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S-58s for Cherry Drying

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My road trip on a day off was not just a chance to have a day doing something different from the normal working from home during lockdown but was also a chance to check out something I had been meaning to do since moving to the Pacific Northwest.  I was aware of helicopter operators that used the helicopters to dry fruit – cherries is what I had heard – and were keeping a bunch of vintage airframes in service to meet this need.  What I had read about was S-58/UH-34s being used in Brewster.

This was my first stop on my road trip.  It took a little over three hours to get there but there was very little traffic and the drive across the Cascades was a nice way to start the day.  I was not anticipating much activity as I had assumed the season was over and so anything there would be parked up.  I was not entirely right about that but more of that to come in another post.

The airport has a ton of airframes on site.  Many of them look to be maintained in airworthy condition.  A variety of colors suggest the sourcing of airframes from wherever it was practical to get them.  Unlike my time working with Midwest Helicopters, none of these airframes appeared to be turbine powered.  They still seemed to have the piston powerplants.  The airworthy looking helicopters were parked in an orderly fashion around the site.  There were also some spare airframes.  I don’t know whether these have been robbed for parts, are awaiting restoration or have had issues but they are stored out in the open.  There also appeared to be some other components stored outside.  I suspect this means they need work and maybe the serviceable parts are under cover.

I would certainly like to learn more about the operation.  The signage was not encouraging visitors but I did get a wave from someone driving out of the place.  I decided not to just wander up based on the notices around but it would be good to get back out there some time and learn more about their operations, history and the sources of the helicopters.  It would be an interesting article to put together.

Okanogan River Views

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I made a bit of a road trip recently.  I decided a day off work was in order and I had some aviation themed things I wanted to see so I set out early.  My first stop was in a town called Brewster.  The airport in Brewster is up on a bluff above the Okanogan River where it merges with the Columbia River.  On a sunny August day, the view across the river was really nice.  An island under the bluff provided some interest and the view across the wider section of river to the opposite bank was very nice.

There were plenty of boats on the river.  It looked like they were busy fishing as everyone seemed to be in formation across the width of the river.  I assume it was fishing that they had in mind but don’t know for certain.  A tranquil spot for sure.  A house on the waterfront would look appealing but it is a serious hike to get there from any centers of population so I doubt I will be contemplating moving anytime.

Out on the Centerline at Coupeville

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One of the fun things about shooting the FCLP proactive at Coupeville when they are on a southerly flow is that you can stand on the centerline a shot distance from the threshold.  The jets are passing very low over the road as they head for the runway so you get a very up close and personal feeling.  Hearing protection is definitely worth having.

I experimented with a variety of shots.  Looking head on at the jets as they turn on to final is good.  They come right over you so you can get a very close up shot head on or, if you want, go to a wider angle lens and have the view right up as they come over you.

You also get to look down the runway once the jets have passed over you.  You do have loads of heat distortion as a result of the jetwash behind the jets but that is a small price to pay.  You don’t get anything sharp from that angle but it is an interesting view and the jelly air gives a hint to what it is like being behind the jets as they pass overhead.

Sunset Dreamlifter Failure Number 2

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A while back, I made a trek out to Paine Field around sunset to try and get a Dreamlifter in beautiful light.  They decided to burn some fuel down to get to their preferred weight and the sun had gone before they took off.  You would think I would learn from this but, oh no, I am still a sucker.  Departure was scheduled for 8:50 and sunset was 9:03.  The day was crystal clear so why not have a go.  This time they would be departing to the north so the light angle would be better too.

I turned up at Paine Field and there were two Dreamlifters on that ramp.  One had beacons on so that was a good thing.  However, no noise yet from the ground cart – they don’t have an APU so need ground power to start.  Time was ticking close to departure hour and I was getting nervous but the sound of the cart started so I relaxed a little.  However, the start process for all four engines took forever.  They were now after the planned time and hadn’t pushed.  Eventually they pushed but did so at a glacial pace.  Not sure how many minutes passed but we were now perilously close to sunset hour.  I was disappointed but still knew that, once airborne, there would be sun for longer up there.

Finally they taxied but by now, the timing was looking worse.  Moreover, this must have been the slowest taxi speed I have ever seen for a commercial jet.  I wasn’t expecting Southwest taxi speeds but still.  They had to get to the other end of the field and boy did they take their time.  Then they held at the threshold for a while.  The light was definitely past its prime by now.

Finally they did line up and roll.  They were only going to Charleston so I expected a relatively spritely take off but they were obviously at a derated setting and rotated further up the field than I would have liked.  The best rotation shots had the ILS framework directly in front of the jet.  Crap!  As it climbed out, the light was a bit better but not what I had really planned for.  Oh well, third time lucky?

British Airways 787-10

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I saw the 787-10 development aircraft flying and caught a couple during the hurricane evacuation but I haven’t seen many in service.  British Airways has started using their 787-10s on the Seattle run so, with some nice weather on a Sunday afternoon combined with a northerly flow, I decided to see whether I could get a decent Mt Rainier shot of one arriving.  It was a warm day so heat haze was an issue but nothing can be done about that.  They showed up on time so I grabbed some shots and retreated to the air conditioning of the car.  This will be a regular sight in future so nothing significant about it but one to add to the archive.

A Casual Passerby in the Backyard

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While sitting on the deck one afternoon, I was fortunate to have the camera to hand.  As I looked across to our back fence, I saw a raccoon walking along the top of the fence between the two houses behind us.  He seemed totally uninterested in our presence and walked to our fence and then turned left to wander across the back our our house and our neighbors’ houses.  I had a long lens on and he was too close for a while to fit him all in.  Along the fence he went and then disappeared from view.  First time I have seen a raccoon around here but probably not the last.  What other wildlife will visit us?

Growlers Out in the Sun

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I’ve made a few trips to Coupeville to watch the Growlers undertaking FCLP training on the field there.  My first trip was lucky with the flow to the south and good light.  Sadly, I didn’t get to see much activity.  More recent trips have had plenty of traffic but they were flying to the north which doesn’t work so well for photography.  However, with a forecast for nice weather and a southerly wind so, having been stuck at home for ages, I was keen to get out and shoot some planes while staying a safe distance from everyone.

I got there a little early because I needed to take a work call before things were supposed to get moving.  The lighting was at the other end of the field so I was a little concerned that I might be out of luck but shortly after getting there, a pickup truck hooked up to the light trailer and pulled it to the north end of the field.  Result!

The jets showed up relatively soon thereafter and really didn’t go away for the next three hours.  There were jets arriving and leaving throughout this time but it was rare to not have a jet in the pattern at some point.  This gave me plenty of opportunity to walk along the road to try out different angles.  I also had enough opportunity to try shooting a bunch of video too.  That will show up in another post.  There was a fair bit of cloud initially but things cleared up to be very sunny as the afternoon wore on.  Here are a bunch of shots of the jets bouncing around the pattern.

Spirit of St Louis Replica

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Arlington is the current home of a replica of the Ryan Monoplane flown by Charles Lindbergh across the Atlantic.  This is a detailed replica built over many years by a guy called Mike Norman.  It has flown a few times and they are increasing the hours on the airframe prior to taking it further afield.  I hadn’t seen it before but my friend, Bob, advised that it was due to fly on a recent Sunday morning.  The weather was looking nice if a little warm (heat haze) so I made the trip up to Arlington early on the Sunday.

They taxied out a little later than planned but not by much and certainly not when you are working with an experimental airframe.  They took off to the north and flew a couple of circuits.  We were a bit distant from it but not too bad.  I figured I would head to the approach end for the next circuit.  I got there just as they were on short final so too late to get a shot but I figured I would get the next one when they climbed out again.  However, the next approach turned out to be for the cross runway.  They flew close by while downwind but I was on the wrong side for the light when they were on final.

On the next climb out they left the circuit to fly up towards Bellingham.  This left a problem.  By the time that they were due back, the light would almost definitely be tail on down the runway.  I discussed with Bob the options and we decided to go to the south of the runway and hope they came that way.  As it was, they arrived back at exactly the time the light was aligned with the runway so the worst of options.  However, we were not far from the threshold and had a mountain backdrop on final approach so not too bad.  It is a lovely looking replica.  I hope to see it fly again, maybe in nice evening light.  I suspect it is easier to fly when the air is a bit less bumpy!

Foxgloves and Other Wildflowers

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Just around the corner from our street is a wilder section of the road which currently has a lot of Foxgloves in bloom.  I wandered around with camera in hand to take some photos.  The bees were busy doing there thing but much patience was required because, whichever flower I decided to focus on, the bees concluded another one was what they wanted.  I spent a lot of time only for them to choose the flowers either side of mine!

The bees were not only interested in the foxgloves.  One particularly large looking bee was really going to town on another flower and I wondered whether he had had so much that he might not be able to get airborne again.  I guess rolling off the edge of the flower gained him so airspeed – enough to stagger back into the air!

A Better Go at a Prime Air 737

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In this recent post, I showed a shot of an Amazon Prime Air 737.  With a bit more notice and better timing from an availability point of view, I saw that another jet was coming in to Paine Field from Anchorage.  It was being delivered from the conversion line in China and would have the finishing touches taken care of by ATS at Everett.  I was there and set up in plenty of time – except… I had one camera ready to go but the other one had been previously used for some video at home and was on manual focus.  I was shooting with the 500mm initially and all was well.  As the jet got closer, I switched to the 100-400 and everything was wrong.  Nothing would focus.  It seemed like forever but I must have realized fast and flicked the focus switch because I was able to shoot it as it came level with me and crossed the threshold.  What an amateur mistake.  Fortunately, I got away with it!