Take two in about 10 minutes 🚀!

m.youtube.com/watch?v=aTh7dh…

Peak solar eclipse here at 17°N 61°W is err, not a lot, as of course expected, but hopefully some colleagues will have some stunning images and film later if the plan worked.
At least it’s something……😄🌙

The race is on….
All eyes on the BA115 as she’s now the lead aircraft to be in with a shot of traversing the solar eclipse umbra (totality) this afternoon.
Alas the Atlantic jetstreams haven’t been favourable.
She needs to make up 8 mins to reach TAFFY by 1932z to film it 🎥 🌙

If a few things align as planned, we might have something rather special to share in a couple of days…..

Look, nearly there. With one final push we’ll save this beauty ! 😍

Inbound from Guyana, just part of the slowly expanding route network.

Where do you think BA should also serve ? My own top choice would be Havana 🇨🇺

Whilst there are many stunning photos of the northern lights (Aurora Borealis), time exposure shots, to an extent, can enhance images.
Nothing can beat the naked eye experience of the “curtain” effect, which although not as photogenic, still gives an impression of the beauty.

Friday 15th March 2024 and BA’s Concorde Alpha Delta beats SpaceX’s IFT3 (Ship 28, Booster 10) to the front page of The Times, London.

Who’d have thought that….

Concorde on the move in NYC 😍
These images remind me of the 2012 “London Calling” advertising campaign using a CGI image of a 777 around London, only these photo are real !!
m.youtube.com/watch?v=kkUHFi…

As February 2024 draws to a close, tomorrow was planned to be the retirement date of the final 8 BA B747-400s in service. That plan may have needed moving to the right with the subsequent B777-9 delays, but it was the final published fleet plan, prior to the pandemic
#B747 #QOTS

The single biggest reason the 747 lost its dominance. Able to take a similar payload over the same distance, but using 35% less fuel than the 747-400. The engine development was key. In 1989 4x 60,600lbs thrust on the 747-400 verses 2x 115,000lbs thrust on the 777-300ER in 2003.

Kudos to the Intuitive Machines & NASA representatives at this evening’s Nova-C Odysseus press conference for such an in depth & honest analysis of the successes & issues the mission has faced since launch & the fixes instigated. Also to the journalists for asking great questions

Always exciting to see a lunar landing attempt. It appears a soft touchdown was made by the Nova-C lander Odysseus, although the faint signal concerns me that all might not be well. Maybe Eagle Cam will confirm orientation. Nice to see the UK’s Goonhilly tracking station involved

This is an appeal very close to my heart. My earliest recollection of being interested in aircraft was climbing into a preserved aircraft and sitting high up in the cockpit, at Southend Airport. That was a Beverley.
The rest, as they say, is history 😄

Please spread the word.

Happy retirement !!
Imagine the views savoured that a career’s worth of flying over and around Scotland will have brought, and then the days when the weather was more challenging. A lovely timed natural way to retire though, with the retirement of the Saab 340.

In another piece of British aviation heritage news, the Hucknall Flight Test Museum is being renovated & will reopen around May this year, thanks to Rolls-Royce
It is well worth a visit when it does. These photos are from my Nov 2019 visit to @rrheritagetrust #heritage #aviation

Enjoyable afternoon watching the Heathrow crosswind action on BIG JET TV in Storm Isha.
There’s still another 30 mins to catch Jerry on top of his van before it’s dark here :- m.youtube.com/watch?v=iS_DEt…

SQ A380 shortly to land. Enjoy 🛬

Interested in UK commercial aviation heritage ? If so this one day conference on 27th Feb at BA’s Waterside HQ near LHR may be of interest, launching part 2 of the Aviation and Aerospace Archives Initiative (AAAI) survey, which covers UK Airline Operators. tinyurl.com/59hj6dtp