Category Archives: Pacific Northwest

Sexy Sue Returns

An A-26 Invader, marked up as Sexy Sue, is based at Renton. It is flown pretty frequently. It is normal for it to take off and head up towards the San Juans before looping around and coming back down to Renton. A flight lasts about 40 minutes which means, even if I knew exactly when it got airborne, the chances of getting to Renton in time to get its return are pretty limited. I have caught it out and about one time when it landed from over the lake on a cloudy day.

My day off with the planes had me at Boeing Field when I got a notification that the A-26 was airborne from Renton. I was anticipating the arrival of something at BFI so wondered where I should put my priorities. It is about fifteen minutes from Boeing Field to Renton so a quick reposition is possible. I figured I could probably just make it when my other arrival touched down. However, I had assumed incorrectly about the direction of flight and the A-26 was heading off through Snoqualmie Pass instead of going north.

I tracked it for a while anticipating a turn but it kept going and eventually landed at Walla Walla. I did wonder whether they were heading to Oshkosh or not. Once it was on the ground, I forgot about it for a while. Then, when checking something else a little later on, I realized that they were up again and heading back home. Again, there was a question about something inbound to BFI but timing looked good so I waited for the first shot to be made and then hopped in the car to Renton. The lights all seemed to take forever but I was at the overlook in plenty of time. I wondered whether they would try for an approach across the lake and I would need to relocate but there was a lot of light aircraft traffic so they slotted in to the normal pattern having gone north a way before turning back in.

They were easy to see while downwind and then turned across the housing around Renton before lining up on final with Mt Rainier in the background. I decided to risk a slower shutter speed since the light was very bright and with such a cluttered background, I needed to blur things as much as possible to try and make the plane stand out. It worked a bit but it was still noticeable how much the background takes over shots from that location. As soon as they touched down, I was ready to head back to BFI since more things were due there. This day off was proving very fruitful.

Cross Kirkland Connector

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I was out on the bike doing a short trip to Bellevue to a) get some miles in and b) buy some new cycling gloves. On the way back, I decided to take a different route and try out the Cross Kirkland Connector. This is a bike and walking trail across Kirkland that uses an old rail route. This is part of a network of trails which, when finished will take you from the Skagit county line, through Snohomish, down to Woodinville, on to Kirkland and then via Bellevue to Renton. It will be a while before it is all open, though.

I have ridden on the connector once when we lived in Juanita. It isn’t paved so is a little dusty but it is a good surface in the most part. There is construction underway at one end where a bridge will soon take the trail across a larger road. It feels remarkably secluded given that it is through some densely populated areas. One part of the trail has what seems to be a railway halt. There is a shelter and some old track and signals to show the heritage of what the line once was. The right of way would be ideal for reintroducing passenger service but I think the objections to that would be strenuous from the trail’s users, even if tracks and trails could coexist. I doubt it will happen in my lifetime!

One of Boeing’s T-38s Again

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Stopping by Boeing Field en route to somewhere else and finding that a Boeing T-38 chase jet is about to arrive is a lucky coincidence. Turned out even better as I saw a car parked in my normal spot and realized it was my friend David. A chance to chat and catch up while the T-38 made its approach was a lot of fun. Good to see both him and the T-38!

Under a G650

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When photographing bizjets, you can tend to get the same sort of shot all the time so it is nice to get something a little different. Getting close to the underside of the jet when it is on short final provides a different angle on things and can also bring in some of the scenery around the location. I did that for a Gulfstream G650 just to play around.

Resting Rabbits Are Visiting

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We get a ton of rabbits in our yard. They happily eat our grass and spread the seeds of weeds amongst our grass. We figure it is a battle we will lose so why fight it. Instead, we watch out for them. Most of the time they are chomping away on the grass. Occasionally, if it is warm or they are feeling relaxed, we might see them stretch out and take a rest. Here are some of the resting poses of rabbits. If we appear, they instantly return to alert status.

Amphibian By The Fence

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There is something interesting about amphibious planes. Whenever I come across one, I am hoping I can get a shot of it. This one was parked up tight against the fence at Renton. Shooting through the fence with my normal camera is problematic with the wire strands always being in shot and hard to remove in post. The phone lens is a better bet in this situation. I stitched a few shots together to make something usable. I liked the star formation on the fin which led me to think this one might come from Alaska.

A Sequence of Pain and Damage

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Motorsports are dramatic enough when things are going normally but there is also the scope for more drama if things end up going awry. I saw a few of the riders end up on their sides as they came in to a sharp left hander with too much speed but these were normally relatively benign affairs with some bruises and scratched up panels on the bikes. However, early in the day, I had one more dramatic event.

I was up near Turn 5 when I heard something going wrong. I had the camera up already and the bike and rider came into the viewfinder without me really controlling things. I did then manage to track them as they headed off into the grass separately and at some speed. The bike cartwheeled around while the rider slid and rolled. He did not spring back to his feet and it took a while for the marshals to get to him and to help him up.

He walked gingerly to the marshal station to await someone coming to pick him up later. While he seemed basically intact, he certainly didn’t seem well after the incident. I didn’t hear about his condition so I hope he was okay after a bit of time to recover.

Two Max Jets on Test But Only One Works!

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One evening, while at BFI, a couple of Max test aircraft taxied out. One was painted up in Fly Dubai colors and the other was still in primer although the rudder seemed to indicate that it will be a United jet when delivered. They both taxied out and then held on the taxiway. The primer jet was second in line and held for ages. Eventually, it took the intersection on to the runway and backtracked to the Boeing ramp. No idea what the issue was but it clearly wasn’t ready to fly. Their colleagues took off a short while before in their, apparently serviceable, jet.

What Is Farmed Here?

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Eastsound is the main town on Orcas Island. As you head out of the town center towards the eastern side of the island, you go along the shoreline of a wide bay. The tide was out as we drove over that way and there were some frames set in to a section of the beach. Clearly this is an area which would be submerged at high tide so I assume it is used to farm something. Shellfish of some sort were what I assumed but I don’t know for sure. If anyone has any suggestions as to what they might be, please let me know in the comments.

Air Malta Airborne

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The Air Malta Max jets have been on here before. A subsidiary of Ryanair – everyone’s favorite airline – they have been stored at Renton for a while awaiting the commencement of deliveries after whatever delays have been preventing Ryanair from accepting any jets. With that now addressed, both Ryanair and Air Malta have been taking jets. Buzz still hasn’t accepted any and they still seem to be parked at Renton. I was pleased to have an Air Malta jet come in from a test flight while I was at BFI. It was an overcast day but there was a hint of light when it made its approach. Not great but better than sitting on the ground!