Force Aerienne Djiboutienne (Djibouti Air Force) Mil Mi-8T transport helicopter J2-MAS is seen here at Sevastopol aircraft maintenance plant (ARZ) of the Ukrainian Naval Aviation Brigade in the Crimean peninsula at the end of February 2007 after complete overhaul and repaint in desert camouflage. This Mi-8T is one of two Djibouti AF helicopters acquire in the early 'nineties. Serial system of the Djibouti Air Force is in the civilian J2-MAA - MAW range, although most of the time only the last two letters are carried on the airframe. Little information has been available recently on the current status of the small Djibouti AF, but losses are known to have been high in its fleet of Soviet era helicopters and this is probably one of the very few that are still airworthy.

Boeing C-17A A41-207 (USAF/07-0207), the second aircraft for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), lifts off the runway at Long Beach, California, at 1137hrs on May 11, 2007 at the commencement of its delivery flight to Australia. The aircraft had been formally handed-over to the RAAF earlier that morning. The RAAF's first C-17A joined 36 Squadron at RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland, in December and the remaining two will be delivered in 2008.

AgustaWestland A109C 600, seen here at Farke Air Base on April 23, 2007, is a new addition to the Albanian Air Force inventory. The helicopter was delivered earlier in the month as a new VIP transport, replacing Bell 222UT ZA-HOV, which crashed in the Adriatic Sea on July 16,2006, during a medevac flight, killing all six on board.

Passing in from of Mount Fuji, Japan, on April 12, 2007, this formation from Carrier Air Wing 5 (CVW 5) includes a 'CAG bird' in full colour markings from each of the Wing's squadrons (excluding SH-60F-equipped HS-14), which are embarked on the carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), stationed at Yokosuka, Japan. From left to right, these comprise VAW-115 'Liberty Bells' E-2C Hawkeye 165295 'NF-600', VRC-30 Det 5 'Providers' C-2A Greyhound 162148 'NF-31', VAQ-136 'Gauntlets' EA-6B Prowler 163524 "N F-500", VFA-102 'Diamondbacks' F/A-18F 165894 '100-NF', VFA-27 'Royal Maces' F/A-18E 165860 '200-NF', VFA-192 'Golden Dragons' F/A-18C 164010 '300-NF' and VFA-195 'Dambusters' F/A-18C 164905 '400-NF'/'Chippy Ho!'.

Northrop Grumman’s first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, 'AA1', which was rolled out at St Augustine, Florida, on April 30, 2007.

Airbus A380-841 F-WWSA/9V-SKA (c/n 003), the world's first customer A380, rolls out of the paint hangar at Hamburg/Finkenwerder, Germany, on May 2, 2007 after being sprayed in full Singapore Airlines (SIA) colours. Painting of the aircraft took 21 days to complete, using over 484 Imp gal (2,200 lit) of chromate-free paint, and the 'Singapore Airlines' titles on the fuselage are more than 108ft (33m) long.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 777-232ER N863DA is one of the first of the airline's aircraft to appear in new colours following a further rebranding exercise to mark the airline's emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Delta exited Chapter 11 on April 30, 2007 and at the same time unveiled its new corporate brand, with an updated version of its 'widget' design. A ceremony was held in a Delta hangar in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 30 during which 757-232 N638DL, which has also been painted in the new livery, was unveiled to employees.

Boeing 777-35RER VT-JEA (c/n 35157), the first of ten on order for Jet Airways, is seen here in the airline's new colours whilst undertaking its first test flight on April 10, 2007. It was handed over in Seattle on May 1.

Seen at Goderich, Ontario, Canada, after being rolled out on May 8, 2007 was Bombardier CRJ100ER F-GPTC (c/n 7182) in the full colours of Libreville-based Gabonese operator airService, in which it had been completed the previous day by Sky Harbour Aircraft Refinishing. A crew were due to arrive to pick up the aircraft on May 15. The aircraft was last operated by French carrier Air Littoral, which ceased operations on February 13, 2004, following which it had been stored at Calgary, Alberta, since May 13, 2004. This would appear to be the first of the type for airService, which currently operates a turboprop fleet of Dash 8s and Twin Otters.

Short-lived Indian operator Indus Air, which only commenced operations on December 14, 2006, ceased flying at the end of March due to financial problems. The airline operated just two Bombardier CRJ200ERs, both of which passed through Dublin, Ireland, together on April 22 for a night-stop en route back to Canada. Seen here at Dublin is C-FNJW (c/n 7363, ex VT-I0B, N643BR), whilst the second aircraft was C-FNKC (c/n 7379, ex VT-IOA, N644BR), both previously with Independence Air.

Solomon Airlines has acquired this smartly painted Embraer 170-100LR, VH-SWO (c/n 170-00081), under a three-year 'damp' lease agreement signed on March 14, 2007 with recently established Australian passenger charter operator SkyAirWorld. The latter plans to operate six Embraer E-Jets within four years for charter or lease to airlines, government and the resource and tourism sectors. The first service from Brisbane, Australia, to Honiara, Solomon Islands, with this aircraft took place on May 8.

Seen at Toronto/Pearson International Airport, Ontario, on May 4, 2007 is former Skyservice Airbus A320-214 C-FTDQ (c/n 1686), freshly painted up for delivery to China Spring Airlines of Shanghai, China.

Seen at low level in the Lake District on April 13, 2007 is RAF/1 FTS Tucano T.1 ZF295, which had just emerged from the paint shop after being painted up as this year's display aircraft. It will be flown at shows around the country, displayed by 72 (Reserve) Squadron instructor Flt Lt Bobby Moore. The first of these displays took place at Abingdon, Oxfordshire, on May 6.

Finnish Army/Utti Jager Regiment Hughes 500E HH-8 seen following its crash landing at Anjalankoski, southeastern Finland.

Airbus A300F-605R F-WWAT (c/n 878, destined for FedEx as N692FE) takes off from Toulouse on its first flight on April 18, 2007. The aircraft is the last A300 to be built and wears appropriate 'I’m the youngest of the oldest Airbus family' titles. Although construction numbers run from 001 to 878, 56 of these were not built and the production total for the A300/A310 family was therefore 822 aircraft, including the prototype.

At a ceremony on April 27, 2007, Jet Airways took delivery of its first directly ordered Airbus A330 aircraft. Jet Airways ordered ten A330-200s in October 2005 and the first of these, A330-202 VT-JWF (c/n 825, ex F-WWKE), is seen here on April 13 in the airline's revised livery.

NAL Saras second prototype VT-XRM (c/n PT2) taxies in after its first flight on April 18, 2007 at Bangalore.

Seen here test flying at RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset, on May 10, 2007 is Royal Navy Lynx HMA.8DAS XZ722 '671' from 702 Naval Air Squadron's 'Black Cats' Helicopter Display Team. This is the first of two helicopters that are being marked for the first time in a special colour scheme for the team.

An artist's impression of the Embraer C-390 medium-sized military transport in Brazilian Air Force colours.

Spanish Aduanas/Agencia Tributaria (Customs/Tax Agency) MBB BO-105 EC-DVK seen on April 15, 2007 at Vigo Airport, one of the type's regular detachment bases along the Spanish Coast. The helicopter wears a new colour scheme that is being progressively applied to the whole fleet, whilst it has also been recently fitted with a new forward-looking infra-red turret on the port side to search, track and identify suspect vessels. EC-DVK was the first helicopter to enter service with the Aduanas, in July 1985, and has since been joined by three more BO-105s, a BK-117 and, more recently, three AS365 Dauphins. One of the BO-105s was, however, lost in a fatal accident in November 1989.

D-CBIG (c/n UE-288) of Avanti Air GmbH, based at Siegerland, was delivered on April 10, 2007 on long-term lease to the Swiss Air Force at Dubendorf for its VIP Flight.

New Iraqi Air Force (IqAF) Cessna 208B Grand Caravan N1321A (c/n 208B-1225) is seen here at New Al Muthana Air Base, Baghdad, during the IqAF 76th anniversary celebrations on April 22, 2007. The aircraft was registered to the US Air Force at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, on February 22, 2007, together with two others of the type, N13210 (c/n 208B-1226) on March 14, 2007, and N13217 (c/n 208B-1227) on February 28, 2007. As a report in the online edition of Stars and Stripes magazine on April 23 stated that three Cessna 208Bs are now in IqAF service, it is presumed that the latter are the remaining two. All three presently remain on the US civil register. A further three are scheduled for delivery to the IqAF later this year, together with 8-12 Cessna 172s, another type not previously operated by the IqAF.

Regional Fokker 100 F-GMPG is seen on January 25, 2007 after it overran the runway following an aborted take-off from Pau, France, continuing for some 1,640ft (500m) before coming to rest in a cornfield. No one on board was injured but a truck driver was killed when his vehicle was hit by the aircraft.

After almost thirty years of service with the Japanese Air Self-Defence Force (JASDF), the last remaining Fuji T-3 primary training aircraft were retired on April 23, 2007, when they made a final farewell flypast over Gifu Air Base. The type served with the 11th Hike Kyoikudan (Flying Training Wing) at Shizuhama and the 12th Hike Kyoikudan at Hofu, but both units have now converted to the Fuji T-7. The last T-3 from Shizuhama left there on February 22, 2007, and was flown to Gifu to join D Flight of the resident Hiko Kaihatsu Jikkendan (Air Development and Test Wing -ADTW). The final three T-3s flying with the ADTW were 81-5501, 01-5533 and 11-5538, of which the latter is seen here at Gifu on March 13, just weeks before retirement.

Seen flying in formation on April 4, 2007 are the original Quest Aircraft Kodiak prototype, N490KQ (c/n K0101), foreground, and behind it the recently flown first fully conforming production aircraft, N491KQ (c/n 100-0001). The latter made its 45 minute first flight from Quest's facility at Sandpoint Municipal Airport, Idaho, on March 16, 2007. The first prototype of this ten-seat, Pratt & Whitney PT6-powered STOL utility aircraft had undertaken its maiden flight on October 16, 2004, and it is anticipated that Federal Aviation Administration certification will be gained in the second quarter of 2007, with customer deliveries commencing soon afterwards. Construction number 002, the first customer aircraft, is scheduled to come off the production line this spring and Quest has a three-year backlog of orders.

Arriving at Bangkok International Airport/Don Muang Air Base, Thailand, on April 19, 2007 following its delivery flight was new Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) winglet-equipped VVIP Boeing 737-8Z6 55-555 (c/n 35478, ex N369BJ), which had departed Boeing Field, Seattle, on April 17, routing via fuel stops at Honolulu International Airport, Hawaii, and Francisco C Ada/Saipan International Airport, on Saipan Island. The aircraft will be operated on behalf of the Royal Flight by the RTAF's 602 Squadron at Don Muang.