Date now set for arrival of world's biggest plane in Perth

The news I have been waiting for finally came through today,

The world’s biggest aircraft — the six-engine AN225 Mriya — is due to touch down in Perth on Sunday, May 15.

According to industry sources, the Ukrainian-designed, built and operated super-heavy lifter will be in Perth for two days, giving the public plenty of opportunity to see the plane that dwarfs all others.
The AN225 will be carrying a 135-tonne generator for the resources industry.
The maximum it can carry is 250 tonnes.
The plane’s operator, Antonov Airlines, said it would take eight to 10 hours to unload the cargo.
Perth Airport is working with Antonov Airlines and authorities to maximize opportunities for the public to see the plane.
It will be the AN225’s first visit to Australia.

General characteristics

• Crew: 6
• Length: 84 m (275 ft 7 in)
• Wingspan: 88.4 m (290 ft 0 in)
• Wheels: 32
• Height: 18.1 m (59 ft 5 in)
• Wing area: 905 m² (9,740 sq ft)
• Aspect ratio: 8.6
• Empty weight: 285,000 kg (628,317 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 640,000 kg (1,410,958 lb)
• Fuel capacity: 300,000 kg
• Cargo hold – volume 1,300m, length 43.35m, width 6.4m, height 4.4m
• Powerplant: 6 × ZMKB Progress D-18 turbofans, 229.5 kN (51,600 lbf) thrust each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 850 km/h (528 mph; 459 kn)
• Cruising speed: 800 km/h (497 mph; 432 kn)
• Range: 15,400 km (9,569 mi; 8,315 nmi) with maximum fuel; range with 200 tonnes payload: 4,000 km (2,500 mi)
• Service ceiling: 11,000 m (36,089 ft)
• Wing loading: 662.9 kg/m² (135.8 lb/sq ft)
• Thrust/weight: 0.234

Another fact about the AN 225 is this aircraft can swallow a 737 whole and as this will be its first visit to Australia I have now booked my flights to Perth Western Australia.

CANT WAIT...

Early morning heavies

Having a few appointments on the north side of Brisbane this morning gave me the opportunity to get a few of the early morning departures.

QANTAS A330-203 VH-EBD (CN 0513)

QANTAS 589 OFF TO PERTH

KOREAN AIR A330-323 HL-8026 (CN 1638)

KOREAN AIR 124 OFF TO SEOUL

KOREAN AIR HAD THEIR WHEELS DOWN FOR A L-O-N-G TIME

EMIRATES A380-861 A6-EEH (CN 119)

EMIRATES 434 OFF TO AUCKLAND

Then as I left I checked the logistics apron like I always do

AIR VANUATU B737-8SH YJ-AV8 (CN 42052)

BLUE CHIP JET SERVICES DASSAULT FALCON 7X SE-DJD (CN 129)

Then as I went about my day I managed to grab a few photos when I could from where I was..

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA ATR 72-212 VH-FVX (CN 986)

ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIRFORCE C-17 A41-207 (CN 50174)

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA B777-3ZGER VH-VPE (CN 37939)

V-AUS 7 OFF TO LOS ANGELES

CHINA AIRLINES A330-302 B-18356 (CN 1272)

DYNASTY 053 OFF TO AUCKLAND

Cessna 172 missing near Byron Bay

The search for a plane missing off the NSW North Coast has been called off after experts determined the pilot could not have survived.
The Cessna took off from Lismore Airport for a short flight just before 4.30pm on Monday.
The airport raised the alarm about four hours later when the plane had not returned.
A helicopter was sent to search for the plane on Monday night, but found nothing.
Radar tapes reviewed this morning revealed the plane was last seen about 10 kilometres north-east of Byron Bay.
A fleet of about five helicopters, a light plane and two rescue boats set out at first light today to scour waters in the area, but no trace of the plane or the pilot was found.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority announced that the search would end just after 1pm today.
The search was concluded after expert medical advice determined the pilot would not have survived in the water past midday.
NSW Police Marine Area Command will stay in the area and conduct further investing

Public Service Strike hits Australian Airports just before Easter

If your flying to or from Australia this Easter then you need to read the below story

Thousands of public sector workers started walking off the job this week in a round of industrial action that is likely to disrupt the nation's airports and key Commonwealth agencies like Medicare, Centrelink and the Bureau of Meteorology.
The industrial action is expected to cause particular disruption at airports around the country, and passengers are being warned that delays are likely over the Easter weekend.
The strikes are the latest in what is a two-year dispute between the government and the union.
The rolling industrial action by Border Force is scheduled to start at airports today (Tuesday 22nd March) and a 24-hour strike will also take place this Thursday 24th joined by members of Immigration and Customs.
The CPSU said the strikes were aimed at showing the union's frustrations with government attacks on workers' pay and conditions during enterprise bargaining negotiations.
As with previous strikes at airports, I would strongly advise passengers to contact their airline for information on whether they will be effected, and allow extra time when departing and arriving on international flights.

History in the making as Obama visits Cuba

AIR FORCE ONE LANDING AT AMBERLEY QUEENSLAND Nov 2014

For the first time in 88 years a sitting U.S. president is visiting Cuba. The Obamas landed at José Martí International Airport in Havana, Cuba.

HAVANA —President Obama landed in Cuba Sunday afternoon, a trip that took more than half a century to arrive only 90 miles from U.S. shores. Stepping off Air Force One under drizzling skies, the president held an umbrella over his wife Michelle and greeted several senior Cuban officials.
The Obamas, including the president’s two daughters and his mother-in-law, were welcomed on the tarmac by Bruno Rodriguez, Cuba’s Foreign Minister and Josefina Vidal, the head of the U.S. section of Cuba’s Foreign Ministry, as well as Jeffrey DeLaurentis, the senior U.S. diplomat in Cuba. The official welcoming session will take place Monday morning when Obama meets with Cuban president Raúl Castro at the presidential palace. Obama arrived amid high anticipation and anxiety on the island within both the Communist government and its political opposition. The government hopes the two-day visit will reap benefits without ceding control, while dissidents on the island want it to speed the pace of change.

FlyDubai pays 20,000 USD per crash victim to family relatives

DUBAI, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Dubai-based low-cost carrier FlyDubai said Sunday it will pay 20,000 U.S. dollars per victim to their family relatives following the crash of its plane from Dubai to southern Russia on Saturday.
The airline said in an e-mailed statement that it is their priority to identify and contact the families of those lost in the tragic accident and provide immediate support to those affected.
It added "FlyDubai will additionally organize a program of hardship payments to the families amounting to 20,000 U.S. dollars per passenger, in accordance with our Conditions of Carriage, with the aim of addressing immediate financial needs."
The FlyDubai flight 981, which came from Dubai, was making its second attempt to land at the Rostov-on-Don airport at about 3:50 Moscow time (0050 GMT) on Saturday when it missed the runway and crashed.
"We ensure the highest standards of investigations and express our deep condolences to the family members of the victims and the crew," said CEO Ghaith Al-Ghaith at a media briefing on Saturday.
The ill-fated plane was carrying 55 passengers and seven crew members on board, including four children. Among the passengers, 44 of them were Russians, eight from Ukraine, two from India and one from Uzbekistan.
The plane was lastly fully security checked on Jan. 21, 2016 and "it was a brand new Boeing 737-800 aircraft made in 2011."
The pilot had 5,965 flight hours experience, while the co-pilot had 5,769 hours flight hours experience, Al-Ghaith said.
The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Story sourced from here http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-03/20/c_135206234.htm

FlyDubai 737 crashes in Russia

BREAKING NEWS:

Boeing 737 passenger jet crashes, killing all 55 passengers and six crew in a fireball at a Russian airport

The plane, carrying 61 people, has crashed while attempting to land at Russia's Rostov-on-Don airport, killing all those onboard, officials say. Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency said the Boeing 737 crashed to the left of the runway during bad weather.
All 55 passengers and six crew on board the plane died, the Rostov regional emergency ministry said.
"[The plane] was coming from Dubai [and] crashed as it came into land at the airport in Rostov-on-Don," spokeswoman Marina Kostioukova said.
FlyDubai said it was aware of an incident involving its flight FZ981, which was travelling to Rostov-on-Don from Dubai.
"We are investigating further details and will publish an update once more information is available," the company said on its Facebook page. The Rostov regional emergency ministry told Russian television there may have been three foreigners on the plane. However, the area's regional governor said most passengers were from the surrounding region.
Boeing said it was aware of reports coming out of Russia and its team was "currently gathering more details".
Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 shows the plane making a number of loops, as well as gaining and losing speed and altitude many times, prior to the crash.
In a statement, Russia's emergencies ministry said the aircraft had to abandon an initial attempt to land and came down at 3:50am local time while making a repeat attempt.

The aircraft is a Boeing 737-8KN the registration is A6-FDN (CN 40241) its line number was 3517 and it first flew on the 21st December 2010
Its test registration was N1786B

You can see by the pattern here FZ981 made an attempt then aborted and climbed away heading up to the north making circles as they go, then headed south going into a holding pattern for about 5 circles before making another approach.

The blue line is his altitude and the yellow line is his speed

Thoughts and prayers go out to the passengers and crew; the immediate family and friends and all the staff at FlyDubai.
GOD BLESS