Tag Archives: aircraft

Ukrainian IL-76

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The IL-76 is a beast of a transport.  It is a rugged plane and looks like it could handle anything thrown at it.  I have seen them on a variety of occasions – most recently the modernized versions used for civil freight work.  The older versions with the original engines are a great thing to see though.  The Ukrainian Air Force brought an example to RIAT this year.  It was flying overhead when the Sukhois were landing and then it came in too.  It came up to the west end where we got a good view of it.  Then it was parked up on static display for the show.  Sadly, I didn’t get to see it depart at the end of the show.

The Avanti Couldn’t Escape Me Forever

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When I heard an Avanti had showed up at RIAT while I wasn’t there, I was a touch annoyed.  I am such a fan of the type that I thought missing it would be very frustrating.  Fortunately, it was still at Fairford at the end of the show so the departure day was going to be the time for me to get a shot.  It took off in plenty of time before I had to go so I was treated to the sight and sounds that accompany a pair of pusher props.

1500th EJet

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An Alaska Airlines Embraer E175-E1 might not normally get a post but this one was operating a flight from Paine Field when I shot it.  I saw there was some sort of graphic on the fuselage but I hadn’t worked out what it said at the time.  Turns out this is the 1500th E Jet that Embraer has delivered.  That is quite an achievement when you considered that Embraer was a manufacturer of niche turboprops for many years.  Congratulations.

The Caravans on Floats Come Close

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The Caravan’s of Seair seemed to delight in making their departures closer to Stanley Park than the Harbour Air flights.  This meant the long lens was way too much at their closest point but it did provide some nice angles for the aircraft as they took off and climbed out.  The Caravan looks rather uncomfortable when on floats on the water but, once it is airborne, it looks pretty good to me.  I was quite pleased with these passes.

Red Arrows Launch and Recover

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The Red Arrows operated from ramp space at the eastern end of the show grounds at RIAT.  I spent some time down there on one of the days.  It provided a chance to watch them brief, crew up, start and then recover after the display.  Here area. Few shots of the team in action.

My First Ever SJ30 After All These Years

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The SJ30 is a jet that always has an “almost” feel about it.  It has gone through a number of owners and the development has resulted in certification but very little production.  There just aren’t many of them around.  One of the more recent versions came to Everett.  It arrived one weekend early in the day and before I was there.  I didn’t get to see it fly but it was parked up in a convenient spot to get a photo.  The stalky undercarriage is a distinctive feature of the jet.  I wonder whether the current owners of the design will finally make it into a successful project?

Lake Union Seaplane Base is Busy – But Not With Us!

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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.

Welcome to Seattle Red Arrows

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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.

How Could I Avoid Stanley Park?

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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.

Farewell Nine-O-Nine

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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.