...OK...🙂...Sounds like a (clickbait) Title ...but it's all true in my (virtual) fight today. First, bit of explanation is due up front. In the a/c colors and liveries of our aviation world, birds galore (usually "stylized" or sometimes "real-looking"). And birds have been always a subject of interest for me. Around here, in Illinois, after the bleak winter season, the visiting birds of Summer seem refreshingly cheerful and wonderfully colorful, easily spotted around the lakes and ponds, in the trails of forest preserves, and even in the backyards. This post is about Aurigny (airline) with its Puffin bird that's found in the Channel Islands, busy breeding at this time of the year...🙂...

BTW, regarding birds in airline logos, while looking a bit on-line today, I came across an interesting piece of (past) news, which has to do with the famous AA "Eagle" bird logo, "Thus far, the U.S. Copyright Office has refused to provide AA Copyright protection for its logo. While the office primarily cites the lack of "creativity" in the design as the reason for its denial, it also points to the widespread use of birds by other airlines in their logos, calling birds "a very common design choice for an airline logo". Thus, the AA design "does not propel the design into the range of copyrightability"". The author of the news article then adds, "Don't you love the use of the words propel and range? The Copyright Office was clearly having some fun with this..."...🙂...

Anyway, besides AA's bald Eagle, here are a few (bird) example logos that come to mind:

1. Lufthansa (Crane)
2. JAL (Japanese red crown Crane)
3. LOT (Also a Crane)
4. Condor (Condor)
5. Avianca (Andean Condor)
6. Canadian Airlines (Canada Goose - Commonly found here in Chicagoland)
7. Caribbean Airlines (Hummingbird)
8. Iran Air (Homa - Mythical Persian bird that was said to be always in flight and never rested)
9. Garuda Indonesia (Garuda - Also a mythical and reverent bird of Hindu scriptures...always loved that blue bird logo on Indonesian's 747 tails) 
10. Qantas (Flying Kangaroo - Oh well...it's not a bird but still one of my favorite logos...🙂...)
11. So, on and on...and finally, of my post here, Aurigny's "Puffin" bird, not the (usual) stylized version, but a real-looking one (see below)

This Aurigny livery caught my attention today, and I could not resist flying with the Puffin. I've previously made posts about the Channel Islands and of the Aurigny airline (flag carrier of the Bailiwick of Guernsey), with this bird that I know from my earliest days in this hobby. I distinctly recall often flying and enjoying the (Flight1) BN-2 Islander in this color, a nice (SIM) plane that was, along with one of the most authentic renditions of the "KLN GPS" based navigation. The FSX a/c is still listed on the F1 website, I checked today, for SALE price of $24.95 (original price $39.95) ...🙂...However, I recall there was not a (payware) Trislander, though there were freeware versions that I'd also flown. So, when I had got the C-46 Commando, in MSFS, several weeks ago, I had also picked up this BN-2 Trislander, but had not flown it yet...so, here we go...with the "Puffin" bird revisited on a RW (a/c) livery this time.

BN-2 Islander was a "2 engine, 9 pax, 1 pilot" a/c, whereas the Trislander was a "3 engine, 18 pax, 1 or 2 crew" a/c. Indeed, I noticed, in my BN-2 cockpit, only one of my 2 all-women crew... (see last but one shot) ...the other pilot was missing...🙂...The Trislander, besides its peculiar look, was an extremely rare 3-engined civilian airplane (in fact, it was the only such piston plane of modern times, with a (curious) 3rd engine atop its fin)...reminds me of the B727 jet plane...🙂...I am flying here the (even more peculiar looking) Long Nose Trislander (Mk III-2), in the Aurigny colors of bright yellow with a red nose. You may also notice that its 2 wing engines have 3 blades each vs. the 3rd engine which has only 2 blades (see last but one shot). 

For my post, here, at the pilot's freedom and discretion...🙂..., this Trislander is not plying the (low) skies above the rough seas of Channel Islands, but instead flying in lands far-off from its homebase, in the heart of Colorado's Rocky Mountains (a mountain range I'm familiar with from (RW) visits). I am flying from Aspen (KASE) east to Denver (KDEN) amidst these treacherous high mountains, with an en-route fly-over waypoint at the highest summit of the Rockies, Mount Elbert in Colorado (see my USR01 waypoint on GPS and VFR MAP and shot #s 8-9). The Trislander stood up to the challenge of the Rockies admirably well. With a Service Ceiling of 13,300 ft, and (STOL capable) takeoff distance of <1000 ft, in my flight today, from an airport elevation of nearly 8,000 ft, it took off with ease, and steadily and impressively climbed to 14,000 ft (off Aspen's Rwy 33 (see shot #1), then north up along the valley), keeping me safe from the mountain sides enveloping me from all sides...🙂...Flying in this space is surely not for the faint of heart...🙂... (for virtual aviators especially with piston planes). While above Mount Elbert, I have briefly climbed to 15,000 ft... likely not permitted for this a/c, but I didn't wish to take any chances with my (virtual aviator's) life...🙂...with an accidental collision into the high Rockies...

This specific Trislander, the famous (G-JOEY), was retired in 2015, marking the end of an era in the history of Aurigny's Trislander operation. On its last flight, the a/c flew through 3 airports, and was met at each airport with "water salutes", an endearing testament to its 40-years long (remarkable) role in the aviation of the region.

Hope you enjoy this collection of images from my flight today. BTW, everything (within my limited knowledge and use) worked out well for me with this a/c... climb, cruise, GPS navigation, descent, and (ILS) landing into KDEN's eastward Runway, while bathed in the glow of the golden sun. A refresher with the KLN GPS would have been nice...if this a/c were equipped so, but I certainly didn't mind the safety of its (basic) GPS unit for guidance and routing in these challenging environments. It was good (and simple) fun...from takeoff to touchdown...

Thanks for viewing...! Happy flying...!

Edited July 21, 20241 yr by P_7878

Fine set of shots! 😉 

Nice shots. You have a penchant for putting planes where they don't belong (livery-wise). 🙂 Not that I mind. 🙂

Nice picture set with some nice landscape around..

cheers 😉

Will, John, pmplayer:

Appreciated the comments...Cheers...!!