JetBlue E190 lands at LGB with Flat Tire

JetBlue Airways E190 N190JB (c/n 19000011) departed Portland Intl (KPDX) yesterday afternoon and had a tire go flat on take off. The pilots elected to continue to Long Beach and did a couple of flybys for maintenance to confirm that the right rear tire was flat. The plane landed safely at about 4:30pm without any issues and was towed to the gate.

JetBlue Special A320s at LGB

Today we had both the Yahoo Blackberry A320, N651JB "Beta Blue" and the newly painted N561JB, "La Vie en Blue" at LGB. N561JB carries the new tail design called "Blueberries" with newer bigger titles on the fuselauge.

Thursday 10-15-09

The Edwards AFB C-17 that was parked by the tower departed today about 9:10am and did a wing wave as it departed.

Southwest Airlines 737-7H4 N211WN (c/n 34163/1699) arrived as SWA7580 from Biggs Aaf (Fort Bliss) (KBIF) at 1:24pm. The plane brought in military troops returning from duty in Iraq. The aircraft ferried out as SWA8613 at 2:07pm to El Paso (ELP/KELP).

Wednesday 10-14-09

AC Travel LLC Gulfstream G550 N388AC (c/n 5125) arrived at 8:12pm from San Francisco Intl (KSFO) and parked on the Gulfstream ramp.

Tail numbers noted on the Gulfstream ramp: N408QS

October 17th Long Beach Aviation History

Oct. 14, 1992 – Spruce Goose leaves Long Beach for the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. The Flying Boat sailed north through the Pacific Ocean. After traveling 980 nautical miles, 20 miles off the coasts of California and Oregon at an average speed of 8 knots, the control surfaces, horizontal stabilizers, wings, vertical tail, and fuselage arrived in Portland, Oregon at sundown October 18. Thousands of people celebrated the arrival with an official proclamation of “Spruce Goose” Day on October 22, at Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

The water levels of the Willamette River delayed the Flying Boat’s trip from Portland to McMinnville. The water was either too high for passage under bridges or too low for migration from the river to land. The large pieces remained in storage for several months. So crews pulled the barge carrying the mammoth Flying Boat to an industrial park in Vancouver, Washington and off-loaded it for storage to await adequate river levels to complete the journey upriver to McMinnville. Finally, conditions improved and the Flying Boat slowly made her way up river, setting new records at historic Willamette Falls, for the longest and highest load ever to pass through the locks. After landing near Dayton, Oregon and off loading at the Weston Bar, the caravan of pieces stretched more than 1,500 feet down the narrow road.

The Flying Boat arrived in McMinnville at Evergreen International Aviation on February 27, 1993. A Spruce Goose homecoming parade converged down the final mile of the 138-day, 1,055-mile trip from Long Beach.

JetBlue Introduces "Blueberries" and Will Retire "Plaid"

Last night in front of over 500 crewmembers in Orlando, JetBlue introduced the newest tail scheme called "Blueberries" on aircraft N561JB (c/n 1927). The company also made the name JetBlue larger along the windows forward of the wing which is now all blue instead of the silver and blue like the old titles. On the engine, www.jetblue.com is gone replaced with just jetblue.com in a larger font which is easier to see.

Here is a link to a photo taken of the plane after the event was done: http://www.airliners.net/photo/JetBlue-Airways/Airbus-A320-232/1593936/L/

Here is a link showing how the current titles and engine logo look:

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6087703

At the same time, the company has decided to retire the "Plaid" tail scheme which is worn on aircraft N585JB to N603JB. The company said the following to employees: "Plaid’s design is perfectly in keeping with our brand, but here’s the problem – painting the darn thing on our tails is too cumbersome! It takes more paint to do a Plaid tailfin than Stripes, for example, and it takes longer to complete a Plaid design. Also – with that much more paint being used, it adds weight to the tail, which affects fuel efficiency." Looks like maybe the new tail scheme will be placed on those aircraft as well as those numbered N561JB to N584JB.

JetBlue Airways To Introduce New Livery

JetBlue Airways will introduce a complete new livery tomorrow night (October 13) in Orlando.

Here is the message to the employees:

Over the years we’ve made our mark on the industry with a distinctive look – uniforms, signage, and tailfin patterns like mosaic, stripes, harlequin and windowpane. To keep our look fresh as we approach our 10th birthday, we’ll be introducing a new aircraft tailfin and fuselage paint scheme (livery) on Tuesday in Orlando – and you’re invited!

Join Dave Barger and your fellow Crewmembers at the LiveTV Hangar at Orlando International Airport for this exciting event on Tuesday evening. Be the first to experience the sharp new look that our fleet will soon be sporting!

Friday 10-9-09

Gulfstream Aerospace Gulfstream G100 N749GA (c/n 149) arrived from Savannah/Hilton Head Intl (KSAV) at 6:02pm and parked on the Gulfstream ramp.

NetJets Gulfstream G550 N534QS (c/n 5103) arrived from Bob Hope (KBUR) at 7:08pm and parked on the Gulfstream ramp.

Tail numbers noted on the Gulfstream ramp: N7UF

Long Beach Studios deal with Boeing to be signed Monday, chairman says

LONG BEACH - A much-hyped movie studio is in, a studio executive said Friday, and a Tesla Motors assembly plant may be out at the former Boeing 717 manufacturing site.

Long Beach Studios Chairman Jack O'Halloran said he expects to sign a deal with Boeing on Monday to develop a $375 million movie studio at the 77-acre site, which ceased production in 2006.

"The film studio's definitely happening, it's going to happen," O'Halloran said by phone.

The project, announced a year ago, encountered financial problems and fell out of escrow in March.

Further casting doubt on the project's future was an announcement by electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors in August that the Boeing site and the Downey Studios property were finalists for a new assembly plant.

O'Halloran said the Long Beach project will be the hub of a chain of five movie studios that will be built around the country.

"Which means all the people, the jobs, the training, everything will come out of Long Beach," said O'Halloran, a former boxer and actor who is best known for playing Non, a villain in the movie "Superman2." "It's an amazing deal, it's better than we thought it was going to be and it's phenomenal for Long Beach."

O'Halloran wouldn't give further details, noting that the deal isn't signed yet. City officials have said the movie studio is expected to create 2,500 to 3,000 jobs.

Given that fact, Mayor Bob Foster was guarded in his response Friday.

"I want to see a deal that's inked," Foster said.

John Morris, owner of Smooth's Sports Grille, said Friday that when O'Halloran was eating at the restaurant Thursday the movie studio executive showed Morris a letter of commitment from O'Halloran's investors.

If all goes as O'Halloran plans, when the movie studio is completed it would contain "40 soundstages ranging in size from 12,000 to 200,000 square feet, and over 300,000 square feet of full-service rental office space," according to the Long Beach Studios Web site, www.longbeachstudiosllc.com. The site also says the studio site would have a 5-star hotel spa.

What this all means for Tesla - and Downey, which has been aggressively courting the company - isn't clear.

Foster said that Tesla and Boeing met about a week ago, so some negotiations for the 717 site may still be in the works. The mayor said the movie studio or Tesla could be a boon for Long Beach.

"I just want to make sure that we get a business in there that is very productive and beneficial to the city," Foster said.

Representatives from Boeing and Tesla didn't return phone calls seeking comment Friday evening.

Reached by phone Friday night, Downey Mayor Mario Guerra said his city is in negotiations with Tesla but wouldn't say how close they are to a deal.

Tesla is looking for a production site for its new Model S, a four-door all-electric family sedan. CEO Elon Musk has said the car plant could create 1,000 to 1,200 jobs.

The Bay Area company based in San Carlos is known for its Tesla Roadster, a two-door all-electric sports car. Musk said that when Tesla begins production on the next-generation sports car in 2013, the work likely will take place at the new plant as well.

(Press Telegram)

Thursday 10-8-09

USAF Boeing C-17A 07-7188 (c/n P-188) did 4 missed approaches for rwy 30. The first one was done at 11:20am, then 11:30am, then 11:40am, and finally at 11:50am. The crew used the call sign "Aries 20" while flying.

Robinson R44 Raven I Helicopter PP-PRL has been doing practice approaches to pad 3.

Wednesday 10-7-09

Gulfstream G550 HZ-ALFA was towed from the paint shop to the Gulfstream ramp at 6:56pm.

Tail numbers noted on the Gulfstream ramp: N500N

LB Airport Announces the Quieter Home Program & Website

Today, the Long Beach Airport, in connection with the City of Long Beach, is implementing a Residential Sound Attenuation Program for aircraft noise impacted areas within the 65 dB Community Noise Equivalent Level (CNEL) contour. The program will be known as the QuieterHome Program (Program).

The 2008 65 dB CNEL contour identified 27 homes as eligible for the Program, all of which are near the arrival end of the Airport's main runway 30-12.

Funding for the Program is being made available by Long Beach Airport, using FAA approved Passenger Facility Charges (PFC). The funding will be used to install acoustical treamtents to lessen the effects of aircraft noise in the impacted homes. The acoustical treatments can include the installation of acoustic windows and exterior doors, insulation, ventilation, and air conditioning. The goal of the Program is to achieve a 45 dB interior noise level within each home.

An annual review will be conducted of the Program's 65 db CNEL contour and treatment areas will be adjusted accordingly. Detailed information on the QuieterHome Program is available on the Airport's website, www.lgb.org, click on Community Relations and then QuieterHome. Residents can also obtain information via the Program's toll-free line at 888-739-4090, or the Airport's Public Affairs Office at 562 570-2678.

**This information is provided by the Long Beach Airport Public Affairs Office on October 7, 2009.**

Tuesda 10-6-09

Gulfstream G550 N554GA (c/n 5254) (green) arrived from Savannah/Hilton Head Intl (KSAV) as GLF55 at 9:22am and parked on the Gulfstream ramp.

Video: F-18's departing LGB

This video was shot on Sunday 10-4-09 by a co-worker of mine. The planes departed between 1:10pm and 1:20pm.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRGDr56U3bM&feature=youtube_gdata

Friday 10-2-09

NetJets Gulfstream G450 (c/n 4054) arrived from John Wayne Airport (KSNA) at 1:25pm and parked on the Gulfstream ramp. The plane departed at 4:40pm to Edmonton Int'l (CYEG/YEG).