I could not believe my luck when this came into view on approach - simply one of the best subjects of my entire photo career, and in perfect conditions

Sharjah is an amazing place though most of the aircraft carry simple white liveries. This one does at least carry an airline name on an very clean aircraft.

With the two inboard engines shut down, this aircraft taxies onto the ramp at Sharjah

Waiting at the Rwy 06/24 crossing for the United Boeing 777 which has commenced its take-off run.

Quick shot of this engineless transport - would have liked to get that camo An-26 behind too

This SSA aircraft looks in a very sorry state with the registration marks barely visible. It crashed in Sudan in 2010

The pair of Yugoslav An-12s were regular Heathrow visitors in the mid-Eighties on the weekly JAT freight run, later contracted out to, amongst others, Air Bridge using Electras. Note the Yugoslav AF serial also carried; this aircraft was manufactured in 1971 but tragically crashed into a road bridge on finals to Yerevan on 12.12.88 with 8,388 hrs and 4,727 cycles recorded, ironically in view of the aircraft's registration carrying aid for the victims of the earthquake

The aircraft carries the title www.asterias.com.ua A pleasant surprise after a long, long cold wait. It later became UR-CAG

RA-11356 just landed on 06, still showing the colours of previous operator SPAir. It had flown for this company from 1994 until it was registered to Yermolino Airlines in November 1996. It was last noted at Yermolino, Russia in 2005 and presumably broken up some time later.

The power of the outer AI-20 engines is sufficient to negotiate this gentle artificial slope in Schiphol's polder landscape.