UK SEA KING SALUTE NEWS N N IO IO AT NEWS VI THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF FLIGHT Incorporating A AVIATION UK £4.50 FEBRUARY 2016 www.aviation-news.co.uk Low-cost NORWEGIAN Scandinavian Style AMBITIONS EXCLUSIVE FIREFIGHTING A-7 CORSAIR II BAe 146s & RJ85s LTV’s Bomb Truck Next-gen Airtankers SUKHOI SUPERJET Russia’s Rising Star 01_AN_FEB_16_UK.indd 1 05/01/2016 12:29 CONTENTS p20 FEATURES p11 REGULARS 20 Spain’s Multi-role Boeing 707s 04 Headlines Rodrigo Rodríguez Costa details the career of the Spanish Air Force’s Boeing 707s which have served 06 Civil News the country’s armed forces since the late 1980s. 11 Military News 26 BAe 146 & RJ85 Airtankers In North America and Australia, converted BAe 146 16 Preservation News and RJ85 airliners are being given a new lease of life working as airtankers – Frédéric Marsaly explains. 40 Flight Bag 32 Sea King Salute p16 41 Air Mail Tim Ripley looks at the operational history of the Westland Sea King in UK military service. 68 Airport Movements 42 Sukhoi Superjet – Russia’s 71 Air Base Movements Rising Star Aviation News Assistant Editor James Ronayne 74 Register Review pro les the Russian regional jet with global ambitions. 48 A-7 Corsair II – LTV’s Bomb Truck p74 A veteran of both the Vietnam con ict and the rst Gulf War, the Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair II packed a punch, as Patrick Boniface describes. 58 Norwegian Ambitions Aviation News Editor Dino Carrara examines the rapid expansion of low-cost carrier Norwegian and its growing long-haul network. p78 A subscription 63 230 Squadron Sunderlands to Aviation News David Nicholas recounts the exploits of 230 Squadron makes a great gift idea. with the Sunderland over almost 20 years of operations with the ying boat. See pages 56 and 57 for details. 78 TALES FROM THE LOGBOOK... US East Coast May 1989 – Main image: Norwegian’s Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner EI-LND. AirTeamImages.com/Sandro Koster. Part Two Inset (top): Sea King HAR3A ZH544. Key-James Ronayne. Inset (left): Aero-Flite Avro RJ85 Gerry Manning concludes his account of a 1989 N539AC dropping retardant. Conair. Inset (middle): Interjet Sukhoi Superjet 100 RA-97002 in trip to the US East Coast. ight. SJI/Caliaro Luigino. Inset (right): A US Navy A-7E Corsair II of VA-146. Peter Foster Copies of Aviation News incorporating Classic Aircraft can be obtained each month by placing a standing order with your newsagent. In case of diffi culty, contact our Circulation Manager. Readers in the USA may place subscriptions by visiting www.aviation-news.co.uk or by calling toll free 800 676 4049 or fax 757 4286253 or by writing to Aviation News incorporating Classic Aircraft, 3330 Pacifi c Ave, Ste 500, Virginia Beach, VA, 23451-9828. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Aviation News incorporating Classic Aircraft, Key Publishing Ltd C/o Mail Right International Inc. 1637 Stelton Road B4 Piscataway NJ 08854. Aviation News incorporating Classic Aircraft (ISSN: 2047-7198), is published monthly by Key Publishing Ltd, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincs, PE9 1XQ, UK and distributed in the USA by Mail Right Int., 1637 Stelton Road B4, Piscataway, NJ 08854. Periodicals Postage Paid at Piscataway, NJ and additional mailing offi ces. Printed in England by Warners (Midland) plc, Bourne, Lincolnshire. (ISSN 2047-7198). The entire contents of AVIATION NEWS INCORPORATING CLASSIC AIRCRAFT is a copyright of Key Publishing Ltd, and can not be reproduced in any form without permission. www.aviation-news.co.uk 3 03_contentsDC.mfDC.mfDC.mf.indd 3 08/01/2016 11:17 C S 1 0 0 C e r t i fi e d HEADLINES Bombardier’s CS100 has been awarded its Type Certi cate by Transport Canada. Patrick Transport Canada awarded Type Certi cation Cardinal via Bombardier to Bombardier’s CS100 airliner on December 18. This was achieved after more than very proud moment for many as we celebrate aircraft is now well on its way to opening 3,000 ight test hours and paves the way for the CS100 aircraft’s Transport Canada Type up new opportunities for operators, while delivery and entry into service of the CS100 Certi cation. I heartily congratulate our delivering unrivalled economic advantages, with launch customer Swiss in the second teams for their commitment to developing, performance, and environmental credentials.” quarter of this year. testing and certifying the CS100 aircraft. The larger CS300 remains on track to Fred Cromer, President, Bombardier Bringing to market the only new family of obtain its Type Certi cate within the next six Commercial Aircraft, said: “This is an historic aircraft developed for the 100- to 150- seat months. Bombardier will continue to work moment for Bombardier. Years of dedicated market segment in close to 30 years is a with Transport Canada to validate the CS100 efforts and collaboration culminate today in a standout accomplishment – the C Series aircraft’s training syllabus. First Il-76MD-90A Handed Over The Russian Air Force recently took delivery of its rst Il-76MD-90A, RF-78653. Nikolai Krasnov After a year-long delay, the rst Il-76MD-90A was delivered to the Russian Air Force during an entered service with the 1st Instructor VTA. It will be used to train future Il-76MD- official handover ceremony at Ivanovo Air Base. Military-Transport Aviation Squadron of the 90A pilots as well as those who will y the The aircraft, RF-78653, which arrived Russian Air Force’s 610th Center for Combat A-100 AWACS variant, which is planned to from Ulyanovsk on December 3, has Employment and Retraining of Personnel enter service in 2017. Babak Taghvaee 4 Aviation News incorporating Classic Aircraft February 2016 04-05_headlines.JRDC.indd 4 08/01/2016 09:46 South East Expansion Decision Delayed A long-awaited decision on whether to greatest strategic and economic benefits.” “We must develop the best possible build a third runway at Heathrow has been But the House of Commons package of measures to mitigate the delayed until the summer by the British Environmental Audit Committee wants impacts on local people. We will continue Government. Heathrow to demonstrate it could meet key work on all the shortlisted locations, so that Prime Minister David Cameron had environmental conditions on climate change, the timetable for more capacity set out by previously indicated a final decision air quality and noise before approval is Sir Howard is met.” would be made by the end of 2015 after granted. It believes failure to deal with these Heathrow responded, saying it: “has full the Airports Commission, led by Sir concerns could expose the scheme to legal confidence that expansion can be delivered Howard Davies, unanimously backed challenges. within environmental limits”. Heathrow’s proposal in a 342-page report The latest statement from the Department The government’s announcement has issued on July 1. But in a December 10 for Transport stressed the need for further drawn criticism from various quarters announcement, the government said environmental work, including testing the including the British Chamber of Commerce, all three shortlisted options – including Airports Commission’s air quality analysis. which branded the decision as “gutless”. expansion at Gatwick – were still under It added that the location decision for extra Meanwhile, Jim McAuslan, General consideration. airport capacity would be “subject to further Secretary of the British Airline Pilots’ The Airports Commission firmly consideration on environmental impacts and Association (BALPA), commented: “This is supported a third runway at Heathrow, the best possible mitigation measures”. disappointing, but not unexpected news. saying: “a new northwest runway, combined Secretary of State for Transport Patrick We’re pleased that the government has with a significant package of measures to McLoughlin said: “The case for aviation accepted the case for airport expansion, address its environmental and community expansion is clear – but it’s vitally important but it appears that the politics of the impacts, presents the strongest case of we get the decision right so that it will South East continues to paralyse the final the three shortlisted options and offers the benefit generations to come. decision-making.” MAX Makes Debut Boeing unveiled its first flight test 737 MAX 8 to employees and suppliers on December 8. The aircraft, N8701Q (c/n 42554) Spirit of Renton, was rolled out at the company’s Renton factory wearing a special teal version of the manufacturer’s livery. It will now undergo pre-flight preparation before going to Renton Field for further testing ahead of its Boeing introduced the latest incarnation of its highly successful 737 family when it rolled out the first of its new generation MAX 8 aircraft at Renton on December 8. maiden flight in early 2016. Boeing Keith Leverkuhn, Vice President and General of Boeing’s second century – our team is the fourth (and last) is in sub-assembly and Manager, 737 MAX, said: “Today marks another upholding an incredible legacy while taking the the programme remains on track to deliver in a long series of milestones that our team has 737 to the next level of performance.” the first production aircraft to launch customer achieved on time, and to plan. With the roll-out Boeing says the second and third test Southwest Airlines during the third quarter of of the new 737 MAX – the first new aeroplane aircraft are currently in final assembly, while 2 01 7. KAI Unveils its T-X Prototype Korea Aerospace Industries in configuration to the aircraft (KAI) unveiled a prototype of its have been revealed, although last development of the T-50 Golden year Lockheed Martin officials Eagle, to be offered for the USAF’s said it would include an upgraded T-X next-generation trainer cockpit, new embedded systems competition, during a ceremony at to support fifth-generation training the company’s Sacheon plant on requirements and probably an aerial December 17.