I like Kodiaks and I like floatplanes. Therefore, a Kodiak on floats is a great combination. Here are a couple I have shot both recently and in days gone by.
Kodiaks on Floats
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Category Archives: photo
Ships Look Better From A Distance Part 2
A while back, I produced a post about the way in which ships look a lot rougher when up close compared to from a distance. In that case, it was a Washington State Ferries vessel I was considering. In the shipyard in Victoria that was across from where we were staying, there was a catamaran ferry undergoing work. The bow of the ship was very close to the fence and you could see exactly the same thing. The steelwork welds were easy to see at that range and remind you that these ships are heavy engineering.
Will I See Another Lufthansa A340?
The A340s are hard to find these days but Lufthansa is still using some A340-300s. This is my favorite of the type and, having had them all in Star Alliance colors for a while, it is nice to see them in Lufthansa colors again. With one coming to Seattle on a weekend as a substitute for the normal A330, I figured I should go out. The day was a dull one but you just don’t know when you might get another chance so I figured it was worth a trip.
Cannon Beach Black Bunny Population
We were walking through Cannon Beach back towards our hotel when we saw a couple of black rabbits eating grass by the road. They didn’t seem easily spooked by our presence and we walked on our way. A little internet searching when we were back in the hotel explained that there is a population of black rabbits in Cannon Beach that are descended from rabbits that people have released. They are big rabbits compared to those we see around here.
I decided to grab the camera late one afternoon to see if I could get any photos of them. I didn’t have long to look but figured it was worth a try. I had walked about ten meters when I saw my first rabbits. There were a bunch of them within a block of the hotel. I saw some on an open area of grass and one that was closer to me did run away towards a bush. It them leapt up on top of the bush and stayed there chewing on the leaves. Never seen anything like that before!
Tanker Traffic
A few tankers were flying test missions at Boeing Field last year when I spent a little time down there. The sun was out but heat haze was not too bad, so it was a good time to shoot. The dark paint of the KC-46 Pegasus is not ideal for shooting on a bright day (or a dark one for that matter) but you aren’t passing it up. What was more fun was having them taxi close by and getting a good look at the jets. They might still have a bunch of issues to resolve but there are now plenty in service, so they aren’t a rarity. Hopefully they will get the issues fixed soon enough.
Rushing Water Under Tokul Trestle
Tokul Creek Gorge is the waterway that runs under the trestle at Tokul. With the heavy rains that had been falling in advance of my visit, the creek was flowing heavily. The trestle is a long way above the water so it was not easy to get a good look at it but I did try and get some shots. I also had a go at getting some video.
Pawnee Tow Plane
I went up to Arlington one Sunday to see if Eviation was up to anything. Their hangars were closed up but I did see a Piper Pawnee in an open hangar as I nosed around and I hoped it would be in action. It is used by the local gliding club and, sure enough, it was going to get some use. Ahead of any towing activities, the pilot took it up to get some circuits in. I took a few shots of it as it hit the pattern. The Pawnee is a really strange looking plane. Very functional but not too elegant.
Our Pet Gull
Our hotel room in Victoria was near to the top of the building. The window was set into the roof line. We had a flat space outside the window and it was popular with the local bird life. On several occasions, we had a gull land on the space and stand there for a while. It actually seemed interested in us rather than deterred by our presence. No guarantee that it is the same bird but we started to feel like it was visiting us on a regular basis.
JinAir In Primer
The nice thing about having the factory for airliners nearby is seeing aircraft in the colors of an airline that you would not normally see. It is a little disappointing when they are not actually painted. I like the primer look (I know the protective film isn’t really primer, but I don’t have a better term for it) but it would have been nicer to have the livery. Only some marking on the composite parts that are already painted let you know what airline it is destined for.
Socks For My Tires
The snow that stopped our trip to Cannon Beach was heavy over the hills and it required traction devices in order to be allowed on the road. Since we didn’t have winter tires, I went shopping for some chains. Unfortunately, they weren’t available in the size of my wheels and the clearances were not great. However, I was introduced to something I had never heard of before. They had chains, cables and socks. I knew of chains, of course, and cables are just a version of chains but with (don’t be surprised) cables. Socks are a more recent addition to the range.
They are a legal alternative and actually provide as good or better traction than chains. They are a fabric covering for the tire. One side has straps that go across the outside and an elasticated band is on the inside. You hook them over the tire and pull down as much as you can and then roll the car forward half a turn to finish pulling them in to place. Removal is the opposite.
They were actually pretty easy to use and, after a short bit of driving, I stopped to check them and they had actually self-aligned straightening out any unevenness. They worked a treat. Traction and braking were not a problem. I was worried about their durability but maintaining the speed limit of 25mph for the 40 or so miles we drove caused no issues and they look just fine after removal. I imagine that they don’t have the durability of chains so regular use would suggest chains as a better option but as an occasional requirement, they worked great.