Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2019 July 22

= July 22 =

Ownership of a private jet
I recently saw a large airliner, an Airbus A330, parked in a quiet corner of Geneva airport. It had no airline markings and was clearly privately owned. I noted down the call sign, which was VP-CKQ. Googling this call sign in an attempt to find out more about the owner of this aircraft didn't bring up much, but did bring up this (pdf) listing of aircraft registered in the Cayman Islands. The listing says that the aircraft is registered in the name of a company called Skytrooper Ltd, about which there is also not much to be found online. I also looked up the aircraft on flightradar24.com, but there was no information there either (at least in the free version). So my question is, who really owns this aircraft? I fully understand of course that this information will not be in the public domain, but I highly doubt it is possible to keep it secret. Where is this aircraft usually based, and which routes does it usually fly? Such information would surely assist in identifying the aircraft's owner. --Viennese Waltz 16:11, 22 July 2019 (UTC)
 * Here is some info on previous registrants. Prior to Skytrooper, A330-200 serial number 1321 was registered in the Caymans by Hongkong Jet. Prior to that, it was registered to AirAsia X (the first owner) out of Malaysia. I really am not sure what Skytrooper is; it may be a holding company that then leases the jet out, or it might be an airliner repossessor, or it might be a charter airline with a very small number of customers. —/M endaliv /2¢/Δ's/ 16:57, 22 July 2019 (UTC)
 * A straightforward Google search turns up a few articles from Rappler in 2015 claiming a connection between Skytrooper and Iglesia ni Cristo, which is a religious organization in the Philippines. Specifically that INC leaders used airliners owned by Skytrooper in the Caymans for travel. I am not clear on whether Rappler is considered a reliable source on Wikipedia. I have found nothing else. —/M endaliv /2¢/Δ's/ 17:13, 22 July 2019 (UTC)
 * Oh wait, I forgot to look into another angle. I’m finding information that VP-CKQ may now be owned by a different entity. Flightradar24 says it’s owned by Aegle Aviation (which is a charter airline in Hong Kong, though it may be a Bermudan subsidiary). Another website says Aegle registered it in June 2019 while the Planespotters page says Skytrooper registered it in May 2019 (a blogger site says May 17, 2019). Radarbox24, another flight tracker, says VP-CKQ is on its list of blocked aircraft (I think owners can request this for privacy). Multiple sites have it sighted and photographed in the last month at Amsterdam Schiphol, Zurich, Barcelona-El Prat, and Pisa; and at the end of May at Tokyo Narita and Tokyo Hadena. In fact, it was in Amsterdam last week. They variously identify it as Hongkong Jet and Aegle, but the livery is very nondescript. Same livery at all six airports. Another blog says that when VP-CKQ flew for Hongkong Jet the livery was even more nondescript—being pure white (i.e., no stripe). And, I don’t think I’ll be able to find more without access to specialized records. —/M endaliv /2¢/Δ's/ 17:43, 22 July 2019 (UTC)
 * That's really a lot of work, thanks very much. Looks like the owner will remain a mystery. --Viennese Waltz 19:32, 22 July 2019 (UTC)
 * Just hope they haven't been spying on your Google searches! ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 21:29, 22 July 2019 (UTC)

Looking to make relatively bulk purchase of kamifusen
I have bought kamifusen at Amazon in the past here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005LIHNTC

I would like to buy more, preferably about 8 inches diameter each and hopefully the same style as the amazon listing, although I am open to other styles. I have searched the internet with very few leads except for things like the above Amazon listing where you get a pack of 3 different sizes. I need all the same size and will buy up to 30 pieces if it's at a good price. Thanks for any help in advance.

216.173.144.149 (talk) 19:12, 22 July 2019 (UTC)
 * This reference desk isn't really a shopping forum. That being said, you could contact one of many suppliers about discounts for bulk purchases.  For example, "Sold by single balloon, or as set of 5, 10 or 50": -- same style, "21cm when measured flat" (about 8 1/4 inches) 107.15.157.44 (talk) 22:05, 22 July 2019 (UTC) ... (50 = $40 USD, 10x3 = $30 USD)
 * BTW, if you're feeling ambitious, WP could use an article on Kamifusen; presumably the tradition goes back to at least the Edo period (per the 1937 film: Humanity and Paper Balloons) 107.15.157.44 (talk) 22:36, 22 July 2019 (UTC)

Understandable. I was concerned whether this topic was appropriate for Wikipedia. However, i don't have a lot of other resources available. I have found a company called White Rabbit Express which helps people buy things from Japan. It seems there are LOTS of Kamifusen to be bought on Japanese Amazon! (Makes sense, right?!?) ... The only question is how reputable this White Rabbit Company is. (Has anyone heard of this company?!) It seems like a reasonable approach since it is hard to read Japanese, and even if i get a .jp account and set my language to English, not all items on Japanese Amazon will ship to the United States!

How reputable is White Rabbit Japan? The company has been around since 2003.

White Rabbit Express has a rating of 9.5 (out of 10) with 250 reviews on Trustpilot

White Rabbit Express as a rating of 4.9 (out of 5) with 44 reviews on Facebook

You can also check what others are posting about them on Instagram and Twitter

White Rabbit Express has a rating of 4.9 with 86 reviews on Google Takopus (talk) 08:34, 25 July 2019 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Takopus (talk • contribs) 05:31, 25 July 2019 (UTC)

On a side note, i had no idea Wikipedia is missing an article on Kamifusen!!! I may actually take up the offer to add an article on this information! :) 216.173.144.149 (talk) 06:50, 23 July 2019 (UTC)


 * If any of the kamifusen manufacturers use Chinese factories, you might have luck on DHgate.com, which is a bulk-sale site for Chinese businesses. --M @ r ē ino 17:49, 23 July 2019 (UTC)


 * If a JPL physicist takes the time to write a Physics Today paper on its workings, (a) it's notable enough for an article, and (b) he needs to get out more. Clarityfiend (talk) 23:17, 23 July 2019 (UTC)
 * I have written an article, Kamifusen. Comments? Cullen328  Let's discuss it  23:32, 28 July 2019 (UTC)


 * Seems closely related to sky lantern and paper lantern, so I added each to the others "See also" sections. Those two lantern articles should probably be merged, too. SinisterLefty (talk) 00:32, 29 July 2019 (UTC)