Glasgow Airport Movements 2021
March
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March 2021
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This month marked a year since the first positive COVID-19 test was recorded in the UK. By 1 March 2021, 123,000 people had died with Coronavirus listed on their death certificate, but encouragingly, a total of 20,275,451 people had received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose, while 815,816 people have had both. The growing scale of the rollout offers hope for the future, not just protecting the population, but enabling some return to normality by summer - but only if everyone is sensible and adheres to the guidelines put in place to limit the spread.
As demonstrated previously, it seems that all thoughts of keeping themselves and others safe goes out the window with some football supporters when they have something major to celebrate or moan about. Police Scotland condemned Rangers FC for failing to ask fans to return home after they gathered in Glasgow to party following their team`s title win. Large numbers of supporters flouted COVID rules to gather at Ibrox Stadium and Glasgow's George Square on Sunday 7 March after the club were confirmed as Scottish Premiership champions. Rangers took the title for the first time since 2011 after Celtic failed to beat Dundee United. Although the season still had games remaining, by that time Rangers had gained sufficient points to make them uncatchable.
Deputy Chief Constable Malcolm Graham said there had been a lack of support from the club, despite repeated requests from police, to message their fans to celebrate safely and responsibly. Officers made 28 arrests and handed out fixed penalty notices for a variety of offences including assault on police officers, sectarian-related breaches of the peace, breaking COVID rules, and use of pyrotechnics.
Deputy Chief Constable Malcolm Graham said there had been a lack of support from the club, despite repeated requests from police, to message their fans to celebrate safely and responsibly. Officers made 28 arrests and handed out fixed penalty notices for a variety of offences including assault on police officers, sectarian-related breaches of the peace, breaking COVID rules, and use of pyrotechnics.
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(Football related images © BBC / Getty / PA Media / The Guardian / The National / Daily Record / Getty / Scottish Sun)
Deputy First Minister John Swinney acknowledged that the title win was a `special moment` for the club and praised those fans who celebrated at home but said it was `shameful` to see so many people deliberately flouting the rules. In the city centre, Glasgow City Council said a number of memorial benches, one of which was apparently in memory of a 10-year-old girl, donated by grieving relatives, were damaged in George Square. A crowdfunding appeal to pay for the repairs, set up by the owner of the Louden Tavern at Ibrox Stadium, quickly raised its £5,500 target, with any extra funds being donated to the Anthony Nolan cancer charity.
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Back in November hundreds of irate Celtic supporters had defied the level four restrictions and converged on Celtic Park to call for the removal of the club's then manager Neil Lennon. With the potential for further large scale disorder in and around Parkhead for the Old Firm game on Sunday 21 March, the authorities warned that should any fans gather outside in large numbers, the match may be postponed.
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A huge police operation was launched in a bid to deter supporters from not only gathering at Parkhead, but also at Ibrox Stadium and in the City Centre. On the day, it remained very quiet in Glasgow`s East End before the match, with only a handful of fans showing up. Where small groups of people did gather, officers engaged and encouraged them to disperse and return home. Both Rangers and Celtic FC, as well as their supporters, were thanked for taking responsibility in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and no football related arrests were made. The game ended in a one-all draw with goals from Gers star Alfredo Morelos and Celtic winger Mohamed Amine Elyounoussi.
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There were more anti-lockdown protests across mainland Europe, as well as a number in the UK, some of which turned violent. What began as heated, but largely peaceful demonstrations in London (above) and Bristol (below) were apparently hijacked by a minority intent on causing violence and mayhem.Following a second night of rioting in the latter city, Avon and Somerset Constabulary struggled to cope and called for mutual support from other forces. This second protest came two days after a peaceful demonstration against the police, crime, sentencing and courts bill erupted into chaos with a police station attacked, 21 officers injured and police vehicles set alight. Bristol ended up experiencing four mass demos within a 10 day period.
Very few arrests were made at the time, mainly due to the limited resources and the risk of escalating an already volatile situation, but CCTV footage helped identify some of the main players, a number of whom were arrested in the days that followed. Meanwhile, despite an increasing number of MPs being opposed to extending the emergency legislation which gives the government sweeping powers for another six months, the vast number were in favour and the motion passed comfortably.
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Although lockdown measures should ease considerably in the months ahead, foreign travel and holidays won`t be resuming anytime soon, with some suggesting that projected restarts in May or June may be too optimistic. Although the vaccine program is well underway in the UK, some other countries, including many in the EU, are struggling to protect their populations at the same rate, which will obviously impact UK travellers wishing to visit with regard to quarantine regulations at both ends. The airline companies, like other businesses, are desperate to restart, even on a limited scale initially.
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According to the CAA, Glasgow International Airport`s passenger figures for January 2021 totalled 29,068 which is down 91.3% on the same month last year. February 2021 saw just 16,119 passengers pass through the terminal, a drop of 96.9%. Looking ahead to November though, hoteliers have begun bumping up room rates for the UN Climate Change Conference in the city, some by more than 500 per cent. The 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) will run for almost a fortnight, bringing in a welcome boost in trade for the hard-pressed hospitality trade, other local businesses and transport companies. Some critics argue that the exorbitant hotel and rental apartment prices being asked could impact negatively on the impression 30,000 delegates take from their time in Glasgow.
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For example, booking.com is offering a four-bedroom duplex apartment in the city centre for a staggering £34,986 for a 14-night period around conference time. Meanwhile, the rate being charged for the Blythswood Square Apartments works out at just under £2,500 per night. Establishments closer to the SEC Campus also admit they are cashing in on the huge demand for beds and their proximity to the conference venue is reflected in the booking fee. Expected numbers of attendees may be drastically reduced though.
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Jet Airliners
On Wednesday 31 March, a pair of Boeing 737-8 MAX airliners transited Glasgow International, while en route from Boeing Field in Seattle to Milan, Italy. Both aircraft bore Irish registrations: EI-RZA (f/v) `NOS 01` was first to land at 09:10 with EI-RZB (f/v) `NOS 02` following on 15 minutes later. They were making a fuel stop, and spent just 45 minutes on the ground.
First to arrive, Boeing 737 MAX EI-RZA, is seen here vacating Runway 23 at `Golf One`.
There was just enough time to reposition at the other end of the runway before the second plane touched down...
I photographed EI-RZB`s arrival from Abbotsinch Road. These were the first MAX variant 737s to call in here since the global flight ban was lifted.
Neos is a passenger airline based at Milan Malpensa Airport, with bases at Bologna Airport and Verona Airport. Neos was launched as a joint venture between Finanziaria di Partecipazioni (IFIL) and TUI, which sold its shares in the carrier to Alpitour in 2004. As well as destinations in Europe, the airline operates services to Africa and the Middle East.
There was a fair amount of fog about on the morning of March 1 and low-vis procedures were in force, but that didn`t stop local enthusiasts gathering to shoot the departure of Airbus A320-214 N621VA. The ex-Alaska Airlines plane had made a night stop, having arrived at Glasgow about 17:30 hrs the previous day. It was bound for Palma, Majorca, destined to become one of the Volotea fleet, but it was a disappointment for many to find that although it still had its American registration, the US carrier`s colour scheme had already been painted over Stateside - Alaska Airlines` liveries aren`t too common here and this would have probably been a first. This airliner, which also served with Virgin America for a time, will continue operations as EC-NNZ.
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UK-carrier-wise, there was very little variety yet again with BA Shuttles and easyJet domestic flights making up the majority of the traffic.
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The East Yonderton Farm cat, pictured peering through the perimeter fence, above right, had more chance of catching sight of a mouse doing the backstroke in the floods, than seeing lots of unusual British airliners this month, although BA Triple-seven G-YMML flew in on Saturday 6 March with supplies of PPE from Bangkok. This plane, which I didn`t manage to photograph, was in the carrier`s `Great Festival of Creativity in Shanghai` special livery.
Above: TUI Boeing 737 G-TAWN in Sunwing markings was a stopover from February and remained throughout the month.
Jet2 Boeing 737-8BK G-DRTH took to the air on Monday 1 March for a couple of circuits.
British Airways will operate just a single daily Gatwick-Glasgow service this summer, which is understood to be the only short haul flight operating from Gatwick until the end of October. easyJet intend to commence twice weekly Glasgow-Antalya services from 1 July 2021 if travel restrictions allow. Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic have cancelled their Orlando programme from Glasgow (and Belfast) until next year, due to the ongoing uncertainty over COVID 19.
Above: easyJet Airbus A320-251N G-UZLL departs on a misty March 1st. Embraer ERJ-145MP G-CHMR of Eastern Airways flew in from Lille to operate a service to Alesund, Norway, on Thursday 4 March, presumably for oil industry workers. Eastern Embraer ERJ-145LR G-CISK made another Glasgow - Alesund flight on the 23rd.
Airbus A319-131 G-EUPO worked a morning Shuttle flight on the 15th.
easyJet Airbus A320-251N G-UZHP (below) was next to land...
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BA A320-232 G-EUUW flew in on 5 March, relocating from Palma for maintenance. A321-211 G-POWN of Titan Airways operated a flight on the 10th to take Rangers to Prague for their match against SK Slavia Prague, returning with the team, who had managed a 1-1 draw, on the 12th. A rain shower moved in just as I was about to snap the Gers` taxi (left) on finals from my back window. Smartwings Boeing 737-81D(WL) OK-TSE (f/v) (below) arrived on the 16th for the return leg and remained until the 19th.
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The Czech champions inflicted Rangers' first defeat at Ibrox in just over a year to knock the nine-man Scottish champions out of the Europa League in a heated clash after the draw in Prague. Following two red card send-offs, the home side went down 0-2 (agg 1-3). The Czech team`s plane OK-TSE is pictured below on the 19th shortly before pushing back...
On Saturday 13 March, British Airways Boeing 777-36N(ER) G-STBD (above) flew in on another cargo-only PPE run, arriving here late morning. Then, a week later Boeing 777-236ER G-YMMT (f/v) operated an identical service from Bangkok. This aircraft is pictured below on finals on Saturday 20 March...
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Jet2 B737 G-DRTF (f/v) arrived at Glasgow on Friday 19 March, presumably for storage. British Airways Airbus A320-251N G-TTNO (f/v) (not photographed) flew in late evening that day and night stopped to operate an early Shuttle the following morning. Around midday on Wednesday 24 March, OY-TCI (below) of SunClass Airlines flew in from Vienna, with the Austrian national football team for the first round match in the World Cup 2022 qualifiers at Hampden Park, the next day.
SunClass Airlines, previously operating as Thomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia, is a charter airline based in Copenhagen, Denmark. The carrier operates services to destinations around Europe and the Mediterranean in addition to long-haul haul services. Following the collapse of Thomas Cook, Thomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia re-branded as SunClass Airlines on 30 October 2019. Their fleet currently comprises eight Airbus A321 and three A330s.
On match night, John McGinn's spectacular overhead kick salvaged a deserved late draw for Scotland against Austria in their campaign opener. The Aston Villa midfielder conjured an acrobatic effort as the Scots were forced to come from behind twice. Grant Hanley's first Scotland goal in eight years cancelled out Sasa Kalajdzic's opener. Kalajdzic headed in a second to rock Scotland before McGinn's intervention. The result ends a run of back-to-back defeats for the Scots with Israel, who went down 2-0 to Denmark earlier, and the Faroe Islands up next.
On match night, John McGinn's spectacular overhead kick salvaged a deserved late draw for Scotland against Austria in their campaign opener. The Aston Villa midfielder conjured an acrobatic effort as the Scots were forced to come from behind twice. Grant Hanley's first Scotland goal in eight years cancelled out Sasa Kalajdzic's opener. Kalajdzic headed in a second to rock Scotland before McGinn's intervention. The result ends a run of back-to-back defeats for the Scots with Israel, who went down 2-0 to Denmark earlier, and the Faroe Islands up next.
Airbus A319-131 G-EUPJ in British Airways (BEA Retro Livery) worked a late Shuttle from Heathrow on the 26th, night-stopping before heading south the following morning. Malta Air Boeing 737-8AS(WL) 9H-QDQ (f/v) arrived from Venice on Saturday 27 March. This carrier is a subsidiary of Ryanair and was operating a rugby charter, bringing the Benetton team to Scotland to play Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun Stadium. The home side won 46-25.
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The Malta Air 737 is still in Ryanair colours and it`s been a while since a plane sporting this Irish carrier`s livery, previously commonplace here, has been seen at Glasgow. Another airline noticeable by its absence in recent weeks was KLM, but as a result of some travel restrictions easing towards the end of the month, the Dutch carrier resumed a limited service from Amsterdam Schiphol which was kicked-off by Cityhopper Embraer ERJ-175STD PH-EXN, pictured on finals on the left. It flew in on Sunday 28th, after the clocks moved forward an hour into British Summer Time (BST). This long distance grainy effort was taken from my back window.
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Rounding up the last of the football-related charters, Atlantic Airways Airbus A320-251N OY-RCL (f/v) with Faroe Islands titles flew in from Vienna, arriving at Glasgow shortly before midday on Tuesday 30 March. Scotland fared well with Che Adams netting his first goal for his country as the home side thrashed the Faroes 4-0 to claim their first UEFA Euro 2022 qualifying victory.
(Match images © BBC / Scottish Sun / Daily Record)
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Icelandair has announced it was resuming Boeing 737-MAX operations on March 8, 2021, becoming the third European airline to do so after TUI fly (Belgium) and Smartwings (Czech Republic). Ahead of the planned restart, the Icelandic flag carrier ferried two of its Boeing 737-8 MAXs, TF-ICN and TF-ICO, back to Keflavik from storage at Lleida, Spain.
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Icelandair initially plans to use just two aircraft on its scheduled network, with the first flight slated for Copenhagen Kastrup. A further two Boeing 737-8s and the airline`s only Boeing 737-9 remain in storage at Lleida while its fifth MAX-8 has been stored at Keflavik. Besides the six 737 MAX airliners already delivered, it`s thought that the carrier expects a further six units (three -8s and three -9s) from lessors with deliveries scheduled between now and February 2022. Three of Icelandair`s first batch of six Boeing 737 MAX 8s, including TF-ICU, pictured below on finals in March 2019, had already made numerous appearances at Glasgow before the world-wide grounding of the type.
In Iceland, many staycationers with either a sense of adventure, or oblivious to the risk, made their way to Reykjanes peninsula south-west of Iceland's capital Reykjavik to witness the Fagradalsfjall volcano in action. It`s last eruption was some 800 years ago and the country's meteorological office says a fissure of about 500-700 metres long (1,640-2,300ft) has already been created. This is fairly close to Keflavik International Airport, but unlike the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull, volcanic ash from which could have potentially damaged aero engines, there was no risk to aircraft. The 2010 event, saw the controlled airspace of many European countries closed to instrument flight rules traffic, resulting in what was at the time the largest air-traffic shut-down since World War II. Millions of passengers across the world were affected. (Volcano images © BBC News).
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Turboprop Airliners
Above: Aer Lingus Regional ATR 42-600 EI-GEV arrives from Dublin.
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Just a few planes in this category getting a mention this month: Loganair ATR 72 G-FBXA appeared on 5 and 6 March operating a rugby charter to / from Parma. Then on Friday 12 March, Blue Islands ATR 72-500 G-ISLM (above left) flew in from Cardiff late morning. Lastly, ex-Loganair Saab 340b G-LGNZ, which is pictured below, parked up on Monday 22nd. It had arrived the previous morning bearing the Dutch registration PH-CUA (f/v) and departed about 18:25 hrs on Monday 23 March on a JetNetherlands flight to Liege, Belgium.
ASL Airlines Ireland`s based ATR 72 operating ABR1CL/2CL was split between EI-FXK, EI-SLV, EI-SLZ and EI-SOO during March. Also, after a run of 10 years, the Swiftair contract for FedEx came to an end in February and an Embraer E120 will no longer be based here - the end of another chapter in the fortunes of Glasgow Airport.
Ready for departure, Loganair Saab 340B G-LGND heads for `Bravo One` on 19 March.
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.
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ATR 72-600 EI-FAU Aer Lingus Regional on finals for Runway 23. Monday 15 March 2021. Following the Brexit conclusion, Stobart Air will transfer two ATR 72 aircraft to a new UK company, to allow flights to other parts of the UK from Belfast City airport. It’s expected that the Aer Lingus Regional brand will be retained, though both aircraft involved are currently sporting an all-white livery with no markings.
Biz-Jets
(Above image © Air Charter Scotland)
Air Charter Scotland`s CitationJet CJ2 G-NOCM is now based at Glasgow Airport, having flown in on Wednesday 17 March 2021 to begin operations. The company, which has had its offices at Glasgow for 20 years, hasn`t had an aircraft positioned out of the airport since 2008. Air Charter Scotland COO Derek Thomson said `This is terrific timing for discerning private jet customers, many of them new to charter, who are responding to the restrictions and reduced scheduled service frequencies brought about by the pandemic. Light jets are the most popular charter aircraft in the UK right now and this one with its enhanced performance benefits will be a popular addition to our fleet,` Thomson added. `The CJ2 features new paint, dual Garmin GTN avionics, a refurbished six-seat interior, and Tamarack Atlas winglets. Additionally, the light twin underwent a two-week maintenance check before its placement at Glasgow Airport.` The company also operates bases at London Luton and London Biggin Hill airports. Beginning in January, ACS created Air Charter Scotland Europe and a new European air operator’s certificate with an initial two aircraft, namely a Cessna Citation CJ3 based in Malta and a Bombardier Challenger 350 based in Nice, France.
First corporate visitors for Glasgow Airport this month were Learjet 40 M-DMBP (f/v) (from / to Dublin), Eclipse EA500 2-TAKA (f/v) and Cessna Citation XLS G-RSXP on 2 March. Following on were Cessna CitationJet CJ1 G-KION (3rd); Eclipse EA500 2-TAKA again (4th); Citation XLS G-RSXP (7th); Eclipse EA500 2-DEWS (f/v) (8th); Cessna Citation Bravo G-CMBC (9th); Cessna Citation Bravo G-SPRE (15th); Learjet 35A D-CTWO and CitationJet CJ2 G-NOCM (f/v) (17th); Gulfstream G650ER N400J (f/v) and Citation XLS+ G-RSXP (18th); then Bombardier Global 5000 M-PORT (19th)...
Citation XLS G-NJAC made a couple of visits this month, the first being its inaugural landing here on Saturday 20 March.
Corporate movements continued with Learjet 35A D-CCCB of DRF Luftrettung (German Air Rescue) on the 20th; Hawker Beechcraft 400XP SP-ATT (21st); Another Air Charter Scotland corporate jet, Embraer Legacy 500 G-ESNA, visited on the 24th, departing for Biggin Hill. Next, CitationJet CJ2 G-SOVZ on the 25th; Eclipse Aerospace EA550 2-RAYS (f/v) and Embraer Phenom 300 G-KRBN (26th); Learjet 45 C-GMSY Starlink Aviation (27th) and finally Pilatus PC-24 HB-VRF of Lakeside Aviation stopped in on 28 March.
General Aviation
Again, not a great deal of activity here, but a few first-time visitors to highlight: King Air 200 G-IASA (2nd); King Air 200 G-FLYW (4th); King Air 200 G-FLYK (6th); King Air 200 G-NIAB (7th); Cessna 310Q N850KF (f/v), plus Piper PA-28s G-ELUE (f/v), G-CLEA (f/v), G-XAVI (f/v), G-VICC (f/v) and G-SNUZ (f/v) all called in for a time, parking on Area W beside the Flying Club on the north side of the airfield. The five PA-28s are operated by Kemble-based Freedom Aviation and their pilots were on the return leg of a long 11.5 hours cross country trip as part of commercial training (9th)...
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Above: Thales Beech 200 Super King Air G-FPLD was parked on the Gama apron on 1 March after being rolled out of the hangar.
King Air 200 G-FLYK returned (10th); King Air 200s G-BGRE and G-IASC (11th); King Air 200 G-REXA (12th); King Air 200 G-NIAB (13th); King Air 200 G-OLIV (16th); King Air 200 G-FSEU (17th). The Sikorsky S-92As of HM Coastguard are seldom seen down this way these days, with the smaller AW189s doing most of the patient transfers, but G-MCGG made a visit to the Golden Jubilee Hospital at Dalmuir around 4.30 am on Thursday 18 March, no doubt waking up hundreds of local residents on both sides of the Clyde in the process.
Glasgow resident Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk II G-BSFE.
King Air 200 G-IASB visited on the 19th. King Air 200 G-OLIV returned (21st); King Air 200 G-IASA visited again (24th); King Air 200 G-FLYW (26th); King Air 200 G-FLYK and Airbus Helicopters AS365N3+ Dauphin 2 G-NHAD (27th); Diamond DA62 G-IRJE, plus King Air 200s G-GMAF (f/v) and G-FLYW again (29th); Piper PA-46-500TP Meridian 2-COOK (f/v) (30th), and finally King Air 200 G-IASB returned (31st).
Below: Resident PA-28R-201 Cherokee Arrow III G-EGPF was previously on the Swedish Register as SE-GVV...
Military
Army Air Corps AH-64 Apache gunship ZJ213, a stopover from February due to a technical issue, took to the air early evening on Monday 1 March for a short test flight then stayed for another night, finally departing the following day using the callsign `Vendetta One`.
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Two Lossiemouth-based P-8A Poseidons visited Glasgow International on a training sortie on the afternoon of Wednesday 3 March. Runway 05 was in operation and after a few circuits at Belfast, the first ZP801 `Stingray One` carried out 3 touch & gos between 14:15 - 14:55 hrs. It was followed soon after by ZP804 (f/v) `Sealion Two` which did a couple of similar manoeuvres.
Late on Friday 5 March, continuing into the early hours of the following day, Glasgow International seemed more like a military base rather than a civilian airport. First to appear was P-8A ZP801 `Stingray Two`which returned for some training, then BAe146-1 ZE701 called in for a time. After dark, connected with Exercise Chameleon, no less than 2 Hercules, 2 Chinooks and 2 Apache gunships took up temporary residence here on the north side of the airfield, the helicopters being refuelled by the Hercules aircraft. The airframes were RAF C-130Js ZH874 (f/v) `Omen One`, which flew in from Leuchars and landed about 20:00 hrs, and ZH866 `Omen Two`; RAF CH-47s ZK550 (f/v) and ZK553, both using `Lifter` callsigns; plus Army Air Corps WAH-64D Apache AH1s ZJ191`Viper One` and ZJ224 `Viper Two`, the latter pair departing at 00:20 and 00:35 hrs on the 6th, along with the Hercs, the noise from their engines waking up numerous local residents in the process.
A pair of Beech Shadow R1 (Super King Air 350s) were also operating, with ZZ504 `Snake 54`, which had been performing wide high-level circuits over the Clyde Estuary and Argyll, landing at Glasgow for a time. The other Shadow was working a similar pattern over the Border Region. The `Omen` C-130 duo returned the following evening with ZH866 doing a touch & go of Runway 23 at 18:50 hrs followed by ZH874 doing likewise 8 minutes later (7th). About 12:45 hrs on Tuesday 9 March, Belfast-based Army Air Corps Britten-Norman BN-2T ZG997 `AAC522` landed for a short time and ZG845 `AAC524` did a touch and go.
A pair of Beech Shadow R1 (Super King Air 350s) were also operating, with ZZ504 `Snake 54`, which had been performing wide high-level circuits over the Clyde Estuary and Argyll, landing at Glasgow for a time. The other Shadow was working a similar pattern over the Border Region. The `Omen` C-130 duo returned the following evening with ZH866 doing a touch & go of Runway 23 at 18:50 hrs followed by ZH874 doing likewise 8 minutes later (7th). About 12:45 hrs on Tuesday 9 March, Belfast-based Army Air Corps Britten-Norman BN-2T ZG997 `AAC522` landed for a short time and ZG845 `AAC524` did a touch and go.
AH-64D Apache gunships ZJ198 (f/v) and ZJ226, both using `Viper` callsigns, arrived PM on Friday 12 March with ZJ198 (above) night-stopping into Saturday. An additional military visitor on the 12th was RAF BAe146-1 ZE707 which was followed by ZE701 `Kittyhawk 35` on Monday 15 March. The aircraft, pictured below, landed about 10:30 hrs to drop off Cabinet Minister Michael Gove and his entourage.
Normally RAF VIP transports like this would park on the Royal Pan adjoining Area Juliet but as the adjacent taxiway was being resurfaced, Area R next to the RVP gate in Abbotsinch Road was allocated, giving the handful of onlookers an even closer view.
The RAF are set to dispose of all four BAe Systems BAe 146s it uses as VIP transports as part of proposed budget cuts in the UK Ministry of Defence. The BAe 146s are tentatively scheduled for phase-out next year and are due to be replaced by two Titan Airways Airbus A321neo aircraft, presumably on a pooling basis. As such, the Royal family will no longer have access to its own fixed-wing VIP air transport and will have to rely on aircraft provided by the government. The plan is expected to be formally unveiled once the spending cuts programme is finalised. The aircraft - two BAe 146-100s and two BAe 146-200(QC)s - are 32.5 years old on average and are operated by the 32 (Royal) Squadron based at Northolt. The Titan Airways aircraft will be painted in the same colours as ZZ336, with G-XATW already seen in this scheme in mid-March 2021.
The RAF’s remaining Lockheed C-130J Hercules aircraft will also be retired in 2023, more than 10 years earlier than previously planned, together with 24 Eurofighter Typhoons in 2025, and the last 24 Westland Pumas by 2025. One final part of the spending review was the reduction in the order for Boeing E-7 Wedgetails from five to three aircraft. These will replace the Boeing E-3D Sentry aircraft from the middle of the decade.
HMS Queen Elizabeth`s First Visit to the Clyde.
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On the morning of Monday 15 March, HMS Queen Elizabeth made her first visit to the Clyde, berthing at the recently upgraded MOD Glen Mallan jetty on Loch Long to stock up with munitions. The huge carrier`s arrival was blessed with superb weather; there was hardly a ripple on the Firth and the Arran tops had a decent dusting of snow, forming a spectacular backdrop as the warship and her escorts headed north past Wemyss Bay and Inverkip. I would have headed along to capture this historic event on camera, but I followed the Scottish government`s COVID restrictions barring all but essential travel unless it was within 5 miles of your local council area. The vantage points were just beyond this limit, so I stayed home. The occasion was well covered in the local press and on the internet, with a fine selection of photographs, including these, which were made available for sharing via social media.
(Carrier images © Greenock Telegraph: George Munro / Navy Lookout: Iain Masterson)
An unidentified French warship was showing on Marine Traffic for a time, possibly tasked with joining HMS Queen Elizabeth, and the presence of EMB-121 Xingu, Serial No 87, of the French Navy at Glasgow Airport on Friday 19 March may have been connected, possibly dropping off personnel. The twin-engine light utility aircraft was on on the ground at Glasgow for just a short time and took off soon after being refuelled. Several of the Marine Nationale`s Xingus, including this one, have visited Glasgow International previously.
The Xingu (pronounced `Shingoo`) is a product of the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, Embraer, who named the aircraft after one of the country`s major rivers, which, after flowing for almost 2,000 km connects with the Amazon River at the head of the Amazon delta. The company based the Xingu design on its EMB 110 Bandeirante, using the latter type`s wing and engine layout merged with an all-new fuselage. The EMB-121 made its maiden flight in October 1976 with a more powerful upgraded version, the EMB 121A1 Xingu II, introduced in September 1981. Almost half of the EMB-121s built were exported to countries outside Brazil before produced ceased in 1987. The French Air Force are currently the largest operator with around 23 aircraft still in service.
The last of Glasgow`s military movements this month were BAe 146 ZE707 which also called in on 19 March. Next, on Wednesday 24 March, E-3D Sentry ZH101 callsign `NATO 31` made a go-around of Runway 23 at 19:30 hrs. Unfortunately it was too dark for snaps. Finally, RAF C-130J ZH866 `Comet 163` did a touch & go of Runway 05 at approx 17:35 hrs on the 31st.
Construction & Development
Following on from last month`s Construction & Development section on the Glasgow Airport Movements page, Monday 15 March saw the second piece of the new Black Cart pedestrian / cycle bridge arrive back on site. The completed bridge had toppled over during an attempt to move it into position late last year, crushing a works van, which was fortunately unoccupied at the time. I take it that rather than producing brand new units, the original pieces have been inspected for structural damage and given the all-clear - roll on the second attempt!
This track running north from the A8 opposite the 23 Runway lights is set to be surfaced. Its intended purpose is not yet clear.
The above slideshow features general views of the development site. Buildings are taking shape fast.
The low mound opposite the entrance to the Gama Aviation hangar in Abbotsinch Road, although little utilised by photographers, is an excellent vantage point but it looks as though it will be bulldozed in the not too distant future. Even if it does remain, new buildings will likely restrict or totally block views of landing and taxiing aircraft anyway.
Changing light bulbs takes a bit of effort.
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Work continued this month to remove what appears to a large filtration system on the southern aspect of the Rolls Royce building at Inchinnan. I have no information on the exact nature of the equipment, nor the reason for it being dismantled. Around 575 people are employed at the engineering giant's Inchinnan plant, which produces turbine blades and aerofoils. The downturn in the aviation industry, exacerbated by the Coronavirus pandemic, has had a devastating impact on the company`s fortunes, placing the Renfrewshire operation at risk of closure altogether. Last month, however, Rolls Royce said that local jobs have been safeguarded from compulsory redundancies for at least five years.
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The company has re-started work on its planned UltraFan high-bypass engine, with the aim of producing a demonstrator unit by the end of this year. UltraFan is aimed at the large civil aircraft market from 2025 onwards, although the pandemic has already delayed progress on the new concept. The initial version will achieve a 25% cut in fuel burn compared with Rolls-Royce’s first generation of Trent engines. The new technology will also feature a 40% increase in fan area compared with the Trent XWB for the A350 and a 9% increase on the General Electric GE9X for the Boeing 777X. The new engine has been designed with sustainable aviation fuel substitutes in mind, as the company sees no replacement with electric power for long haul until beyond 2050. The geared-fan engine
will have carbon titanium fan blades, ceramic matrix composite components and a lightweight composite casing.
will have carbon titanium fan blades, ceramic matrix composite components and a lightweight composite casing.
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March 2021
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