Bournemouth Hurn - 21.4.10

Bournemouth Hurn airport is a large airfield with many hangers and based operators scattered around the airport. There is a very good mixed range of aircraft to be seen here ranging from airliners, biz jets, general aviation and some older warbirds too.

Eurocopter EC 120B Colibri c/n 1463 wearing Bournemouth Helicopters titles by the engine. This smart helicopter was built in 2006 and delivered as F-HAAL. It was first registered in the UK in June 2007 as G-MKII operated by Bournemouth Helicopters - however they changed the registration to be G-SKPP in January 2010.

Piper Pa-28-161 Cadet c/n 2841015 was built in the USA in 1988 and was first registered in the UK as G-BPJP in December 1988. For many years this aircraft was based at Oxford Kidlington airport before arriving at Hurn in 2001. This aircraft had flown over 11,000 flight hours by Dec 2008.

G-CBLE Robin 2120U c/n 364 was built in France in 2002. G-CBLE was first registered in the UK in April 2002. Between 2004 - 2009 this aircraft was based at Cardiff airport.  By Dec 2007 this aircracft had flown over 2,000 flight hours.

Hurn is home to several multi engine flight training schools, among them is CTC Aviation who operate a fleet of four examples of the Diamond DA 42 Twin Star including G-CTCF c/n 42-045 shown here. This modern twin was built in Austria in 2005. I often here these CTC aircraft on my radio doing flight training and operating on the airways over the South West of England.


Steve

G-HKIT BAC 1-11

G-HKIT BAC 1-11 521FH c/n 196 at Hurn January 1999

I have many old photos of aircraft from the past 30 years. The image today was taken back in January 1999 at Bournemouth Hurn airport ( EGHH ).

The BAC 1-11 assembly plant was once located at Hurn so 1-11s were a familiar sight awaiting delivery or back in for servicing.

The photo above was taken on 16th January 1999 - the aircraft was still at Hurn on 29th December 1999 too.

This particular aircraft was built in 1969 and test flew as G-16-10 before delivery to Austral Líneas Aereas of Argentina as LV-JNT in November 1969. The aircraft operated in South Amercia until 1994. In June 1996 it was registered as VR-BEC and ferried to Bournemouth Hurn airport in the UK - the Bermudan registration prefix changed to be VP ( ie VP-BEC ) in April 1997.

It was registered as G-HKIT in June 1997 and registered to European Aviation ( a major operator of 1-11s at the time ). "HKIT" probably refers to "Hushkit" - the aircraft was to be used by European to help the test development of a quieter engine for the notoriously noisy BAC 1-11.

In the photo you can see it has no engines and is still painted in the colours of Austral - I believe this aircraft was stripped for spare parts and not flown as G-HKIT. The aircraft was eventually broken up and scrapped at Hurn in early 2001. This aircraft was "born" at Bournemouth in 1969 and "died" at Bournemouth some 32 years later.

The aircraft was de-registered from the UK CAA register in July 2001.


With thanks to airlinerlist.com for some of the above data


http://www.airlinerlist.com/


Steve

Palmair Boeing 737-500 - G-PJPJ

A visit to Bristol Lulsgate on 24.1.10 saw G-PJPJ the Palmair Boeing 737-500 depart as Flightstar 324P.

Palmair are a small UK holiday charter airline and have been based at Bournemouth Hurn airport for many years.

Boeing 737-5H6 G-PJPJ departs Bristol on 24.1.10

G-PJPJ was built in 1994 by Boeing with construction number 27355 - the aircraft was initially delivered to Malaysian Airlines as 9M-MFH in 1994. In 1998 it was sold to Jet Airways of India as VT-JAZ. In January 2001 it passed to British Airways as G-GFFJ. BA sold the aircraft in 2009 to Astraeus Airlines who registered it as G-PJPJ in May 2009 to be operated on behalf of Palmair.

The aircraft is named ‘The Spirit of Peter Bath’ ( just below the cockpit windows ) in honour of Palmair’s late founder. It had arrived from Chambery - Aix Les Bains ( LFLB ) in France and departed to reposition to Bournemouth Hurn ( EGHH ).


External Link to the Palmair website



Steve