The Malaysian Queen flies again!

Posted on April 30, 2016 by vivekman

Malaysia Airlines recently decided to bring a Boeing 747-400 back into active service. The 747-400s were retired a couple of years ago when the A380s joined the fleet. The 747 will provide interim heavy lift to the airline while the A380s go through maintenance. The Jumbo is supposed to operate its long haul service to London on two days of the week.

The aircraft that was re-commissioned is registered as 9M-MPP (formerly named as “Putrajaya”) Malaysia Airlines has painted this aircraft in the retro 1970s livery. Many aviation enthusiasts including me were pretty excited when this piece of news broke, and we have been waiting patiently for the Queen to take to the skies.

The big day finally arrived! The 747-400 was supposed to roll out and get airborne for a test flight at 10AM local time on April 26th 2016. All the local plane spotters and aviation enthusiasts flocked to the Subang airport (where the aircraft was parked) and waited for the aircraft to show up. 10AM came and went, and there was no sign of the Queen. Then we got to know that there was a technical issue with the aircraft, and it was taken back to the hangar. The test flight would have to wait for another day!

The new date for the test flight was two days later – on April 28th at 2PM local time. Again, the enthusiast community came out in full force to view the Queen. This time we hoped that she would show up! At around 2PM, the aircraft showed up on Flightradar24, which meant that the transponders were active.

The aircraft had been given a callsign – MH5109 for the test flight.

We were getting impatient, as the aircraft showed no movement. We were hoping that the technical issues had been sorted, and the Queen would finally take to the skies.

Just before 3PM, the 747 finally started taxiing out. We got ready with our cameras to capture this event. Dark rain clouds had gathered over the Subang area, and the light had faded quite a bit. As she made her way to the active runway, we could see streaks of lightning with accompanying thunder all around. It was as if the weather gods were announcing the arrival of the Queen! 🙂

MPP-1

As she lined up on Runway 15, the heavens opened up! What started off as a slight drizzle, turned into a torrential downpour. We were caught in between – sheltering our cameras from the rain, and craning our necks to catch sight of the Queen. We soon heard the four Pratt & Whitney PW4056 powerplants spool up to take-off power, and a loud cheer went up amongst the waiting plane-spotters. And in the next few seconds, the four engines spooled down, bringing a look of worry on all our faces. The engines spooled up and spooled down once again, before spooling up once more and the aircraft finally started to roll. As soon as the Queen came into view, our cameras went into overdrive, capturing her spraying water all around.

9M-MPP-TO-VM

What a sight it was!

MPP-2

After a shortish take-off roll, the Queen took to the skies with a grace typical of the 747.

That’s it – the Malaysian Queen was finally back in the air!

After taking off from Subang, the aircraft turned north and headed out to the Malacca Strait for its tests. The aircraft made multiple circuits at varying altitudes around Penang and the Malacca Strait for nearly three hours before heading back south to Kuala Lumpur. The aircraft was supposed to land at KLIA (KUL) at around 6PM local time.

We reached there well in time for the arrival, and hoped that the rain gods would keep away this time. At exactly 6PM, the familiar shape of a 747 on approach became visible on the horizon. The Queen touched down with a puff of smoke on Runway 32L and deployed her reversers briefly.

MPP-3

As she rolled out, we got another view of the beautiful curves of the Queen of the skies…

9M-MPP-KUL-VM

Test flight complete, the aircraft was parked at the cargo apron, next to her cargo cousins. We hoped all had gone as per plan, and the 747 was fit to fly once again.

Some not so good news emerged one day later, as the website Airlineroute.net reported that Malaysia Airlines had shelved plans to operate the 747-400 on the Kuala Lumpur – London route for the month of June. As of now, the reasons for this change are not known.

We only hope that all issues are sorted out, and the Queen takes to the skies soon!

ANA retires its Boeing 737-700ERs

Posted on April 18, 2016 by vivekman

Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) has retired its mini fleet of Boeing 737-700ERs. The long range 737-700ERs equipped with additional fuel tanks used to ply daily on the Tokyo Narita – Mumbai route till March 26th 2016. ANA started deploying the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to Mumbai starting March 27th 2016.

ANA had two 737-700 ERs in its fleet – JA10AN & JA13AN. These aircraft were used to launch and operate the “ANA Business Jet” service to cater to premium business traffic. One of the aircraft (JA13AN) was configured in an all business-class 38 seat configuration whereas the other (JA10AN) was configured in a 44 seat business-class + premium economy configuration. On the west bound leg from NRT to BOM, the 737-700ERs had to make a fuel stop at Nagasaki occasionally, depending on wind conditions. However, the east bound leg was non-stop.

The aircraft were also painted in a special “ANA Business Jet” livery to distinguish them from the regular ANA aircraft. One of them was later re-painted in the standard ANA livery.

Both the aircraft are reported to be stored w.e.f. March 27th, 2016.

Cathay Pacific’s new livery

Posted on March 27, 2016 by vivekman

Cathay Pacific Airlines has recently revised its livery that had been in existence since the early/mid 1990s. The existing livery featuring the distinctive “brushwing” design on the tail and aft of the flight deck windows has been an icon.

The new livery is a refreshed, simplified version of the existing livery that has served the airline well. The darker green patch situated aft of the flight deck windows has given way to a uniform light green band that stretches across the fuselage. The tail is now painted entirely in a dark green colour with a larger “brushwing” design painted in white.

B-LIB is the second Cathay Pacific Cargo aircraft to be painted in the new livery.

A Tour of the Bombardier CSeries.

Posted on March 27, 2016 by vivekman

Bombardier Aerospace had displayed its C Series CS100 aircraft at the Singapore Airshow 2016. The CS100 is one of two narrow-body twin-engine medium range aircraft currently being developed by Bombardier. It is the smaller of the two (the other being the CS300) and fits roughly in the same category as the Embraer E195.

Bombardier were kind enough to give me a tour of the aircraft, and were patient enough to answer all of my enthusiastic questions.

Let me take you on a tour of the spanking new Bombardier CS100…

THE EXTERIOR

The aircraft on display at the Singapore Airshow was an “Experimental” aircraft, fitted with test equipment but was painted in the Swiss International Airlines livery.

CS100-ext

It bore a Canadian registration however…

CS100-tail

The CS100 is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PurePower® PW1500G geared turbofan engines, each capable of producing up to 23,000 lb of thrust. Featuring one of the highest by-pass ratios (12:1) of any turbofan engine in the world, these engines have low noise and emissions and deliver lower fuel burn figures.

CS100-engine2

CS100-engine1

The Bombardier CSeries aircraft also feature an all-electric braking system called Ebrake® made by Meggitt Aircraft Braking Systems. Electric braking provides fully integrated brake control and anti-skid protection including emergency and parking brake functions by combining brake-by-wire control technology with electro-mechanical brake actuation. The system is supposed to provide improved braking control in both normal and emergency operating modes as compared to hydraulically actuated brakes.

CS100-MLG

THE INTERIOR

As mentioned earlier, the CS100 is a narrow-body twin-engine medium range aircraft with a seating capacity of 108 to 120 passengers in a typical dual or single class cabin respectively.

CSeries-cabin

CS100-Jseat

The Business Class cabin features 2X2 seating, whereas the Economy Class cabin features 2X3 seating. In Economy Class, the seat pitch can be configured between 30 & 34 inches depending on airline requirements. The CSeries aircraft also feature large windows – 11X16 inches, bringing in more natural light and giving the passengers a wider view of the outside world.

CS100-windows

Stuck in the middle seat? The CSeries aircraft features the widest middle seats in Economy Class at 19inches, compared to 17inches and 18 inches in comparable Boeing & Airbus aircraft.

CS100-seatwidth

The CSeries cabin is equipped with large pivoted overhead bins, allowing passengers to easily store their carry-on bags. The bins open lower, making it easier for passengers and crew to store and retrieve baggage.

CS100-bin

Heading upfront, I got a chance to visit the flight deck of the CS100. The CSeries aircraft have a state-of-the-art flight deck equipped with large LCD displays. These aircraft have side-stick operated fly-by-wire systems with full envelope protection and speed stabilisation.

CS100-FD-VM

As is becoming the norm these days, the CSeries aircraft have HUD visors displaying information such as altitude, heading, airspeed, etc. Airlines can choose if they want to equip their aircraft with either one or two of these displays.

CSeries-HUD

CONCLUSION

The CSeries aircraft promise to be extremely efficient and versatile aircraft, and fill a niche between the smaller regional turboprop aircraft and the larger conventional narrow-body aircraft. These aircraft, with the use of advanced composite materials in their construction and technologies such as the quieter and more fuel-efficient PW1500G geared turbofan engines, all-electric braking, etc. will provide superior operating economics as compared to existing aircraft.

These will be useful in regional and even cross-country routes given a typical range of 3100NM/3300NM (5741km/6112km) for the CS100/CS300, especially in large countries like the US, Canada, China, India and regions such as Europe. The CSeries aircraft will allow airlines to start short/medium haul routes without worrying about filling 150-200 seats.

Hope to see the CS100 & CS300 enter service soon, and become a serious competition in the medium range narrow-body market that is currently dominated by Airbus & Boeing.

Last but not the least, a big THANK YOU to the Bombardier team at the Singapore Airshow for a fantastic tour of the CS100.

Singapore Airshow 2016 is here!

Posted on February 14, 2016 by vivekman

The latest edition of Asia’s premier aviation event is here! The Singapore Airshow 2016 promises to be “Bolder, Faster and Louder”. The action is heating up with the participating aircraft making their way to Singapore over the weekend.

The line up this year looks promising – both in the air and on the ground. Here is a list of participating aircraft:

Aerobatic Displays

A350 XWB, Airbus Group

Black Eagles Aerobatic Team, Republic of Korea Air Force

C‑17 Globemaster III, United States Air Force

F‑15SG & AH‑64D Integrated Display, Republic of Singapore Air Force

F‑16C/D Fighting Falcon, United States Air Force

Rafale, French Air Force

Su‑30MKM, Royal Malaysian Air Force

Static Display

F‑15SG, F-16C, F-16D, AH‑64D, G550AEW, Republic of Singapore Air Force

F/A-18E Super Hornet, P-8A Poseidon, United States Navy

F-22 Raptor, United States Air Force

MV-22 Osprey, United States Marine Corps

A350 XWB, Airbus

Boeing 787, Boeing

A350 XWB, A380, Qatar Airways

Airbus A400M Atlas, Royal Malaysian Air Force

C-27J Spartan, Royal Australian Air Force

Superjet 100, Sukhoi

Q400 NG, Bombardier

ATR 72-600, ATR

CN-235, PDTI

In addition to the above, there will be quite a few business jets on display. All in all, it looks like a power-packed air show is in the offing.

Only one more day to go for the action to begin!

End of the road for Malaysia Airlines 777s

Posted on January 27, 2016 by vivekman

Malaysia Airlines (MH) have finally phased out the Boeing 777-200ERs from their fleet. The last flights operated by the Boeing 777s took place on January 26/27th 2016.

Amsterdam and Paris were the final destinations operated by these long-haul birds before they were grounded.

The Boeing 777-200ERs formed the backbone of the MH long haul fleet along with the Boeing 747s and even after the retirement of the Jumbos.

The twin tragedies that struck Malaysia Airlines in 2014 – MH370 and MH17 involved the 777s, partly prompting the decision to retire the type. There was nothing wrong with the aircraft, but the passenger numbers for MH dwindled after the two tragedies, making it difficult for them to fill these aircraft on the long-haul routes they operated.

9M-MRE-640

MH have deployed their narrow-body 737-800s on quite a few regional routes e.g. Hong Kong, Mumbai, Guangzhou, etc. which were operated by the 777s earlier. However long-haul routes like Paris, Amsterdam, Stockholm, etc. that were perfectly suited for the 777s were simply axed!

A de-registered Malaysia Airlines 777-200ER with titles removed holds short of Rwy 32L as another company 777 begins its take-off roll.

The Malaysian 777s are powered by Rolls Royce Trent 892 engines and wear the classic 1990s livery. They were never painted in the revised colours sported by the airline’s 737-800s and A330-300s. As these aircraft are over 15 years old, it remains to be seen if another airline will pick them up. If not, they will surely head for the scrapyard.

It is sad to see the 777s go away from the Malaysia Airlines fleet. I have had the opportunity to fly on these birds on a couple of occasions and absolutely loved the experience!

These long-haul workhorses have served Malaysia Airlines well, and will be sorely missed.

GOODBYE Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ERs!

Lufthansa to discontinue Kuala Lumpur service from March 2016

Posted on December 17, 2015 by vivekman

Lufthansa will be discontinuing its Frankfurt – Kuala Lumpur service w.e.f. March 2016. The German carrier currently operates the Frankfurt-Kuala Lumpur-Frankfurt service five times a week using an Airbus A340-300 aircraft. This service will be further reduced to three times a week w.e.f. 26th December 2015.

As per the Lufthansa website, the final flight from Frankfurt to Kuala Lumpur is scheduled on 27th February 2016 and the final flight from Kuala Lumpur to Frankfurt is scheduled on 28th February 2016.

Lufthansa had been operating on the Frankfurt – Kuala Lumpur sector with an additional hop to Jakarta, Indonesia since March 2014. The Kuala Lumpur – Jakarta leg was discontinued in October 2015.

One can still book flights from Frankfurt to Kuala Lumpur on the Lufthansa website, using the Lufthansa code-shares with Singapore Airlines via Singapore or Thai Airways via Bangkok.

I had the opportunity to fly on the Lufthansa A340-300 on the Kuala Lumpur – Jakarta – Kuala Lumpur sector in May this year.

Economy Class cabin on the Lufthansa A340-300

Business Class cabin on the Lufthansa A340-300

Source: Lufthansa website, Airlineroute.net

British Airways Special Livery on a Boeing 777-200 ER

Posted on September 29, 2015 by vivekman

British Airways have painted a Boeing 777-200 ER in a special livery to commemorate the “GREAT Festival of Creativity” held in Shanghai in March 2015. The aircraft, bearing registration G-YMML sports a design showing a bamboo and a rose signifying “east meets west”

This beautiful design was created by Chinese fashion designer Masha Ma.

I got a chance to click a photo of this aircraft at Mumbai (BOM) as it was departing back to LHR.

Merdeka Day 2015 – Action at Subang

Posted on September 1, 2015 by vivekman

August 31st is Merdeka Day – Malaysia’s Independence Day. This national day sees a huge parade at the Merdeka Square in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, followed by a flypast of Malaysian Air Force (TUDM) fighter aircraft, transport and trainer aircraft and helicopters.

The fighter aircraft fly in from their respective bases around Malaysia, whereas the transport aircraft take-off from the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah airport, also known as Subang airport (SZB)

This year, the aircraft that flew in from SZB comprised of two TUDM Lockheed C-130 H Hercules transporters, nine Pilatus PC-7 trainers and for the first time ever – the newly delivered gigantic Airbus A400M Atlas.

I caught these aircraft as they departed from SZB on a hazy morning in Kuala Lumpur. Enjoy the photos…

A trio of TUDM Pilatus PC-7 trainer aircraft take-off in a formation from SZB. Aug 31 2015

A trio of TUDM Pilatus PC-7 trainer aircraft take-off in a formation. M50-10 | SZB | Aug 31 2015

TUDM Lockheed C-130H Hercules looks beautiful in the early morning sunlight as it taxies to the active runway. M30-11 | SZB | Aug 31, 2015

The first ever Airbus A400M Atlas (Grizzly) in the TUDM fleet looking splendid in that early morning sunlight as it taxies to the active. M54-01 | SZB | Aug 31, 2015