"Finally," caught the Virgin Australia Toy Story livery

Last week, Virgin Australia went from having no special liveries to unveiling two within just a few days. On Sunday, the 17th of May, VH-YFY (MSN 41016) a Boeing 737-8FE arrived in Melbourne from Singapore’s Seletar Airport sporting a Toy Story livery. Then, on Friday the 22nd of May, VH-8VI (MSN 67039) a Boeing 737 Max 8 with a red retro livery landed in Brisbane from Seattle via Honolulu, so my family and I went to see it. After chasing the Toy Story livery for days, it finally made its way to Brisbane, and my wife and I headed to the airport to catch it. I have to admit; it wasn’t quite as exciting as I’d imagined.

Bomb hoax on Qantas 755

On the 26th of May 1971 two men carried out bomb hoax on Qantas 755. The bomb hoax was a daring extortion scheme carried out by Peter Macari and Raymond Poynting, posing as “Mr. Brown,”

Macari told Qantas officials he’d planted a bomb on Flight 755 from Sydney to Hong Kong that would detonate if the plane dropped below 20,000 feet, demanding $500,000 to spare the 128 passengers and crew. As negotiations dragged on, the plane circled for over six hours until fuel was running low and Qantas agreed to pay. At 5:45 p.m., outside the company’s headquarters in Chifley Square, Qantas general manager Captain R. J. Ritchie handed the ransom through the window of a Volkswagen Kombi. After 6:00 p.m., Macari called to say there was no bomb, a subsequent mid-air search failed to locate any device and the aircraft diverted to Brisbane and landed safely.

Police launched an investigation, and on the 4th of August 1971, both men were arrested after a tip-off about Poynting’s sudden lavish spending. Poynting was sentenced to seven years in prison, and Macari was sentenced to fifteen years, though he served only nine before being paroled and deported to England in 1980.

The 1986 Australian TV film *Call Me Mr. Brown* was inspired by these events.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Qantas

Code: QF/QFA

Aircraft: Boeing 707-338

Registration: VH-EBU

Serial Number: 19294

Engines: 4 x RR RB211-524D4

First Flew: 13/02/1967

Looking back on American Airlines flight 191

AMERICAN AIRLINES B787-9 N832AA (MSN 40638)

 American Airlines Flight 191 was a regular scheduled passenger flight from O'Hare International Airport (ORD/KORD) in Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX/KLAX) in Los Angeles, California. 

On the 25th of May 1979, the McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 operating this flight was taking off from runway 32R when it crashed into the ground. All 258 passengers and 13 crew on board were killed, along with two people on the ground. At 14:59 hours local time Flight 191 taxied from the gate at O'Hare Airport. The weather at the time of departure was clear, and the reported surface wind was 020° at 22 kts. At 15:02:38, the flight was cleared for takeoff. 

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that as the aircraft was beginning its takeoff rotation, engine number one (the left engine) separated from the left wing, flipping over the top of the wing and landing on the runway. As the engine separated from the aircraft, it severed hydraulic fluid lines that lock the wing's leading-edge slats in place and damaged a 3-foot (1 metre) section of the left wing's leading edge. Aerodynamic forces acting on the wing resulted in an uncommanded retraction of the outboard slats. 

As the aircraft began to climb, the damaged left wing – with no engine – produced far less lift than the right wing, with its slats still deployed and its engine providing full takeoff thrust. The disrupted and unbalanced aerodynamics of the aircraft caused it to roll abruptly to the left until it was partially inverted, reaching a bank angle of 112 degrees, before crashing in an open field by a trailer park near the end of the runway 50 seconds later. The engine separation was attributed to damage to the pylon structure holding the engine to the wing, caused by improper maintenance procedures used at American Airlines. (A pylon structure is a hardpoint located on an airframe designed to carry an external or internal load.) 

With 273 fatalities, it is still the deadliest aviation accident to have occurred in the United States.

Aircraft Information

Airline: American Airlines

Code: AA/AAL

Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas DC10

Registration: N110AA

Serial Number: 46510 

Engines: Three General Electric CF6-6D

First Flew: 25/02/1972

Age: 7 Years 3 months

OUR THOUGHTS ARE WITH THE FAMILES THINKING ABOUT LOVED ONES TODAY

More from Brisbane airport

Following on from yesterday’s adventure to capture the Retro Livery on Virgin Australia, here are some more photos from the day, including an Air New Zealand medical diversion.

EMIRATES AIRBUS A380-861 A6-EON (MSN 188)

FIJI AIRWAYS BOEING 737 MAX 8 DQ-FAH (MSN 64311)
FJ920 ARRIVING FROM NADI (NAN) 5 YEARS

QANTAS BOEING 737-838 VH-VZD (MSN 34198)
QF612 ARRIVING FROM MELBOURNE (MEL) 17 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A321-251NX VH-OYX (MSN 12611)
JQ633 OFF TO AVALON (AVV) 6 MONTHS

QANTASLINK EMBRAER E190AR VH-XVT (MSN 19000072)
QLK1802 ARRIVING FROM ADELAIDE (ADL) 19 YEARS

QANTASLINK AIRBUS A220-300 VH-X4B (MSN 55269)
QLK1592 OFF TO HAMILTION ISLAND (HTI) 2 YEARS

AIR NEW ZEALAND BOEING 787-9 ZK-NZG (MSN 37963)
NZ146 OFF TO AUCKLAND (AKL) 11 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A320-232 VH-X3H (MSN 5390)
JQ756 ARRIVING FROM HOBART (HBA) 13 YEARS

QANTAS BOEING 737-8SA VH-XZT (MSN 44203)
QF527 OFF TO SYDNEY (SYD) 10 YEARS

AIR NEW ZEALAND BOEING 787-9 ZK-NZC (MSN 41988)
NZ81 AUCKLAND TO HONG KONG DIVERTED TO BRISBANE

JETSTAR A320-251N VH-A5A (MSN 12328)
JQ834 OFF TO PROSERPINE (PPP) 1.6 YEARS

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRBUS A350-941 B-LRX (MSN 155)
CX150 OFF TO HONG KONG (HKG) 8 YEARS

CHINA AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 B-18909 (MSN 138)
CI53 OFF TO AUCKLAND (AKL) 8 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A320-232 VH-VFY (MSN 6362)
JQ819 OFF TO SYDNEY (SYD) 11 YEARS
FLYING WITH PRIDE LIVERY

LIFEFLIGHT LEONARDO AW139 VH-LF5 (MSN 32099) 1 YEAR

TEAM GLOBAL EXPRESS BOEING 737-8BK ZK-TXB (MSN 29644)
TXF95 OFF TO NORFOLK ISLAND (NLK) 19 YEARS

CHARTAIR CESSNA 441 CONQUEST II VH-JVL (MSN 441-0352) 41 YEARS

NATIONAL JET EXPRESS DASH 8-400 VH-IYJ (MSN 4539)
WO505 OFF TO ADELAIDE (ADL) 9 YEARS

SINGAPORE AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 9V-SHU (MSN 469)
SQ236 OFF TO SINGAPORE (SIN) 5 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-202 VH-EBS (MSN 1258)
QF53 OFF TO SINGAPORE (SIN) 14 YEARS

BOMBARDIER GLOBAL EXPRESS XRS VH-T29 (MSN 9409) 16 YEARS

JETSTAR BOEING 787-8 VH-VKH (MSN 36233)
JQ65 OFF TO BANGKOK (BKK) 11 YEARS

SINGAPORE AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 9V-SHQ (MSN 439)
SQ265 ARRIVING FROM SINGAPORE (SIN) 5 YEARS

NAURU AIRLINES BOEING 737-83N VH-AN2 (MSN 30660)
ON1 ARRIVING FROM NAURU (INU) 23 YEARS

QATAR AIRBUS A350-1000 A7-ANC (MSN 110)
QR898 ARRIVING FROM DOHA (DOH) 7 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-202 VH-EBO (MSN 1169)
QF538 ARRIVING FROM SYDNEY (SYD) 15 YEARS

Virgin Australia's first ever retro livery arrives in Brisbane

Yesterday, I made my way to the airport for the second day in a row, but this time my wife and daughter came along. Something exciting was happening, and none of us wanted to miss such a truly special occasion. The eagerly awaited Virgin Australia Retro livery was arriving from Seattle with a stopover in Honolulu.

Virgin Australia is celebrating a big moment in its 25-year history, rolling out its first-ever retro livery on a new Boeing 737-8, signaling an exciting new era for the airline. The bold all-red design, unveiled at Boeing’s Seattle facility, pays tribute to the carrier’s Virgin Blue roots while looking forward to fleet upgrades and steady expansion.

Named Lake Centenary, the jet is the 150th Boeing 737 delivered to the airline since Virgin Blue launched in 2000, and the 100th 737 flying in Australia’s active fleet. Its vivid red paintwork recalls the branding that defined its early years and helped build its identity. The retro look “pays homage to the airline’s Virgin Blue days (2000–2011), a legacy that shaped the brand today.” 

After spending an hour at the international terminal, the aircraft was towed to the Virgin hangar, where a staff party was underway.

Registered VH‑8VI (MSN 67039), it’s one of twelve 737‑8s arriving this year, part of a wider renewal plan that also brings four Embraer E190‑E2s to its Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (VARA), showing the group’s focus on a modern, efficient, and adaptable fleet.

The last original Virgin Blue aircraft registered VH-VUL (MSN 36603, completed its repainting into the standard Virgin Australia livery in February 2015

VUL TAKEN JULY 2014

Virgin Australia has gone from having no special liveries to unveiling two at once. The latest is the Toy Story livery, which has finally arrived in Brisbane, so I’ll be heading to the airport for the third day in a row to catch it.