Tag Archives: aircraft

Bones Are Cool But Better in Pairs

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Paul and my second full day at Red Flag was also the one where we both had to fly home.  We knew that the timing would mean leaving before the last of the big aircraft came home but we should get most of the recovery.  We set a time and started packing up.  We had done well so no complaints.  We hopped in the car and drove towards the turn to take us out to the freeway.  Just as we got there, a pair of B-1s came running in to the break in formation.  Surely we couldn’t let them go.  A rapid stop at the side of the road, grab cameras from the trunk and start shooting.

They flew by in formation and broke downwind.  Each of them turned in reasonably tight for their approach and it was possible to get some nice topside views as the curved around to final.  We could have been a bit closer and probably would have chosen different lenses if we had been able to choose but we got the shots.  Then it was time to repack the bags and get going.  We only lost about five minutes and everything worked out fin getting back so it was totally worth it.  There was no waiting for whatever followed them though.

American’s 737s in the Old Scheme

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AU0E7717.jpgWhen American introduced their new colors, there was uproar.  The criticism was plentiful.  I seemed to be in a very small group of people that actually quite liked the look that they had gone for.  Having been a regular customer over a number of years, I had grown tired of what I thought was a dated look.  Over time I think people have calmed down about the change and now I don’t hear too much mention of it.

QB5Y7098.jpgAs more of the fleet gets repainted, I now notice more when I see a jet still in the old scheme (except MD-80s which obviously are not going to be repainted given their imminent demise).  I have come across a few of the 737-800 jets recently in the metal finish.  Here are some of them before they finally disappear for good.

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Some Raptors Because, Well Why Not?

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The 1st FW at Langley AFB was the source of the Raptor contribution to Red Flag this year.  They weren’t the only F-22s I got to see though.  Some of the based aircraft were busy before and after the Red Flag missions so there was plenty of Raptor action.  Not much of a story to tell on these.  Just a chance to gratuitously show a variety of photos of F-22s because, from the right angle, they look pretty cool!

Reverse Ops While I Am Waiting

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As some recent posts have covered, I made a visit to SFO recently to go up the old tower before it was demolished.  I got to the airport a little ahead of time so had some time along the bay shore awaiting my time slot.  I got some shots of operations while I was there.  The wind was out of the south so reverse operations were in effect which is always an interesting change to things.  The departures to the east are busy and a little different while the arriving jets come closer to you as they touch down and roll out.

The light was a bit subdued but there were a few heavies arriving.  A couple of 747-400s including a Qantas jet and an ANA 777-300ER.  However, the sun did pop out briefly as a Hawaiian A330 departed (presumably for Hawaii).  The sun caught it quite nicely as it climbed and, in the background you could see one of the jets lining up for arrival on the 19s.

Stalking the Jollys (Or Are They Stalking Us?)

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A combat search and rescue element is usually included in Red Flag.  The HH-60 Pave Hawk is the usual resource used whether from the locally based unit or from a visiting outfit.  When you are set up for the jet action, the helos don’t tend to come anywhere near you.  They depart perpendicular to the runways and then head off on course.  Two things were different for me on this visit.  At one point Paul and I were checking out some other areas when the Hawks launched.  We were pretty much directly in the flightpath so we got a good look at the pair as they flew over and headed off to the ranges.

The other change was that on both days we were there, they turned early and flew out directly over our location at the Speedway en route to their exercise are.  I hadn’t seen this before.  I was surprised the first time and even more so the second.  I assume this was good luck on our part to have them come so close but maybe they were actually following us rather than the other way around?

Qatar Amiri Flight 747-8 BBJ

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Just a quick post this time.  No big description.  While up the old tower at SFO, the Qatar Amiri Flight Boeing 747-8 BBJ was parked across the runway.  As private jets go, this is pretty well up there.  I haven’t been inside so I don’t know whether it is luxurious but I am willing to bet it doesn’t have a utilitarian feel in there.  I doubt I will get to find out though.

Late Gear Down for One Warthog

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The normal operations at Nellis continue even while Red Flag is on.  The local units try to fly their missions at times that fit between the larger exercises.  A four ship of A-10s launched in the morning and they were recovering shortly before the Red Flag launch.  Rather than run in and break, they flew a straight in approach to runway 21R.  Strangely the first jet came passed and it was still gear up as it came close.  I have no idea whether they were just keeping it late or had got a call from the tower but the gear came down alongside us.  The following three jets were gear down a lot earlier.  Let’s say it was deliberate…

A Couple of Connie’s “Finest”

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Red Flag is a time for lots of military aircraft to do their thing.  However, it isn’t only the military that show up.  Transporting everything that is required to support lots of deploying jets might be done by military transports but it is not unusual for civilian organizations to get some work.  Whether it was Red Flag support or something else, we got to see a couple of 747-400 freighters while we were there.  Both of them came from the same company, Kalitta.

One of the jets was fully painted up and showed up on the approach one day.  It flew a straight in approach and landed to either deposit or pick up some bulky items.  The second jet was a bit different.  First, it was in plane white with just some Kalitta markings.  More importantly, it arrived during a Red a Flag mission.  It ended up holding overhead for a long time while the launch was underway.  Finally they brought them down for an approach.  However, it wasn’t clear which way they would come.  Nellis has a habit of bringing jets in from different ends almost at whim.

At first it looked like they would land on the 21s.  Then they looked like they would go to the other end.  We jumped in the car and headed that way.  Just as we were getting close, the jet turned away and headed east.  We did a quick about turn and followed suit.  We hadn’t gone too far when they reversed course.  Where they deliberately toying with us?  Another quick reversal and we were getting close but now they were turning on to final.  Time ran out and we pulled in to a parking lot by a tire dealership just as it came in to view.  We had to work for that one.

Boomerang

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This plane is a great example of what an imaginative mind can achieve when combined with an understanding of aerodynamics.  It is one of the products of the talent that is Burt Rutan.  When Burt ran Scaled Composites, he specialized in creating aircraft that were out of the ordinary and yet capable performers.  The Boomerang is an asymmetric airframe that provides twin engine performance with more benign handling in an engine out configuration.  I came upon it during a visit to Oshkosh for Airventure.

The owner at the time was very happy to share his aircraft with anyone who was interested and, given the unusual nature of the plane and the fascination people have with Rutan’s creations, he was never short of visitors.  I didn’t spend much time with him but, while I was there, I was struggling to find angles to shoot the plane from to emphasize what makes it special.  Getting it in flight would have helped but it was fun checking it out while it was on the ground.

Head to Head With the Aggressors

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Shooting at Nellis always requires choices to be made.  Aside from determining which end you will go to, there is the question about how far up you will go at the Speedway.  Some jets turn very tight, others turn long.  Some departing jets flex, some flex more tightly than others.  Where to go?  Paul and I headed up near Gate 7 to see whether we would do alright.  As it happened, quite a few of the jets were flexing right overhead us.  This didn’t provide the sort of shots we had originally envisaged but, as it turned out, I was rather pleased with the different look.

I was getting some very head on shots of some of the aggressor F-16s as the turned towards the ranges.  There was even a bit of moisture in the air and the vortices over the root extensions were showing up.  That angle has a very dynamic look, even though the lighting in that location is not great for such an angle.  The other benefit was as they had passed overhead.  You got a close look at the top side of the jet from behind as they flew away.  It might not have been what we intended but I was rather pleased with the outcome anyway.