70 years – an appreciation

Operation Chastise was an attack on German dams carried out on 16–17 May 1943 by Royal Air Force No. 617 Squadron, subsequently known as the “Dambusters”, using a specially developed “bouncing bomb” invented and developed by Barnes Wallis. The Möhne and Edersee Dams were breached, causing catastrophic flooding of the Ruhr valley and of villages in the Eder valley, while the Sorpe dam sustained only minor damage. Two hydroelectric powerplants were destroyed and several more were damaged. Factories and mines were also either damaged or destroyed.

The Lancaster is/was one of the most graceful aircraft ever to fly and I thought I would add some of my pictures of PA474 in Phantom of the Ruhr Livery.

To all who gave so much, you will never be forgotten.

Thank you

 

A day at RAF Lossiemouth

Hello All

Tuesday 23rd April saw a first for me with a very kind invitation from RAF Lossiemouth to attend an enthusiasts day.  As you know I have had an affinity with RAF Kinloss and had regular photographs of Nimrod MR2‘s as they did their regular low approaches at Kirkwall.  I also have atteneded numerous events at Leuchars but for some reason I have not had the chance to visit RAF Lossie.  What a loss it seems as the visit was excellent and we were treated like lords.

A couple of months ago, a notice came out asking for notifications of interest to attend this event.  Applications were well in excess of the number of places available and we all went into a lottery to see who would get the invite.  Lady Luck was smiling and although it was a hectic two days going there and back again, I have some (in my opinion) excellent photos and some nice memories.

RAF Lossiemouth is the home of 15, 12 and 617 Squadrons all operating the Tornado GR4 and 202 Squadron who operate Sea Kings in the SAR role.  There is currently a large exercise taking place called Joint Warrior with aircraft and crew attending from many countries and is one of the largest military exercises held in peacetime.

When I look back at some of my photos, I realised that Lossie GR4′s are a familiar visitor to Orkney but they travel so fast I rarely get a decent picture.  The other thing I noticed is Lossie is very spotter friendly with loads of places for the keen or not so keen spotter to watch the goings on and to enjoy the experience.

Anyway, here are the pictures, it may seem that there are duplications but I was trying out settings on my new camera and I have to say the change has been worthwhile.  I will never be a professional but I am a happy snapper and proud of it.

So all in all, a very good day with excellent hosts which I am genuinely grateful for.  The next time I am in Moray, I feel another visit is on the cards.

I hope you enjoy the pictures and, as always, thanks for taking the time to read.

All the best

Neil

At last

Hello

And apologies for not posting sooner.  We have been very busy at the airport with cold weather which has resulted in a number of delays over the last while but the sun is peeping throuch the clouds and we have had a period of settled weather for a few weeks now.

So what has happened since I last updated the blog.  One of our ex Security Agents, Gary Scott, at Kirkwall disappeared some time ago to Malaysia to utilise his CPL and I am delighted to let those that know him know he has been promoted to Captain.  Excellent news and congratulations.

In March we had a short visit from an unusual aircraft operated by the Swiss Air Force.  I always thought a Beech 1900 was a small uglyish aircraft.  In the flesh it is much bigger and quite elegant.

One of the most common complaints at the airport over the years has been the space for car parking or the lack of.  In the 11 years I have been there, the car park has increased in size by around 85 spaces.  The good news is, a further 40 spaces have been added on the left as you come in the main entrance, which should be open to the public shortly.

Here are a couple of pics showing the changes:

Last week we had a couple of new aircraft in and a new airline for me.  The first was G-EXAM, a Piper Arrow IV piloted by Captain Hugh Urquhart who I remember was the pilot on my first flight in a BAE 146.  He is now based in Glasgow with Jet 2.  G-OINV was once a flagship aircraft in the BA fleet and is now sitting cannibalised at Exeter Airport.

And here is the link to G-OINV, which as you will see, is looking very sorry for itself

http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/000468574L.html

Finally, last friday we had a visit from an Air Iceland F50 with a group of people who were here for a meeting on friday night reurning saturday.

Since my last post, I have upgraded my camera from my trusty Leica to a Pentax K-R which I hope will improve my standard of photography as I get used to it.  You will see 2 small marks on the upper left of my last 2 photographs which is annoying as I cannot work out if they are on the sensor or the mirror but will get it sorted shortly.

I also received an invite from RAF Lossiemouth to attend an enthusiasts day on the 23rd April when Exercise Joint Warrior takes place so I hope to have a lot of photos on that day.

Anyway, as always, thanks for taking the time to read my notes.

All the very best

Neil

Happy birthday Maggie

Maggie thought it was just a normal day at the office but she did not know weall knew it was going to be a major birthday, courtesy of Facebook.  2 birthday cakes, 2 balloons and loads of presents later she was suitably embarassed.  Here is the birthday girl!

 

 

And the secret squirrel team members, Marion, Liz and Paula.

 

Sadly Maggie is leaving us and moving onto a new life in Aberdeenshire.  Maggie is my longest serving member of staff at the information desk and will have been there nearly 9 years.  She will be a huge miss to all and we wish Maggie, Robson, Andrew and Theresa every success in their new life away from Orkney.

No post would be complete without an aircraft pic so here is G-CELV, Saab 2000 on a visit today.  It was a pleasure to meet the crew who had an hour or so to enjoy the delights of Kirkwall Airport.

 

 

As always, thanks for taking the time to visit.

All the best

Neil

A busy week and the weather is great

Just a short note to end the week.  It has been one of the mildest weeks in months but there has hardly been a day without some sort of delay for one thing or another.  I thought I would try and get myself into a routine of posting pics as and when things arrived but have failed miserably.

We have had a lot of helicopter activity recently and since it was a nice day for a change, I thought I would snap G-REDO as it was passing through.

Yesterday, we were visited by Danish Air Transport with a crew change.  Being the enthusiasts (should that be anoraks) that we are, Liz Harcus (Congratulations, as she has been promoted to Security Manager) and I were invited to have a look around the ATR.

A very different animal to the Saab’s we are used to.  First of all, I could stand upright without difficulty, it seats 42 and is much more spacious.  The pilot’s say it is a lovely plane to fly and to fly in.  Could this be a worthy successor to the Saab’s when they are replaced in the future.

Anyway here are the pics

Bet you have been waiting for this – and the inside, you will immediately notice the different seating arrangement!

Many thanks to to Captain, Nicolai Jensen, First Officer, Anders Munch and hostie, Charlotte Nielsen

That’s all for now, thanks for taking the time to visit and don’t forget we are now on Twitter @KOIairport

All the best

Neil

Return of the Vikings

Well, what can I say.  Happy Hallowe’en, Happy Guy Fawkes, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Up Helly A, Happy Chinese New Year, Happy birthday Rabbie Burns.  these are some of the things that have gone on since I last posted.

We haven’t had a lot of snow at Kirkwall but we have had a lot of high winds and seriously dreich weather.  Nothing too unusula has happend at KOI since I last typed but we are rinning a pilot at the moment on Twitter to see how it works.  Find us at @KOIairport.

Just a few photos this time to let you know we are still here starting with this picture of a Zenair CH701 UL owned by a local pilot, Tommy Sinclair.

 

It was sitting in a field next to the airport as I was rushing to take the kids to the airport party in December.  Always time to take a photo though .

 

 

On the 19th of December we had a flypast from a 2 seater Typhoon, sorry it was too dark to get the tail number

 

We had a lot of helicopter traffic over christmas and the new year, most of which I have pictures of except this new S92 G-XCII

 

 

 

Then an unusual sight just after New Year.  Bristoews, Bond and CHC all in the same place at the same time.

 

One of the perks of this job is getting to meet some very nice people who are passing through the terminal and this gentleman was no exception.  Sir Ben Kingsley was in Orkney doing research for a program he intends to do in the next couple of years and while he was at the terminal, he made time for everyone that approached him.  Genuinely friendly and interested.  Many thanks Sir Ben.

 

Yes, I know, we both have the same hairdresser as I have been told many times

Short ago we had an ILS approach by G-BVRJ, a 146 or should that be an RJ operated by Qinetiq

 

And finally the Vikings.  Today had a distinct viking flavour with LN-BAA operated by Bergen Air Transport arriving from Haugesund and OY-JRJ, an ATR42 operated by Danish Air Transport.

 

What a fantastic colour scheme!.  That’s it for now.  More as it happens and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

As always, thanks for taking the time to visit, until next time

All the best

Neil

A busy day

Some days can be busier than others and today was no exception.  There were a number of events all happening one after another and we had a number of special guests invited for a number of functions.

The event was attended by HIAL’s chairman, Lt Col Grenville Johnston OBE TD, who was formerly my CO in 2/51 HIghland.  Richard Fresson, son of Ted Fresson and Scott Grier, President of Loganair and many other individuals who have made Kirkwall Airport what it is today.

The first unveiling was commemorating the Wideford Airfield just up from the existing airfield, where an information board has been erected by the Fresson Trust.

Secondly a commemorative plaque for the pilots who operated the air ambulance service between 1933 and 2006.

And finally, presentation of Jubilee medals to firefighters at Kirkwall Airport.

Many thanks to all individuals who made this day so special and a special thank you to Craig Horne who is very much the unsung hero in all this.  When the plaque arrived, with the permission of Davie Berston, Airport Manager.  I had a backing board made for the plaque.  I gave a rough sketch to Craig who is  a joiner working for Alfie Fletts in Holm, with a brief to use his eye and surprise us.

He arrived yesterday with something I hope you agree is beautiful and very fitting for the occasion and the pilots who put their lives on the line in all weathers to ensure Orcadians and Orcadian residents arrived safely at larger hospitals on the mainland and in many cases from the outer of islands of Orkney to the Balfour Hospiatal in Kirkwall.

Many thanks Craig from all at the event.  I will hand you over to the photos now.  We were very honoured to have four of the pilots named on the plaque at the event pictured in the last photo.

L to R

Captain Alex Holmes, Captain Stuart Linklater, Captain Andy Alsop and Captain Duncan Peace

And of course the plaque

Because of the inclement weather, the unveiling of the information board at Wideford took place at the same time.  This is the actual board installed by Casey Construction on behalf of the trust.

Then it was down to the Airport Fire Section for the medal presentation.  The medals were presented by Richard Fresson and Scott Grier

   

In between all this Debbie Henning aka Deb’s Cafe had put on a lovely buffet for all so all in all a lovely day so far.

After the medal presentation it was back to the terminal to finish off the nibblies and a final photo opportunity to get all the hosts together.

And finally a picture of our Camera shy Airport Manager

L to R Richard Fresson, Scott Grier, Grenville Johnston and Davie Berston

Immediately after the event we went straight in to an airport tour for the Tuesday Club.  Many thanks to Loganair, Security, Petrea from the Information desk and the airport firemen for hosting the visit.

And finally (again) no post would be complete without an aircraft or two.  We recently had a low approach by F-WWMZ, an Airbus A400M which is the replacement for the well know Hercules

Apologies for the quality, very high and very dark.  We also had a visit today by a brand new Citation 560XL from Hawarden.  Very pretty!

That’s all for now thanks for taking the time to read

Till next time

Neil

Don’t you just love Picasa

Hello again

I was having a look through my photos with Picasa and discovered many I had forgotten about.  RAF Kinloss is a sore miss.  I have some wonderful memories and felt like a child in a sweetshop when I got the chance to get close to Nimrod’s.

These photos are from April 2011 and will be some of the last when XV240, the gate guardian was complete.  Thanks to Terry Smith, Dave Ball, Jim Mailer, Keith Treece, Justin Morris, Roxy, John Innes and many more individuals I have a large collection of pictures that are amongst my favourites.

Hope you like them:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

That’s it for now, working on a Flickr account that you can find at http://www.flickr.com/photos/thenookorkney

Thanks for reading, till next time

Neil

Snake 54 and Jedward

It has been a very busy week this week with one thing or another. We have had a number of visitors this week some flying and some not.  The first picture I just liked, won’t win any competitions but the moon was spectacular during the day this week and I took this shot.

It’s a lot better in full res but gives you an idea.  We had a couple of military visitors pass through, firstly a Tornado which sadly I don’t have the tail number of.

 

 

We had an unusual aircraft for low approaches a number of times.  From the distance it looks just like a KIng Air 350 but once up close you can see it has just about as many sensors as a Nimrod.  This Aircraft is a Beechcraft Shadow R1 callsign Snake 54.  It is operated by No. 14 Squadron as part of the ISTAR contingent located at RAF Waddington.

 

Finally and genuinely by chance I ended up at the airport last night.  It turned out that I arrived almost the same time as Jedward so my girls came into the terminal and had the chance to meet them and get their autograph.

I have to say these boys were pleasant and polite and made time for everyone so thank you very much John and Edward, you made their day.

 

 

 

Finally a picture of an infrquent visitor to Kirkwall.  PH-CIJ stopped off for a few days piloted by Olivier and Alex. Always a pleasure to see them and looking forward to seeing Marco on the next visit.

 

That’s it for now and as always thanks for taking the time to read.

All the best

Neil

Did you think I had forgotten about Kirkwall

Thought it was about time for me to bring things up to date.  Kirkwall has been very busy and we have had a number of new and unusual aircraft in.  In a previous post I told you we had a visit by a beautiful King Air registration M-FIVE.

I got a chance the next day to take a few further pics as the pilot was very hospitable so I am now able to say “and the inside”

We had a visit from SE-DJH, Citation

And a fleeting visit from G-PDGR, obviously a squirrel

It was a pleasant surprise to find Andrew Brown back in Kirkwall with his wife, in this case G-WIFE, his C182.  I had to take a second look though as she now is the proud owner of a 3 blade prop.

Last week saw a visit by LX-JFO, a TBM850 from Luxembourg, A first for me and a seriously fast single engine plane.

It was a pleasure to catch up with some old friends when PH-RID, owned by Cartier came in piloted by Captain Morgan Beret and First Officer Alex Balcells.

We also had a couple of bizjets in today, first of all M-CICO, Falcon 50

And another first for me, HB-JRV, a Geneva based CL60

That’s about it for now apart from what I heard on the news tonight.  It seems “Mr Loganair” Scott Grier who has made Loganair what it is, has decided to retire.

He is an amazing man and is well known in Orkney.  I believe he is going stay on for the next two years in an advisory capacity, however, I and I am sure everyone else wishes him the very best.

This is Scott on the right with the local engineering team as you have probably never seen them before taken 6 years ago at the formal opening of the hangar.  Yes!!! 6 years ago.

That’s it for now, as always thanks for taking the time to visit

All the best

Neil