We flew across Lake Union on our way back to Kenmore so went over the top of Kenmore Air’s base there. It turned out to be a busy time for the base. There were a bunch of planes on the water heading in and out of the base with others tied up awaiting their next flight. Having watched ops at the base on a number of occasions, the view from above provided a very different perspective to what I have seen before. At some point I hope to fly in there to experience it for myself.
We put up a hummingbird feeder on our deck this year. We also had some hanging baskets and were hoping that they would be attracted. Initially, the plants were their focus but they soon decided that they liked the feeder too. We could be sitting out there happily chatting away as the birds came and went. However, if I brought the camera out, they suddenly become awfully shy. Photos of a bit of a head or a wing behind the feeder were the norm. The shutter sound also seems to have a negative effect. However, I have got a couple of close attempts. One day I shall devote some time to trying to get decent shots but I was more intent on enjoying the summer days than photographing the birds.
The Red Arrows have conducted a North American tour this year. It commenced just after RIAT so, while I saw them there, I hoped to catch them at some point during the tour. Their closest displays were in Oregon and Vancouver and I wasn’t able to go to either sadly. They did stage through Seattle, though, so I figured I would go and see them arrive. The twelve jets showed up on a heavily overcast day. They did some flybys over the city and then a run in across Boeing Field. A pair of jets landed directly while the remaining ten flew around a little more – nine ships in formation and one getting some photos. Then it was run and and break to landing before taxiing off to parking.
On our floatplane trip to the San Juans, our return leg was supposed to include a landing on Lake Union to pick up another passenger. However, they had already got their ride so we didn’t need to stop. However, our pilot thought a trip downtown would be a good way to end our trip so we did a quick run through. The approach to the lake involves a close pass of the Space Needle. We did the same thing and were really close to the visitors checking out the view. It was quite something to see so close up. Looking at the detail of the photos, I can see all of the people staring back at us!
I had a work day up in Vancouver. I finished up in the office at the end of the day just when rush hour traffic would be at its worst. The sun was out and the temperature was still nice so I figured I might delay my drive home for an hour or so and head to Stanley Park. It is a nice place to hang out, there is always plenty going on in the harbor and the floatplane departures might have factored in to my decision making.
There is a bit of an evening rush of departures but, with the days getting shorter and floatplane operations being a very visual thing, I figured they wouldn’t be going out too late if they were to be back before dark. I was actually pretty lucky as there was a wave of departures shortly after I got there and then, when I thought it had all wrapped up, another burst of flights headed out. Meanwhile, there were arrivals coming overhead for landing. It killed a bit of time and made for an easier drive home when I headed back south again.
There was a Nissan showroom in the Ginza district of Tokyo and it had an interesting looking vehicle on display. It was called the IMS. I don’t know whether it is a concept car or something that they are actually going to build but I thought it was interesting enough for a post.
A text message from a relative let me know that the Collings Foundation’s B-17 had crashed in Connecticut. Such a terrible shame for those who died or were injured and those associated with them. The loss of an historic airframe is also very sad. I have seen the Collings Foundation tour on a number of occasions are different locations including earlier this year. I hope they will continue with the other aircraft because it brings so much joy to so many. Here is a selection of my shots of Nine-O-Nine.
During the Italian car day at Exotics@RTC, all of the focus was on the selection of cars inside the mall area. I did take some time to wander out in to the parking lot to see what other cars had shown up that day and hadn’t been “worthy” of a spot inside. As I was strolling around, something unusual showed up. I had no idea what it was but it was clearly pretty old. As it pulled to a halt, we got a chance to take a look around.
It was an Alfa Romeo C6. I asked the guy driving it why he was outside when this would clearly have been something that would have got a prime spot. He wasn’t bothered about all of that sort of thing and was happy to roll up when he wanted and to have those outside check the car out. The restoration had been undertaken in the UK and I imagine it hadn’t been cheap judging by the condition of the vehicle. It had that swoops look that cars of its era sometimes had and was a fantastic looking machine. If I had gone out earlier in my visit, I would have missed it completely!
The Spanish Navy Harriers have recently become the darlings of the UK air show scene. The retirement of the UK’s Harriers left a feeling of longing for many air show attendees and the recent return of the Spanish Navy has made a lot of people happy. They brought two of the jets to RIAT this year. They put on a nice job of displaying with both aircraft flying giving some formation work and some faster stuff. Plenty of hovering of course.
They seemed to be leading a charmed life with the sun seeming to appear whenever they were flying. Given how the weather was over the weekend, this was no mean feat. One day I spent down near the ramp when they were operating from so I was able to get some closer shots of them as they taxied out for departure and when they returned. Harriers are still relatively accessible in the US but it won’t be too long before the F-35B consigns them to history too so it was nice to get some Harrier time again.
The Canadian Coast Guard has operated hovercraft for many years. As a school kid on work placement at BHC, I saw one of their AP1-88s under construction. These have since been replaced but they were, in their turn, replacements for the original SR-N6s. They have an operating base alongside Vancouver International. Despite having been to YVR on a number of occasions, I had never been out to the Coast Guard base. On our way back from the city one weekend, I made a short diversion out to see their gate guard. It is behind the fencing but you can shoot it from an angle over the fencing. It took me back to my childhood riding these things from both Ryde and Cowes.