Chasing Malta’s Aviation Classics! Sunday 6th Jan – Thursday 10th Jan 2013
I had more holidays to take than planned over the Christmas period this year ‘thanks to Mr Dave Thompson ;-)’ so id decided to have a look at where I could go for a short winters break, but more importantly get away from this cold, bleak dull weather we’d all been having of late. I was looking at the canaries but then a place I’d been meaning to visit for while cropped up in the shape of a small island off the coast of North Africa! (Malta). Not been before but it has a couple of classics that have been lingering about the airport for several years now, Boeing 720, three BAC 1-11s and a couple of Dakotas and the added bonus of having a fantastic elevated platform half way along the runway, and hopefully nice weather?
Getting to Malta now is a lot cheaper and easier with the likes of the low coast carriers having aircraft visiting from airports around the UK all year round, Easyjet from Newcastle and Ryanair ‘who have two aircraft based out there’ flying from Leeds, eventually though I booked good old Ryanair out of Leeds as the timings were better and a lot cheaper than Easyjet. If im honest though, don’t like flying out/into an airport on the side of a mountain like Leeds and don’t like getting held up in traffic, as is the case when you travel south bound on the A1 on an afternoon after landing at Newcastle, but we don’t have much choice here now at Durham Tees Valley Airport, which has seen a potentially fantastic regional airport with train station and better road links to our competitors fade away to nothing more than a sad old boxer still plying his trade in the ring due to the incompetence of the management that’s been here over the years at DTV!!! “Which if im honest boils my p###!!!!!!!” anyway……. flights booked it was time to start and look for digs, one bonus is if you’re flying out in the winter months, you can pick up a few good deals with the hotels that are after filling their empty rooms. I picked up 4 nights half board 4 star for £14 a night, which is just about the rite time you need to spend at Malta’s Luqa Airport. Not the busiest of international Airports but what you do get there is quality as a pose to quantity, so for all you note pad and pen characters, you’ll only need one pen and more importantly a couple of pieces of small paper for a weeks stay as things get repetitive over the space of a few days. Malta though has also a couple of Aviation Museums on offer, one well worth a visit, although on my visit two aircraft that I was hoping to work ‘C-47 Dakota and Beech 18’ were under restoration, and both stripped down to bare metal and had their wings off, never the less nice to see Bell 47 and Cessna bird dog of the Maltese Air Wing amongst others.
With the flights, digs and Car hire all booked it was time to start and mail people with regards to trying to get airside, the Boeing 720 is impossible to get good shots of if you don’t get airside access, and to even get to the flying clubs you need to get access through a security gate which are all manned by the military, so no airside pass from either of the flying clubs/FBO’s then a wasted trip for me!!! Good news though and after mailing several people a guy came back to me and said no probs, so great result as that was the main reason for the visit with me being interested in the older types of aircraft, also this guy had a several ultra light aircraft, which I tasted a flight in one later! Also had a result with the military in that I got a tour of the hangers/ramps of the Maltese Air Wing with no problems in taking shots of their aircraft.
HMS Leeds Bradford!!! (Ski Jump) Sun 06th Jan 2013
No harriers were reported just a Falcon 2000 over Multiflight and the 3 week old Ryanair Boeing 737-800 EI-EVX, which was my 3.15hr ride to Malta as (RYR4228). Flight was really smooth and uneventful and clear most of the way with some awesome views of the Alps and Sicily before descending into Malta!
Malta Sun 06th Jan 2013.
On arrival at Luqa it was out with the camera and while walking across the ramp got to work a tasty Gulf 3 of Phoenix Air which had just landed before my flight, “great start” I then headed straight round to pick up the hire ride in the shape of a Peugeot 107 and headed round to the viewing platform. Easy to find as you head out of the terminal, turn left at the first roundabout and go under the runway, left at the next roundabout and follow to the platform again on the left. Unfortunately though with it being a nice sunny day and being the weekend it was very busy, so I worked the Gulf 3 from the fence again and then did the tour of the perimeter of the airport as not much was due in before dark. The Gulf 3 N197PA was routing to and from Libya to pick up some passengers the following day and once back on Maltese soil were then flown off on a USAF Gulfstream C-37B 09-0525 which arrived later in the evening. Nothing else of interest was at the terminal apart from the daily Emirates which was an Airbus A340-300 A6-ERO, while others which have been their a while were 9H-ELE BAe 146-300 of the defunct Efly, a low cost carrier which has now been parked up nearly 3 years after only lasting a couple of months of operations!! ex Spanish A/F Casa 212 T12B-53 didn’t look as though it was going anywhere in a hurry as did the TAM Airbus A340-500 PT-MSN, which has now been parked at Malta for 18 months having damaged the nose leg in a towing incident apparently, whilst in a worst state and in a builders merchant yard just across the road from stand 4 was DHC, 7 HB-IVX, ex Benavia, the aircraft is apparently going to be turned into a restaurant? Needs a lot of work as I had a quick look inside and couldn’t get passed the door due to so much junk inside! Anyway after doing a quick tour of the perimeter it was now off to the other side of the island for my digs for the night as the light was fading fast!
Malta Aviation Museum (Ta Quail) Mon 7th Jan 2013
If im honest I was only here for the two Dakota’s, Beech 18 and the nose of the BAC 1-11, so just worked what I wanted and left within half an hour to head to Luqa Airport as I had a meeting with a local flying school. I won’t list what’s their as its all on the website, but one aircraft here I have fond memories of with it being my first taste of jet transportation was the BAC 1-11. ‘G-BDAS’ as it was registered then, took me to Ibiza in style on one of the many Dan Air services from Teesside back in the late 80s!! This particular aircraft then went onto British World Airways and finally Alberta Airlines as 5N-BBP, only getting as far as Malta, it was stored along with 3 others, eventually being cut up and transported by road to the museum. As for the Dakotas, T9-ABC is a C-47B and was roaded in from Safi roughly in 2008 after being in open storage there since 4/95, while the other one, C-FITH ‘also a C-47B’ is under a long term restoration project, and having seen photos of it in 2004 looks as though not much progress being done! The Beech 18 N495F arrived in 1996 after being towed into the museum, and again is under a slow restoration.
Malta Luqa Mon 7th Jan 2013
The first ramp tour of Luqa on this trip seen me heading to one of the flying clubs, where after getting picked up at security gate 1, headed round to there office, and after opening the door was greeted by a classic hanging from the ceiling! A Victor Charles in British Airways colours!! Tasty!!!! Just a shame I didn’t have a bigger bag to get it home in??? anyway after a quick couple shots of the new office which was part of the deal me getting out on the ramp, we headed out to a dozen or so light aircraft, the best being 9H-FMG a smart Piper PA31 Navajo, then headed round to their hanger which by chance passed a couple of biz, NetJets Falcon 2000 CS-DNP and OE-GEM Ce680 Citation Sovereign, once we arrived at the hanger I could see a Partinavia AP68 Spartacus outside with no reg and no tail, so after a quick look through the window the id was soon found, 5A-DSD!! After working this puppy it was into the hanger where another several tins along with smart PA34 Seneca 9H-AEB were. On the way back to gate 1 we stopped by one of the two ex WindJet Airbus A320s EI-DOP which are now stored here following the airlines collapse last year.
So….. after a tidy little visit round some of the ramps it was off to the viewing platform for the rest of the day, “without the Victor Charles model though I hate to say” Not long after arriving a couple of the locals turned up, a Brussels Airlines Airbus A330-200 OO-SFY was due for maintenance at Lufthansa Technik, nice!! So while we waited for the beast to arrive we got a coupe of biz arrivals in the shape of 9A-DWA Cessna Citationjet and an Austrian Cessna 560 Citation XLS OE-GSZ, which was around the rest of the day crew training. After the arrival of the big Airbus the locals then headed off, and things got a bit quiet until I seen another big Airbus which I didn’t know was in! Lufthansa Airbus A340-300 D-AIGL backtracking and I presume heading back off to Germany after some maintenance at their facility! Not much else happened until the 16.30pm daily departure of the West Air Europe BAe ATP LX-WAE to Marseille.
Malta Luqa Tuesday 8th Jan 2013
An early morning breakfast and departure from the hotel saw me arrive at security gate 4 for a search and then meeting with the Maltese Air Wing, and later meeting up with another flying school where I was going to be escorted to the highlight of the trip for me!! Working ‘what Im sure’ is the only complete Boeing 720 in Europe! N720JR!! Then a flight in an ultra light aircraft! “A type first for me”
Once I got picked up at the gate we headed round to the office where I was then just left to my own devices to wander around the hangers and ramps working the Maltese Air Wing fleet. I was told not to take shots of the two Hughes 369s that were in one of the hangers so cant remember the codes as one was Air Force while the other had a civil reg, both in the old Air Force green and white colours.
Allouettes **AS9212/AS9315/AS9211 (**Old Colours)
SA Bulldogs AS0020 Remains after being W/O at Gozo Aug 2007/AS0021/AS0022/AS0023
Beech B200 Super King Airs AS1126/1227
BN2 Islanders AS9516/AS9819
Hughes 369s H-???/?????
After saying thanks to the guys at the Air Wing it was then off with Mark from the flying club to work the Smoke!!!! Or should I say retired smoke as I don’t think this baby will be going any where under its own power again??? Still an incredible aircraft and sadly now showing serious signs of corrosion after being stored here since its arrival back in March 2004, this particular aircraft N720JR was on the cards to do some pleasure flights for aviation enthusiast several years ago, but in the end, didn’t happen and I don’t think the aircraft has moved under its own power since its arrival all those years ago?? Another Smokey classic here at Luqa, but no where in the league of the 720 is a BAC 1-11-500. 9L-LDJ was sold to Air Leone after its time with British World Airways but never got to its new owners and I think like the other three 1-11s were stored here waiting their fate! Mark couldn’t take me out to the aircraft as his pass didn’t allow him that far up the taxiway so I just worked it from the nose of the 720.
Well…… that was the highlight for me over, but now time to move on and have a blast around the island in what can only described as an airfix kit!!!!! 9H-UZZ is a Technam P-92 Echo, and is classed as a microlight/utralight aircraft of which id not tasted before, so I got in with some struggle and started looking for the emergency exit and sick bag, “oh” and toilet!!!! Mark went through the pre flight checks and got in and started her up! We then taxied out and got cleared for take off, with what to me sounded ‘like a fart in a jam jar’ it really impressed me with regards its performance and how quickly we were airborne and climbing away to the beacon over the north west of the island, we soon reached the cleared altitude of 1,500ft and were hurtling along at 50-70knts!! After 25/30 minutes we were back downwind for what can be described as the best approach I’ve ever done! Turning tight finals a beam the threshold “God im gona have to have one of these things” Incredible and so was the landing, anyway after getting out of the aircraft I asked mark for one last favour! Id noticed a tasty pig outside Lufthansa Technik which I wanted to work so he walked me as far as he could across the ramp to get a half decent shot of it!! 5A-DMH 737-800 of Buraq arrived about a month ago for some attention needed to the fuselage! Having been hit with armed fire/missiles etc, the aircraft had to fly from Libya unpressurised and has been here since its arrival still looking worse for ware, next to it was one of the other ex Wind jet Airbus A320s EI-DFO, so after working them and saying thanks to Mark I got dropped off back at the gate and then headed back round to the viewing area to spend the rest of the afternoon until the light started to fade. Notables on the afternoon were Emirates Airbus A330-200 A6-EKW, SU-GBH ERJ170 of Egyptair Express and DHL Boeing 757-200F D-ALEK whilst M-GASG Gulfstream 150 and a couple of Learjet 60s 9H-AFJ and SP-CEZ were the biz of the day.
Malta Luqa Wednesday 9th Jan 2013
A couple of early arrivals seen me heading over to the end of the runway 31 this morning as I met up with a local their. Tasty place where you can get the arrivals just before touch down and is the place to go most of the day in the winter, but no good in the summer as the sun is the other side of the runway in the morning. Directions are, head out of the Airport and turn right and follow past the airport and the road turns right under the 31 approach where not long after turn right to a place called Safi, the road folks, take the right and it goes to a dead end where the touch down point is!
A couple of Thomas Cook aircraft were due, OO-TCS Airbus A319 and Airbus A321 G-OMYJ along with the usual daily arrivals around 10am, DHL B757 D-ALEJ and 11am West Air BAe ATP LX-WAT, Emirates Airbus A340-300 A6-ERS and the Wednesday Tunis Air Express CRJ900 TS-ISA, also thrown in were Ce560 Citation XLS+ YU-BZM and Ce510 Citation Mustang M-OUSE, after these the local headed off and I headed over to the now closed airfield of Hal Far which is so close you’d thought it was part of Luqa Airport. I was heading over their to work the last of the BAC 1-11-500s Malta has to offer, 5N-BBQ had its wings clipped and roaded the short distance to the Civil Protection Dept & International Fire Safety School at Hal Far. Easy to find just head back to the main road but turn right and head away from the Airport for about a mile and turn left at the first roundabout and right at the next and you’re there and soon will see the 1-11. Again I asked at the gate and no problems were had so just wandered over and worked it, not the best of positions though as it had containers either side of the aircraft restricting it to nose on shots, pity really as it had Official carrier of miss world 2001 titles on it? So after a quick visit I headed back to the viewing platform at Luqa and stayed their again until dark where probably the star visitor of the trip turned up, ZS-AKG Ce680 Citation Sovereign came in for fuel and go as it didn’t hang around long.
Malta Luqa Thursday 10th Jan 2013
Today was going to be a rather chilled out morning as my flight was due to leave early afternoon and to be honest not much was due in that I knew about, so had a leisurely breakfast and a drive over to the viewing platform where I would stay until the arrival of the Egyptair Express ERJ170 SU-GDJ, which was due just after midday on a Thur. After shooting the usual Cargo arrivals DHL 757 D-ALEB and West Air Europe LX-WAE BAe ATP, I headed over to the biz stand where a Gulfstream 450 D-AABB that arrived through the night was, then dropped the car off and had a chill in the terminal, where I headed into the VIP lounge and got tore into some snacks and drinks.
My ride home was onboard Ryanair Boeing 737-800 EI-EFS as (RYR2449), which arrived from Bristol on time and had me home in 3.36hrs, again a great smooth flight, but was spoilt by a typical HMS Leeds type aircraft carrier landing!! “What a dodgy airport Leeds is!” shame the management seem to know how to attract the airlines there though as it was real busy!
Malta is worth a short visit, specially for the shooters amongst us, great platform and designer holes in the fences around the airport but for the spotters not much to fill your books once you’ve got all the Air Malta, Easyjets and Ryanair, Lufthansa and the daily Emirates. Alitalia and Air France seem to be every over day along with the more interesting movements of Tunisair Express, Egyptair Express and Libyan Airlines with the daily weekday DHL757 eta 10.00am/ etd 18-30pm and West Air ATP 11.00am/16.30pm, but its what turns up unexpectedly is the icing on the cake for me, whether its for Lufthansa Technik or just dropping in for fuel, Malta will be always on my list for another visit, maybe for the Airshow next time now that I’ve worked all the classics it has to offer.
Cheers to Mark at Buzz Flight Training, Matthew at Falcon Alliance, Ruben at the Maltese Air Wing and John Lowe at the Fire Training College.
Regards Ian Ellington