Tag Archives: mccarran

Spot the Shed

Sometimes, when in Nevada for Red Flag, I will head down to McCarran in the morning to shoot some of the airliners prior to heading back to Nellis.  This time, I barely went down that way.  However, I did see a movement that caught my attention.  There is a daily rotation of a Shorts 360 freighter from Phoenix up to Las Vegas.  I haven’t shot a Shed for a while and figured this was worth a look.

There is a viewing area along the south runway at McCarran but it was closed for COVID and hasn’t been reopened yet.  Short staffing means it is low on the airport’s priorities which kind of makes sense.  Consequently, I ended up scoping out a parking lot that would give me an alternative.  It was pretty hot and heat haze is always a concern plus I didn’t know whether to use the long lens or the zoom.  I used a couple of jets coming in before to decide what to do and also stuck the polarizer on to cut the light down to get better shutter speeds for the props.  Then the box on wings came on to the approach and I grabbed some shots.  If you had told me 30 years ago I would make an excursion to photograph a 360, I would have laughed.  Now they are rare enough that is exactly what I do!

Max 8 Departs Just Before Grounding

Paul and I were in Vegas for Red Flag but the early morning is also a good time to shoot at McCarran International.  The morning light is ideal for the north/south runways and, with the wind playing ball, you can get the iconic McCarran shots of jets taking off with the weird and wonderful hotel buildings behind them.  Where else will you get a pyramid and the Empire State Building in the background.  Southwest has a big presence at McCarran and we saw a string of their jets head out including one Max8.  We watched it climb out little realizing that the grounding order would be coming within hours or even minutes.  Whether the jet continued to its destination or turned around, we don’t know but that was its last commercial flight for a while.

Dornier 328Jet

The FBO ramps at McCarran had a selection of Dornier 328Jets.  I noticed one at first and only later realized that there were more.  What did please me was seeing a bus pull up by one of them with the door open.  I figured we would have a flight before too long.  Indeed it did, in due course, power up, taxi down to the departure end and take off.  It was a bit far away but I’ll take a 328Jet when the opportunity arises.

Late Viper Arrival

Helicopters are constantly moving around McCarran.  There are tourist rides operating seemingly around the clock so hearing a couple of helps is not a surprise.  However, these two were close to each other and seemed to have a more powerful sound.  It turned out that they were two USMC AH-1Z Vipers coming in to an FBO.  Paul was able to try and get some shots as they landed but I had to move the car.  I settled for watching them for a bit and then got the camera as they were shutting down.  It was unbelievably dark given how much ambient light there is in Vegas so I was pushing the camera’s capabilities a bit.  The closer one shut down first which was unfortunate but let’s not get picky.  They were still there the following morning when we were shooting departures as I could see them in the background of some shots.

Sands 747SPs

It’s always interesting to see what is at the Sands ramp at McCarran.  The flight of luxury jets for bringing in the high rollers to play at the casino is a mix of types.  Some “normal” Gulfstream, an A340-500 and the Boeing 747SP.  I was delighted to see that two SPs were parked up on the ramp the morning I was there.  Seeing them move was a bit much to ask but getting them in some lovely light immediately after sunrise was a good alternative.

Falcon 20s

AE7I8056.jpgThe Falcon 20 was a ground breaking corporate aircraft.  It sold well and has been sufficiently flexible that it has also found a lot of secondary uses including FedEx package carrying and electronic warfare support.  However, its use as a bizjet was its main role.  Now, it is a dated airframe so it doesn’t show up very often.  As a result, when we were heading around the perimeter of McCarran I was pleasantly surprised to see one parked up on the ramp.  What really caught me unawares was to find another one a short distance away.  This must be the place that old Falcon 20s gather!  Sadly they weren’t in a position to shoot but I did see one depart while I was there so it will have to do to represent the type at McCarran.

Anyone Order Some Engines?

Modern engines last a long time on the wing of an airliner but they do need to be changed.  Older engines tend to need to be changed more often.  Allegiant fly a bunch of MD-80s as part of their fleet and they use the older Pratt and Whitney JT-8D engines.  I guess one of the planes was due for a change because, while I was at McCarran, this truck showed up on the ramp with a couple of engines on the trailer.  I can’t say whether these were fresh engines about to be fitted or the ones that had come off due for overhaul but, judging by the direction he was heading, I am going to say that these were being delivered.

One More JetStar

B11I0548.jpgConsidering how few JetStars there are around, they seem to make a disproportionate appearance on the blog.  This one is another active example.  My friend, Paul, was telling me how he had seen an example at McCarran on a previous visit.  Just as he pointed to where it had been, a short distance away was the same jet.  It was away from the fence which was helpful so I figured I should get a shot and add it to the archive.  Not a great place to get good shots but better than nothing.  Cheers mate!

Some Janet Airline Activity

AE7I8034.jpgAny time at McCarran is likely to include some Janets.  The use of the 737s to transport staff to the various locations in Nevada at which spooky things happen is well established and you can see the schedule online if you want.  They have moved on from 737-200s to 737-600s but the service is much the same.  They may be 737s but the spooky nature of the operations makes them more interesting than the average airline.

AE7I8053.jpg AE7I8001.jpg

At Last a Lineage

AE7I7994.jpgEmbraer is a company that has made a phenomenal transformation in the last decade or so.  From being a small, state owned company that met local needs, it became a power in the regional aircraft sector.  Once they had become established there, they took a step into the corporate aircraft sector.  They started out by making corporate versions of their regional jets but now they are designing specific jets with the Phenom and Legacy types being hugely successful.

AE7I7987.jpgOne of the regional jet conversions was the Lineage.  Based on the E195 jet, the Lineage provides a large fuselage but doesn’t provide the extreme range of other large cabin jets.  However, many customers do not go that far and don’t need the extreme range. (This doesn’t stop a lot of Gulfstream and Global customers of course!). It has been reasonably successful but not a big seller and I had not seen one until recently.  I was at Las Vegas when this example took off.  Good to finally see one.