The Spotter's Journal

N° 20 - March 2008

Index First Airbus A318 for Global Jet Luxembourg

A318 for Global Jet 1 Global Jet Luxembourg received its new aircraft. The delivery flight from Hamburg th Cargolux News 1 Finkenwerder to Luxembourg took place on 28 February. LX-GJC (ex. D-AUAN) is MK Airlines G-MKCA 1 the second Airbus and the first Airbus A318-100 for Global Jet and arrived as flight “SVW28CJ”. Aegean Airlines 1 Interesting Movements 2 Global Jet Luxembourg already operates an Turkish Stars - 69-033 2 Airbus A319, P4-VNL. In West Air - LX-WAT 2 addition, this is the first 20 Years LAR 2 Airbus A318-100 with a LX- registration. 40 Years Air Zermatt 3

Luxembourg Movements 5 Claude © SIBENALER

Last Cargolux Boeing received the new color scheme & LX-KCV missing a winglet

During some time now Cargolux was one by one changing the color scheme of their Boeing 747-400. The latest and the last one getting this new scheme was LX-RCV, “Spirit of Schengen” (left photo). The aircraft arrived back in its new colors on 2nd February 2008.

th A quite interesting sight was LX-KCV on 27 February. The Boeing 747-400 was seen with only one winglet, the left one was missing (right photo). LX-KCV bumped into a Luxair ground vehicle the week before. The winglet is being repaired and should soon be back on again. (Thanks to Daniel Willink for this information)

Jace© GORCZYNSKI Pete © BAKEMA

Latest MK Boeing with British Registration Aegean Airlines Boeing 737-300 – SX-BGZ

This MK Airlines Boeing 747-200 was spotted in Not a common visitor at Luxembourg airport was this Luxembourg on 16th February. G-MKCA (ex. 9G-MKM) is Aegean Airlines Boeing. The Boeing 737-300, SX-BGX, th the last MK Boeing receiving its British registration. It was was present on 9 February for a maintenance check. delivered as G-MKCA on 30th January 2008.

Claude © SIBENALER Claude © SIBENALER

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st A quite interesting Day – 21 February 2008

The 21st February brought some interesting traffic to Luxembourg. First a Gemini Air Cargo, which seems to become a quite regular visitor in Luxembourg. Second was the already known Antonov An-12 (UR-CAF), only this time it has “Shovkoviy Shlyah Airlines” titles.

Two more exotic aircrafts: a Mexican BizJet Canadair CL-600 Challenger (XA-JZL), and the last one a rare visitor here in Luxembourg. It has been some time we last saw a McDonnell DC-8 in Luxembourg. This African International Airways

DC-8 (ZS-OSI) was at Luxembourg maintenance for some repairs (unfortunately very bad parked).

r r

West Air Europe, LX-WAT Turkish Stars, 69-033

Nice visitor on 29th February was this West Air Europe This newly painted Turkish Air Force Transall C-160D,

British Aerospace ATP, LX-WAT. The ex. SE-MAO was 69-033, present on 21st February in Luxembourg, wears sold to West Air Europe in January 2008 and was in now the Turkish Star colour scheme.

Luxembourg for its final registrations.

20 Years - Luxembourg Air Rescue (Text & Photos by Mike MORO)

In 1969 the German architect Siegfried Steiger lost his son in an accident. It lasted over an hour before the first ambulance arrived at the accident site. After this tragic loss Siegfried Steiger founded the "Björn Steiger Stiftung e.V." and later the German Air Rescue (Deutsche Rettungsflugwacht). It was Steiger who leased one of their Helicopters (a Bell B206 Long Ranger) including crew to Luxembourg. This was the beginning of the Luxembourg Air Rescue (LAR), founded on 18th April 1988, with the first mission made on 1st March 1989.

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But it was only on 1st November 1991 that the LAR was included in the SAMU-System. In 1995, a second Helicopter, an "Ecureuil" was added to the fleet. In 1996, the first 2 McDonnell Douglas MD-900 were put into service. Two years later the first ambulance aircraft, a Mitsubishi MU2 was put into service, but was replace in 2000 by a King Air B200 (LX-DUC). In November 1999, the first Learjet 35A (LX-ONE) was acquired by LAR. Again a MD900 was bought but mainly used by Luxembourg Police. In 2002 another MD900 was added to the fleet and in 2003 a second Learjet 35A (LX-LAR), replacing the King Air B200 LX-DUC. Luxembourg Air Rescue was getting more and more involved internationally, using their Learjets after the big earthquake in Bam (Iran) in 2003 and after the Tsunami in 2005. The last acquirement was a third Learjet 35A, LX-TWO, in 2006.

In December 2007, Luxembourg Air Rescue announced that they would start upgrading their helicopter fleet. Due to European Regulations concerning helicopters used for medical purpose, LAR has to upgrade their 3 McDonnell MD-900 to MD-902.

The first helicopter has been upgraded in January 2008; the second one will follow in September and the last one in December 2008. (LX-HMD, LX-HMS, LX-HPG)

Air Zermatt – 40 Years (1968 – 2008) (Text & Photos by Mike MORO)

During my ski holiday the first week of February I had the chance to visit the Air Zermatt heliport in Zermatt, including a sightseeing flight on one of their Eurocopter AS 350 (HB-ZCX).

40 Years ago, the small Swiss town of Zermatt didn’t even have a road connection to bigger towns like Sion or Visp. At that time it wasn’t unusual that an ambulance took two or three hours to reach Zermatt, by train. These conditions were unsupportable for the 39 years old Beat H. Perren who proposed to establish a helicopter air rescue service in Zermatt. This idea was quite new and didn’t found much support in the population of Zermatt. But after a lot of convincement and public polls Air Zermatt AG was finally founded. In 1968 then, exactly 103 years after the first climb of the Matterhorn, the Air Zermatt heliport was finished on the north side of Zermatt.

th th On 10 April 1968 the first helicopter, an Augusta Bell 206A (HB-XCY) was delivered to Air Zermatt. On 14 April the first rescue mission was made. A year later an Alouette III SA 3160 (HB-XDA) was stationed in Air Zermatt, being the first helicopter in Switzerland equipped with a cable winch. After a lot of successful rescue missions, Air Zermatt bought in 1971 two SA 315B LAMA, which were also used as transporters.

The first big rescue mission took place in 1972 when 72 tourists had to be evacuated from a funicular 240m above the ground. As an important step in air rescue, Air Zermatt included permanently in 1973 medical staff and anaesthetists which from that year on accompany every rescue flight. In the following years Air Zermatt was (and is still) considered as pioneer in almost every mountain rescue domain, inventing new rescue techniques which today are considered as a standard by many air rescue services.

Today Air Zermatt doesn’t only do air rescue (which still is and will remain its main activity) but adapted itself to the ski tourism in Switzerland. Sightseeing flights, heliskiing, adventure flights (sky diving, river rafting), taxi, transport or film & photo flights are operated by Air Zermatt.

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In 2008 the Air Zermatt Base is composed of:

- 55 crew members: - 8 helicopters: - 10 pilots - 3 Eurocopter AS 350 B2 Ecureuil (HB-ZCX, HB-ZCC, HB-XSU) - 12 mechanics - 1 Eurocopter EC-135 T-2 (HB-ZEF) - 6 medical staff - 4 Sud-Aviation SA 315 B Lama (HB-XPJ, HB-XII, HB-XSW, HB-XND) - 12 flight coordinators - 13 flight assistants

At the air base one helicopter (Heli 2), the EC-135 (HB-ZEF), is always used as rescue helicopter. One of the Ecureuils (HB-ZCC, Heli 1) can be changed in 5 minutes from a passenger to a rescue helicopter. Such a conversion can usually be made 3-4 times a day if necessary. The photos below show how easy such a conversion is.

At about 11 o’clock in the morning a loud sound alerted the stand-by crew. A ski accident (broken leg) in Saas-Fee. I was surprised how quickly and well organized everything went on. The ground crew pushed Heli 1 out of the Hangar and after only 6 minutes the engines were running and the rescue crew ready to depart.

After the tour at the Air Zermatt heliport I took a 20 minutes sightseeing flight over the mountains surrounding Zermatt. The tour started over Zermatt, first to the Weisshorn, then climbing up to 13000ft, just next to the top of the Matterhorn, continuing to Monte Rosa (the best place for heliskiing) and back over the main ski stations to Zermatt.

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Luxembourg's Logbook: Passenger and Cargo Visitors

02.02.2008 CS-TNP TAP Portugal Airbus A320-214 HB-IJH Swiss International Air Lines Airbus A320-214 TC-MNB MNG Airlines Airbus A300F4-203 03.02.2008 LX-RCV Cargolux Boeing 747-400 05.02.2008 D-CAMS Triple Alpha Luftfahrt Cessna 560 Citation V N125TM Private Bombardier BD-100 Challenger 300 OO-CLX Private Cessna 560 Citation Ultra 06.02.2008 F-HLIM Private Cessna 560 Citation Ultra HB-VNA Speedwings Cessna 560 Citation Ultra 07.02.2008 SX-BGH Aegean Airlines Boeing 737-4Y0

08.02.2008 LX-DNI Private Pilatus PC-12/47

N606GC Gemini Air Cargo McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30(F)

N950BZ Private Cessna 208B Grand Caravan

N95G Private Piper PA-34-200T Seneca II OY-BSE Starling Air Partenavia P.68B 09.02.2008 LX-FLO Private Piper PA-18 Archer II N415HS Private Beechcraft 90 King Air SX-BGZ Aegean Airlines Boeing 737-31S 10.02.2008 N710GH Private Cessna 182Q 11.02.2008 HA-YFE Private Mitsubishi MU-300 Diamond I-BNTN Private Dassault Falcon 2000 LX-TQJ Global Jet Luxembourg Bombardier BD-100 Challenger 300 N6227Z Private Mooney M20J 12.02.2008 G-THOJ Thomsonfly Boeing 737-36Q 14.02.2008 SE-LSG Skyways Saab 2000 HB-KOR Private Socata TBM-700N Z3-MKD Macedonian Government Bombardier Learjet 60 16.02.2008 4X-AXK El Al Cargo Boeing 747-200 D-BEST DAS - Direct Air Service Dassault Falcon 2000EX G-MKCA MK Airlines Cargo Boeing 747-200 17.02.2008 UR-CAG Meridian Antonov An-12BK 18.02.2008 N605GC Gemini Air Cargo McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30(F) P4-AIR Private McDonnell Douglas MD-87 19.02.2008 D-BUSY Premium Aviation Canadair CL-600 Challenger 600 D-HAUL Private Aerospatiale AS355 HB-LTN Private Piaggio P-180 Avanti I-IPIZ Ital Fly Beechcraft 400A Beechjet N390DB Private Bombardier BD-100 Challenger 300 N614FE FedEx McDonnell Douglas MD-11(F) SE-KEE Private Beechcraft B36TC Bonanza 21.02.2008 69-033 Turkish Air Force Transall C-160 D-BMWW Private Dassault Flacon 2000 UR-CAF Shovkoviy Shlyah Airlines Antonov An-12 XA-JZL Servicios Aeronauticos Zeta Canadair CL-600-2B16 Challenger ZS-OSI African International Airways Douglas DC-8-62(F) 22.02.2008 HB-VNZ Jet Aviation Business Jets Cessna 550B Citation Bravo 23.02.2008 N704CK Kalitta Air Boeing 747-200 26.02.2008 TY-AOM Private Dassault Falcon 900 27.02.2008 LX-NEU Private Cirrus SR22 YU-FCS Private Cessna 550 Citation II 28.02.2008 D-IGOB Private Piaggio P-180 Avanti F-GIJA Private Aerospatiale AS 313B Alouette II LX-GJC Global Jet Luxembourg Airbus A318-100 29.02.2008 D-BOOK Private Dassault Falcon 2000EX LX-WAT West Air Luxembourg British Aerospace ATP(F) N497XP Private Beechcraft 400A Beechjet

Editor: Mike Moro E-mail: [email protected] http://aviation.mikemoro.com

In cooperation with: BeLuxSpot (http://beluxspot.forumactif.com)

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