Tag Archives: lake Washington

Shocking Times with the Blues

One of the highlights of the Blue Angels’ demonstration is the Sneak Pass. The main formation heads off in one direction and the crowd’s attention follows them. Meanwhile, one of the pair comes running in at high speed and low level from the left catching many people by surprise. Just as this is done, the other of the pair comes at high speed from crowd rear and most people jump again. I am most interested in the first pass because it offers a couple of possibilities. If the atmosphere is humid, you can get some vapor on the jet around the shock waves and expansion fans. If there is a background other than the sky, the other opportunity is to have the refraction from these phenomena distorting whatever is behind.

Seafair does provide a background with Mercer Island providing the backdrop to the pass. The downside is that the display line is a long way out over the lake, so you are stretching the reach of lenses to get a close enough look at the jet. This year I did have the benefit of the long end of the 200-800 so I could get something of the shot I was after. Perhaps not the best of shots but at least there is something of the refraction to see.

How Nervous are the Coots?

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I have posted shots of coots on Juanita Bay getting attacked by bald eagles and trying to get away while staying as a pack. I was back there a while back and there was a large flock of them out on the lake and they seemed to be constantly taking off and landing. They seemed to be spooked by something and bolting but then settling down before being spooked again. Strangely, there was nothing there. I think they were spooking each other. I did get some shots but it seemed that a video was a better way to convey what was going on so the clip below gives you some idea of how they were behaving.

Flares Aplenty

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The USAF has started using flares more in some of their displays recently. I have seen shots of the F-22 Raptor demo pumping out flares at the top of a loop to great effect. The willingness to use flares is dependent on where you are – no point starting a wildfire for a display. Seafair is over water so no risk at all there. Consequently, The F-35A demo this year incorporated flares too.

I was pleased to get some shots with the flares being dispensed. They were not thrown out in quick succession, which was a shame as a closer spacing would have made for a better shot. Even so, having some flare shots was a nice addition. Seafair’s display axis is a long way from the shoreline, so things were a bit distant, but they were still not too bad.

The Dolphin is Nice and Close

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The location I choose to go to for watching Seafair is very close to where the Coast Guard keeps their MH-65 Dolphin. They participate in the display, but I guess they can also be used if any emergencies occur. They park the helicopter on an area that juts out into the lake. It is normally a sparking lot but is closed off for their use during the show. There is fencing around the area to keep us out of the way. During the show I was slightly further north but had a good view of them as they crewed up and departed and then returned after their display.

One everything was over, I moved close to the location because I knew that they would be heading off for the overnight before returning for the following day’s display. This was a good opportunity to get a closer view of them as they crewed in, started up and took off. The fencing was a bit of a nuisance, but the uneven ground meant it was possible to find some gaps where the fence elements were not tight together.

It was nice that, unlike during the display itself, when they departed away from us towards the south end of Lake Washington, this time they turned around and head north along the lake shoreline. This gave us a great view of the helicopter as it climbed away.

Getting Eight to Work Together

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I was down by the lake at Kenmore on my usual hunt for floatplanes but things were pretty quiet – at least on the aviation front. On the water, I saw a bunch of rowers out training. I don’t know whether they were from the university or a local club. Several boats were out including some eights. The coaching staff were guiding them around but, when they get to the top of the lake, it seems like a time for them to rest and turn around. I imagine the process of getting eight people to row in unison is quite tricky. I don’t know whether they start on smaller boats to get the hang of things before moving up to the eight or not. These crews seemed to be working pretty well together.

I Guess Ospreys Love Seafair

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Two years ago, I went down to Lake Washington to watch Seafair. I posted then about an Osprey that was flying along the shoreline while the airshow was underway. This year I went again and, while it wasn’t as frequent a visitor as last time, we did get another osprey checking out our part of the shore once more. We were well away from the display axis so no risk of an osprey checking out a gas turbine. Such a cool looking bird to see. Soon they will be gone for the season.

Bringing in the Barge

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I had met my friend mark down at the top of Lake Washington in Kenmore a while back and some of our shots had been compromised by a large barge moored a little way from the shore. When I went back later a month of so later, no sign of a barge – initially. After I had been there for a while, I saw a barge coming up the lake with a tug pushing it along. It came to the same location and slowed to a halt before mooring the barge.

The tug then cast off from the barge and headed into the inlet at the top of the lake. A little while later it came back out, this time with another barge that was empty, unlike the one it had arrived with. There is a concrete plant in Kenmore that is along the water, so I assume that the barges are used to bring in the aggregate for the concrete manufacturing process. From this reverse angle, I got to see the crew working along the barge handling the lines to the tug. It was rather interesting to see them hard at it. I also liked the tug’s name. It clearly had an original name, Willamette Chief, overpainted although the second half had been left exposed. It had a newer name, Island Chief, on a plate higher up on the superstructure.

I’ve Seen This Before

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A while back, I was wandering around the Kenmore Air base at the top of Lake Washington. I saw a camouflage painted Otter on the parking area and grabbed some quick shots. More recently, it was operating on the lake with a new registration and Kenmore’s own markings. I guess they have taken it on charge. Not sure where it came from, why it is painted in this scheme and whether it was always the plan for it to be added to the Kenmore fleet but here it is!

An Aero Engine in a Boat

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The hydroplane races at Seafair were not much of a focus for me although I have posted some images of qualifying runs. However, one of the boats really caught my ear when it was out on the course. The noise it made led me to think it might be an older boat powered by an old aero engine. Looking at the images I got of it, that would seem to be the case as the front of the hull seems to be dominated by a large engine. Don’t know what type it is and maybe some of you are familiar with these boats generally or this boat specifically. Was it a competitor or was it out as a historic boat as part of the event?

My First USMC F-35B Demo

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The Marine Corps F-35Bs have been in service for plenty of time now and I have had the opportunity to photograph them on quite a few occasions. However, I had not, until this year, seen their air show demo. I have seen the RAF F-35B at RIAT on an occasion, but it was not a full demo but a brief flyby and hover. Consequently, when the jet was slated for the Seafair schedule this year, I was interested to see the performance. It turned out to be an interesting combination of things although maybe not intentionally.

The displays at Seafair are a bit tricky. The alignment of the lake and the populated areas means the show box is a bit distant from the shire. Consequently, the flying takes place quite a way from the crowd. This is not ideal for photos. However, the Marine demo did seem to approach the box from some interesting angles that included coming almost along the shoreline at one point. Not sure if this was intentional but it did make for some closer shots.

Sadly, the hovering portion was quite a way offshore. I had hoped that this might be closer in given the lack of speed but that wasn’t to be. Even so, it was fun to watch the jet doing its thing and looking to see how much the surface of the lake was being disturbed by the efflux. Hopefully, I’ll get to see the demo again at a location that allows some closer passes.