Condor has gone on a bit of a Marmite route with its livery. They have decided to paint their aircraft with a striped paint scheme that looks like a beach towel. When they first went this way, the A330s that came to Seattle were leased jets and they only painted the fins rather than the whole airframe. They had ordered new A330-900s from Airbus, and these were delivered with the full paint job. I took a while before I finally saw one of these come to SEA and it was the green one. I still haven’t seen beige or blue! I have heard comments that really show how much people dislike this choice. For me it is such a nice change from the norm that I am really happy to see them. Something different is fun.
Category Archives: photo
Generator House at Blakely Harbor
We were making a trip to Bainbridge Island one weekend and Nancy had done some research that brought up something she thought I might be interested in. Blakely Harbor used to be the location of a timber mill. It has long gone away but there are still some remnants of the mill. There are piles in the water from the old jetties but the most conspicuous part of the old generator house.
This concrete building is obviously more resilient than the other buildings and it stands out on the shoreline, not just because it is the only remaining building, but because it has become a focus for graffiti artists. The interior and exterior of the building have been covered with work from artists of all types. Some is really intricate work and other pieces and less polished. However, the combination of colors is really striking when alongside the natural colors of the harbor.
I was interested in looking around inside but climbing in required some effort and, while I could have done it, I wasn’t that keen and I suspect Nancy would have thought I was nuts! She may have been right. There are some iron frames that are still part of the structure which have an aged look which contrasts with the recent artwork. I imagine in low light you could get some very interesting shots of this place.
STOL Adventures
Quite a few of the planes that went to Concrete for the fly in were great STOL aircraft. Light airframes with plenty of power and high lift wings make for a really short take-off. Pilots of STOL planes are usually quite keen to show off the performance of their steeds so we knew we would get some aggressive takeoffs.
Consequently, I did try to position myself in the right spot along the runway when the STOL planes were taking off. Getting a frontal view of the plane as they pull up rapidly and climb out steeply was the goal. They usually obliged. I haven’t been to any of the STOL competitions or the recent version that involves getting airborne and back on the ground, but I would like to see that at some point. There is one in Alaska I would love to try at some point!
End of the Line at Abbotsford
My first trip to Abbotsford for the airshow got me there pretty early. I was hanging around prior to meeting up with my friend and I saw a couple of old S-2 Trackers that were sitting in a field. These were clearly waterbombers in days gone by but they have reached the end of the road as far as their flying career is concerned. I understand that they were due to be heading off soon. I was glad to see them before they went. Seeing them flying would have been better of course.
Just in Time for an Everts MD-83BCF
I was waiting for my mate to get through immigration at SEA after a flight from the UK. He was telling me that there was a horrible line to get through, so I figured I had a little time. I also knew that Everts Air Cargo’s MD-83 freighter was due to launch out of Boeing Field. Originally, I had figured I would miss it but, since he was stuck in line, I might as well wait around and get the take off. A slightly gloomy day but a Mad Dog freighter is still worth it!
A More Dynamic Angle on Lynden at Last
I have had various encounters with the C-130s of Lynden Air Cargo over the years, but they have usually been a relatively normal side on type of shot. I saw one of the aircraft had gone into Paine Field and I was fortunate that the departure was scheduled for a weekend day when I could get up there. I decided at the last minute to make the trip up and, as I pulled up at my preferred location, a quick check of the phone showed the aircraft was already at the hold.
I got set up as rapidly as I could and then they were rolling. The advantage of this location is that the plane will have rotated and is climbing out towards me. The Herc is able to get out of short strips just fine, but it isn’t climbing too rapidly so I knew I should get something different to what I have taken before. I quite liked the front quarter shot but the others were fine too. I was then back in the car and home in a short time. It was almost like I hadn’t been away, but I had got the result I wanted.
Kelowna Lakefront
We spent our Thanksgiving weekend in Kelowna BC. It was not a long stay there, but it was a nice chance to visit somewhere new. The trip involves a five-hour drive, so we didn’t arrive until mod afternoon. The weather was lovely on the drive across so, when we arrived, we decided to take advantage of the sun to have a walk along the lake.
There are many homes and hotels along the water, and they have created parks and waterways around these developments. It might have been sunny, but it definitely wasn’t warm, so we were wrapped up well to counter the cool air coming off the lake. Plenty of people were out walking their dogs or riding their bikes so the whole place felt pretty alive considering this was a Thursday afternoon at the end of November. These are some of the shots I got while we explored.
United’s 737-10 Being Used for SAF Tests
The NASA DC-8 was up in the Pacific Northwest for the trials sampling the air when burning sustainable aviation fuel. The aircraft that was actually burning the fuel that they were sniffing was a 737-10. This Max 10 is ultimately destined for United Airlines. Since the Max 10 is not certificated yet, I guess the jet was free for Boeing to use. It had a special livery for the trials program. Not sure whether this will be kept for service or not. However, when I was shooting the DC-8, I usually got to shoot the Max as well. It didn’t always get the best light, but I still got a few good shots of it.
Conference Center Cables
The roof of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh has a terrace area which is only got to see on the last day I was there. The structure has cable bracing built in to it. Some of this is conspicuous when you are on the roof, but it also came down into some tie off points alongside the main conference levels although outside the halls. The convergence of the cables seemed rather interesting and, while I only had the phone with me, I figured I would try and get some images that emphasized the multiple strands and their alignment. Stuff like this is fascinating to me – like the end of a suspension bridge. Very cool.
Little Jet Ranger X Looks Better in Black
I’ve complained before that the JetRangerX is just not a good-looking helicopter. I have seen a few of them around here over the last couple of years and one example has shown up a few times in a glossy black livery with a dragonfly style marking on the fuselage. The cool paint does enhance the look of it a bit. I still don’t think it looks good, but this is as good effort to improve things.


















