NZFF

Posted: **Sat Mar 17, 2007 7:09 am**

For those of you who will be around Wellington on the 20 of March, there will be a Tupolev TU154 of the Polish Airforce arriving. Not sure what its doing here. Unfortunatly for people without airside passes, it will be parked on Gates 24/25 (on the end of the international finger) It departs again on the 23 of March.

Posted: **Sat Mar 17, 2007 10:42 am**

So the area near lifeflight will be our position of choice. Look forward to your close-ups Nik :drool:

Posted: **Sat Mar 17, 2007 10:57 am**

That aeroplane is a beauty, if you look it up on Airliners.net there are some great photos of it.

Posted: **Sun Mar 18, 2007 10:13 am**

Any idea of arrival and departure times?

Posted: **Sun Mar 18, 2007 11:54 pm**

According to the movements sheet, the aircraft is due in on the 20th, thats tomorrow at 1250 and out again on the 23rd at 1330.

Posted: **Mon Mar 19, 2007 9:45 pm**

Hmmm, might have to see if I can get Friday afternoon off. Thanks for the HU

-James

Posted: **Tue Mar 20, 2007 4:47 pm**

What a sight coming in! The noise and smoke!

Was a bit later than 12:50 though

Posted: **Tue Mar 20, 2007 5:34 pm**

Anyone got any photos?

Posted: **Tue Mar 20, 2007 6:22 pm**

Would have loved to see it - but there was still no sign of it at 1:25 when I had to leave

Maybe the pilots were operating on Polish time

Photos please!

Posted: **Tue Mar 20, 2007 6:51 pm**

Not the best quality after resizing.

Had the reverse thrust buckets deployed before the wheels were on the runway, also touched down before the glidepath aerial. Not sure how far down it went.
user posted image

The other side says the same thing in Polish.
user posted image

Hope to get some static ones over the next few days. Though they have put HEAPS of cones around it.

{edit: landed around 15:10}

Posted: **Tue Mar 20, 2007 7:06 pm**

Awesome- wish I had been there to see that Airtrainer! :drool:

Did it have a nice roar to it?

Posted: **Tue Mar 20, 2007 7:51 pm**

Sorry guys, I went flying over to Martinbourough in the morning and when I came back, one of the controllers at the club said that it was delayed untill 1500. Quite an impressive beastie. Pity the sun was in the wrong place when it did come in. I had to stand out by W1 and the photos have quite a bad background BTW, was anyone standing down the end of the runway at 1530 when WAC took off?

Posted: **Tue Mar 20, 2007 10:51 pm**

Yes it was very loud!

Not at 15:30 but I did see WAC doing a lot of touch and gos around 13:00-14:00. Also some random comment about false teeth by them to the tower.

Posted: **Wed Mar 21, 2007 5:33 pm**

Nice photos! That has to be one of the best looking passenger jets ever built.

Posted: **Wed Mar 21, 2007 5:42 pm**

FlyingKiwi wrote: Nice photos! That has to be one of the best looking passenger jets ever built.

Echo that, well taken!
Think the undercarriage has real attitude, shows it's a weightlifter.
Although pilots tend to b!tch about being over the grass when you make the turn, because the nosewheel is so far back.

Posted: **Fri Mar 23, 2007 8:08 am**

Airtrainer wrote: Not at 15:30 but I did see WAC doing a lot of touch and gos around 13:00-14:00. Also some random comment about false teeth by them to the tower.

There were a couple of guys stading on the seawall at about 1530ish with a camera on a tripod. I was takin WAC out to PM. Didnt hear the comments on the radio, that would have been about right though, the instructor on that day is crazy I think

I managed to get some photos of the TU154 before I started work today. Ill post them when I get home.

NZFF

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