Hi all,
After a relatively quiet day of sight-seeing around Glasgow City, it was time for a silly o’clock start! I had chewed it over the evening before and got permission from the wife to go and get the two MC-12Ws that had landed at Prestwick.
It was again pouring down with rain and I knew that there was a very real risk that I wouldn’t be able to see them in the dark and dampness. I was also a bit wary of it being Monday morning and having no idea of what a morning rush hour around Glasgow might look like on my return. Still positive vibes saw me on my way and although I struggled to find the MC-12Ws at first, they were around the Southside hangar area with some light on them.
Prestwick
ZH854, Agusta-Westland Merlin HM.2, 814 NAS, Fleet Air Arm ( 50139/RN34/MCSP26)
09-0635, Beechcraft MC-12W Liberty, 185th SOS/137th SOW/Oklahoma ANG, United States Air Force (FL-654)
09-0654, Beechcraft MC-12W Liberty, 185th SOS/137th SOW/Oklahoma ANG, United States Air Force (FL-635)
The traffic wasn’t so bad heading back towards Glasgow and so I popped in the airport to catch a couple of required Loganair SF.340s. The Alaskan/Boeing marked MAX was an interesting one having arrived this very morning and departed on the 8th back to Seattle/Boeing Field from where it had come. Just starting to get light now and it was now time to get back to the hotel to be reunited with the wife for some breakfast.
Glasgow Airport
EI-SOO, Avions de Transport Regional ATR 72 500F, ASL Airlines Ireland (577)
G-DRTO, Boeing 737NG 8JP/W, Jet2 (37818)
G-EZTK, Airbus A320 214, easyJet Airline (3991)
G-EZUZ, Airbus A320 214, easyJet Airline (5187)
G-FDZT, Boeing 737NG 8K5/W, TUI Airways (37248)
G-HIAL, Viking Air DHC-6 Twin Otter 400, Loganair (917)
G-IPAX, Cessna Citation Excel (560-5228)
G-JZBJ, Boeing 737NG 800/W, Jet2 (63165)
G-JZHY, Boeing 737NG 800/W, Jet2 (63155)
G-LGNC, Saab 340 B, Loganair (340B-318)
G-LGNG, Saab 340 B, Loganair (340B-327)
G-LGNI, Saab 340 B, Loganair (340B-160)
G-SGTS, Viking Air DHC-6 Twin Otter 400, Loganair (918)
G-VTLY, Bombardier Global 6000 (9456)
N60436, Boeing 737MAX 9, Alaska Airlines/Boeing (43393)
A frame that has evaded for me for a few years. Easy pickings this morning as it was moored up and seemingly not flying today if the weather was anything to go by.
Cameron/Loch Lomond
My photographs for here can be seen at;
https://www.flickr.com/photos/62861611@N08/albums/72177720295478175
G-LAUD, Textron Aviation 208 (20800582)
As we drove along the shore of Loch Lomond heading North, we came across the below AW.189 which was doing some hover/winch training seemingly at a nearby peak.
Inverbeg/Loch Lomond
https://www.flickr.com/photos/62861611@N08/51772434655/in/album-72177720295478175/
G-MCGP, Agusta-Westland AW.189, Bristow Helicopters/UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (92003)
Now at the coastline, the weather had broken for the better and this enabled a quick and dry walk around the ramp at Oban. I had contacted in advance, but the chap who took me out was in the middle of some kind of fire training and didn’t have time to open the hangar for me. Still the Sky Arrow was a good one for me and we got to see the Isle of Mull across the water.
Oban/North Connel
My photographs for here can be seen at;
https://www.flickr.com/photos/62861611@N08/albums/72177720295477952
G-BZVT, Iniziative Industriale Italian Sky Arrow 650TC (PFA 298-13333)
G-VPPL, SOCATA TB20 Trinidad (283)
Fort William – non aviation pictures taken here. There is a request though for a medical EC145 that landed somewhere near the town. Nothing on the trackers!
As we walked around the town here and struggled to see Ben Nevis because of the awful weather, Dornier 328 D-CAAN with two Nigerian AF A29s (19-2035 & 19-2037) ‘chicks’ droned directly overhead as they descended towards Prestwick. Would have been easy numbers but for the rain 🙁
https://www.flickr.com/photos/62861611@N08/albums/72177720295489535
Loch Ness – non aviation pictures here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/62861611@N08/albums/72177720295523547
After a few hours of fantastic Scottish Highlands scenery, and a few hours driving along the Lochs between Oban and Inverness, we ended up at Inverness Airport for a quick look.
Inverness
https://www.flickr.com/photos/62861611@N08/51777909179/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/62861611@N08/51779250737/in/photolist-2mTychn
XK532/LM-632, Blackburn Buccaneer S.1, Inverness Highland Aviation Museum, United Kingdom (B3-06-60)
XW419/125, British Aircraft Corporation Jet Provost T.5A , Inverness Highland Aviation Museum, United Kingdom (EEP/JP/1041)
G-CBVU, Piper PA-28R 200 Cherokee Arrow (28R-7135007)
G-FTFX, Embraer Praetor 600 (55020142)
G-GNTB, Saab-Fairchild 340 A, Loganair (340A-082)
G-ISAS, Airbus Helicopters MBB-BK 117 D-2 (H145) (20299)
G-LAZL, Piper PA-28 161 Warrior II (28-8116216)
G-LGNM, Saab 340 B, Loganair (340B-187)
G-LGNN, Saab 340 B, Loganair (340B-197)
G-LMRZ, Avions de Transport Regional ATR 72 500, Loganair (570)
G-MCGM, AgustaWestland AW.189, Bristow Helicopters/UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (89001)
G-RVNM, Partenavia P.68B Victor (24)
G-SAJR, Embraer ERJ-135 ER, Loganair (145431)
G-ZION, Cessna 177B Cardinal (17701690)
N1424C, Cessna 182T Skylane (18281610)
N663CD, Cirrus Design SR22 (1847)
OO-JWB, Pilatus PC-XII 47E (1659)
OY-SPS, Vulcanair P.68 Observer 2 (505-48-OB2)
Not sure if this should really be classed as a separate location but it is just off-airport and if you didn’t know it was there, the choppers here would be easily missed. Hangar was closed and just the one left outside.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/62861611@N08/51777512088/in/dateposted-public/
Dalcross Heliport
G-PDGN, Aerospatiale Dauphin SA.365 N (6074)
Best regards,
Grant Robinson
Photographs credits: Grant Robinson