Available Pre-owned Gulfstream G650 Inventory Dips

Gulfstream G650 (c/n 6064) N311CG, ex-N664GA rotates off Rwy 30 at Long Beach Airport (LGB/KLGB) on November 6, 2015.
(Photo by Michael Carter)

The available inventory of pre-owned Gulfstream G650s has dropped by more than 25 percent, according to the latest UBS Business Jet Update. The slide in G650s on the market comes as the overall available inventories of business jets stabilize, the report added.

The number of G650s/650ERs for sale has fallen from a peak of 18 to 13, UBS reported. The G650 inventory is equivalent to 7 percent of the installed base. Pricing for the models, however, also continues to decline, dropping another percentage point in August and is 19 percent below peak. This puts average pre-owned G650 prices about $10 million below that of new G650s.

The past increase in the number of the model on the market had raised concerns from analysts about the potential effect on new aircraft sales. But Phebe Novakovic, chairman of Gulfstream parent General Dynamics, had questioned some reports on the numbers and stressed investors shouldn’t panic over the inventory, saying in late July, “I’m comfortable that the pre-owned G650 market is appropriate and rational.” She also noted the company had not seen any G650 order cancellations as a result of the pre-owned inventory.

As for pricing, Hagerty Jet Group (HJG), in its recent market update, suggested that the softening may provide opportunity for G550 owners to upgrade. HJG, noting G650 sellers “are struggling to understand this quickly changing market,” added that the asking price at the end of June still appeared 5 to 10 percent higher than it should be.

The percentage of the young (10 years or less) Gulfstreams available for sale totals 8 percent (all in-production models), among the lowest in the industry. The available young Cessna Citation inventory is the smallest, at 7 percent, according to the UBS report.

Industry-wide, used business jets available for sale represented about 11.2 percent of the fleet in August, below the average of 13 percent. Inventories of aircraft five years or younger crept up 1 percent to 7 percent of the installed base in August, while inventories of aircraft between six and 10 years old dropped 2 percent to 10 percent of the installed base. However, inventories of that six-to-10-year range are still skirting near-historic highs, UBS said.

(Kerry Lynch - AINOnline News)

SpaceShipTwo returns to flight after nearly two years

A Virgin Galactic spaceship returned to flight in a captive carry test for the first time in nearly two years since the fatal crash of the original prototype.

The second prototype, named VSS Unity, took off from Virgin Galactic’s base in Mojave, California, carried aloft by the WhiteKnightTwo mothership on 8 September, Virgin Galactic says.

The 3h43min test reached altitudes above 50,000ft, the normal launch altitude for SpaceShipTwo. After analyzing data from the flight test, Virgin Galactic will decide if more captive carry tests are required before VSS Unity attempts glide tests, to be followed by powered flights.

Virgin Galactic called the return to flight an “emotional and fulfilling moment” in 12-year campaign to launch a commercial spaceline, offering thrilling rides from a new spaceport in New Mexico for six passengers on each suborbital trip into space.

SpaceShipOne, designed and built by Scaled Composites founder Burt Rutan, proved the feasibility of launching a privately-funded vehicle into suborbital space in 2004, claiming the Ansari X-Prize. Rutan then teamed with Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson to develop SpaceShipTwo as a commercial transport.

After 54 successful flight tests, the first SpaceShipTwo broke apart in-flight in October 2014, killing one pilot and injuring the other. A federal investigation blamed the accident on a mistake by the co-pilot, who unlocked the feathering tails too early in the flight.

Branson quickly resumed development of SpaceShipTwo but moved the flight test program in-house, creating the Spaceship Company to replace Northrop Grumman’s rapid prototyping subsidiary Scaled Composites.

The Spaceship Company has made several changes to the vehicle since the crash nearly two years ago. The VSS Unity’s rocket motor will be fueled by hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene, which is similar to the original chemistry for SpaceShipTwo. Another fuel was being tested on the flight that ended in disaster, although neither the fuel nor the motor played any role in the break-up.

(Stephen Trimble - Flight Global News)

Transport Canada registers first Global 7000

Bombardier’s first Global 7000 business jet has been added to the Canadian aircraft register, as preparations for the ultra-long-range twin's fourth quarter maiden sortie continue at the airframer’s factory complex near Toronto’s Downsview airport.

Serial number 70001 – the first of four test articles that are in various stages of production – is listed as C-GLBO, according to Transport Canada's registry, and also goes by the model name BD-700-2A12.

(Bombardier)

The Global 7000 was introduced in 2010, but a series of development challenges with the clean sheet model – including a decision by Bombardier in 2015 to redesign its wing – have delayed the program schedule by over two years.


The GE Aviation Passport-powered flagship is now scheduled for service entry in late 2018.

Priced at $73 million, the 12-seat Global 7000 is projected to have a maximum range of 7,300nm (13,520km) and a top speed of Mach 0.925.

(Bombardier)

(Kate Sarsfield - Flight Global News)

Aeromexico's first 787-9 rolls out in special livery

Aeromexico's first Boeing 787-9 (43859/483) XA-ADL has rolled out with a special livery on its fuselage.

The aircraft is named Quetzalcoatl, translated to "feathered serpent", the name of a deity of pre-Hispanic Mexico, says the SkyTeam carrier. It took nine days for the livery to be painted in Boeing's hangar, six days longer than expected due to the colourful hues in the design.

(Boeing)

The livery design was chosen from more than 400 shortlisted in a competition launched by the carrier in 2014.

"As Mexico's flagship carrier, this aircraft will become an icon of our fleet and a reflection of what Mexico is today, with culture and tradition represented in what we consider to be one of the most sophisticated creations of modern aviation engineering," says Aeromexico chief executive Andres Conesa.

(Boeing)

The aircraft is scheduled to be delivered to Aeromexico in October, Flight Fleets Analyzer shows.

Aeromexico will be the second Latin American airline after LATAM Airlines Group to operate the 787-9. The Mexican carrier's 787-9s are powered by General Electric GEnx engines.

(Ghim-Lay Yeo - Flight Global News)

Norwegian Air to fly to Spain from four U.S. cities

Norwegian Air Shuttle Boeing 787-8 (34796/165) LN-LNE "Roald Amundsen" arrives at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX/KLAX) on July 13, 2016.

(Photo by Michael Carter)

European discount airline Norwegian Air is again ramping its U.S. presence, announcing new routes to both Barcelona and Copenhagen that the carrier will fly with its new Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

The first Barcelona flights will launch in June, with Norwegian adding routes from Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Newark Liberty and Oakland. To Copenhagen, Norwegian will start service from Oakland in March. Introductory fares on routes range from $179 to $199 each way.

The new flights push ahead with the carrier’s aggressive growth plan in the U.S. market. Norwegian began flying to Paris from New York JFK, Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale in July.

Barcelona will be Norwegian’s seventh U.S. gateway, joining Copenhagen, London Gatwick, Oslo, Stockholm and the Norwegian city of Bergen. Norwegian also has begun flying from three U.S. airports to the Caribbean, launching nonstop flights to the French island territories of Guadeloupe and Martinique.

“Continued U.S. expansion is key to Norwegian’s global strategy, and we’re excited to offer affordable fares to even more nonstop European destinations so that travelers can enjoy our award-winning onboard service,” Thomas Ramdahl, Norwegian’s chief commercial officer, says in a statement. “We now offer a greater amount of nonstop routes from the U.S. to Europe than any other European airline, and we look forward to continue adding additional routes and frequencies so that American travelers have even more choices.”

Norwegian’s flights from Newark will be the carrier’s first from that New York City-area airport. The airline already flies from New York’s JFK airport, but was able to secure space at Newark after the U.S. Department of Transportation relaxed capacity constraints at that airport earlier this year.

From JFK, Norwegian offers year-round service to the European destinations of Copenhagen; London Gatwick; Oslo; and Stockholm. Norwegian also flies from JFK to Guadeloupe and Martinique in the French Caribbean.

Scroll down for details on all five of Norwegian’s new routes.

Newark-Barcelona: Begins June 6 with twice-weekly service. Service increases to four-times-a-week in August.

Los Angeles-Barcelona: Begins June 5 with twice-weekly service. Service increases to three-times-a-week in August.

Fort Lauderdale-Barcelona: Begins Aug. 22 with twice-weekly service.

Oakland-Barcelona: Begins June 7 with twice-weekly service. Service increases to three-times-a-week in August.

Oakland-Copenhagen: Begins March 28 with twice-weekly service.

(Ben Mutzabaugh - Today in the Sky / USA Today)

Boeing Shops Middle of Market Concepts — Again

If reading this strikes you as deja vu all over again, that might be exactly what it is. Boeing reportedly has been showing potential customers two designs for a stretch version of its new and yet-to-be-delivered 737 MAX 9 to compete with the Airbu A321neo and A321LR.

This is not the first time since Airbus announced the A321LR nearly two years ago that Boeing has responded with a stretched version of its new 737. The company has also suggested a clean-sheet design, but that would delay first deliveries until at least 2024. Airbus expects to deliver its first A321neo in 2018 and the LR version by 2019.

At stake here is the so-called middle-of-the-market (MoM), a space for which Airbus claims at least 1,000 new dual-engine, single-aisle planes are needed to fly long, thin routes (up to 5,000 nautical miles with 200 to 260 passengers).


The A321LR in a basic configuration can fly 206 passengers about 4,000 nautical miles. The new airplane replaces the Boeing 757, which went out of production in 2005.

Boeing cannot seem to come up with an answer. At first the company denied the market was as large as Airbus said it was. Then it considered reconfiguring the 767, a dual-engine, twin-aisle plane that is still available from the company as either a passenger jet at a list price of $197.1 million or a freighter costing $199.3 million.

The 767 is also the base for the company’s new Air Force tanker, the KC-46A. Boeing’s September order book shows a new order for 19 767s to be fitted out as new tankers.

The following chart from Boeing and Aviation Week magazine shows where Boeing thinks the MoM plane fits. Boeing now believes that between 2,000 and 5,000 planes could be required to replace both the aging 757s and 767s.

Source: The Boeing / Aviation Week

If Boeing is right about the sweet spot, then most customers want to fly 4,800 to 5,000 nautical miles. That’s significantly longer than the 757’s range, and the 767-300 seats between 260 and 300 passengers, more than customers appear to require. The perfect MoM plane, it seems, is a little bit bigger than a current single-aisle but not quite as big as a 767, and with a longer range.

Which apparently has brought Boeing back to a stretched 737 MAX 9 that has been called the 737 MAX 10. The problem with a stretched MAX 9 is that it would need new, larger engines that would, in turn, require Boeing to change the landing gear to accommodate the larger engine fans.

Bloomberg reported that CFM International, the joint venture between the General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) and France’s Safran that builds the LEAP-1B engine for the 737 MAX, has “gained confidence that [CFM] can reap enough extra thrust from the existing LEAP-1B engines to speed to market a new, longer variant with relatively uncomplicated landing gear.” CFM declined to comment.

Boeing apparently also is considering CFM’s LEAP-1A engines for the stretched MAX 9 that would require only “some modifications to the wing and tail, and taller landing gear that would mechanically shrink to fit into the same wheel well used on other 737s.”

The biggest issue is timing. Can Boeing deliver a competitor to the A321LR close to the 2019 first delivery date for the Airbus plane? The Bloomberg report indicates that the company has projected a tentative date of 2021, but at least one potential customer, Air Lease Corp., says “that’s just too late.”

(Paul Ausick - 24/7 Wall St.)

Cargolux Boeing 747-8R7F (38076/1534) LX-VCN

Captured under-tow on the Boeing flight ramp at Everett, Washington on August 25, 2016, this lovely aircraft performed her first pre-delivery test flight on September 7 as "Boeing514 Heavy" departing at 13:11 PDT, bound for Moses Lake (MWH/KMWH) returning to Boeing-Paine Field (PAE/KPAE) at 15:50 PDT.

(Photo by Michael Carter)

Ultra low-cost flights to Iceland, Barcelona from South Florida will launch in 2017

 (WOW)

Starting next spring, a new crop of transatlantic flights — to top European and Nordic destinations — will be available for South Floridians at a fraction of the previous cost.

WOW air, Iceland’s low-cost transatlantic airline, announced Thursday it will begin the first-ever nonstop service between Miami International Airport and Reykjavik, Iceland — plus connecting flights to Europe — in April 2017.

Service to Reykjavik’s Keflavík International Airport will be available three times a week from MIA for as low as $99 one-way — about a tenth of the cost of current flights to the Nordic country. The airline will offer connecting flights via Iceland to London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Frankfurt, Dublin, and Copenhagen from $149 one-way, including taxes.

European routes will also be added at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport beginning next year, in August 2017.

Budget carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle announced Wednesday it will offer twice weekly flights from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona, Spain’s Barcelona-El Prat Airport from $189 one-way, including taxes. That’s a discount of more than 25 percent over current fares.

The announcements mark another step in the airlines’ expanding North American footprints.

The Miami-Iceland route is the sixth U.S. destination for WOW since it launched North American flights in May 2015. For MIA, the additional service marks the fourth Nordic country and 23rd route to Europe on the airport’s growing roster.

Barcelona is the seventh city with nonstop service to the U.S. that Norwegian has added to its route network since launching in the U.S. three years ago. The airline added one weekly flight to Paris’ Charles De Gaulle Airport from Fort Lauderdale on July 29, in addition to its London, Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm routes from FLL.
 

(Chabeli Herrera - Miami Herald)

Boeing 737 and 787 Profit Gains Will Overwhelm 777 Decline, Analyst Says

Boeing investors may have been scared off by the declining market for wide-bodies, but one analyst says bears are missing improving picture for the 737 and the 787.

Despite the slumping market for wide-body jets, a new report takes a positive view of the outlook for Boeing thanks to improving cash flow, prospects for a higher dividend and a continued strong market for the reliable 737.

In the report, Cowen & Co. analyst Cai von Rumohr reiterated an outperform rating on Boeing and set a price target of $175.

Boeing shares closed Wednesday at $132.64. Year to date, Boeing is down about 8%, making it the second worst performer in the Dow 30. Only Disney, down 11% has done worse. The Dow is up about 6% year to date. Bearish views of Boeing have dominated this year for three reasons, von Rumohr wrote.

Orders for the 777 are declining due to the expected 2020 introduction of the 777X; the 787 program has $27.7 billion in deferred production costs that must be amortized; and "the long air transport upcycle is running out of gas.

"Bears are right to be concerned with the coming decline in the 777's profit contribution," he wrote. "But they don't give full credit to the probable 737 profit ramp, which should offset most of the 777 drop.

"We estimate that 737 gross profit contribution will increase by $1.8B from 2015 to 2019, offsetting most of the 777 decline," he said.

Boeing said it will ramp up monthly 737 production to 52 in 2018. Demand for the world's airplane workhorse remains strong. 

Globally, domestic traffic is up 5.1% year to date, according to the International Air Traffic Association. That is a good sign for the 737 and the Airbus A320, the two narrow-bodies that fly the bulk of the world's domestic routes. Boeing has a backlog of 4,404 orders for the 737 and "delivery positions are oversold through 2019," von Rumohr said.

"737 revenues should rise by an estimated $6B+ from 2015 to 2019, and even with the delivery mix shifting to the MAX, we think profit accrual rates can increase," he said. "Work on the 737 MAX appears to be moving ahead smoothly." First delivery of the 737 MAX is expected in 2017.

Von Rumohr said he anticipates Boeing will increase 737 production to 57 a month in 2019, even as it trims 777 production from seven to four or five a month and moves very slowly to boost 787 production from 12 to the stated goal of 14 a month.

Investors are overly worried about the 787's deferred production costs, von Rumohr said, noting "bears obsess over 787 accounting and argue that BA will have to take a huge forward loss because the program's $27.7B in deferred production costs means that the 869 remaining deliveries in the accounting block will have to amortize $36.1MM per copy to avoid a charge."

He said the deferred costs increased because Boeing spent heavily to make substantial improvements from the 787-8 to the 787-9. But now that the 787-9 is selling at a higher price than the 787-8, the deferred costs will come down more quickly, and they will come down even more quickly when the 787-10 starts to be delivered.

"Investors were mostly unaware of the significant changes in the Dash 9, which BA chose not to highlight likely for fear of alienating Dash 8 users," von Rumohr said. "Hence, they were disappointed by the extended high plateau of quarterly deferred production increases into 2014."

Even at a dozen 787s a month, "787 will turn cash positive with initial amortization of 787 deferred likely in Q3," he said.

Another aircraft that could soon help Boeing's profit picture is the KC-46, the aerial refueling plane being developed from the 767 for the Air Force. The first 18 deliveries are scheduled for 2017. "The KC 46 has been a big drain; they took close to $2 billion in forward losses," von Rumohr said in an interview.

The losses will diminish, he said, and "the level of cash drain will go down and they could start to turn cash positive in late 2018."

Meanwhile, Boeing has hiked its dividend 125% since 2013 while buying back about 6% of shares annually. Add it all up, von Rumohr said, and by 2019 Boeing becomes a stock with cash flow of $15 a share and a dividend of $6.25 a share.

A current dividend yield of 3.3% "offers downside support and makes BA a standout value vs. its peers," he said.

(Ted Reed - The Street)

First G500 Production Test Aircraft Takes Flight

Gulfstream G500 (c/n 72005) N505GD taxies at Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport (SAV/KSAV) following her first flight.

(Gulfstream Aerospace)

A Gulfstream G500 dedicated to creating an exceptional cabin experience has completed its first flight.

The G500 departed from Savannah-Hilton/Head International Airport with a three-man crew and cruised for more than four hours at Mach 0.84, well below its maximum Mach of 0.925.

This is the fifth test aircraft produced, and it will be used to evaluate every aspect of the passenger experience, including overall comfort, cabin and galley layout, ergonomic ease, functionality and the passenger interface with cabin electronics. Repetitive operations of all systems during many phases of flight and mission types will be conducted and evaluated.

“The many hours of interior testing this aircraft will undergo, from galley and lavatory use to comfort and cabin health during long flights, help us hone every aspect of flying the G500,” said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream.

The G500 will feature an industry-leading low cabin altitude and 100 percent fresh air that boost mental awareness and reduce fatigue. Another environmental advantage: The G500’s panoramic oval windows are the same size as those on the Gulfstream G650 and G650ER, which allows for abundant natural light.

Delivery of the first G500 is scheduled for 2018.

(Gulfstream Aerospace)

Delta Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-95 (Boeing 717-2BD) (55008/5009) N945AT

Taxies at Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC/KSLC) as it readies for a late afternoon departure on June 7, 2016. The aircraft was originally delivered to AirTran Airways on November 27, 1999.

(Photo by Michael Carter)

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-790 (30164/597) N619AS

Captured arriving at Portland International Airport (PDX/KPDX) on August 4, 2016 sporting the modified winglet artwork in relation to the carriers new livery.

(Photo by Michael Carter)

Hillary Clinton Begins Traveling With Press Corps on 'Hill Force One' Plane

Hillary holds a model of her new campaign aircraft, Boeing 737-86J (30881/1067) N881XA.

(Justin Sullivan - Getty Images) 

Hillary Clinton, who has abstained from the common campaign practice of flying on the same aircraft as her traveling press corps, has landed a new ride, a large jet dubbed Hill Force One, and welcomed reporters on board.

Beginning today -- with just 64 days left until the election -- the Democratic presidential nominee, who has drawn fire for not holding press conferences is replacing her small, private jet with a significantly larger aircraft that she will not only share with her campaign staff, but with Secret Service staffers as well as reporters too.

The new plane was unveiled today with a trip to Ohio and the Quad Cities, a region of four counties in northwest Illinois and Southeastern Iowa.

“I am so happy to have all of you with me,” Clinton said Monday morning in greeting the press on its inaugural flight, adding, “I've been just waiting for this moment.” Clinton also added that she would be back later to take more formal questions from reporters.

The plane is a 14-year-old Boeing 737, made in America and first delivered in 2002 to AirBerlin as D-ABBE, with Clinton’s logo “Stronger Together” on the side. It's equipped with Wi-Fi and broken up into four cabins: one for Clinton and some aides, one for extra staffers, one for her Secret Service detail and one (with roughly 42 seats) for press. The aircraft last served with Orenair as PH-CDG and Corendon Dutch Airlines as PH-BEI.

Until now, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's running mate Mike Pence has been the only one of the four presidential and vice presidential nominees to have this set-up.

Clinton's plane today had company from Trump and Pence’s separate planes as it landed on the tarmac today in Cleveland.

Today is also another turning point for the Clinton campaign.

After a month of, what Trump would call, "hiding," Clinton and her surrogates are hitting the trail this Labor Day in full force.

Clinton herself has as many public events today as she's had in the past two weeks. She has an event with her running mate Tim Kaine in Cleveland, and then another in Quad Cities in Iowa. And it's not just Clinton on the road. Kaine, his wife Ann Holton, Vice President Joe Biden, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Bill Clinton are all out on the trail today, too.

(Liz Kreutz - ABC News)

Falcon 8X makes LABACE debut

 Dassault Falcon 8X (c/n 401) F-WWQA.

(Dassault) 

Dassault is debuting its Falcon 8X business jet at the Latin American Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (LABACE) in São Paulo, Brazil between 30 August and 1 September, as it seeks to drum up sales for the long-range trijet ahead of its validation by Brazilian certification authority ANAC in the fourth quarter of this year.

Dassault Falcon president and chief executive John Rosanvallon says the Latin American country “has shown strong demand" for the 8X since the programme’s launch in 2014. “Four of the first 20 aircraft are scheduled to be delivered there,” he says. “That’s a great sign of a Brazilian market that might be turning the corner for the better.”

Brazil’s economic downturn has heavily impacted sales of new and used business aircraft. The country has traditionally been a strong market for manufacturers of business jets and turboprops. Flight Fleets Analyzer records an installed base of around 1,500 aircraft in the country – the largest inventory outside of the USA.

The flagship Falcon 8X secured US and European certification in early July, and first deliveries are scheduled in the coming weeks.

In preparation for the 6,450nm (11,900km)-range 8X’s entry into service, Dassault has begun ramping up production at its Bordeaux Mérignac final assembly plant in southwest France. Serial number 29 is now being manufactured at the facility, and 15 aircraft are being outfitted at Dassault’s US completion centre in Little Rock, Arkansas.

(Kate Sarsfield - FlightGlobal News)

United States Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-15C-25-MC Eagle (c/n 580/C110) 79-0041, 173rd FW, Oregon Air National Guard

This gorgeous aircraft is captured arriving at Portland-Hillsboro Airport (HIO/KHIO) on August 5, to take part in the 2016 Oregon Air Show.

(Photos by Michael Carter)

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-990(ER) (62470/5980) N251AK

This new Alaska Airlines -990(ER) made a special appearance at the 2016 Oregon Air Show by flying a World War II veteran down to Hillsboro Airport (HIO/KHIO) from Seattle (SEA/KSEA) on Saturday August 6, 2016 for a special ceremony in his honor.

The aircraft is captured rolling for takeoff at Hillsboro Airport headed back to Seattle International. 

(Photos by Michael Carter)

Montreal plane spotters have fun as well as boosting airport security

 Plane spotting enthuasist Jean-Charles Hubert looks on as an Air Transat Airbus A330 lands at Montreal's Trudeau Airport, Sunday, July 31, 2016.

(Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)

Some plane spotters given training, uniform, special number to call in suspicious airport activity

Perched on a ladder with his camera, a scanner tuned to the control tower on the ground beside him, Jean-Charles Hubert doesn't miss much at Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau airport.

Every week, rain or shine, the 41-year-old can be found at the airport with his fellow plane spotters – a group of aviation enthusiasts with a passion for photographing aircrafts.

"It's a bit like a drug,'' said Hubert, wearing a blue ball cap bearing the group's name – the 55th Avenue Spotters, named for one of the roads that runs by the airport.

"I keep telling myself I'm not going to come, but then I find myself back here.''
The group's dedicated presence can even be a boon for security, as far as the airport is concerned.

Hubert says he and some of the other spotters make a point of calling airport security if they notice anything unusual, such as a hole in the fenceline or suspicious human behaviour.

Some other members of the group have had that role somewhat formalized by the airport authorities, who created an "airport watch'' program in 2009 that is modelled after similar programs in Ottawa and Toronto.

Christiane Beaulieu, the Montreal airport's vice-president of communications, says basic training, uniforms and a special phone number to call are provided to the watch's 46 members.

"They know where the airplanes are coming and going, they know how many people are around at any given time,'' Beaulieu said.
She wouldn't say how many incidents the group has reported, but said the airport's security team is "very satisfied'' with the arrangement.

On a recent Sunday afternoon, however, most of the 30 or so visitors at a popular spotting location seemed to be there just to watch the low-flying planes roar by overhead.

They included families with young children and couples sitting in lawn chairs, as well as the ubiquitous photographers.

Although similar plane-watching groups exist in other Canadian cities, including Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa, Hubert believes Montreal's is probably the most active, with several dozen photographers and some 3,600 Facebook members.

That's partly because Montreal's airport boasts numerous spotting locations near the runways and also because of the administration's support, according to Hubert.

In 2012, the airport opened a public park dedicated to plane watching, which it says is the only one of its kind in Canada.

It features bleachers, a raised bank to help spotters see over the fence as well as signs to help the public identify different kinds of planes.

Not that Hubert needs the help.
He started watching planes when he was 13 and can identify most of them even when they're just distant specks in the sky.

The schedule of takeoff and landings is often predictable, but he's always on the lookout for special aircrafts: the brightly coloured, the rare, the diverted.

While early plane spotters treated the hobby like a collection, trying to record as many tail ID numbers as possible, the 55th Avenue group takes a more artistic approach, striving to capture unique angles and spectacular shots.

"My goal is to have someone who knows nothing about planes to look at the picture and say 'wow,''' Hubert said.

A longtime goal, recently realized, was to get a winter selfie that perfectly captured the image of a plane reflected in his ski goggles.

He said the feeling was pure excitement – one he likens to a fisherman making a big catch.

"Sometimes you have to wait a long time, so when everything finally falls into place it's the best feeling,'' he said.

(Morgan Lowrie - The Canadian Press)

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 (27845/38) N711HK "Herbert D. Kelleher"

Rolls for takeoff on Rwy 30 at Long Beach Airport (LGB/KLGB) on August 24, 2016 bound for Oakland (OAK/KOAK) on a lovely SoCal summer afternoon.

(Photo by Michael Carter)

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-890 (35091/2086) N562AS

Taxies for departure at Portland International Airport (PDX/KPDX) on August 5, 2016 sporting the carriers new livery.

(Photo by Michael Carter)

United Airlines Boeing 737-924(ER) (32835/2817) N75432 "Eco-Skies" livery

Caught at Portland International Airport (PDX/KPDX) as she makes an early morning departure on August 5, 2016.

(Photos by Michael Carter)