Tag Archives: Arlington

Finally, The Aero 45 Is Airborne for Me

I have seen the Aero Vodochody designed and Let Kunovice built Aero 45 before at events.  However, it was always parked and never in motion.  I think it is such a cool looking like aircraft and reminds me of a mini Heinkel HE-111.  I really wanted to see it flying and I have had two opportunities this year to do so.  First it showed up at Concrete for the fly in.  This was great news as I got it landing from close proximity and then again when it took off.

It was not a lot later that the Arlington show was setting up.  I wasn’t going to be at the show but I was there the day before for some warbird flying and the Aero 45 was coming in to be on static.  (This was a repeat of the first time I saw it in person which was also at Arlington.). Not so close this time but another opportunity to catch it in flight.  What a cool looking plane.  Glad we have it up here in the PNW.

Dogs in Goggles Ready to Save You

I was a bit far away from the action to get a good shot of this but, during the aviation exercise recently conducted between multiple agencies at Arlington, there were support teams for emergency requirements which included some dog teams.  I saw the dog teams head to the helicopters to head out to one of the exercise locations and then return later.  The dogs were wearing goggles to protect them while around the helicopters and airborne.  I would love to have been a bit closer to get some better shots but sadly that wasn’t the case.

DNR Huey Stops By for Fuel

While the CAF Reliant was refueling at Arlington, the unmistakable sound of a Huey could be made out.  Snohomish County operates a Huey so my initial thought was this might be it.  As it flew towards us, I realized it was one of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources Hueys that are used for firefighting operations.  It flew low over the field and passed where we were.  Then I got a lot more interested as it turned towards us.  It was coming in for fuel and I was by the fuel tanks!

They turned in nice and close to us and I was able to get a bunch of shots.  After shutting down, I chatted to some of the team and they explained they were heading north to relieve another helicopter that was up at a local firefighting base.  With them preparing to depart, I figured I would try and get some video along with stills.  I thought I had set up one camera on the ground to get the take off sequence but it turns out I had not hit the right button sequence and I ended up missing the majority of the departure.  Oh well.  I did still get to shoot the stills I was after.

CAF Reliant Getting Time In

Word reached me from my friend, Bob, that the CAF squadron at Arlington was planning to get some training done with their Reliant one Saturday.  I thought this would be worth a trip as I had previously left one of their events thinking that they weren’t going to fly and they did.  When everyone else got good shots of this plane, I was a touch annoyed.  Time to rectify this.

They were putting a few pilots through sorties to get time in the plane.  In the early part of the day, the weather was a little overcast so not great for shots but okay.  Of course, as the day drifted on and the sun moved around to the other side, things brightened up.  Just in time to be backlit.  At this point, I decided to call it a day and head home.  I did also have some good time near the plane while it was being refueled so I am quite happy with the results, even if they are nothing special.

Firefighting Chinook – Just Not Now

We had a few helicopters show up in the region during the firefighting season.  One was at Arlington and that was a Boeing Chinook owned by Billings Flying Service.  Based in Billings MT, they provide a variety of aviation services including this helicopter for firefighting duties.  It was parked on the ramp at Arlington and had a logo on the airframe to show its home base as well as a text logo on the fuselage near one of the navigation lights that referenced the Police song, Roxanne.

I would love to have seen it fly but the weekend when I was up there, it was just parked and work really gets in the way of having fun with aviation on weekdays.  The paint scheme was really cool and it was fitted with an internal water system along with a snorkel for picking up water when needed.  I would love to see this in action but that hasn’t happened yet and there is something very unfortunate about getting to see firefighting operations underway since it is a sign that bad things are happening!

Sentimental Journey In Damper Conditions

Glorious weather had greeted the B-17, Sentimental Journey, when it came to Seattle.  The following week, it moved up to Arlington but was not so lucky.  The skies were pretty overcast and the air was more humid.  It didn’t make for great conditions to shoot a bare metal aircraft.  However, many times before, I have written here about how poorer conditions can sometimes be worthwhile.  This was one of those times.

I started off shooting from further up the field and, as the B-17 started her takeoff roll, it was clear that the props were pulling a fair bit of vapor from the air.  Consequently, I headed further down the field for the next flight.  This also provided a close look at the plane as it taxied out.  The real benefit came when the power was applied.  Vortices were streaming from the tips of the props and swirling back across the wings.  It is always a tricky call when trying to shoot in these conditions.  A good bit of prop blur is good as is a blurry background to emphasize speed but, this will result in the vortices being less defined.  A faster shutter speed helps make them stand out.  I tried to get a good balance with the speed I chose.

Vision Head On

I was hanging out at Arlington with my buddy Bob.  A variety of aircraft were flying that day but the conditions were not ideal.  We were there for something else but that is the topic for another post.  We had gone to the north end of the field where a path crosses under the centerline.  Some Eagle Flights were taking place that day and one of the planes providing them was a Cirrus SF50 Vision.  It took off while we were up there so we got some head on shots of it.  A grey jet on a cloudy day is not ideal so, rather than getting the regular side on shots, a head on view was actually a better outcome.

Super Puma On The Doorstep

I made a kit of an RAF Puma when I was a kid and have had a soft spot for the type ever since.  The Super Puma is a capable airframe that has had a few problems over the years but is still very impressive.  If I can see one anytime, I will try to do so.  The good news is that one has shown up at Arlington.  It was parked outside a hangar without rotors when I saw it and got some shots.  It has since moved indoors and I assume it is being fitted out for operations.  If so, I can’t wait to see it in action.

K-Max Ready To Fight The Fire

I have never shot an airborne K-Max.  I have seen them flying – indeed one flew over the house during the pandemic and I looked out of the window as it came low over me but no camera was handy.  It is a bit of a problem for me that I have not yet shot one flying.  I did manage to get close to one recently, though.  The Bolt Creek Fire broke out up near Index and a number of fire fighting helicopters were drafted in.  They were based at Harvey Field in Snohomish so just up the road from me.  I went up to see what was afoot.  Sadly from a photographic point of view (and from many others too), the fires had resulted in so much smoke in the area, the visibility was too poor for anything to fly.

Instead, I was able to chat to the crews and walk around the helicopter as it sat on the field waiting to see what would happen next.  The orange paint scheme is pretty conspicuous as if the unusual configuration Kaman knows best was not conspicuous on its own.  The airframe is minimal – space for a pilot, engine, fuel and transmission and not much more.  From every angle, it is a strange looking beast.  However, it is so interesting.  A few weeks later it had moved to Arlington from which it eventually ferried home.  Of course, that happened when I wasn’t there so I continue to wait for the chance to shoot one airborne.

Did You Know SeaBees Can Reverse?

I was up at Arlington when the Croman helicopters guys were in town.  One of the local aircraft is a Seabee.  It had pulled up on the ramp next to the S-61 – presumably so they could have a look at the visitor.  When they were done, they taxied off.  I figured I would shoot a little video of them pulling away.  What I hadn’t considered was that they would reverse off the ramp.  They backed away before adding some power to taxi north in the normal fashion.  Here is some video of them.