Formålet med bloggen er å bidra til informasjon om luftfart av alle slag. Også litt om ubåter og forsvarsspørsmål. Nyheter vil du finne her også, en del på engelsk som er det mest brukte luftfartsspråket. Har du selv noe som bør komme ut, så send meg en mail til per.gram@hesbynett.no
Gassutblåsning i Sør-Kinahavaet ved riggen Actinia i 1993. Her gjorde Helikopter Service AS en fantastisk jobb da flygerne Per Tjetland og Sigbjørn Stie snek seg inn med en Super Puma og fikk evakuert besetningen - Riggen holdt seg flytende. Foto: BP
Jeg reiser på hytta nå og blir der utover. Der er det for tiden ikke internett forbindelse.
Jeg er veldig bekymret over verdenssituasjonen nå. Jeg kan ikke huske at vår klode har vært utsatt for så mye uro noen gang. Særlig er jeg redd for Kinas ulovlige ekspansjonspolitikk i Sør-Kinahavet, samtidig som USA er på full fart nedover og likner nå på en bananrepublikk. Såkalte tungt bevæpnede borgervernbander har funnet sin besøkelsestid og synes å ha drept to og skadet en person i Wisconsin. Samtidig ser vi politibrutalitet på øverste hylle. Stakkars land.
Her i vårt fredelige hjørne av verden, ser vi at Russland væpner seg i nord. Når det gjelder koronasituasjonen her syntes alt å være under kontroll inntil ordninger ble liberalisert. Myndighetene er under voldsomt press fra mange kanter, men må stå imot. Mange ungdommer har demonstrert mangel på solidaritet med oss eldre, noe som er skuffende og skremmende. Stå imot FHI!
Luftfarten er skadd og lider over hele verden. Noen lyspunkt er det, men det demonstreres også at noen trives med situasjonen og benytter den til egen ekspansjon. Det var selskapene som hadde midler på kistebunnen. Nå må du og jeg være med på å finansiere private selskaper som kanskje ikke har- eller har hatt livets rett. Det vil utvilsomt ta flere år før luftfarten har kommet seg på fote igjen, og da sannsynligvis som en skygge av seg selv. Hundretusener i bransjen mister jobbene sine, eller går på voldsomt reduserte betingelser. Jeg synes synd på dem.
Dette er utvilsomt det dystreste jeg har skrevet på lenge, men det blir lengre og lengre mellom lyspunktene. Dersom du har positive nyheter mottar jeg dem gjerne. De åpnes straks jeg er på nettet igjen, og jeg deler dem gjerne med leserne av bloggen.
Ubenyttede start- og landingstilladelser i Gatwick Airport bør frigives, mener Wizz Air. Selskabet åbner base i Gatwick til oktober og er klar til at øge til 20 fly i løbet af et år.
Det ungarske lavprisflyselskab Wizz Air har startet et intensivt lobbyarbejde for at få mulighed for at overtage nogle af de slots (start- og landingstilladelser, red.) i Gatwick Airport, der ikke bliver benyttet i øjeblikket.
I øjeblikket er det blot 20 procent af den oprindelige kapacitet, der bliver opereret til og fra Gatwick Airport, og det skyldes at både British Airways, Virgin Atlantic og Norwegian mere eller mindre har valgt midlertidigt at indstille operationerne fra den britiske storlufthavn, indtil efterspørgslen vender tilbage.
Det har været muligt, da EU har garanteret, at man ikke mister sine ubenyttede slots i lufthavnen frem til udgangen af sommertrafikprogrammet 2020. Derimod er undtagelsen endnu ikke bekræftet for vintertrafikprogrammet fra 25. oktober 2020 til 27. marts 2021, og derfor vil Wizz Air have adgang til at få del i de eventuelt ubenyttede slots.
Vil øge til 20 fly på et år I sidste uge kunne Wizz Air nemlig offentliggøre, at man fra vintertrafikprogrammets start vil placere en Airbus A321 på en nyetableret base i Gatwick Airport. Selskabets koncernchef Jozsef Varadi siger i et interview, ifølge Bloomberg, at man er rede til at øge antallet af fly i den store London-lufthavn til 20 i løbet af et år. Det kræver blot, at man får adgang til de nødvendige slots.
Dermed vil det være muligt at skabe 800 nye lokale jobs samt afledt beskæftigelse til yderligere 4.000 personer.
“Hvis flyselskaber ikke er i stand til at bruge deres slots, bør de returneres til en pulje, så de øvrige flyselskaber kan få adgang til dem, og dermed skabe indtægter og bidrage til den lokale økonomi,” siger Jozsef Varadi.
Wizz Air-topchefen henviser i øvrigt til London Luton Airport, hvor 70 procent af operationerne er tilbage, da de tre største selskaber i denne lufthavn er easyJet, Ryanair og Wizz Air, der alle har sat betydelig kapacitet ind i kølvandet på corona-nedlukningen.
Udsigt til skærpet konkurrence Wizz Air kan i givet fald risikere at blive en alvorlig konkurrent til easyJet, Norwegian og Ryanair, da selskabet ikke længere alene fokuserer på det central- og østeuropæiske marked. Baseflyet i Gatwick skal eksempelvis trafikere Athen, Napoli, Lanzarote og Malta.
Herudover har Wizz Air også netop annonceret en ny base i Doncaster Sheffield, hvor en enkelt Airbus A321 i første omgang skal benyttes på syv nye ruter til Cypern, Polen, Portugal, Rumænien, Slovakiet og Spanien,
Det vil bestemt heller ikke være utænkeligt, at København og Billund på sigt kan være mulige destinationer fra en kommende Gatwick-base, hvis det lykkes for det ungarske lavprisflyselskab at sikre sig tilstrækkeligt med slots.
SAS får i løbet af en uges tid leveret den første langtrækkende Airbus A321LR indrettet i en treklasses version. “Man kan sikkert se den på europæiske ruter i den kommende tid,” afslører SAS-direktør.
Mandag den 24. august lettede en Airbus A321LR fra Hamburg Finkenwerder Airport. Det var første testflyvning for det det langrækkende Airbus-fly, som SAS forventes at få leveret i næste uge.
Da får antakelig byens store sønn, Avinorsjef Dag Falk-Petersen, sin statue på flyplassen. Han er for øvrig engasjert i flere eiendoms- og utviklingsprosjekter slik at han bør sjekkes for fravær av engasjement i de nye prosjektene. Ikke det at jeg tror det, men allikevel.... Den endelige anbefaling om å gjennomføre prosjektet kom fra Avinor. Det er uansvarlig av AP å drive stemmefiske på denne måten. Også Støre velger å se bort i fra rapporten som foreligger. (Red.) Sjekk hele artikkelen her: https://tinyurl.com/y5qrtqr4
Støre lover å realisere milliard-flyprosjektet i Bodø
Ap-leder Jonas Gahr Støre var denne uken på besøk i Bodø, hvor han kommer med tydelige signaler om Ny by – Ny flyplass-prosjektet.
Ny by ny flyplass får tydelig støtte fra Ap-leder Jonas Gahr Støre.
Illustrasjon: Bodø kommune
– Vi vil prioritere dette. Beslutningen er tatt og vil gjennomføres. Det kan gi store muligheter for Bodø og for landsdelen.
Prosjektet ligger allerede i planene etter at det ble klart at Forsvaret delvis forlater byen.
– Her ser jeg at det er et godt samarbeid mellom Forsvaret, Avinor og kommunen. Det er en stor mulighet til å bygge en moderne bydel i Bodø. Det er viktig for byen, men vil også sende signaler langt utenfor Bodø.
Det var en tydelig melding om ny by – ny flyplass som kom da Ap-leder Jonas Gahr Støre besøkte Bodø denne uka.
Foto: Andreas Nilsen Trygstad / NRK
Prosjektsjef for Ny by - ny flyplass, Irene Skiri, sier dette er gode nyheter:
– Det er veldig bra med alle positive signaler til prosjektet, sier hun.
Eskaleringen er i gang, ser det ut til. Spørs om Norge og Søreide tar opp Kinas ulovlige okkupasjon av øyene i Sør Kinahavet og båndlegging av voldsomt stor område. (Red.)
Dette fremkommer i media akkurat nå. Jeg viser forøvrig til den bekymring mange har utvist, også her på bloggen senest i dag, vedr. Kinas opprusting i omstridt område.
China has launched two missiles on Wednesday morning into the South China Sea, flexing its muscle and sending a clear warning to the US, a report claims.
The missiles, including an 'aircraft-carrier killer', were fired in a bid to improve China's ability to deny other forces access to the disputed sea region, a source close to Chinese military told South China Morning Post.
The reported missile launches came a day after Beijing accused Washington of sending a US Air Force U-2 spy plane into a no-fly zone imposed during live-fire military exercises in northern China.
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China has launched two missiles on Wednesday morning into the South China Sea, sending a clear warning to the US, a report says. In this file photo, Chinese missile frigate Yuncheng launches an anti-ship missile during a military exercise in south China on July 8, 2016
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One of the missiles is said to be a DF-26, which has a range of 4,000 kilometres (2,485 miles) and can be used in nuclear or conventional strikes against ground and naval targets. The file photo shows 'DF-26' being driven past the Tiananmen Square on September 3, 2015 in Beijing
One of the missiles is said to be a DF-26, which has a range of 4,000 kilometres (2,485 miles) and can be used in nuclear or conventional strikes against ground and naval targets.
The other one, a DF-21, has an estimated range of around 1,800 kilometres (1,118 miles). The most advanced model in the series, DF-21D, is described by Chinese state media as the world's first anti-ship ballistic missile.
Both were fired into an area between Hainan province and the Paracel Islands, according to South China Morning Post.
U.S. Navy's most advanced attack submarine surfaced outside Tromsø
The USS Seawolf conducted a brief stop in the fjord near Tromsø on August 21 for personnel change before sailing out to waters inside the Arctic Circle.
It is no secret that U.S navy submarines are patrolling the waters where Russia’s submarine fleet based on the Kola Peninsula sails out to the Barents Sea and Norwegian Sea. But it is not frequently announced which submarines are in the area and when they surface.
At a cost of nearly $3 billion per vessel, just three submarines of the Seawolf-class were built out of the originally planned fleet of 29. Too expensive, but also the most advanced and powerful attack sub in the U.S. Navy.
USS Seawolf is based at Bangor naval base on the west coast of the United States and normally sails the Pacific. But on Friday the nuclear-powered submarine suddenly came to surface outside Tromsø in northern Norway.
USS Seawolf outside Tromsø, northern Norway. U.S. Navy courtesy photo
Here, the narrow waters under high mountains along the coast make a perfect shield for a submarine to surface for fast crew change and receiving supplies from shore with assistance of Norwegian Coast Guard or Navy ships. Tromsø has a larger airport and well-developed infrastructure.
It is only a few hours voyage to the important Bear Gap where Russian submarines dive into the deeper Norwegian Sea. This area is important for NATO, trying to keep track of potential enemy subs in the line between the North Cape via the Bear Island to the southern tip of Spitsbergen. From the rather shallow Barents Sea to the deeper Norwegian Sea in the North-Atlantic where submarines are more difficult to track.
The USS Seawolf was designed in the late Cold War days to dive deeper than others and aimed at counter ballistic missile subs sailing out from the Kola Peninsula. The submarine is armed with eight torpedo tubes and can hold up to 50 weapons in its torpedo room, including the Tomahawk cruise missile.
The 108 meters (353 ft) long vessel is powered by a single nuclear reactor delivering 45,000 horse powers (34 MW). She has a crew of 14 officers; 126 enlisted.
Now, the USS Seawolf is deployed to the U.S. 6th Fleet which is in charge of American naval operations in Europe and Africa.
Announcing the surfacing outside Tromsø, Commander of the Submarine Forces, Vice-Admiral Daryl Caudle said USS Seawolf demonstrates the global reach of the undersea forces and its unique readiness to execute worldwide and unrivaled readiness.
“Our undersea warriors are the best in the world in submarine warfare and are equipped with unmatched capabilities designed to enhance our Navy and multiply the Joint Force’s effectiveness in competition and conflict,” Caudle said in the statement.
U.S. Navy courtesy photo
Simultaneously as the fast attack submarine surfaced near Tromsø, six U.S. B-52 long-ranged bombers came south from the Arctic in the airspace outside Tromsø en route from North Dakota to England. Norwegian F-16s from Bodø airbase were flying in formation with the huge American bombers across the Norwegian Sea.
The Barents Observer has previously reported about the increased presence of American submarines in Norwegian waters, in 2018 said to be inshore 3 to 4 times monthly.
“The majority were in the north, three times more,” Navy Captain Per-Thomas Bøe with the Ministry of Defense in Oslo said.
Lacks northern navy base
Norway does not have any naval bases suitable for nuclear-powered submarines in the north. As Haakonsvern near Bergen on the southwest coast is too far away from the important northern waters, the Norwegian military is currently planning for an agreement with Tromsø municipality for using the civilian Tønsnes port for allied nuclear submarines.
Until the arrangments are in place with harbor facilities, nuclear submarines will continue to surface in the fjords and be served by Norwegian military ships.
Tønsnes port north of Tromsø could facilitate for British, American and French nuclear-powered submarines visits. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Moscow upset
Russia has voiced concerns about NATO submarines making port calls to Tromsø.
“There are more and more examples of Norway’s active participation in the implementation of NATO’s plans to increase the Alliance’s presence in the Arctic region,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, as reported by The Barents Observer.
Nuclear emergency preparedness
The Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority’s emergency preparedness unit in Tromsø is informed about each arrival of nuclear-powered vessels, including the USS Seawolf.
Head of Section High North, Inger Margrethe Eikelmann, writes in an e-mail to The Barents Observer her unit is always prepared to monitor such port calls.
“We are working to further develop the measurement system both with drones, new radnet [radiation monitoring] stations, air vacuum cleaners, and handheld instruments,” Eikelmann tells.
She adds: “We are also working to improve the emergency preparedness systems and environmental monitoring at the ports of call.”
Inger Margrethe Eikelmann is Head of section High North with the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority in Tromsø. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
New intelligence suggests that China will soon have its aircraft carriers permanently based in the South China Sea. The Chinese Navy, known as the PLAN (People’s Liberation Army Navy), is strengthening a strategic base on Hainan. A gigantic dry dock is being built, big enough for an aircraft carrier. Together with a pier already visited by the carriers, this suggests that they will be stationed there. Currently the carriers spend a lot of their time further north.
Dry docks are important for maintaining warships in fighting condition. But aircraft carriers need special facilities to handle their size. The new one being built on Hainan is almost the perfect size for China’s carriers. It is much larger than would be expected for destroyers or submarines, and is inside a protected harbor. All of this points towards the aircraft carrier hypothesis.
The new dry dock is near the entrance to the inner harbor, where a sizable part of China’s non-nuclear submarines are based. Larger nuclear submarines are based slightly further along the coast in the next bay, which is part of the same 'Yulin' base complex. This includes an underground tunnel where submarines can be protected from air strikes. Yulin is China’s most important navy base in terms of the assets based there. The nuclear submarines include China’s Type-094 ballistic missile submarines. One of the surveillance platforms that China has placed in the South China sea is just along the coast. The carriers will further increase the strategic importance of the base.
The Chinese Navy currently has two aircraft carriers and building more. A dry dock on Hainan will ... [+]
SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST VIA GETTY IMAGES
China currently has two aircraft carriers in service and a third is under construction in Shanghai. The first ship, CV-16 Liaoning, is 67,500 tons, 999 feet long and 246 feet across. The second ship, CV-17 Shandong, is slightly longer at 1,033 feet. They are equipped with J-15 fighters, the Chinese Navy variant of the Russian-designed Sukhoi Flanker family.
Chinese fighter jets can also deploy to some of the Chinese controlled reefs and islands in the area. There is a large runway on Woody Island in the Paracel Islands which recently hosted J-11B Flanker jets and then JH-7 anti-ship strike fighters. However, the aircraft carriers will greatly increase China’s firepower in the region. China claims almost all of the South China Sea, including waters and islands controlled, or claimed, by other countries. Consequently, China has territorial disputes with all the other countries in the area. None have military or naval capabilities to compare with China however. And this gap will widen with routine deployment of aircraft carriers.
Looking back through historic satellite imagery we can see that work on the dock began in 2016. At that time only CV-16 Liaoning was in service with the PLAN. Now it appears to be nearing completion. A permanent Chinese carrier presence in the South China Sea may start sooner rather than later.
near Eskay Creek Mine, Iskut River, 45NM NW of Stewart, BC - Canada
Phase:
Unknown
Nature:
Unknown
Departure airport:
Destination airport:
Narrative: A Eurocopter AS 350B2 Ecureuil crashed near Eskay Creek Mine, Iskut River, 45NM NW of Stewart, British Columbia. The helicopter was supporting a mine exploration drill project at Nickel Mountain, owned by Garibaldi Resources Corp. The pilot was Killed.
Berlin airports: SXF becomes BER / Renovated Schönefeld Airport becomes Terminal 5 of new airport
With the commissioning of Berlin Brandenburg Airport, Schönefeld Airport is to be part of the BER as Terminal 5. SXF will receive the IATA code on 25th October in line with the change from the summer to winter flight schedule. In order for Berlin Brandenburg Airport to meet the requirements for a location with several terminals, extensive renovations and extensions have been made to Schönefeld. Included in the renovations are new security control technology, the adaptation of the guidance system and the establishment of flight operations areas.
Engelbert Lütke Daldrup, Chief Executive Officer of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH: “Schönefeld Airport as the new Terminal 5 will be an inherent part of the BER. As a result of the construction work, passengers can still be processed well at T5 for a few years. This means that flight operations can be reliably staggered under coronavirus conditions”.
The terminal sections at Schönefeld have borne the new markings ‘KLMQ’ since the end of March. This will prevent doubled-up names once the BER is in operation. The guidance system in the terminal sections has also been adapted to the BER colour scheme. With the changeover of the 3-letter code, the large lettering on the roof will also be replaced and in future will read ‘BER Terminal 5’.
For passengers, the quality of check-in has been significantly improved, for example through the renovation of Pier 3a in Terminal Section K. In addition, the security-restricted area in Terminal Section K has been re-structured. The old passenger screening technology has been renewed and adapted to the current standard of hand luggage screening technology, and the security scanners for passengers have been upgraded. The number of security lanes has increased from 4 to 5. For this purpose, the building entrance had to be relocated and the passage to Terminal Section L had to be closed. By the end of the year, several more areas for the Federal Police will be built. Furthermore, in cooperation with the Federal Police, the baggage inspection systems have been upgraded. Here, the checked-in luggage is screened.
The opening of the BER will see flight operations taking place in the so-called “double-roof operation”. Depending on the airline, passengers will check-in and board at either T5 in the north or T1/T2 in Midfield. The aircraft ready for boarding at the former Schönefeld Airport will taxi to BER’s northern runway as before and take off from there. The aircraft waiting at T1 take off from the southern runway. In order to enable operation in the north parallel to the operation of the government airport from the interim location as well as the construction of the government terminal, the flight operations areas at Schönefeld have been expanded.
The cost of all construction works over the last three years amounts to €40 million. That is a total of 23,000 square metres of apron area in concrete construction as well as 100,000 square metres of taxiways and service roads in asphalt construction. The new taxiways K5 and K6 allow for fast and parallel taxiing, while taxiway G ensures the connection to ramp 1 and thus to the government terminal. The new apron 3b provides space for five additional aircraft.
