www.portierramaryaire.com

AirTanker applies for DOT authorization for Thomas Cook lease
19JAN2015

AirTanker has applied to the US Department of Transportation (DOT) for authorization to wet-lease its A330-200, G-VYGK (cn 1498), to Thomas Cook Airlines UK for use on transatlantic flights beginning in May this year.



In its application, the operator says the wet-lease contract will run from May 1, 2015 until January 15, 2018, with the aircraft to be used on flights from Glasgow Int'l, Manchester Int'l and London Stansted to Las Vegas McCarran and Orlando Int'l, and from Manchester to Miami Int'l and New York JFK.
Under the terms of the three-year agreement, Air Tanker will operate the aircraft under its civil Air Operator’s Certificate in a 323-seat configuration.

http://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/ ... cook-lease

World’s First Bell 407GT Sold to BBM Inc.
05/27/2015
Bell Helicopter announced today a milestone sale and delivery of the first Bell 407GT to BBM Inc. to operate in the Middle East and Africa. The Bell 407GT is the armed version of the Bell 407GX, and will be used to perform a variety of missions including law enforcement and homeland security.
http://investor.textron.com/newsroom/ne ... fault.aspx

Supersonic aggressors for hire
28 May 2015

This week, Discovery Air Defence is marking 50,000 accident-free flying hours with its fleet of Douglas A-4 Skyhawk and Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet adversary aircraft, which are operated under contracts to the military. Serviceability rates are in the region of 98 per cent – much higher than most military operations.
The requirement for this kind of contract work is growing, and later this year Discovery Air expects to announce the addition of the Lockheed Martin F-16 supersonic fourth-generation fighter to its roster.

http://www.janes.com/article/51799/supe ... -can2015d2

Kenya’s Elephant-Protection Air Force

The "David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust" and the "Kenya Wildlife Service" work together to protect the gentle creatures from heavily-armed poachers, including flying air patrols over the elephant herds in the Trust’s five aircraft — a Supercub, two Topcubs, a Cessna 185 and a Hughs MD500 helicopter.
http://warisboring.com/articles/kenyas- ... air-force/

Nov 27/12: Skyhawks for sale. The Israeli MoD’s SIBAT department is advertising and promoting the sale of the country’s 44-plane T/A-4 Skyhawk fleet.

Some of those planes have been used in combat recently, though their latest service during the 2010 Gaza skirmish saw them dropping leaflets over the Gaza Strip. Israel will reportedly withdraw them from service in 2013, and if there’s no response by 2018, the aircraft will be scrapped. Israel’s SIBAT external link, incl. Presentation external link [PDF] | Israel Defense external link

Draken International INC
Home Port: Lakeland FL. (KLAL)

Aircraft
- Six former RNZAF A-4K Skyhawks.
BuNo 157904 NZ6212 (Draken N142EM)
BuNo 154905 NZ6213 (N143EM)
BuNo 154908 NZ6214 (N144EM)
BuNo 155052 NZ6215 (N145EM)
BuNo 155061 NZ6217 (N146EM)
BuNo 155069 NZ6218 (N147EM)

- Two former RNZAF TA-4K Skyhawks.
BuNo 157914 NZ6251 (N140EM)
BuNo 157915 NZ6252 (N141EM)

- Douglas A-4L Skyhawk: Three leased from A-4L LLC.
- Douglas A-4L Skyhawk: One A-4L under long term rebuild at Houston Ellington Field , held by JDI Holdings.

- Douglas A-4C Skyhawk: Two A-4C at Marana, AZ. Held by JDI Holdings, with no current plans to restore them.

- 12 DEC 2014: Draken buys six A4-N Skyhawks from BAE Systems and flies them to U.S.A. from Germany.
BAE N431FS = BuNo 159805
BAE N432FS = BuNo 159542
BAE N434FS = BuNo 159815
BAE N437FS = BuNo 159078
BAE N262WL = BuNo 159545 (former ATSI Aircraft)
BAE N268WL = BuNo 159530 (former ATSI Aircraft)
N269WL, one of the ATSI A-4Ns on lease to AVDEF, based at Nimes in Southern France. BuNo 159536, is now registered F-ZVMD. They are supposed to be getting a second A-4 from ATSI.
Jim (18-May-04)

http://a4skyhawk.org/content/draken-international-inc