The Abbotsford Air Show was also apparently an event that the Aviation Photocrew from Europe had made the trek for. They had arranged for a variety of photo flights associated with the show and involving some of the performers. I didn’t know that this had been set up but, when we saw the Skyvan flying overhead with planes formating on it, we knew what was happening and my friend Mark told me that the same folks were running things. I hope that they got some good shots.
A while back I posted some shots of New Pacific and commented on whether they would survive. They are not alone in starting up an airline and operating tenuous routes. Avelo is another airline that has been created and runs between secondary destinations. I guess all of these new starts undertake charter work as well to keep utilization up and cash coming in. Avelo did a run to Boeing Field, and I figured that, unless I get to one of their destinations at any point soon, this might be my only chance to photograph one of their planes.
The arrival was not in the best of light, but conditions weren’t too bad, and I was happy to get some reasonable shots. When it came to departure, they were due out later in the day and the one thing you know about charter flights is that they won’t go even close to he planned time unless you are running late. Then they will be off early! Sure enough, they were dragging it out. I was wondering whether there would even be any light left when they went but, having spent a bunch of time waiting, I was not giving up.
One of my friends had been waiting too but finally decided enough was enough and headed home. I was not so sensible and stuck around. Finally, they closed up the jet and got the engines going. They taxied across the runway in a location that was quite convenient for me, so I got a bunch of shots. Then they got to the hold point and waited. I was thinking that they were toying with me, but it wasn’t too long and then they rolled. Overall, I was quite happy with the results. If I don’t end up seeing them again, these will have been worth it. If they become a major success and are all over the country, this will have seemed a touch futile!!
The designation of the F-16V is one that leaves me a bit confused. There are A model jets that are upgraded to this standard, but I thought some new build jets were also having the designation. Maybe I am mistaken about that. I also see two-seaters upgraded to the standard so an A or a B model can now be a V model? Anyway, enough about that. I got to see some.
Taiwan has been upgrading its fleet of A and B model F-16s to V models. The program is nearly complete from what I have read. They operate a number of the jets from the Guard base in Tucson at the international airport. While Mark and I were there, we got to see a bunch of them launch and recover. This included one with special markings in the fin. The markings are otherwise not too conspicuous but, because they are early model jets, the lack of the bulged fin root with its antenna is the thing that allowed me to identify them. Must be some life left in those airframes despite their age!
When shooting departing jets at BFI, I often have a conundrum about the lens to use. For some of the higher performing aircraft, they get off the ground quickly, so the longest lens is probably going to be best. However, other types use a lot more of the runway and can rotate a lot closer to some of the places I like to shoot from. The long prime can be best a lot of the time but, if they run long, I might be too close for the shot. A Falcon 7X can run a bit longer if it is heavy as a result of the three-engine configuration versus the twins like the Gulfstreams and Globals. This one did that but, it rotated quite close to me. I was actually really pleased with how things turned out and then I spun around to get the climb out from a tight angle as well.
Last summer, Arlington Municipal Airport was the base of a multi-agency emergency preparedness exercise. Police, county, military and EMS helicopter operators all came together to practice how they would manage major incidents should they occur in the region. The prospect of a bunch of helicopter operators showing up in one place was too much to resist so I headed along to see what appeared.
Both King and Snohomish Counties participated, bringing their helicopters in to carry out multiple missions. The US Navy showed up early on with an MH-60 from Whidbey Island and launched off on a mission but sadly didn’t come back afterwards. A variety of other emergency medical operators were there with their airframes and there was a pretty regular trade in helicopters departing and returning.
The Snohomish County UH-1 undertook some work to practice lowering crews into remote spots (which I think might include rooftop insertions). They lifted a platform on which the teams could stand and be carried into position. They moved various groups of people around the airfield before lowering them to the ground and swapping out the individuals. I imagine the view from that platform would be pretty impressive.
I stayed well out of the way of operations, but the teams were very friendly and happy to chat when they weren’t engaged in training. However, with them operating multiple helicopters and having not been part of any briefing, it was clearly appropriate to keep some distance. This meant the shots weren’t quite what I would have preferred but they were still fun to get.
GlobalX charter flights are pretty common in our area these days. The company is expanding aggressively, and any charter work seems to be on the cards. This one flight was a bit unusual – at least compared to what else I have seen then do. The buses pulled up with the “passengers”. However, instead of all walking up the steps, they went one at a time. A closer look showed that their hands were in front of them – presumably in cuffs. I’m not sure whether this was a criminal transfer or a deportation flight, but I suspect the latter. I have seen plenty of DOJ flights into BFI but this was a first for me to see.
Flashback to RIAT and 2019. I was working through the catalog looking for something for another project and came across these shots of Swedish Gripens departing from RAF Fairford after the show had concluded. A section departure is always more interesting than a singleton even if it does give you something to think about when deciding on which plane to focus on. The Gripen is a great looking jet and one that has been pretty successful given that it was built specifically for Swedish needs. Always happy to get to shoot one.
What do you do if you have built a large fleet of 50-seat regional jets and now no one really wants a 50-seat regional jet? You take that jet and refit it into a corporate configuration and change the name to match your other bizjets. That is the way a CRJ200 suddenly transforms into a Challenger 850. It’s a bit ironic because the CRJ was developed from the original Challenger jet anyway so maybe the reverse process is not a big deal. Anyway, it finds a second life for some jets.
I wouldn’t have gone out specifically just to get a Challenger 850 (you might ask why that is when I go out for any number of other aircraft of niche interest), but this one was painted all black and I am partial to any jet that doesn’t look like all of the others. A glossy black finish is definitely worthy of some attention and, if the light is going to play ball, it should look pretty good. In the event, it did come out rather nicely. I don’t know whether the operator will be back here on a regular basis, or this will be counted as a limited time offer but good to have had the chance!
During our Arizona trip, Mark and I stopped by at Falcon Field. Our friend, Joe, is involved in a group, the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation, that maintains and operates historic army helicopters, and they were having a flying event that day. We wanted to see the Huey that they operate as it was taking people out on rides. We saw a couple of runs and then they stopped for a break, and we could wander around the helicopter. When they were getting ready for the next flight, they had a spare slot and asked if I wanted to take a ride. The funny thing is, while I was happy to make the contribution, I often am more interested in seeing the flying from the outside rather than being inside. However, since it was a good cause, I said yes. I am so glad I did so. I had a good spot looking forward between the two crew up front and next to the open door giving me plenty to see. I decided that video was more likely to be a good way of recording such a trip so that is the majority of what I took during the trip. I did get some stills, of course, but the video then got edited down to the following piece. I thoroughly enjoyed the flight and the brief time to see some of the surrounding landscape. I will not be so reticent in future.
Icelandair painted a couple of its 757s in special liveries a few years ago. One of them, called Vatnajökull, has never been where I was or, if it was, the conditions were bad, or I couldn’t take any images. Finally, I saw that it was coming in one weekend and would be departing when there was a northerly flow, and the sun was likely to be out. I finally had a good chance to get it. Icelandair is adding plenty of Max 8s to the fleet and they are becoming more common into SEA and they will be getting some A321neos soon so the 757s might not be a reliable visitor here before too long. Consequently, I was glad to finally get some good shots of this lovely looking jet.
