737 Max 10

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Rob

The first 737 Max 10 sits on the flight line at Renton. First flight will be soon I imagine.

The 737 Max problems rumble on but this isn’t stopping development activities.  The first of the 737 Max 10 jets was rolled out of the factory with little fanfare with only staff being invited.  I was showing my relative, Pete, around the area and we stopped at Renton to have a look at what was on the line.  It was a nice surprise to see the first Max 10 sitting on the line.  I imagine it won’t be too long before first flight.

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My Boat In Vancouver

Posted on January 26, 2020 by Rob

There is a very nice boat that seems to be parked up in the marina along the waterfront on Vancouver.  I have seen it there on all of my recent visits.  I think it is one that I need to be careful not to show off too much in case friends start asking to borrow it.  Let’s say it isn’t really my boat – honestly!

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UPS Evening Arrivals

Posted on January 25, 2020 by Rob

Founders’ Plaza sits at the northwest corner of DFW.  It is just north of the UPS ramp.  As the light was getting good just prior to disappearing in the evening, UPS had scheduled a couple of arrivals.  The first of the two was a 747-8F.  It landed on our side of the field and then taxied back towards us crossing the field at the north end.  It then headed to the part of the ramp that lies east-west so was parked tail on to us.

A little time after it arrived, an MD-11 was due in.  The later arrival meant the light was getting even better and the white fuselage was turning a nice shade of orange as the sun started to set.  It taxied back up on our side of the airfield so was more head on as it came back.  This made for a contrasty shot with the warm light on one side and deep shade on the other.  They were a good way to round off a nice afternoon of shooting.

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Tree Stumps on the Beach (With Frost)

Posted on January 24, 2020 by Rob

Walking along Long Beach in Tofino early in the morning, it was still pretty cold.  The lack of wind meant it was perfectly comfortable in the sun but the air temps were low.  The result was lots of frost on the tree stumps that were scattered along the beach.  The texture of the cross section of the wood was already accentuated by weathering but the addition of the frost provided a bit more emphasis to the surface.

 

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CV-22 Display

Posted on January 23, 2020 by Rob

I have seen plenty of MV-22B Ospreys in service with the Marine Corps but I haven’t see too many CV-22s with the Air Force.  One of the early ones was at Hurlburt Field when I visited years ago but we weren’t allowed to photograph it.  RIAT provided my first opportunity to shoot one in action.  I got some shots of it on arrival day but I was not pleased with the results for a lot of them.  I don’t know whether the focus was off or it was my struggles with the low shutter speed but I didn’t do too well.

They did display during the flying program, though, so I had a lot more chances to get some shots.  The extra lumps and bumps make this distinctive from the USMC version but it is still a hard thing to photograph if you want to get significant blur on those giant, slow turning props.  The different shade of gray they go with seems slightly more interesting than the Marine’s scheme too.

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Surely It’s Too Cold for Swimming?

Posted on January 22, 2020 by Rob

November in Tofino is pretty chilly.  There were plenty of surfers out in the water in their wetsuits.  However, it seemed to be a bit too cold for swimming.  A couple obviously had a different view of things.  The girl initially came running down to get in the water in her swimsuit.  She soon headed back but returned before too long with the guy and they both jumped into the surf.  I’m not sure this was terribly smart but they seemed to have fun.

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Three Vistara Jets At Once

Posted on January 21, 2020 by Rob

When airlines take delivery of new jets, they tend to try and space them out a bit.  The ability to add a bunch of jets at once is limited so you don’t often see a lot of jets from the same airline on the flight line at the factory.  However, there has been a cluster of Vistara 787s at Paine Field recently.  I think they were originally assigned to another carrier that couldn’t take delivery of them – perhaps Hainan.  Consequently, they have been reallocated at short notice and Vistara is the customer.  Here they were sitting together in Everett going through the final phases of testing.  I’m not sure whether some will be stored and delivered later or whether they will all go in a group.

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Drainage Patterns in the Sand

Posted on January 20, 2020 by Rob

Walking along the beach at Tofino, you see some interesting patterns in the sand.  He movement of water across the sand causes various ridges in the surface.  There is also water draining down the beach from the land behind the beach.  This water gathers behind the ridges but ultimately needs to drain further.  When it finds a weak spot, it cuts through the ridge.  Once it does so, the water all flows through this breach and it starts to take some sand with it.  It expands the cut and then deposits the sand further down as it slows down again.  This can result in some cool formations in the sand.

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Nanaimo Heliport

Posted on January 19, 2020 by Rob

Our journey home from Tofino involved a ferry crossing from Nanaimo.  We left plenty of time to get across the island as a result of some construction activity and, of course, we made it across easily.  We were to early to check in for the ferry so waited in Nanaimo for a while.  As we sat in the car, I saw an S-76 from HeliJet coming in to land.  I had forgotten that HeliJet flew to Nanaimo as well as Victoria.  Missing the arrival was annoying as they aren’t too frequent and there wouldn’t be another until after we had gone to the ferry.

However, departure on the return leg was not for a while so we headed around to the heliport.  I assume it is a recent construction because it is a very modern looking building.  The S-76 was parked on the pad right by the parking lot and with only a low fence unlike Victoria.  It was a bit rainy so I stayed in the car until they loaded up.  After start up and letting everything stabilize, they pulled up and headed out over the water en route to Vancouver.  This might be a good spot on a sunny day!

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Sunset Over The Beach in Tofino

Posted on January 18, 2020 by Rob

Three nights in Tofino meant three chances at sunset.  Actually, it was more like two as we got there the first evening just a bit after sunset itself but the sky was still really lovely.  The second night things were a bit more subdued as the sky was rather clear and there was little to reflect the last rays of the sun.  The last night was far more impressive with some cloud on the horizon but obviously more in the atmosphere to glow.  Here are a few shots of the sun dropping down and the lovely sky we had to enjoy as we relaxed by the beach.

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