US MILITARY PRETENDING TO BE AER LINGUS?

national | miscellaneous | news report Wednesday October 09, 2002 11:08 by Tim Hourigan - Gluaiseacht, L4C, Green Party

Giant chamelon lands at Shannon.

Great disguise. Watch out for this, they might be there on Saturday. I wonder if they will try to paint any of them up like Ryanair next?

I was out on Monday night - Tuesday morning with another plane spotter.

We some some more interesting stuff, an ATA (N196AT) and then two smaller jets that landed and took off without external lights. (so I couldn't see markings or registration) I wonder what the legal safety requirement for lighting is while on the runway?

Anyhow, I'll skip that, and the security harrassment, and get to aircraft number 4.

Tuesday Morning 8th October.
06:40 An MD-11 belonging to WORLD AIRWAYS lands at Shannon on runway 24.
It's still before sunrise, but i can make out the aircraft and the logo.
instead of being white with dark blue logo, I can see it is a different colour on top and logo is white.
Walk to terminal to have a look. Aircraft is parked at far end of terminal. at a quick glance it blends in with the three Aer Lingus planes alongside it, except it's taller and longer and has a centre engine on the tail.

08:05 Shannon Catering finish loading catering supplies on the aircraft. Not aircraft registration is N272WA. It has been repainted in Aer Lingus colours (dark green, with lighter green box along window level and thin dark blue line underneath windows) , but still has WORLD logo and WORLD name painted on it in white, not dark blue.

Take some photos and notice security starting to take an interest in me, they start talking on their radios. I've already had enough harrassment for one night so I decide it's time to go for the bus.
Get 08:30 bus home. Will stick photos of this on when I get them developed. It's quite amusing.
It costs quite a bit to get a plane painted you know.

So what's the deal here? Will the Aer lingus staff now start wearing desert cammo? I think Aer Lingus should complain, someone might mistake their A-330s for troop carriers.

Keep a sharp eye out.

See you on Saturday.

Tim.