Issue 4 – September 2016
Stearman Air-to-Air
C-17 Globemaster III Operators
Dreamliners Around the World
This issue celebrates a true legend in aviation. A company which has often risked it all to bring innovation to aviation. Of course, it would take more than 80 pages of magazine to give a proper history of Boeing. But we will be limiting ourselves to providing snippets of particularly significant stories of Boeings, and the people who flew them. Spotter Magazine is getting truly international. Our thanks to Andrea Artoni who kindly offered to proof-read the Italian edition, and Svetlan Simov, who will be preparing a new, Bulgarian edition. A truly worldwide aviation community is forming. Mark Zerafa Editor
Got Something to Share? If you have anything aviation related, be it photos, articles or artworks, please contact us on:
Spottermagmalta@gmail.com
Contents Stearman Model 75
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B-17 Flying Fortress
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Gas Station in the Sky
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B-52 Stratofortress
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Italian Chinooks
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Canadian 737-200s
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Queen of the Sky
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Maluti Flies Home
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Global Airlifter
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Dreamliner
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Credits Mark Zerafa, Massimiliano Zammit, Mohamed ‘zs-mk’, Svetlan Simov, Jason Hodgkiss, Riccardo Braccini, Kyle Mizzi, Tim Jing Heng, Braden Coleiro, Richard J Caruana, Richard Barsby, Tyler Henshaw, Jason Wong, Will Ross Dushinski, Nicholas Pong, Luke Essau, Lutz Pfeiffer, Chris Johnson, Tim Brandt
Editorial Address: 238, Morning Star, Manuel Dimech Str Sliema SLM 1052 MALTA, EUROPE
Editor: Profiles: Design Assistant:
Mark Zerafa Richard J. Caruana Massimiliano Zammit
Copyright Notice All photos and articles remain the intellectual and artistic property or the respective credited persons. All unauthorised reproduction, by any means, both printed and digital, is considered an infringement of this copyright and all remedies available by law will be taken against any infringements of such copyright.
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Boeing-Stearman Model 75 Photos: Svetlan Simov Text: Mark Zerafa
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Built in 1943, Boeing B75N1 Stearman, construction number 75-8530 first served with the US Navy at Corpus Christi Navy Base, Texas, as a trainer. In 1948, the aircraft was sold for USD500. In 1952, it was converted into a single seat crop-duster, bearing the registration N1330M.
In 1969, the Stearman was re-converted into a twoseater.
In 1987, the aircraft was restored back to its original 1943 specification. The aircraft now flies in the Czech Republic and is operated by Classic Trainers at PlzenLine.
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B-17 Flying Fortress Colour Profiles: Richard J. Caruana Photos: Mark Zerafa, Massimiliano Zammit Text: Mark Zerafa
Boeing B-17G , c/n 8693, affectionately known as “Sally B”, is the only flying B-17 in Europe. Built too late to see action in World War II, It was accepted into the United Stated Army Air Force on June 19th, 1945, bearing the serial 44-85784. It was converted into a TB-17G trainer, and was based at Wright Field, Ohio. In 1949, it was converted into an EB-17G test-bed aircraft, and was involved in a number of research programmes, until 1954, when it was returned to standard configuration at Hill AFB, Utah. Purchased by the French Institut Geographic National, the aircraft was registered F-BGSR and used for survey and mapping work from its base in Creil, France, well until the 1970s, when maintenance and spares started becoming a problem. Purchased by businessman and pilot, Ted White, the B-17 was flown to Britain to its current base at Duxford Airfield, where it has remained ever since. Named Sally B in honour of his partner Sally Ellingboe, the aircraft has since delighted audiences at airshows as a fitting tribute to the men who gave their lives in the skies over Europe in the USAAF’s daring daylight bombing raids.
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The B-17 Evolution 1 1. Boeing Y1B-17, 36-158/82, 49th BS, 2nd BG, USAAF, 1937 2. Boeing Fortress Mk I (B-17C), AN530/WP•F, No 90 Squadron RAF, July 1941 3. Boeing B-17D, 69, 19th BG, Clark Field (Philippines), December 1941
2 4. Boeing B-17E, 41-9023, "Yankee Doodle", 414th BS, 97th BG, 8th AF USAAF, England, September 1942 5. Boeing B-17F. 41-24579/PU-F, 'Thumper', 360th BS, 303rd BG, 8th AF, USAAF, October 1942 6.
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Boeing B-17G-40-DL, 446009/WF-J/G-J, 'Flak Eater', 364th BS, 305th BG, 8th AF, USAAF, September 1944
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Till her retirement in 2010, ‘The Pink Lady’ was the only airworthy B-17G to have actually flown in combat in World War II. Built in December 1944, it received the military serial 44-8846, and was assigned to the 511th Bomb Squadron within the 351st Bomb Group at RAF Chelveston, Polebrook. It flew six missions over Germany. Returning stateside after the end of the war, until it was decommissioned on November 10th, 1954 at Olmstead AFB, Pennsylvania. Like Sally B, the aircraft ended up with the Institut Geographique National, wearing the French registration F-BGSP. In 1985, it was acquired by the Association “Fortresse Toujours Volante”, thus receiving the new registration F-AZDX, and has participated in a number of airshows and rememberance ceremonies. Unfortunately, the aircraft has not flown since 2010.
MASSIMILIANO ZAMMIT
MASSIMILIANO ZAMMIT
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Airborne Gas Station Only six aircraft have remained in service with the same operator for over 50 years. In service since 1957, the KC-135 Stratotanker remains a cornerstone of US airpower projection. ItPhotos: is expected to Mark Zerafa Text: Mark Zerafa remain in service till 2040.
Based on the Boeing 367-80 “Dash 80�, which went on to spawn the Boeing 707 airliner, the KC-135 was pressed into service with the USAF to fulfil an essential role as an in-flight refuelling tanker for its new jet bombers. This was considered a matter of urgency, as the then-current KC-97s lacked the performance to refuel the bombers without requiring them to slow down and descend to lower altitudes. The KC-135 remains in service to this day, having been re-engined twice, first with Pratt & Whitney TF-33 turbofans taken from scrapped 707 airliners, and later CFM-56 turbofans. The KC-135 has also received a number of avionics upgrades throughout its lifespan, which eventually reduced the required flightcrew to three (two pilots and a boom operator). The type has also been modified into the RC-135 family of intelligence-gathering aircraft, which merits a feature in its own right.
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Inside the KC-135: 1. The cockpit nowadays requires only two crew members and has enhanced navigational capabilities. 2. The boom operator’s station requires the operator to lie down at the rear end of the aircraft. 3. The boom operator’s console
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B-52 Stratofortress Photos: Mark Zerafa Text: Mark Zerafa
It has been in service for the last 61 years. It will probably remain in service for another 24. And when the United States of America wants to make a show of force, it still sends the same plane – a B-52 Stratofortress. First flown in 1952 as a high-flying, long-range bomber capable of performing a nuclear strike, the B-52 has adapted with the changing threat scenarios, capable of low-altitude penetration of hostile airspace. Against high-threat scenarios, the B-52 remains effective as a launcher of cruise missiles, as demonstrated during Operation Desert Storm. However, in recent conflicts, where the threat to high-flying aircraft is negligible, the B-52 has been used more as a flying bombtruck, capable of levelling whole areas of enemy territory from high altitude.
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Italian CH-47 Chinooks Photos: Riccardo Braccini Text: Riccardo Braccini
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For decades, the Italian Army has been using the CH-47 as amedium transport helicopter. The initial CH-47Cs have recently been replaced by the new CH-47F. The Chinook is easily recognised through its twin-rotor configuration, the main rotor over the cockpit and the other counterrotating over the tail section.
Besides transporting troups, the Italian Army utilises the Chinook for firefighting, and its REOS (Reparto Elicotteri Operazioni Speciali) utilises Chinooks to support special forces insertions in both land and marine scenarios. Particularly fascinating has been the experimentation with the insertion of troops on rubber dinghies, where the Chinook pilot practically hovers at water level and slowly allows the rear section to descend slightly further, with the rear ramp open, basically creating a small layer of water, which allow the dinghies to be literally driven into the helicopter’s cabin.
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Also in the Chinook’s repertoire is the carriage of special troops equipped with Polaris quad-bikes and Yamaha scrambler bikes, which allow rapid troop movement for infiltration behind enemy lines. The Chinook has proved itself to be a formidable machine for Special Operations, due to its superior cargo capacity, which is practically twice that of the EH-101, excellent performance even in hot-and-high conditions, which allows a single helicopter to transport an entire unit of special operations troops with two Land Rovers. REOS has also successfully employed the Chinook in a new role, as a highly mobile refuelling platform. A single Chinook is loaded with up to three flexible 2000-litre fuel cisterns in its cargo hold, with the associated pump systems, and can thus act as a forward-location ‘ fuel station’, landing at a remote location and refuelling other helicopters without removing the cisterns from its hold.
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Northern 737-200s Photos: Richard Barsby Text: Mark Zerafa
With the availability of cheap second-generation 737s, the 737-200 is fast disappearing from the skies. It has found a couple of niches, however, such as the cold inhospitable North of Canada.
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Established in 2001, Air Canada Tango was an attempt by Air Canada to create a low-cost arm. Flying twelve A320s and nine 737-200s, the airline flew major longdistance internal routes from its base in Toronto, namely Ottowa, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver, as well as some international routes to Fort Lauderdale, Seattle, Tampa and Mexico City, till it ceased operations in 2004. 737-200 c.n 21712 C-GIPW was delivered new to Pacific Western on 28.02.1979. It went on to fly with Canadian Airlines. Air Canada, and Tango, and was subsequently stored at Edmonton.
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The 737-200 comes to its own when operating in the Northern areas of Canada, with limited ground support infrastructure, and airfields with gravel and even ice runways. The gravel kit was an option on the 737-200, as seen on this example, with a gravel deflector on the nosewheel, and a probe under every engine intake which uses bleed air to blow away any gravel before it is ingested by the engine. Canadian North’s 737-200s are furthermore converted to Combi configuration, with a cargo door in the forward fuselage, permitting the operation of mixed cargo and passenger flights, flying in much-needed supplies to the remote communities it serves.
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1. The 737-200 cockpit is typical of aircraft of its era. Flying so close to the North Pole presents particular challenges to flightcrews, not only for the harsh metereological conditions, but also for navigation, as magnetic compasses do not provide accurate readings. 2. The Combi conversion allows the 737-200 to carry palletised cargo in the front of the passenger cabin, and seats in the rear cabin. 3. First Air is another airline serving the Northernmost communities in Canada.
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Westjet is a Canadian low-cost airline. It operated 737-200s until 2005, and now operates 737 Classics and 737NGs. The 737-Max is on order.
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Zip was another attempt by Air Canada to create a no-frills subsidiary, flying twelve 737-200s, all painted in distinctive neon colours. The airline ceased operations in 2004. 37
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Queen of the Skies Photos: Mark Zerafa Text: Mark Zerafa
For over 40 years, the 747 reigned the airways. Although now superseded by the long-haul twinjets and the A380, the graceful lines of the ‘Jumbo Jet’ will continue to feature at our airports for many years to come.
British Airways is currently the largest airline operator of the 747, although the fleet is being downsized with the arrival of the 777300s and A380s.
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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
747-200, Air Bridge Cargo, Amsterdam Schiphol 747-400, Air China Cargo, Amsterdam Schiphol 747-400F Cargolux, Vienna Schwechat 747-400 , Thai Airways, London Heathrow 747-300, ex-Qantas, Cotswolds Airport 747-200, ex-Olympic Airways, Athens Ellinikon Airport 747-400F, Atlas Air Cargo, Malta International Airport 747-400F, TNT, Amsterdam Schiphol 747-400 Combi, KLM, Amsterdam Schiphol 41
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747-400, Oasis Hong Kong, RAF Fairford 747-400, Virgin Atlantic, London Heathrow
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747-400F, Cathay Pacific Cargo, Amsterdam Schiphol 747-200, Hellenic Imperial Airways, Malta International Airport
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Maluti
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Flies Home
Photos: Jason Hodgkiss Text: Mark Zerafa
The 747SP was perhaps the oddest of all 747 variants. Developed as a first response to proposals for long-haul versions of the DC-10 and the Tristar, the SP had extra-long range, a shorter fuselage and a taller tail. This was combined to a weight reduction programme which included new single-slot flaps instead of the triple-slotted versions found on all other 747s. South African Airways was a 747SP operator. These photos mark the arrival of one of its last SPs, ZS-SPC ‘Maluti’, which was retired to the Aviation Museum of South Africa at Rand on September 30th, 2006.
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Global Airlifter Text: Mark Zerafa
The C-17 Globemaster III is a masterpiece of aerodynamic engineering, combining substantial airlift capability with the ability to operate from short and rough airstrips. It is in service with a number of air forces worldwide.
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Kuwait The Kuwaiti Air Force operates two C-17s, the first of which was delivered in February 2014.
UK The Royal Air Force was the first foreign operator of the C-17, originally as a stop-gap pending the delivery of the A400M. However, the capability provided by the aircraft impressed the RAF to the point that the original four leased aircraft were purchased together with a further four examples.
Canada The Royal Canadian Air Force purchased the C-17 in order to attain its own airlift capability, having previously had to rely on leased civilian aircraft. Five C-17s are based at CFB Trenton.
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NATO NATO’s Heavy Lift Air Wing is based at Papa Air Base, Hungary. Although wearing Hungarian national insignia, the Air Wing serves the heavy-lift needs of the twelve countries which contribute to the programme, Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, the USA, Finland and Sweden.
Qatar The Qatar Emiri Air Force initially ordered four C-17s, with deliveries being completed in 2012. However, in June 2015, it agreed to purchase a further four, which Boeing had already built before closing the production line.
UAE The United Arab Emirates Air Force operates six Globemaster IIIs, which were delivered between 2011 and 2012.
BRADEN COLEIRO
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SPOTTER MAGAZINE TIM JING HENG – MILITARY AVIATION PHOTOGRAPHY SINGAPORE GROUP
Australia The Royal Ausralian Air Force operates a total of eight C-17s, these flying with 36 Squadron at RAAF Amberley.
KYLE MIZZI
India Traditionally an operator of Soviet-designed aircraft, the Indian Air Force has purchased ten C-17s, which are operated by 81 Squadron at Hindon AFS.
USA The United Stated Air Force is by far the largest C-17 operator, with 223 aircraft. Royal Air Force was the first foreign operator of the C-17, originally as a stop-gap pending the delivery of the A400M
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Photos: as creditd Text: Mark Zerafa
Boeing’s 787 was another leap into new technology – the first airliner of all-composite construction. Another big leap of courage by Boeing into uncharted waters, the 787 has sold exceptionally well. For this feature, we have asked photographers from all over the world to send us their 787 pictures.
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Air Canada 787 waiting to line up at London Heathrow (Tyler Henshaw)
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Airborne over Seattle and the Boeing’s 787 ramp. (Jason Wong)
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WILL ROSS DUSHINSKI
NICHOLAS PONG
LUKE ESSAU
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LUTZ PFEIFFER
CHRIS JOHNSON
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LUTZ PFEIFFER
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LUTZ PFEIFFER
LUTZ PFEIFFER
TIM BRANDT
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