Aviation News. 05.2018

Cover photos (main image): A montage featuring one of the UK’s F-35B Lightnings (the

Dambusters are due to re-form on this aircraft type) and artwork of Guy Gibson’s Lancaster

during the famous Dams raid. F-35B photo: Crown copyright 2016. Artwork: Antonis Karidis.

Inset (bottom left): A Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300ER taking off from Heathrow past British

Airways Boeing 747-400s parked at Terminal 5. AirTeamImages.com/Alex Peake. Inset

(bottom right): An Air Canada DC-9-32 in 1979. AirTeamImages.com/Caz Caswell

Overseas cover (main image): An American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-82. Galen

Burrows. Inset (bottom left): One of the four Engineering and Manufacturing Development

Sikorsky YCH-53Ks. Sikorsky Aircraft. Inset (bottom right): A Virgin Australia Airbus 330-200.

AirTeamImages.com/Sarmad Al-Khozaie

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REGULARS

CONTENTS

3

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http://www.aviation-news.co.uk

04 Headlines

06 Military News

10 Civil News

14 Preservation News

16 Airshow News

17 Air Events Dates

54 Flight Bag

67 Register Review

72 Airport Movements

76 Air Base Movements

FEATURES

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20 Heathrow – Runway to Global

Opportunities

Bernie Baldwin reports on the progress of the third

runway project at London’s Heathrow Airport as well as

other developments at the hub.

28 CH-53K: A New Breed of Stallion

Tom Kaminski details the evolution of the Sikorsky

CH-53K King Stallion.

34 G-For-George

The Lancaster used by Wg Cdr Guy Gibson on the

Dams raid survived the war but was ultimately scrapped.

Nigel Price charts the history of this famous aircraft.

38 617 Sqn Through the Decades

We present a photographic rundown of the major

aircraft types used by 617 Sqn – from 1943 to the

current day.

42 Dambusters Deltas

Dr Kevin Wright talks with former 617 Sqn Vulcan crew

members about their experiences on the unit.

48 New Era for the Dambusters

The Officer Commanding 617 Sqn, Wg Cdr John

Butcher, tells editor Dino Carrara about the unit’s

progress and plans with the F-35B.

56 DC-9 Family: Short-haul Success

Story

Charles Woodley outlines the history of the Douglas

DC-9/MD-80 jet family.

62 Harbour Air: No Runway? No

Problem!

Tony Dixon examines Canada’s Harbour Air seaplane

operations.

77 Virgin Australia: Breaking the Mould

Chris Frame looks at the Virgin airlines brand in

Australia from its formation in 2000 as a low-cost carrier

to a full-service airline today.

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