Embrear my first flight experience

I''m going to explain what do I think my first flight of a Brazilian built Embrear from the history of Aircraft Aviation in Europe. When I saw the plane on final in Southampton, UK I thought I would hear the reverse thrust a bit louder instead it's very quiet compare to Boeing 737's and airbus A320 Family even through taxing. When you enter the cabin depending where do you sit, I sit by the wing for flaps noises unfortunately there was no noise of the flaps I mean it is a good thing so passengers might not know the sound coming from the wing. It looks like an Airbus wing in a way and the flaps I like it.

The design of the cabin looks like an Airbus style cabin instead having 3 seats, Embrear added only 2 seats I think it's a good idea because when your on the window seat & go to the toilet you don't need to ask 2 people to move out their seat even Dash 8's the same. Most cabin crew have 4 onboard instead for Embrear E-Jet Family they only have 2 cabin crew serving passengers half of the cabin only by 1 crew for 1 at the front & 1 at the back. When I was on Flybe there are 2 cabin crew onboard but they serve us the hole cabin not going half which is strange. Another thing I spotted is when the seat belt lights is on there is no smoking signs on there unless that's KLM Cityhopper only that has that feature or not. I thought to my self next to the seat belt sign it could be life jacket sign like the Boeing 737 Classic had. Overall the cabin, I like it just look like modern Airbus look.

The engines are powered by General Electric CF34 only use for Embrear, Bombardier and Comac aircraft. In 2002 CF34 was fitted on a Boeing 747-100 during the flight test in Mojave, USA in California. Overall of the engines, I really do like it because it sounds a bit quiet than the Airbus A320 Family and Boeing 737 Next Generation but when 737 Max & A320neo enter service (A320neo now in operational with Lufthansa) will these engines be a lot quieter? no one knows for now. During my final approach in Amsterdam, The Netherlands the landing gear was a bit loud when it goes down but when it goes up you can't hear the noise compare with Airbus A320 Family. When I touched down yes it was a smooth landing I don't hear the reverse thrusts it's quiet than the A320's & 737's.  

That;s the end of my blog for my first experience on Embrear series I really did enjoy the flight & hope I will travel with theE-Jet family in the near future the cabin is nice, fuselage has a good design & it's quiet. So for that I will give it a 9.9/10. Good work Embrear.

My flight report Flybe flight BE1014 Amsterdam, The Netherlands - Southampton, UK 29th August 2016

Airline: Flybe
Flight: BE1014
Type: Bombardier Dash 8 Q400
Registration: G-ECOM
Flight of origin: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Destination: Southampton, UK
Flight time: 1 hour

It was a very cloudy day in Amsterdam, The Netherlands this morning during lunchtime it wasn't that cloudy & all the clouds are starting to break up. After I checked-in security & immigration I immediately went to the gate H6 because it was already shown on flight information when it was inflight. Believe it or not Flybe is not home to H Gate because when I flew with Flybe 2 years ago it was normally at H Gate full of Non-Schengen flights I think because the airport done some improvements all budget airliners are part of H Gate like Flybe, EasyJet and Ryanair for example. British Airways & KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to the UK parks right at the end of the H Gates depebd what type becauase sometimes BA sends out mixture between the Airbus A320 family and Boeing 767-300ER's.

My flight was a 2008 Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 from Flybe G-ECOM The boarding of the flight was a quick process, the flight was full & we was ready to go. You might think the flight was good because I travelled with Flybe's Dash 8 that often, however this is a different report compare when I first travelled on Dash 8 2 years ago.

The flight was bumpy I ever experienced on Boeing, Airbus and Embraer during taxing because when I last went on these Dash 8's the taxing was very smooth however with my flight departing Amsterdam, The Netherlands the pilot seemed to rush the taxi to the runway if it's behind schedule. The rest of the flight was OK however I was sitting in the back of the aircraft as you can see I have a bad view of the window because it's window seems like it's wet during the flight making me hard to see down below.  When we landing in Southampton, UK it was a little bit rough for a Dash 8 landing in a small runway & it brake very hard after touchdown so it wasn't a very nice & smooth landing. Relating back on the window I did filmed a full flight video of this anyway so next week or 2, it will be on my YouTube Channel it's not going to be the best flight video than my KLM I'm working on & I think this will be my best flight for 2016 so I do best flight for 2016 before Christmas.

The cabin looks OK in the photo but in person it's not nice because the overhead locker seems like it had better days (discoloured), stickers are pealing off from the table that said about life jackets on the tray table, tray table is not clean, I can even feel the tag of the life jacket every time I want to move my legs & hands around and the seats to me is so uncomfortable I never experienced on my few Flybe trips because the seats are too hard plus being a tall man I somehow almost banged my heard of the entrance & exit of the plane. The captain and cabin crew are very nice; the crew did a good job making us the flight more comfort but you know I did not enjoyed it, it hurts my bottom & my back. Flybe service is like EasyJet, Ryanair & other budget airliners they are unacceptable. It's not the worst flight like Ryanair but I have to give Flybe back some credit it's still a good airline.

And finally 1 hour later I landed in Southampton, UK. Normally after the seat belt signs is off we normally come out the plane in 5/7 minutes however because I was sitting at the back I have to wait 15 minutes because the stairs for the back that comes in the Dash 8 wasn't working so we have to wait till the ramp arrives but why do we have to wait for the ramp? we boarded the flight at the front shouldn't we exit the aircraft at the front? For a plane built from 2008 from Bombardier it should not have any technical faults for a Canadian built I do understand Dash 8 had bad designs like the landing collapses touch hard touchdowns. I think what Flybe needs to improve from Southampton is to have more Embraer planes during the Summer Season for international flights if the seating complicity is longer than the Dash 8 Q400, Flybe could carry more passengers like the reason why my KLM flight was mean't to be Fokker F70 instead it's Embraer 190. I would say to Flybe order the new Bombardier CSeries & replace the older Dash 8's.

I rate my experience with Flybe 4.6/10 it's not the worst British Airline I will give it another chance in the future maybe on Embraer. Coming October 24th 2016, I will be flying Air Malta flight back home to Malta & back to the UK on 31st October more information soon.

My flight report KLM Cityhopper KL920 Southampton, UK - Amsterdam, The Netherlands 26th August 2016

Airline: KLM Cityhopper
Parent: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Flight: KL920
Type: Embraer 190
Registration: PH-EZX
Flight origin: Southampton, UK
Destination: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Flight time: 55 minutes

It was a lovely afternoon in Southampton, UK & also busy at the airport during the Summer period. When I was at the pub in the airport having a beer I saw few aircraft landing in Southampton most all Flybe Southampton's hub but there is 1 aircraft was on final approach runway 20; it was my flight not in KLM look, it was SkyTeam livery!

KLM Cityhopper PH-EZX Embraer 190 new to KLM Cityhopper 25th May 2012.

And here is my KLM flight the SkyTeam livery my second special livery when I flew with Air Malta 9H-AEO 3 years ago. If you been on special liveries on any airline you travel, feel free to comment I like to hear from you if you are a passenger or captain & cabin crew.

Then we started boarding from gate 3. As you can see the cabin looks beautiful, very hygienic and the cabin crew are very friendly to the passengers; their English communication is spot on compare my Ryanair flight last month, KLM cabin crew speaks beautiful English then Dutch second  which is strange because it should have been Dutch first then translates to English second. There is one thing I spotted & that is the seat belt & smoking signs, well during boarding the signs is off but it does come on during final boarding however when the seat belt sign is on there is no smoking sign it's something different that I can't see when the light is on I'm not sure if said life jackets or something.

After we left Southampton runway 20 it was a little bit bumpy because the runway is small so the aircraft must have brake the plane in full throttle to gain more speed I'm sure Flybe did the same with their Embraer fleets in Southampton. After takeoff we had a very smooth departure with less wind & beautiful English countryside. 10 minutes after take off, the captain turned off the seat belt signs & the service begins that brings to my next photo.

With sandwiches I'm not a big fan of cold sandwiches because sometimes it makes me felt ill when I was on Air Malta flight I had a cold roll that seems to be hobz biz-zejt & I felt completely sick from my first bite so I had vegetarian wrap I'm not a vegetarian on KLM just wan't to give it a go & the wrap tasted really nice, the biscuit was OK even through it's a Dutch biscuit then it comes with Spring Water which is silly because after the food, the cabin crew comes again for a cup of water. Overall I really like the food well done KLM.

And finally I landed in Amsterdam, The Netherlands that took 50 minutes what do I think of the flight? I really enjoyed it, the seats is comfortable, captain & crew are very friendly and very friendly service. Will I fly KLM Cityhopper again? the answer is yes ass well as travelling KLM Royal Dutch Airlines thank you for the flight KLM I will looking forward to travel again in the future. From Aircraft Aviation in Europe, thank you & goodbye.

I rate my flight experience with KLM Cityhopper 9.7/10 good work KLM keep it up!

Bournemouth Air Festival 2016 20th August (Red Arrows)

It was 20th August 2016 in Bournemouth, UK with Bournemouth Air Festival 2016 I was on Day Three. Unfortunately on that day due rough weather conditions, some planes & helicopters to preform was cancelled so for now I will show you Red Arrows only. I will feature only some my favourite photos. Some looks the same from my past events.

This blog is going to be special because the reason why I arrived in Bournemouth to to mark the memory of a very brave Red Arrow pilot who lost is life by the name of Flt Lt John Egging who crashed at a Throop Hill one mile from Bournemouth Airport after 2011 Bournemouth Air Festival. But before we go into all that, let's take a look some of my photos. Some are photos are going to be similar when I went to America's Cup in Portsmouth, UK some stunts in Bournemouth is short due to weather conditions.

As the Red Arrows started,they come from behind when Bournemouth Air Festival TV started the countdown when the Red Arrows are flying from behind then straight towards the English Channel. They flew towards where I located on top of the hill instead at the beach they normally flew by the Bournemouth Pier instead where I am.

SCATTER! This is my favourite stunt! The only missing stunt is the love heart but because of poor weather conditions, the love heart must not be featured. I'm not it did in other days.

This part is where it makes my upset & had a tear drop. This final flying display marks the memory of Flt Lt John Egging when 5 years has passed of his death. After this last performance, it returned back to Bournemouth Airport ready for the display the following day. I did saw the pilots hours before the display. The time for the Red Arrows to fly was meant to be 3:45pm but as I mention due to rough weather, the Air Festival was put on hold until the wind calms down. It was delayed for 2 hours because it was going to fly before 5pm when the wind strikes back until 6pm the wind calmed down & the Red Arrows started flying. Lucky after that the wind kicked in again & started to rain hard. This is my second wettest & windy conditions for an aviation photographer lucky it's summer.

Lets talk about why did the 20th August 2011 crashed. The investigators said the pilot was incapacitated effecting the G-LOC until it was shortly before impact to Bournemouth Airport. Very short answer yes for an 20 year old (?) Hawk T1A there is not a lot to say about the crash. It was upsetting the Red Arrows means very important for Great Britain similar when Concorde was in operation & flew in Buckingham Palace. You might be thinking why is there a fence blocking the memorial? this is because in April this year the East Cliff collapsed right by the memorial sight.it should re-open by the end of this Summer. It's complicated if the cliff is safe or not due to rough weather conditions.

Of course you got to have a memorial sight so they got it with 3 Red Arrow models. After the investigation Bournemouth Borough Council funded this sight to mark for his honour. This idea was based by pupils from Kinson Primary Primary School local in Bournemouth & it was put on display in 29th August 2012. When I visit Bournemouth again, I will take a good photo of the memorial sight if the East Cliff is safe & re-open to the public. 

For more photos of Bournemouth Air Festival, don't forget to checkout my Facebook page.

Air Malta the lost fleet (update)

If you remember couple of years ago I made a blog about my photos of Air Malta lost fleet. I think it's time what has happen to Air Malta recently with the loss of their fleets. After so many Air Malta aircraft as lost so many Airbus fleets because Air Malta is currently going through difficult time to do with partner sharing with Alitalia and financial problems as Air Malta fleet will plan so save €8.2 million every year. While EasyJet and Ryanair flying time is 15 & 16 hours at peak while Air Malta is 12 hours per day. As the news from July 2015, Air Malta has a 5 year fleet renewal & plan to save €41 million hoping from Air Malta they will get brand new fleets. In order from Air Malta to save that kind of money, unfortunately Air Malta has to lose almost every Airbus A319's in the fleet 9H-AEG, 9H-AEJ and 9H-AEH currently on lease with Volotea & other airlines, now there are only 2 Airbus A319's left in the fleet 9H-AEL and 9H-AEM. I'm not so sure about Airbus A320's I do understand they did the same thing before Air Malta announces A319's departure. I understand 1 A320 9H-AEF is currently on leased with Monarch. What's going to happen with Air Malta future? we don't know what the current goal is for now.

Air Malta 9H-AEN Airbus A319 seen in Malta taken 30th March 2014.

If you look close at 9H-AEG you can see whte on the engine which is a sign on indication this aircraft will be leaving the Air Malta fleet & I did it's now with Volotea as EI-FMT as well as 9H-AEH now as EI-FMU. A319's with Air Malta do sometime travel short distance due to high cost on fuel and low seating of passengers.

Air Malta 9H-AEJ Airbus A319 seen in Malta taken April 2013.

Even I keep mentioning 9H-AEJ the last Air Malta aircraft in previous livery it's now with Atlantic Airways OY-RCH for 3 years. It's been with Atlantic Airways since May 2013 so I guess it might come back to Air Malta next year as it has 41 months and 5 months.

Air Malta 9H-AEF Airbus A320-200 seen in Malta taken July 2013.

And then we have 9H-AEF. Although we don't know the current situation of this aircraft since 9H-AEI (Retro) came back to our fleet, do we need another A320? I know it's with Monarch as G-ZBAR we don't know how long it will be in the Monarch fleet.  If in the next few year Air Malta might get new fleets, my wish from Air Malta is to have Airbus A320 Sharklets, Airbus A320Neo or Boeing 737 Max since Air Malta ended the Boeing 737 Era a long time ago.

If you want to know about the airline, click Air Malta link directly to Air Malta's flights, hotels and news articles.

Education news & update

If you know on Facebook, I was starting to plan on going back to college. It has been confirmed I'm going to college next month. Unfortunately due to course I will be studying, the course will remain private at all times & it will stay like this until I'm ready to tell the truth what I have been doing if I get into the job I want. It's to do with aviation I don't like to add more into it because my life to work on aviation depends on it. During my travel movements for mid 2016 & throughout 2017, My aviation photography will remain normal during half term, on Halloween, Christmas/New Year, February half term, Easter Holidays and Bank Holiday weekends. 99% of my trips for 2017 will only be in Malta due to other aviation related for my career while I'll be a student in the UK. Maybe on Bank Holiday weekends I will go to Ireland. If I pass this course I will try & treat myself going to North America again then think about moving back home to Malta.

Transavia new livery

 Transavia had 4 different liveries over the years, now it's about time for me to explain about Transavia previous & brand new livery. In general I prefer the livery that had purple & 3 green stripes for some reason I want to explain but not this time. So shall we move on?

Transavia France F-GZHA Boeing 737-800 seen in Malta taken June 2014.

So lets start with transavia.com livery same include Transavia France. In my opinion I'm not keen on it because it doesn't look like a livery I remember when I was A LOT younger. I'm a bit colour blind to forgive me if the colours is not correct. What we have is purple, blue, orange and green stripes that looks like Rainbow flag (LGBT) I don't have problem with homosexuals it's just the stripes it reminds me off. The tail & engines is curcle shape with large green background with white "t" in the middle and all white on the fuselage & winglets. Transavia should but their "t" on the winglets.

Transavia PH-GCW Boeing 737-800 seen in Amsterdam, The Netherlands taken 25th July 2014.

Next photo is a lucky one in Amsterdam, The Netherlands! because I spotted the differences between my other Transavia photos. What's the different? The answer is the winglets and engines! According to planespotters.net it has been previously with GOL Transportes Aeroes from Brazil so many times they have to change the countries registration from Brazilian's PR to Dutch PH  I'm not sure why, I think because of Transavia getting more fleets or summer season get's busy within the EU. What you see the engine is dark orange and GOL's logo is still on the winglets. 

Transavia France F-GZHP Boeing 737-800 seen in Malta taken 28th June 2016.

Then we come to the current Transavia livery from Transavia France. The livery is not that special for me, the only change is the logo with the T on it on the tail & engine. One line ontop of the right & lest side lower down. I think at the bottom show Transavia logo too. That includes my photos of Transavia old & new. I would say I love the new one more.