfly Belgium, Airbus A321-131 D-AIRN Lufthansa (f/v) and BAe 146 / Avro RJ EI-RJO CityJet (23rd)...

A recent addition to the British Airways fleet: Airbus A320-251N G-TTNE is seen here on Friday 10 May 2019.

Airbus A320-271N D-AINI Lufthansa, plus Boeing 757-2Q8(WL) N702TW of Delta Air Lines worked the first of the carrier`s summer service to New York JFK (24th); A380-861 A6-EEA (f/v) Emirates (Expo 2020 orange livery), plus BAe 146/Avro RJ EI-RJI and EI-RJO both CityJet (25th); A320-232 LZ-BHI Balkan Holidays Air (BH Air) (26th); A380-861 A6-EDJ Emirates (27th); A380-861 A6-EEG (f/v) Emirates and Embraer ERJ-190SR G-LCAA BA CityFlyer (28th); A380-861 A6-EEJ (f/v) Emirates (29th); Boeing 757-256(WL) TF-FIR Icelandair (80 Years of Aviation livery) (30th); A321-231(WL) HA-LTC Wizz Air (31st).

Tuesday 7 May 2019: Jet2 Boeing 757-21B G-LSAH, pictured above vacating Runway 05 after landing on a damp morning, had flown in from Eindhoven. The airliner was on the ground for around an hour and taxied for departure after getting clearance for Manchester.

After lining-up at Golf One the pilot was given permission to takeoff, however, somewhat unusually he asked to taxi forward and vacate the runway so that he could go around and line-up again. I can only guess that the aircraft wasn`t sitting in the best position initially.

Virgin Atlantic is among the front-runners hoping to snapping up parts of Thomas Cook Group's airline business, which the cash-strapped tour operator put up for sale in February this year to raise cash. Virgin has put in a preliminary offer for Thomas Cook's UK long-haul business, and is specifically interested in operations that serve destinations such as Cancun, Orlando International and Las Vegas McCarran.

Long-haul routes account for around 20% of all seats sold by Thomas Cook, operating out of London Gatwick, Manchester and, in summer, Glasgow Airport. Lufthansa has already submitted a non-binding bid for the acquisition of Condor from Thomas Cook Group. IAG International Airlines Group had previously considered joining the fray, but on May 10 its Chief Executive Willie Walsh told reporters that they would not be tendering a bid.

Loganair Embraer ERJ-145MP G-SAJO (ex-G-RJXM) made its first visit to Glasgow bearing its new registration and the carrier`s tartan livery on 21 May.

Airbus A380-861 A6-EOM, the first to appear with Emirates United for Wildlife Livery arrived on Monday 6 May.

Small groups had gathered at various locations around the airport perimeter to see and photograph the big jet but Air Traffic Control swapped runways just before it began its approach, catching some people out who were expecting a `05` arrival. The grass embankment behind the Rolls Royce factory at the Inchinnan Business Park is one of the best spots whatever the runway direction unless you`re shooting directly into the sun.

The hard case Paisley cattle didn`t seem too bothered by the huge lion and tiger leading the procession on the side of the airliner.

Conditions were far better when identically adorned A380 A6-EQQ flew in exactly one week later.

Here, a tug, tanker and other attendant vehicles make their way to the Emirates pier, ready to spring into action once the big jet gets on stand.

Below: Air Transat Airbus A330-243 C-GTSN about to land on Runway 05. Friday 10 May 2019. The recently released summer schedule for next year shows the carrier will operate 4 services per week until mid-June using 2 Airbus A321 LRneo, and 2 Airbus A332s, increasing to 5 aircraft weekly from mid-June until Sept 2020 after which it will revert to 4 per week. So, it looks as though the Air Transat A310 workhorses used especially on the Glasgow - Toronto run for many years will soon become a thing of the past.

Two major announcements regarding Canadian carriers were made within days of each other this month. Firstly, WestJet is being acquired by a private equity firm in a $5 billion deal. Then, Air Canada revealed that it has entered into an exclusive agreement with Air Transat to purchase all issued and outstanding shares. In addition to its internal Canadian network, Air Transat operates a number of transatlantic services and flies to holiday locations in the Caribbean and Mexico, the majority of which are seasonal. Air Canada has their own low cost carrier, Rouge, which operates to some of the same destinations and it has not been revealed whether Air Canada plans to fold Air Transat into Rouge and eliminate a competitor in the process, or if they intend to keep the branding separate. The proposed transaction is valued at approximately $520 million.

Following on from Air Transat last year, this month US carrier United Airlines unveiled its new livery. This is a big change for United, being the first new livery they’ve introduced since United and Continental merged in 2012, and forms part of a larger rebranding. The current United livery is based on Continental's old blue and grey paint scheme, complete with a blue and gold globe on the tail, a design which has been around for nearly three decades. United presented its new livery on a freshly painted Boeing 737NG airliner, the most noticeable differences being the larger `UNITED` on the forward fuselage and an all-blue tail.

Boeing 737-8GS(WL) C-GFEH, plus Boeing 737-8SH(WL) C-GLRN, both belonging Sunwing Airlines are now based to cover TUI flights during the busy summer season. This Canadian low-cost airline offers scheduled and charter services from Canada and the United States to destinations within America, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. During the summer months, the company offers domestic services across Canada as well as services to Europe where its aircraft are a familiar sight, especially at airports serving the Mediterranean hot spots and the Greek islands.

With Icelandair`s Boeing 737 MAX airliners withdrawn from use along with all others worldwide for the foreseeable future, the carrier`s 757s are once again frequent visitors to Glasgow including their special liveried jets. Arguably the most striking, TF-FIU in the Aurora Borealis scheme made its latest appearance on Tuesday 14 May.

With regard to the 737 MAX, Boeing has now admitted that it "fell short" when it failed to implement a safety alert system on their latest version of the plane. The 737 MAX was grounded globally in March 2019 following two fatal crashes and company boss Dennis Muilenburg said there was a mistake in the software causing a cockpit warning light called an "angle-of-attack (AOA) disagree alert" to malfunction. Steps continue to rectify the issue and restore faith in the airliner.

Just to add to the US aircraft manufacturing company`s woes, Boeing has just warned airlines about potential flaws on the wings of some 737s after identifying possible faulty parts on more than 300 aircraft worldwide. The components are the wing slats which help reduce drag on take-off and landing. These were all supplied by a third party and may be susceptible to premature failure or cracks due to an "improper manufacturing process" according to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

This male Reed Bunting was singing happily at the Paisley Moss Nature Reserve one morning. Nesting is at its peak in May but it`s hard to get clear shots of the birds here due to the limited paths and high vegetation at this time of year. Sedge Warblers could also be heard but stayed well out of camera range.

Air Transat Airbus A330-243 C-GUBF arrives from Toronto on Monday 20 May 2019.

Danish regional airline Sun Air of Scandinavia currently operates scheduled services as a franchise of British Airways using the BA name and corporate design on a fleet of 14 Dornier Do-328JET-310s. The carrier which has its main base at Billund Airport also offers charter flights, air taxi services, specialist aerial work and aircraft brokerage. OY-NCN made a couple of visits to Glasgow during May and is pictured lining-up for takeoff on the 21st. Coincidentally I`d photographed another member of the Sun Air fleet, OY-NCI (above right) at Dusseldorf Airport earlier in the month.

Delta Airlines Boeing 757-2Q8 N704X sets-off for New York JFK on a wet, grey Saturday afternoon. May 25th 2019.

Below: It was a fine evening on Tuesday 28 May when A6-EEG landed just ahead of schedule. As of 1 June, Emirates will be back to two Glasgow flights per day and the A380 will work the lunchtime service with a Triple-seven on the late. Essential work at Dubai Airport, including an upgrade to one of its runways had necessitated a reduction in movements.

Turboprop Airliners

Nordica ATR-600 ES-ATA remains based, operating various Flybe flights. Fairchild Swearingen SA.227DC-Metroliner 23 OY-NPD of North Flying visited on Sunday 5 May and returned on the 8th. Britten-Norman BN-2B-26 Islander G-HEBO of Hebridean Air Services put in an appearance on the 22nd and that was about it!

Swiftair Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia EC-HAK parked on the Gama apron. Monday 6 May 2019.

Please bear in mind that all my images are subject to copyright. They are not free to use and have been embedded with a digital watermark.

Stobart Air ATR 72-600 EI-FSK took off shortly before this month`s second `United for Wildlife` A380 arrived on Monday 13 May.

ATR 72-202F EI-SLY of ASL Airlines Ireland departs on the evening of Monday 6 May.

Biz-Jets

Cessna 510 Citation Mustang OE-FHK of GlobeAir landed shortly after midnight on 1 May.

Two corporate arrivals from last month stopped over into June, namely Phenom 300 CS-PHJ of NetJets and Cessna 501 Citation-I/SP N501NZ.

Phenom 300 N307MG flew in from Teterboro, New Jersey, via Goose Bay in Labrador, on Wednesday 8 May.

Other biz-jets making an appearance in May included Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy G-THFC, Dassault Falcon 7X SE-DJL, CitationJet CJ2 G-LFBD and Learjet 31A D-CGGG (3rd); Cessna 680A Citation Sovereign CS-LTC, Embraer Legacy 500 G-TULI Centreline and Raytheon Beechjet 400XT G-FXER (4th); Legacy G-TULI and Learjet 31A D-CGGG both made a repeat visit (5th); Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy D-ATOP Air Hamburg and Cessna CitationJet CJ2 9A-DWA (6th); Bombardier Global 5000 N5000P (f/v), Cessna Citation Sovereign OK-SEM (f/v) and CitationJet CJ1 9A-JIM (f/v) (7th); Embraer Phenom 300s N307MG (f/v) and D-IAAW (8th); Embraer Phenom 300 G-JMBO (plus other dates) (9th); Cessna Citation CJ3 OK-KIN (f/v), Embraer Phenom 300 HB-VRW, Learjet 45 G-XJET and Learjet 31A D-CGGG (10th)...

Bombardier Global 5000 N5000P. Area R, 7.5.2019.

Bombardier Challenger 350 9H-VCE VistaJet, Cessna CitationJet CJ2 9A-DWA Winair and Citation Mustang OE-FWF (11th); Cessna Citation 700 Longitude N707CL
(f/v) coming in from Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport via Goose Bay, plus Citation Mustang OE-FWF returned (12th); Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 600 I-CRFX (f/v), Bombardier Challenger 850 9H-ILY (f/v) VistaJet, Challenger 605 C-FXWT and Bombardier Global 6000 EC-LTF (13th); Learjet 45 G-UJET and Raytheon Beechjet 400XTi G-FXDM Flexjet (14th); Cessna Citation Excels G-CIEL and CS-DXY (16th); Bombardier Global 6000 N900GX and Challenger 350s 9H-VCB and 9H-VCJ both VistaJet, plus Cessna 680 Citation Sovereign D-CAWX, Citation Excel CS-DXT and Raytheon Beechjet 400 G-FXRS (17th); Challenger 605 9H-VFD VistaJet, Challenger 350 CS-CHE, Embraer Legacy 500 D-BFIL Atlas Air Service, Citation II G-FJET and Raytheon Beechjet 400XT G-FXDM (18th); Citation Mustang N510MD (19th); Gulfstream IV-SP N621JH and Challenger 604 D-ATWO (f/v) (20th)...

VistaJet Challenger 350 9H-VCE visited on Saturday 11 May.

Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 650s OE-IBM and G-SUGR (22nd); Global Express N393BZ (f/v), Cessna CitationJet CJ1+ G-CJDB, Learjet 45XR LX-RSQ (f/v) European Air Ambulance, and Bombardier Learjet 40 I-GURU (f/v) (23rd); Cessna Citation CitationJet CJ2 D-ISUN and Phenom 300 N307MG (24th); Bombardier Challenger 605 T7-TAV, Dassault Falcon 7X SE-DJL, Honda HA-420 HondaJet LX-WJB, CitationJet CJ2 G-LFBD and Beech 400A Beechjet OK-JFA (25th)...

Bombardier CRJ-200ER 9H-JOY, Cessna 680 Citation Sovereign D-CAWX, Gulfstream 280 OE-HWM and Raytheon 390 Premier IA OM-TAA (26th); Cessna CitationJet CJ2s OE-FKO and G-TWOP (27th); Phenom 100 M-KELY (28th); Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy SE-DJG EFS (European Flights Services) and Dassault Falcon 900EX N131DS (29th); Gulfstream G550 VT-BRS, Bombardier Challenger 300 OK-AOA, Cessna CitationJet CU2+ 2-GOLF and Gulfstream G100 OE-GKW (30th); Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 650 G-WIRG and Challenger 350 9H-VCA VistaJet (31st).

The executive ramp, Area Juliet, late morning on Saturday 11 May.

US Cessna 680 Sovereign N492CA, seen here on the afternoon of Monday 20 May, made a previous visit to Glasgow in mid-September last year.

One from the Italian Register: Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 600 I-CRFX touched down just after 09:00 hrs on Monday 13 May and went directly to Stand 6 to disembark passengers, rather than at one of the executive areas. It left later the same morning and I`ll add flight details in due course.

VistaJet Challenger 605 9H-VFD (above) was snapped on Saturday 18 May 2019.

Bombardier Challenger 604 D-ATWO, (above left) about to land on the morning of Monday 20 May. The adjacent image shows Embraer Legacy 500 D-BFIL of Atlas Air Service, parked up on Saturday 18 May 2019.

Above: Canadian Challenger 605 C-FXWT and Spanish Global 6000 EC-LTF were photographed together on Tuesday the 14th after night-stopping.

US Bombardier Global 6000 N393BZ slows after landing on the morning of Thursday 23 May. Challenger 605 T7-TAV (below) is registered in San Marino.

General Aviation

The first of several foreign-registered light aircraft I managed to photograph this month was Danish Pilatus PC-12-47E OY-EUR which landed late afternoon on Wednesday 15 May. Although GA movements picked-up slightly compared with last month there wasn`t a great deal of variety. Visitors worth a mention included King Air 200 G-CWCD (1st); SOCATA TBM-910 N910R (f/v) (2nd); Diamond DA62 G-TACN (f/v) made various flights testing local navigation aids (3rd); King Air 200 G-NIAB (4th); King Air 350 N169KA (f/v) and King Air 200 G-WVIP (7th); Piaggio P-180 Avanti D-IRBS and King Air 200 M-LENR (8th); Piaggio P-180 Avanti F-HCPE and King Air 200 G-FLYW (10th); Piaggio P-180 Avanti C-GJLQ (f/v) (11th); Pilatus PC-12-47E OY-EUR (15th)...

A Scottish Ambulance Service King Air returns to base on Saturday 11 May.

Piaggio P-180 Avanti II M-GFGC and Beech 58 Baron N266EA (17th); P-180 M-GFGC (f/v) returned (20th); Piaggio P-180 Avanti N134EC (f/v) (22nd); BAe Jetstream 31 G-NFLA Cranfield University and Cessna 208A Caravan N533DL (23rd); King Air 200 G-FLYK (24th); Pilatus PC-12 F-HDBL and King Air 350 M-SPEK (25th); King Air 200 G-FLYK returned (27th); Pilatus PC-12 PH-CYP, King Air 200 G-KVIP and Eurocopter EC-155B-1 G-LCPX (28th); King Air 200 G-CWCD (29th); Pilatus PC-12/47E LX-JFR (31st).

Piaggio P-180 Avanti II M-GFGC.

US Cessna 208A Caravan N533DL, Thursday 23 May 2019, and French-registered Pilatus PC-12 F-HDBL on Sunday 26th.

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Military

First military visitor this month was Airbus A330-223 240/F-RARF (f/v) of the French Air Force which landed on the afternoon Thursday 2 May while crew training. It night-stopped to depart the next day. A couple of Lockheed Hercules called in on Monday 6 May, namely KC-130T tanker 162311/405 (f/v) (above) of the US Navy and C-130J 5629 of the Royal Norwegian Air Force. The latter aircraft departed later that day but the US Navy example, which is based at Point Mugu Naval Air Station, California, parked up overnight on Taxiway Yankee. The Navy Herc took-off on the morning of the 7th but returned at 11:10 hrs and reoccupied its parking position, finally getting on its way the following day.

The crew of 162311 must favour Glasgow Airport as opposed to Prestwick which receives the vast majority of Scotland`s US military visitors as the USN Hercules made another stopover on 17 May (below), parking on `Taxiway Y` in front Challenger 605 C-FXWT which had been present since Monday 13th.

The Herc finally departed just before 09:30 hrs on Monday 20 May and is pictured below taxiing round to line-up at `Alpha One`...

Formidable Shield 2019

On the morning of Wednesday 8 May, Canadian Armed Forces CC-150 Polaris (Airbus A310-304) 15002 (f/v) made a brief visit to Glasgow Airport with its appearance likely connected with Exercise Formidable Shield 2019 (FS19) which had kicked-off the day before. This US-led multinational maritime integrated air and ballistic missile defence exercise lasted two weeks and took place at the Hebrides Range off the Western Isles of Scotland just a month after the first of 2019`s Joint Warrior exercises drew to a close. Formidable Shield is envisioned as a recurring biennial event designed to improve allied interoperability using NATO command and control reporting structures when the participating nations combine to detect, track and shoot down both live anti-ship and live ballistic missile targets. US Navy Captain Shanti Sethi directed the exercise aboard the Danish flagship, HDMS Absalon (L16).

The MoD/Qinetiq Hebrides range sites on South Uist, Benbecula and St Kilda include a number of launch pads for target missiles, radar tracking, telemetry and evaluation facilities. RAF Lossiemouth hosted a total of 10 US Air Force F-16 jets and E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft from Germany. The F-16s simulated attacks on ships and air-launched supersonic target drones. The AWACS provided aerial over-watch to ensure that the airspace was clear.

Most warships and submarines due to take part arrived on the Clyde on either 4 / 5 May, berthing between Faslane Naval Base and Glasgow`s KGV Dock. The city hosted HNLMS De Ruyter (F804) of the Royal Netherlands Navy, HNoMS Otto Sverdrup (F312) of the Royal Norwegian Navy, the French Navy`s FS Aquitaine (D655) and the Royal Canadian Navy`s HMCS St. John's (FFH 340). All four vessels left the KGV on the afternoon of the 8th so the Canadian Polaris may have been dropping off or collecting personnel prior to the move. HDMS Absalon (L16), Arleigh-Burke Destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG-80), SPS Almirante Juan de Borbón (F102) - one of Spain`s F-100-class air defence frigates, and the Italian Navy`s FREMM Multi-purpose Frigate ITS Carlo Bergamini (F590) were at Faslane with HMS Defender (D36), HMS Northumberland (F238) and Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Medgar Evers (T-AKE-13) also involved in proceedings.

Formidable Shield ended on Sunday 19 May when a surprise visitor to Glasgow`s KGV Dock was FS Bretagne (D655). She made her way upriver just after 09:00 hrs and although I didn`t catch her passing I managed a few shots from the Erskine Bridge when she made her way back out to sea on the afternoon of the 22nd. NH Industries NH90 NFH helicopter, serial number MM81606/3-31 (f/v), (not photographed) of the Italian Navy made a brief visit to Glasgow Airport on the afternoon of the 19th, so I presume it was operating from ITS Carlo Bergamini or there may have been a second Italian warship taking part in the exercise.

Bretagne is the latest of six Anti‑submarine warfare (FR‑ASW) FREMM Frigates for the French Navy having been commissioned on 18 July 2018. The last, FS Normandie, is due to enter service later this year. Two Anti‑air warfare variants (FR‑AAW) will follow to replace the ageing Cassard-class frigates by 2022. On May 12, during Formidable Shield 2019, Bretagne successfully intercepted a supersonic target that was flying at over Mach 2 using its radar-based Combat Management System (Naval Group), Herakles (Thales) and the Aster 15 missile (MBDA) which was the first destruction of a supersonic target by this missile type fired by a French ship.

Aster missiles are the cornerstone of Europe’s naval and land-based air defence programmes with the family comprising Aster 15 for short to medium-range and Aster 30 for short to long-range. There is extensive commonality between the two variants with both missiles featuring the same terminal dart. Aster is manufactured by Eurosam, a European consortium consisting of MBDA France, MBDA Italy and the Thales Group. Aster is primarily operated by France, Italy, and the United Kingdom and is an integrated component of the PAAMS (Principal Anti Air Missile System), known in the Royal Navy as Sea Viper. HMS Defender unleashed a Mach-4 Sea Viper during the exercise successfully destroying a fast and low target. The Canadian frigate, St Johns launched 2 Evolved Sea Sparrow missiles (ESSM) and Norwegian frigate, Otto Sverdrup, one ESSM. The US warships also conducted successful live-fire missile tests.

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Back at Glasgow Airport - Outlanders Are In!

In March this year, Glasgow International took delivery of eight petrol/electric plug-in hybrid Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV 4x4s. which are now are being utilised by the airport’s security, engineering and airfield operations teams. Unlike conventional hybrids, PHEV vehicles such as these can be plugged-in and recharged from an outlet, which allows them to drive extended distances using just electricity, then when the battery runs low, the conventional engine kicks in to support it.

Far more environmentally friendly than their predecessors, the Outlanders deliver up to 166 miles per gallon, and have the ability to drive over 30 miles with zero emissions using just electricity. If the new vehicles prove a success it`s likely that they will be rolled out across the entire airport fleet.

Construction and Development

Apart from some tree-clearing along both sides of Abbotsinch Road, there hasn`t been any obvious development although with compounds already on both banks of the Black Cart Water at the stone bridge, an area for construction traffic has now been fenced-off on the west side of the White Cart at the Inchinnan Bascule Bridge. A new cycle / pedestrian footbridge is planned for this location.

The upgrade of Renfrewshire`s sewer network continues with the latest section of pipeline being put in place along the south bank of the River Clyde at Erskine. To facilitate the route, a large swathe of trees and vegetation has been bulldozed through the small Newshot Island Nature Reserve, an area which has already lost a fair chunk of land to essential construction work. The pipeline continues east to link with the treatment facility near the Clyde / Cart confluence and while work is ongoing fencing has been erected to protect the site, effectively barring access to the Newshot Island reed bed (another wildlife haven), and the fields opposite the Titan Crane. Hopefully things will have returned to normal by the end of the year with new trees planted to replace those lost.

This view of the pipeline is a telephoto shot taken from the Erskine Bridge. The water is fairly low and several wrecked vessels are visible. Newshot Island hasn`t been an actual island for many, many decades.

In years gone by, when shipping on the Clyde was at its peak, there was a constant battle to keep the riverbed free of silt and sand and this location was particularly troublesome. During dredging operations, numerous wooden mud punts were filled and towed further downriver to dump the spoil.

Many were abandoned and can still be found, scattered along the muddy stretch of riverbank at Newshot alongside several wrecks which were towed here and dumped after they were damaged in a serious fire at Kingston Dock in Glasgow in 1914. The punts, along with the larger vessels, are fully exposed at low tide. In addition to wooden schooners, there`s a steel-hulled craft (visible on the far left in the above view) which experts believe could possibly be the world`s first purpose-built diving-bell boat. The pillar at the stern supported a crane which lowered and raised the necessary apparatus.

The drone image was taken when Scotland's Coastal Heritage at Risk (SCHARP) in conjunction with the Nautical Archaeological Society carried out a survey of the Newshot Island wrecks several years ago. More information on these organisations and the work they do can be found on their respective websites:www.scharp.co.uk and www.nauticalarchaeologysociety.org.

The Newshot Island Nature Reserve, looking west.

Just a short distance away at Erskine`s Boden Boo Community Woodland, an even larger chunk has been cleared, this time to facilitate the laying of a new gas main under the river. Most of the construction work on this and the Old Kilpatrick side has now been completed and should be replanted once the soil has had time to settle.

Along at the airport, the section of sewage pipe that cuts into and across the airfield at the St James end has now been completely buried with the access points on either side of Barnsford Road (above left) filled-in. The channel, visible in these shots taken on 1 May, has been sown with grass seed and it won`t be too long before nature takes over and the work is completely hidden from view.

The Airport Fire & Rescue Service personnel have begun familiarising themselves with their new fuselage trainer and I take it that it won`t be too long before a large-scale exercise will take place. I haven`t seen any major fires simulated yet but smoke was bellowing out of various vents when I passed by on 7 May.

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Britain`s First Scheduled Air Mail Service

This memorial, mounted on a stone plinth, stands beside the A960 Kirkwall to Deerness road on Orkney Mainland, on the site of Orkney`s original aerodrome and marks the first British scheduled internal airmail service. The aircraft used was a General Aircraft Monospar of Highland Airways, piloted by Captain Ted Fresson who took off from Inverness Airport on 8 May 1933 and landed here, at Wideford Farm.

The sculpture atop the plinth shows the aircraft skimming the wave tops on its way to Kirkwall Airport.

A local photographer was on hand to record the historic event on film but the caption on the left hand image gives the date as 4 May 1933, rather than the 8th inscribed on the memorial. The newspaper clipping shows Captain Fresson and his recently delivered aircraft in April 1933, prior to the start of the mail service.

The modern day Kirkwall Airport lies close to the memorial occupying a fine situation closer to the sea. It was commissioned in 1940 as RAF Grimsetter due to the increased Luftwaffe threat against Scapa Flow following the fall of Norway which put the Royal Navy`s Home Fleet within range of German long-range bombers.

The Royal Navy Air Service took over the airfield in 1943 and it became RNAS Kirkwall, then HMS Robin, before it passed to civilian operators in 1948. During WW2 the Navy`s Barracuda torpedo bombers flew missions from Kirkwall, carrying out sweeps of the Norwegian Coast in 1944 / 45. The above images are courtesy of the Imperial War Museum`s `Share & Reuse` policy.

Daks Over Normandy

A far more momentous event is due to be commemorated next month with the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, the 6th of June 1944 being unquestionably one of the most important dates in modern history. This was when almost 160.000 Allied troops stormed the Normandy beaches to start the liberation of Western-Europe. The amphibious assault was preceded by 24.000 troops who parachuted in or landed by glider. Forming the core of the airborne armada was a fleet of over 800 Douglas C-47 Skytrains, known as Dakotas to the British. These winged workhorses carried the bulk of the Allied paratroopers and their follow-on support units across the English Channel to help breach Hitler`s Atlantic Wall. To commemorate the occasion and honour those who took part, many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice in the quest to liberate Europe, from 2 to 9 June 2019 Daks Over Normandy will see over thirty DC-3/C-47’s come together which will be the largest gathering of the type since the Second World War.

Their owners and operators will have flown them in from all over the Globe. From Scandinavia, The Netherlands and the rest of Europe, from the United States and even from as far away as Australia. They, along with hundreds of Paratroopers will assemble at Caen-Carpiquet Airport in Normandy, and remain there from 5 to 9 June where they will be joined by warbirds and military reenactors for a series of commemorations and displays over the D-Day beaches and drop zones.

As England was the springboard for the Invasion including the airborne assault, the North American contingent will join their UK and mainland Europe-based counterparts at Duxford on June 2 where the crews will be briefed and rehearse for the flypasts, drops and displays over Normandy. The Imperial War Museum airfield is open as normal with the activity providing a major additional attraction.

The formation of DC-3s / C-47s, hopefully around 30 examples in total, will be the largest airborne, piston-powered armada to grace the skies of Western Europe for some seven decades when the planes set-off from Duxford en masse on the afternoon of 5 June. Around 40 Spitfires and P-51 Mustang fighters will escort them across the Channel. The iconic transports will have parachutists on board, 250 men and women who will be wearing WWII-style Allied uniforms and jump onto a drop zone at Sannerville east of Caen using military round parachutes. Thereafter, about 17:30 hrs the aircraft will land at Caen-Carpiquet airport.

There will be no aerial activity on 6 June due to the national D-Day commemorations in Normandy but on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 June, Carpiquet will be open to the public with a display programme similar to that at Duxford. Thereafter, the Daks fly to Germany, overnighting at a couple of places en route to Berlin where they will make three flypasts, two over the city and another over Gatow airfield, now home to the Luftwaffe Museum.

A real bonus for Scottish enthusiasts unable to make either of the main events was that the North American contingent, around a dozen C-47s from the USA and Canada, transited through Prestwick en route to Duxford with the Ayrshire gathering open to the public on Friday 24 / Saturday 25 May.

During WW2, thousands of small to medium-sized military aircraft arrived on British soil at ports around the country having been transported on cargo ships. The `heavies`, as well as numerous other types, flew in from North America via Iceland and many passed through Prestwick Airport in Ayrshire, Scotland, before heading south, including numerous C-47s which went on to participate in Operation Overlord and other operations that followed as the Western Allies fought their way across Europe.

This Imperial War Museum photo shows the Transport Command Delivery Park on the Northeast Apron at Prestwick where planes were marshalled after being flown across the Atlantic. Among the types present are Consolidated Liberators, Douglas Dakotas, North American Mitchells, and Canadian-built Avro Lancaster B Mark Xs. Fittingly, this area was where the Daks were displayed.

Only eight of the C-47s from North America that stopped in at Prestwick were present at the open day on Saturday 25 May, with others arriving either prior to the event and heading south, or appearing the following week, their departure having been delayed. The weather was excellent on the Friday when Placid Lassie (below), an actual D-Day veteran, taxied around the apron for the benefit of the local media. Saturday was overcast and unfortunately just as the gates opened at 09:45 hrs it began to spit with rain - by early afternoon it was pouring down!

Two C-47s act as permanent memorials at drop zones in Normandy, one at Merville Battery at the eastern end of the landing grounds which was assaulted by the British, and another at the American Airborne Museum at St Mere Eglise. I visited the D-Day sites last year and a large section containing further images, both my own and historical, along with background information can be viewed here.

Another large-scale gathering of WW2 aircraft commemorating the 75th anniversary of D-Day, although somewhat overshadowed by the C-47s, is L-Birds Back to Normandy. Running from 6-9 June, this event aims to bring together a record-breaking assembly of liaison aircraft used during the conflict, many wearing D-Day stripes. More than 60 Piper L-4s, Stinson L-5s and others are scheduled to attend, coming from all over Europe. An Aeronca L-3, Fairchild Argus, various Auster types, a Miles Messenger and Fieseler Storch are also expected. A commemorative flight over the Landing Grounds will be made on June 7th and on the afternoon of Sunday 9 June, weather permitting, seven of the aircraft will make a landing on UTAH Beach (above). Then, in July / August, as many as 100 Piper Cubs of all variants will come together at Granville aerodrome near Avranches.

This L-4J Grasshopper, so named due to its tendency to bounce on landing, is on display at the American Airborne Museum, Sainte-Mère-Eglise. The image from the US National Archives clearly shows the portability of these small but valuable aircraft. It features a Grasshopper stowed on the back of a 2.5 ton CCKW truck in preparation for the D-Day landings and was taken at a depot in Devon, England, in early 1944.

The Grasshopper was developed from the British Taylorcraft Auster V and proved invaluable for artillery spotting and communications duties. The plane could operate from fields and roads, enabling it to keep up with a rapidly moving advance and its slow loiter speed allowed it`s pilot to report on the accuracy of an artillery strike real-time and radio-in any necessary adjustments. The main threat to these observation aircraft was from ground troops as the spotters`standard operating height was fairly low, a requirement to make them less visible to enemy fighters.

Left: Ground crew of No. 652 (Air Observation Post) Squadron RAF wheel a Taylorcraft Auster AOP Mark IV out of its blast pit at Cresserons, Normandy, for a sortie in support of I Corps operations. (Image © Imperial War Museum).

Other Aircraft at Prestwick

Beech King Air 200C N54F was the support aircraft for the North American contingent of the 75th Anniversary D-Day Squadron.

There was a fair amount of military activity at Prestwick Airport this month and between my visits on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 May I managed to photograph an interesting selection of aircraft - and that wasn`t counting the Dakotas! Present on Friday were night-stopping C-5M Galaxy 86-0023, call-sign `Reach 405`, which left for Mildenhall at 07:40 hrs on the 24th, a pair of KC-135 tankers, C-17A Globemaster 08-8197, a US Navy C-130T, with a couple of all-white C-12 Hurons and a `Government of Canada` Polaris snapped the following day, as well as several biz-jets and civil types.