Unusual aircraft at BHX/ Birmingham

[Harbornite]

Thought I'd share this...

An air tranker, Airbus A330-243 G-VYGJ, is currently at BHX.

https://www.flightradar24.com/TOW335P/a5eb2b0

Mods' note: embedded image removed; please upload a smaller version if you wish to embed it, thanks

http://www.jetphotos.net/photo/8285902

 

[Rich McLean]

That will be on hire from Air Tanker, and used as a charter flight by a commercial operator. These are spot hire aircraft and any flight operator can use if they are short.

They are also used for the Falklands islands flights from BZZ, but AirTanker make money by hiring them out to other operators on a Ad-Hoc basis. They also can be used by the RAF if required, but the RAF have their own allocation. These are not fuel tankers but can be converted if needed.

I would imagine this would have been hired in by an airline to cover for a failure

 

[Minilad]

It did an out and back to Paderborn. Just took off from BHX back to Brize. It came right over my garden twice!!

 

[fowler9]

Yeah it is a bizarre state of affairs. I understand Thomas Cook are using the aircraft also.

 

[Rich McLean]

Yeah it is a bizarre state of affairs. I understand Thomas Cook are using the aircraft also.

There are 5 AirTanker AC in a pool. One is always on the BZZ-ASI-MPN-ASI-BZZ circuit, then 3 out of the 4 available to all and Sundry, normally by package holiday agents (Thomas Cook as already noted), but also to the RAF for RIP Troopers, Aeromed etc

 

[WestCoast]

Are they operating the regular Birmingham-Paderborn MoD charter now? It's been operated by commercial charter airlines like the Small Planet Airlines A320s, Danish Air Transport MD-83s and Hifly A343s in recent years.

 

[fowler9]

Cheers for the info folks.

 

[Rich McLean]

Are they operating the regular Birmingham-Paderborn MoD charter now? It's been operated by commercial charter airlines like the Small Planet Airlines A320s, Danish Air Transport MD-83s and Hifly A343s in recent years.

As far as I know, as using AirTanker airfcract is cheaper (discount for the MOD)

 

[Harbornite]

Thanks for the responses, this is all news to me.

 

[WestCoast]

As far as I know, as using AirTanker airfcract is cheaper (discount for the MOD)

I see, it also provides more capacity as there's only a handful of commerical charter airlines across Europe that can supply an A330 sized aircraft at peak periods...

 

[Harbornite]

I feel as though I should use this thread to record rare or unusual aircraft sightings over Birmingham.

Sadly I didn't manage a pic but I've just seen a chinook heading towards the QE, this hasn't happened in quite a while and they used to be more frequent. It goes without saying that the frequency of such flights is determined by Britain's military commitments.

 

[randyrippley]

I feel as though I should use this thread to record rare or unusual aircraft sightings over Birmingham.

Sadly I didn't manage a pic but I've just seen a chinook heading towards the QE, this hasn't happened in quite a while and they used to be more frequent. It goes without saying that the frequency of such flights is determined by Britain's military commitments.

Is the QE a hospital? Round here its not unknown to see Chinooks drop training casualties into hospital, or to collect TA reservist medical staff for deployment. Too big for the helipad though - they use the adjacent school games field instead

 

[Harbornite]

Is the QE a hospital? Round here its not unknown to see Chinooks drop training casualties into hospital, or to collect TA reservist medical staff for deployment. Too big for the helipad though - they use the adjacent school games field instead

Aye it is. We had a Chinkook fly over just the other day, en route to it.

 

[edwin_m]

Round here its not unknown to see Chinooks drop training casualties into hospital

Not literally I hope.

A relative was repatriated from Camp Bastion to Queen Elizabeth Hospital - not injured, just ill, so I suspect he just had an ambulance from wherever his flight landed.