Ian Kluft ā
āļøššAttention Australian avgeeks: the Virgin Australia 150th 737 special livery MAX8 (VH-8VI) is making its first flight out of the Boeing 737 factory in Renton #KRNT right now as BOE26. The flight plan's destination is Seattle Boeing Field #KBFI, as usual for new planes which were painted at Renton (and don't have to fly elsewhere for paint). Expect the Boeing test pilots to fly it for 2-3 hours running through the first-flight checklists. https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/BOE26/history/20260402/1954Z/KRNT/KBFI #aviation #travel #avgeek
Leighton
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Ground Theory Instructor RMIT Aviation Academy Pilot, Australian Correspondent for Aerospacenews.com, Love to travel and learn of the wider world
More on the Virgin Australia 150th 737 special livery plane from their announcement from last week. This plane is making its first flight right now as BOE26, with ADS-B omitting the registration (possibly on purpose). But it can be verified by the flight plan. https://www.virginaustralia.com/au/en/newsroom/2026/3/virgin-australia-unveils-milestone-150th-boeing-737-in-special-r/ #aviation #travel #avgeek
Remembering a year ago to my #Australia trip... When we got to Melbourne, it was the farthest I had been from home... again, since it was my 2nd visit to Melbourne. I had a few days exploring on my own while Leighton returned to his day job at the university. Even without him showing me around, having a local's suggestions helped find lots of new things to see. Sights included a high-rise observation deck and criss-crossing the central business district. https://avgeek.social/@ikluft/113920424195290839 #travel #tourism
Ian Kluft ā āļøšš (@[email protected])
Attached: 4 images Some pictures from my exploration in #Melbourne #Australia. This is the farthest place I've been from home. #travel
A year ago on my #Australia trip, 27 Jan 2025, while on the way out of Sydney, @Leighton and I stopped at a planespotting area by the Sydney Airport. AvGeeks gotta go see airplanes! #aviation #travel #avgeek
Continuing recounting my #Australia trip a year ago... 25 Jan 2025 I met up with fellow avgeek / pilot @Leighton and he showed me more places around Sydney. He acted as my guide on the trip. I returned the favor when he visited America in June & July. So neither of us has to drive on the "wrong side of the road" from our perspectives. https://avgeek.social/@ikluft/113892907805875169 #travel #tourist
Ian Kluft ā āļøšš (@[email protected])
Attached: 2 images Online friends finally meet in person... I've known @Leighton for years from @[email protected]'s biweekly Aerospace Chat. He's a fellow #avgeek, #spacegeek, #mapgeek, pilot and flight instructor. Now he's showing me around #Sydney. #Australia #travel
Beautiful Aurora Australis. Just visible with eyes (only the green) but camera see more than human eyes. Hope it develops further as night progresses. And Iām only just a few miles out from Melbourne with lots of light pollution to see it
"Tillamook Air Museum Damaged By Wind" by Flying Magazine (h/t @Leighton ) - High winds damaged the roof of the WWII blimp hangar turned air museum at Tillamook Airport #KTMK on the central Oregon Coast. Museum closed indefinitely pending building repairs. No damage to exhibit aircraft. https://www.flyingmag.com/tillamook-air-museum-damaged-by-wind/ #aviation #avgeek #weather #ORwx #PNW
@JetCityStar During @Leighton's visit to America this past Summer, I showed him the SpaceShipOne replica in Mojave and you showed us the one at Museum of Flight. At the time I wasn't aware that one had been moved from Chabot Center in Oakland. MoF is a much more fitting location. That one was purchased by Google back when they tried to be cool. After displaying it in an office building, they got bored and donated it to the Chabot Space & Science Center, who couldn't fund a proper display.
ScienceAlertMan Keeps Rock For Years, Hoping It's Gold. It Turned Out to Be Way More Valuable.
https://www.sciencealert.com/man-keeps-rock-for-years-hoping-its-gold-it-turned-out-to-be-way-more-valuable?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
Posted into Space @space-ScienceAlert
