Penang Planespotting #003 - 29 May 2016 - Part 2

This edition of Planespotting #003 covers quite a few cargo craft as well as some special scheme jets. It is nice going without any expectations and to get something you've never seen.

Air HongKong A300F4-605R (B-LDF)

Got addicted to head-on shots, so you will be seeing quite a number of them in the coming posts as well.

Head on with Korean Air Cargo (HL7449)

Sriwijaya Air B737-86J (PK-CMN)

Sriwijaya now uses the Standard B738. No longer able to get the -500s, -300s and -400s. Oh look.... UPS.

UPS B767-34AF(ER) (N307UP)

Malaysia Airlines B737-8H6 (9M-MXE)

UPS crossing the runway

And here are the specials. Got 3 of them coming up.

Firefly ATR72-500 (9M-FYG)

The first one promotes Panasonic's Sky Series Air Conditioners with the nicely fitting tagline, the Future is Up. On another note, it is a rather fine way to rub it in seeing how hot the weather was.

AirAsia A320-216 (9M-AHF)

Before the next special, we have the head-on of -AHF, before -AHX came in. AHX is the one with the Connecting ASEAN livery. It was revealed during LIMA 2015. Funny how after more than a year do I see it here in Penang.

AirAsia A320-216 (9M-AHX) - Connecting ASEAN Livery

Left Side

Part 3 coming up. Stay tuned.

LIMA 2015 Part 03 (Day 1 of Exhibition)

Yea!!! We're up and moving again. Funny thing is, along the way, I snapped the super hornet before and after the P-8 Poseidon, but not the P-8 itself..... Hmmm... But no worries, we'll come back to that later. As usual with Malaysian weather, it was incredibly hot and sunny (did I mention that it was extremely hot?). Evident with this F-18 sunbathing with an eyepatch.

F/A-18F Super Hornet (166917 / NF-102)

This was the US Navy's F-18 Diamonbacks 60th Anniversary markings. Too bad that during the duration of visit, it did not perform.

Now not all business jets are used as business jets. At this size, and the speed as well as its maneuvrability, this executive jet has been converted to a radar platform. It has more antennas and a radar dome on the underside of the aircraft. No chance to get in as they were only opening the aircraft to potential buyers.

As we proceed along the length of the tarmac and the exhibition areas, we encountered even more combat aircraft, some types familiar, while others not so, like the F-15s.

F-15

Now we are done with the military part (for the time being) it is time to switch back to the civil side of aviation here at LIMA. Remember the AirAsia A320 a few posts back, well here is the belly of it. YUP. We got to get up close to see every protrusions, nooks and cranny of the aircraft.

Belly of 9M-AHX

Stairs were there, but doors were not open. Did not had a chance to visit the cabin nor the cockpit of this narrowbody airliner. No worries though as being so close to the wheels and the engines were enough to make my day. Nose gear shot here, while I scour the storage for that picture.

Next to this A320 was this cute little thing.

Evektor-Aerotechnik EV-97 Eurostar SL+ (OK-FUU09) [Larger]

From this picture, it is evident how the centre of gravity is near the front of the aircraft, with the engine and the cockpit. Wheels are located quite far in front, but it still balances well. For some reason, I didn't get an up close shot of the Grob at the background this was the only shot of it. 

DCA Learjet 60 (9M-FCL)

I wonder if my map has gone all awry as from the Evektor to this spot, it seems kinda far. Let's just put it here first for now. Should I regain my senses from the pictures again, it shall be updated. This Learjet is owned by the DCA and is used to calibrate the ILS systems of Malaysian Airport Runways (well those that support ILS).

Cockpit Shot of the Pilatus PC-6 (9M-PSH)

Managed to climb on-board (yup, climb) to the cockpit of the Polis Pilatus PC-6. It has the old style undercarriage of WW2 planes, where 2 wheels are located at the front of the fuselage. Controls are fairly kept to the dashboard. Even the throttle quadrant is on the dash (with a note, do not go to reverse while in the air). The aircraft's control is done mainly by wires and cables. Moving the yoke and the rudder pedals directly moved the ailerons and rudders. This is real basic.

Now on to some rotorblades.

Sikorsky S-76 (N7637M)

Parked next to the pilatus was this white beauty. An executive transport that can take you anywhere in the urban jungle, as long as there is a helipad ready. The person there was glad to explain the operating principles of the helicopter. Managed to ask some questions regarding taxiing the helicopter and even about how the rotors and engines work in unison. Again, very nice of that person to spend time talking about this to us.

Sikorsky SH-60R Strikehawk (TA-04)

One of the last few exhibits of this row is this Seahawk. I only see this a lot in books, movies and documentaries, but never one in real life. Those crew were happy chatting to themselves. Since it was quite hot at that point, we decided to just zoom through the area.

UH-1Y Venom (168036)

At the very edge of the display area was this helicopter, the UH-1Y Venom. It has come a long way from its first design, the UH-1 Iroquois, a single-engined, 2-bladed utility helicopter. Now, it has 4 blades for added lift, and an extra engine, along with lots of other improvements. It is like the 747, an old design, but with constant improvements and upgrades, it is what it is today.

Back to the airshow, with all the helicopters in place, all the smaller single-engined trainer aircraft by HM Aerospace had to be squeezed into the shade. Not many photos of this one, somehow it was just brushed across.

RMAF EC-725 Cougar (M55-03)

A relatively new addition to the RMAF, this Cougar replaces the "Nuri" helicopters (Sea King) in the RMAF fleet. This particular frame has tow bars attached as it was about to be moved to the central point (it was moved to the centre part on the second day). Doors were not open for viewing on this one, so no internal pics.

Malaysian Navy Super Lynx (M501-5) Larger

I always get the feeling that the lynx are rather oversized helicopters sitting on tiny legs. The view in the pic is directed towards the tarmac. Behind me, or rather in my 9 o'clock direction, a Bomba (Fire Department) Mil Mi helicopter was parked. With this heat, none of us had the drive to go there. A few more pics of choppers before we head on to the airshow.

Malaysian Navy AS555 Fennec (M502-2) - with "double chin"

Malaysian Maritime AS365 Dauphin (M70-01)

BOMBA AW139 (9M-BOC)

Time check?? About 11:15 am. Waiting for the airshow at 12:30 pm which eventually got bumped to 12:00 pm.

LIMA 2015 Part 02 (Day 1 of Exhibition)

Kinda missed the opening ceremony by a wee bit. Arrived to see them halfway through the performance. Apparently, they had the opening flyby by the A400 and some Hawks, some Sukhois and F-18s. Managed to catch a glimpse of it, though the majority were blocked by the MIEC building. Arrived to the roaring of jets. Here are some.

F-18 popping some flares

Super Puma doing an incredible loop

Flying away after the loop

One of the best things about being there early is the ability to snap and see aircraft without being blocked by anybody. Here's a Bell 429 with alone at the exhibition area.

Got myself an ultra-wide, and really love the effect it gives. You are able to stand so close, yet still be able to cover the whole aircraft. For those of you who are thinking of it, go get it - Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM. It is light and the sharpness is very close to that of an L lens, and it is cheap. No regrets.

AirAsia Connecting ASEAN livery (9M-AHX) [Larger]

It's fun to have no barriers as you are not limited to how far or close you have to be. You could even go right below the belly of the aircraft. Sadly though, the aircraft wasn't opened for display. Would have love to get a tour up there.

Krisakti  EA-300L up close (see what ultra wide can do?? :) ) [Larger]

(M100-01)

There were quite a number of people present, most probably to witness the opening show, but still not over congested. Had time to walk around, and to get real close-up shots of the static display aircraft.

Aircraft there ranged from executive jets, to aerobatic stunt planes, to fighter jets to cargo planes. Next on the list were two Rafales, Rafale B and Rafale C, still covered up.

Dassault Rafale B (104-1C)

Not forgetting those from the neighbouring country, the Black Knights also paid a visit. 3 came but the performance was just a 2-ship performance. Here is Black Knight 1, still in the special anniversary markings from the Singapore Airshow back in 2014.

The F-16 was one of the last aircraft along this stretch during that time. What came in made me smile and grin. We arrived just as it was taxiing into the parking bay after the opening demonstration. The sound is just amazing.

Royal Malaysian Air Force A400M (M54-01) [Larger]

Obviously as soon as the engines stopped, a swarm of people gathered round the aircraft. I think they were wise not to lower the ramp completely as the aircraft would have been overwhelmed by visitors. Doors were opened, but access was not.

Belly of the Atlas

Unfortunately I did not manage to get a shot of the map of the display section like what I did during the Singapore Airshow 2014, but the layout was fairly straightforward. It was just the apron next to the runway. Here are some screen grabs from Google Earth.

Red square marks the outdoor display

Showing coverage of display with the MIEC (big white square above)

With all the shots taken, it was time to proceed (though honestly, I could have stayed the whole day there). Next up was the Maritime's Water Bomber.

Malaysian Maritime CL415 (M71-01)

Got a chance to explore the insides of the aircraft. Obviously, the first thing was to head to the front end of the aircraft, the cockpit. It was slightly elevated and had room for only the pilot and the co-pilot. A third person could stand in the walkway if they wanted to.

Cockpit shot

The water bulkhead doors are controlled by the switches you see at the tip of the steering column. Just a simple flick and gallons and gallons of water comes splashing down on the target area.

This next aircraft, CN-235 was the centre of attraction, no matter to the public or the crew. No, it is not one with special modifications or from a new operator, it was because of the portable air-conditioning system attached to the aircraft. The whole aircraft was cool and nice, which is a BIG PLUS in Langkawi's hot weather.

Another cockpit shot, CN-235 

Also had the opportunity to open the cockpit windows and waved, like some pilots do...... to passers by who have no idea of what we are doing. But regardless, something fun to do. After what seemed like only a few seconds in the cockpit (close to 20 minutes), it was time to move on. We exited via the rear cargo door ramp which was half open, before proceeding back to the main display area, where all the jets were parked. Managed to get quite close to the J10 parked there as the crew were friendly enough. 

J-10 line-up

Along the way, we had quite up close moment with various jets parked there, whether they are the static display ones or the aerial display ones. 

RMAF Su-30MKM (M52-11) [Larger]

No Smoky Bandits this year for the LIMA performance. Wonder whether it has got to do with their retirement. This Sukhoi above was huge. One might say well put the A380 in and let's see who is bigger and so on. It is true, but for a combat aircraft, it is fairly large. Standing next to it gives you the feeling of how small you are with reference to the jet.

USAF F/A-18 Super Hornet [Larger]

Here with sunshades. Guess it would help a wee bit to prevent direct sunlight from hitting the instruments. Air inside would be extremely heated up though.

Continuing in another part.

LIMA 2015 Part 01

[If you had read this post earlier, there are some updates below. Read on]

WOW!!! It has been almost 2 months since my last posting... Well no worries as the pictures and the experiences are here. So sit back comfortably and keep on reading.

So let's start from the very beginning. It all started at 8am at Penang International Airport. I had booked the PEN-LGK flight about 10 months back. All was great and all was confirmed, until 2 months prior where Malindo notified that the PEN-LGK services had been terminated. So instead of the PEN-LGK route, I had to take the PEN-SZB, SZB-LGK route (Penang-Subang, Subang-Langkawi). No complaints here as I was now given more flight hours. Woohoo.

Anyway, back to Penang International Airport. OD1153 to Subang was operated by 9M-LMM.

Malindo ATR72-600 (9M-LMM)

One of the perks of booking early (I think) was the ability to select the seats that I want. 1A it was for all 4 legs of the flight. Did not manage to get a nice shot here, but there will be in the following posts. The sunrise was just great, to shed some light on the C-130 parked in front of the DCA tower.

It was my first time on an ATR and my first time on a turboprop, so it was a little exciting. Didn't know what to expect, but on takeoff roll, I came to realise what just how loud a prop could be, even from the inside. Well obviously as I was sitting slightly frontwards of it.

Window layout of Row 1 and 2

Row 1 does give lot's of legroom. I could easily cross my legs without bumping into the bulkhead in front of me. The only downside is that you do not have any floor storage for your bags, which can be a bit of a hassle if you are a photographer who switches lens during the flight a lot. My bag can be seen in the tiny compartment above the seat. 

Do note that the storage space above 1A / 1C is used to house the cabin crew's dummy oxygen mask, seatbelt and life jacket. The crew will also ask if you are OK with helping out during an emergency since we were at the emergency exit row.

Mt. Kinabalu??? Nah.. just some cloud formations

Flight was smooth and uneventful. We touched down at Subang on time. Even managed to grab a shot from my seat row.

ATR72 Interior

Subang Airport plays host to Malindo, Firefly and to other business jets. Malindo's slot was at the end of the terminal, which gave me good opportunities to snap along the way.

9M-FIA being prepared for its flight

I had about 30 minutes of transit time. 15 minutes of which were used to check in my bag to Langkawi. They do not automatically transfer passengers who are transiting at Subang to Langkawi. So I had to wait for my bag, scan my bag, queue at the counter and check it in again. So now, for the remaining 15 minutes. Instinctively, I went to the viewing deck (Anjung Tinjau). Not much, but you get a clear view.

Viewing Deck

Subang Airport Terminal

Went one round just to have a look. There is a McDonalds' outlet which has a very limited view of the apron where Malindo aircraft are parked. From the picture above, there is an aircraft simulator just to the left. It was rather warm in the terminal. Either the AC is not working that well, or that I am near the main door, or that I have been walking.

Time's up and I was once again waiting for my flight. From what I heard, there were 3 flights to Langkawi, all within 30 minutes. I guess this is to cope with the increased passenger number for the LIMA event. Mine was the last of the 3 for that time.

9M-LML

Boarding from the aft

I was at 1A again. Being me, I whipped out a piece of tissue, and polished the window screen ( I know some of you do that too ). Wouldn't want a shot to go bad due to stains on the window pane.

Some views from 1A before and after takeoff.

Hazy

Props in action

The complimentary snacks were a packet of biscuit and a cup of water. Good enough for me. 

In about 1 hour and 15 minutes, we were already in the vicinity of Langkawi International Airport. A shot taken just before touchdown shows how beautiful the island can be.

Wavebreakers

The maritime display fleet was parked on the other side of the airport, but since I was at 1A, I did not manage to get anything. Those on the right would have had a great view.

The apron has been officially converted to the display area, with helicopters, fighters, business jets and MORE aircraft parked there.

LIMA display area (saw the J10s?) 

One thing I like about Langkawi is how we had to walk on the tarmac to the terminal area. This gave lots of opportunity for apron shots of arriving aircraft. And since it was LIMA period, there were lots of visits from military aircraft and business jets.

Malaysia Airlines B737-8H6 (9M-MXP)

Indonesian Air Force C-130H (A-1320)

Air Asia A320-216 (9M-AHA)

Aircraft on static display

Air Asia 'Ninetology' (9M-AHG)

Actually arrived on the 16th, which was one day before the LIMA exhibition, but will skip to the opening right away. Wondered how I got the idea to skip. It is Langkawi, and here are some of the attractions that one could go to while one is there.

Hornbill in the trees

First stop was the cable car (SkyCab) up to the hanging bridge. Ticket price was about RM25, though you should show them your IC if you are local to get this rate. It is much more costly without it.

Before going on the cable car, all visitors were required to experience a 3D display in one of the domes. Its basically a room with seats inside a hemisphere. Some projectors project image onto the ceiling of it, giving all a full 360 view. The display is essentially a roller coaster ride. One could feel a wee bit dizzy after the display.

Waiting in line

The line was long, but fast moving. Each car took 6 people.

View from the SkyCab

Ride was fun, going up one of the steepest slope to the mid-point, before continuing up to the last station, where the suspension bridge is located.

Mid-point view

Another view of one section of Langkawi before proceeding to the next station.

Suspension bridge from a distance

Last station

Looked like there was some construction works going on to build a transit system to link the station to the head of the suspension bridge. Though since it was not ready, all tourist had to hike about 400m to the end of the suspension bridge, walk the length of the entire bridge, then hike back to the station. Be prepared.

Suspension Bridge

Not bad for a day's visit, which would last me a few months or maybe a year (or two) before I return to Langkawi for LIMA 2017. Now, on to the display. Will start a new post.