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November, Riga/Vilnius Long
time since last but finally off to Vilnius to stripe another aircraft.
Nowadays company is FL Technics and the airline is branded as "Small
Planet Airlines". To get there until now you have to go via Riga since
FlyLAL closed the Arlanda connections. Estonian also just started but
were not an option for us. Leaving Arlanda on a 737 late sunday evening
arriving at Riga in darkness. Barely visible in the woods on the far
side, a couple of Il76 tails from Inversija as well as a Tu134 in
Aeroflot silver colors on a remote apron next to the terminal. Otherwise
only green tails everywhere and the only pictured aircraft during the
trasit stop was YL-BCB of SmartLynx. Boarding another 737 bound for
Vilnius arriving after midnight and then directly to the hotel.
After breakfast at the Hotel Panorama, we headed for the hangars. FL
Technics has an extensive 737 maintenance going on and there are plans
to expand into Airbus maintenance as well. There were several 737's
parked around the facilities and among them KLD Avia, Skyexpress, Yamal,
Donavia, Europe Airpost, Transaero and Belavia. Our target this time was
LY-FLC, one of Small Planets 737's flying sofar only with fuselage
titles. Now it was to get the full tail colors as well. In the evening
Carpaccio and a Pepper STeak at the usual place downtown and then back
to the hotel for a good nights sleep.
Back at the airport in the morning finishing the tail and then afternoon
flight on a Fokker to Riga, again arriving in complete darkness. Another
SmartLynx YL-LCG was parked next to the other and this ex Freebird
aircraft was new to me.
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