Tag Archives: lockheed

Watching the World Drift By

As previously mentioned in another post, the great location at the back of the Harpoon. On the trip back, this was where I spent much of my time. I was checking to see whether anyone else wanted to be there but apparently not. Consequently, I relaxed there a lot while the central valley passed beneath me. Whether it was the patterns of orchards or the cattle feed lots, there was always something to see. As we got closer to Stockton, it was housing developments and the shapes that come with them – sports fields, schools, malls, parking lots. A very relaxing way to see the state.

This Harpoon is Not the One We Flew In!

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One of our party on the trip to Eagle Field commented on whether it was a rule that all airfields have a derelict Harpoon parked on them. While we had traveled down in a pristine example, parked a short distance away from us was a Harpoon that was not in the greatest of shape. Most of it seemed to be there but some bits had gone. The effect was to expose the aircraft and make it look more like a skeleton of a plane. When the light angles were nice and low, the texture on the plane was really nicely picked out too. I have no idea what the future holds for this plane but I doubt it is going anywhere in a hurry.

Flying in the Harpoon

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I had a really fun experience recently. I was given the chance to head down to a fly-in in one of the participating aircraft. The aircraft was a Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon. Beautifully restored, this aircraft was piloted by Taigh Raimey. Taigh works with a variety of aircraft including a lot of Beech 18s but the Harpoon is a great aircraft to fly in. Inside it is extensively restored so a lot of the original equipment is included. Consequently, it is a little cramped in there and you have to be careful as you move through the airframe.

There are two places inside that are worth spending some time. In the middle of the fuselage is an astrodome. This is certainly a great place to watch what is going on. You can look freely in any direction. I was up there when we arrived at Eagle Field and got a good view of our flyby. However, my favorite spot was the rear of the fuselage. It is extensively glazed and you can lie on your stomach and watch the world pass behind and below you. That will get a post of its own.

Incomplete JetStar

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Regular readers will know I am partial to the Lockheed JetStar. I have previously posted about shooting one at Hayward when it was taking off and another that was at the airport as a source of spare parts. This spare aircraft has moved from the location I previously saw it and is now out on the ramp near the taxiway. While out working with the HueyVets guys, I ended up by the airframe waiting to shoot the Huey.

Up to this point, the airframe looked in good shape. However, recently, one of the engines was removed so I guess it will progressively become more obvious that this jet is not going to be flying again. For the time being, though, you can choose an angle to make the missing items no longer apparent. Then the jet still looks like a great airframe. I hope it lasts a bit longer and that its sacrifices are enough to keep the other jet airworthy.

DM’s Museum Jets

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Many airbases have a selection of historic aircraft on display to show something of what has gone before on the base. Sadly, they are often unavailable to shoot when you visit. Davis Monthan AFB has quite a few different planes on display and, fortunately, the location of the Fallen Hawg ceremony during Hawgsmoke was in front of the display A-10. While everything was being set up, we had some time to kill and I was allowed to wander around the other planes.

The selection included some obvious DM aircraft like the A-10 and A-7 (even if it was actually a Navy A-7E that they had repainted). A U-2 was a slightly more surprising one to see. I’m not sure how that qualifies but I wasn’t complaining. The F-105, F-100 and F-4 all looked good too. Not only was it nice to be able to shoot them but it gave us something to do since we had got in place pretty early!

Coast Guard C-130 in its Final Days

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I wrote about the arrival of the C-27J Spartan in Coast Guard service. This means that the C-130s are going to be heading out. One the same day I saw a Spartan flying, one of the current C-130s took off. It was a nice illustration of what is now and what will be. I have seen the Coast Guard 130s around on a number of occasions but I guess they will soon be gone. Maybe I shall see them fighting fires somewhere.

Wall of Fire Take Two

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While I was walking around the display line of the Airshow of the Cascades during the evening show, the Erickson collection’s P-38 was carrying out its display. I was in amongst a lot of people when the announcer told everyone to be ready for a special pass. My location was not great but I got ready as the P-38 ran in for a topside pass expecting the detonation of some pyrotechnics behind it. Nothing happened. The P-38 flew by and no explosions.

A short while later, the announcer had a second crack at getting us ready for the pass. Obviously the first pass had not worked as planned. This time the P-38 was coming in from the opposite direction. I also had a few moments to try and reposition myself to get a better view. This shot was the result. Some of my friends were further up the display line and got a different angle on the shot which was cool. Even so, I am pretty happy with this.

Another JetStar for the Collection

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Regular followers of the blog who like aviation will know I have a soft spot for Lockheed JetStars. While my luck has not always been great in chasing them down, I have come across a few at various times. Hayward Airport is the home of a couple of them. There is one I have seen move through on a few occasions but I thought there was another based (or stored) on the field. At one point it seemed to be out in the middle of the ramp but, more recently, when I was flying in to Oakland, it appeared to have moved over to near the road.

I figured I would try and see it if I was passing by early in the day. Finally a chance came to do this and I stopped off en route back from Oakland. The plane was parked up conveniently close and the fence in front was not too high. I don’t recognize the registration as being one I have seen before so this is a good one to add. While I haven’t seen any sign of this plane moving, it could be blocked from tracking. It certainly looks to be in great condition which would seem likely if it was unused. Maybe I will catch it moving one day.

C-130 Launch

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While I was not aiming to get any aviation photography done while I was in San Diego, I don’t think it is wrong to grab a few shots of passing aircraft if they happen to come my way. It’s not like I planned for it to happen. While we were up at Cabrillo, a C-130 launched out of NAS North Island. It was still a reasonably large distance away from us but I did manage to get a few shots of it as it climbed out in our general direction. At least it stopped me from getting withdrawal symptoms.

Orbital TriStar

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Another opportunity that Richard organized for us while at Mojave was the chance to shoot Orbital Science’s Lockheed L-1011 TriStar. This is an airframe that was modified to provide the launch platform for their Pegasus orbital launch vehicle. The underside of the fuselage is modified to mount the Pegasus which is then taken to altitude and dropped before the booster ignites. The TriStar is a type that disappeared from service far faster than its rival, the DC-10, so seeing one in great condition was pretty cool.