Tag Archives: corporate

I Never Expected a Sabreliner

Corporate jets show up at SFO on a regular basis. They will be the usual Gulfstreams or Bombardier jets. However, every once in a while something really unusual will show up. I would love to say that it was part of my planning that this worked out but I was very lucky. I saw on Flightaware that something unusual was coming but I didn’t recognize what it was. I am glad I didn’t because the surprise was more fun. A Sabreliner showed up. I didn’t realize anyone was still flying them. Great stuff.

One of the Bigger Corporate Jets

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There are plenty of types of corporate jets. However, some organizations (or individuals) decide that what they really need is something a little larger. How about a Boeing 767-200? This one was shooting an approach to SFO. The owner is listed as Blue Sky Holdings. Who are they you wonder? Who can say? They do fly in and out of Moffett Field though and that is owned by quite a large company. Maybe there is a connection? Maybe not?

Either way, it was a cool thing to see pop into the viewfinder one afternoon. Sometimes, you just get lucky. I also like the registration that they have for the jet. N2767 is not bad for a 767-200. Apart from that, the jet is pretty anonymous. You certainly can’t guess anything about it from the outside. I wonder what it looks like inside?

Generations of Gulfstreams

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When I am shooting at a major airport, I am always pleased to get some corporate jets. A steady stream of airliners – often from the same airline – is okay but variety spices things up and corporate jets can do that. (NetJets and FlexJet do undermine that variety a little but not too much.) On this occasion, I was treated to a selection of Savannah’s finest products. They didn’t arrival in age related order but I will forgive that.

The first to show up was a G650. Top of the line for Gulfstream, this is a cool looking jet. It is a totally clean sheet design for Gulfstream who have tended to tweak previous jets to bring new capabilities. It looks different and has great performance. (It is also spawning a new generation of smaller – relatively – jets that I look forward to seeing.)

Next were some G450s. A previous generation but still a good performer and something that sells well. The fuselage is clearly Gulfstream but the wings and engines and significant steps forward from their predecessors. Not cutting edge but still something the Gulfstream thinks has appeal.

The last was a G-III. This is really going back a bit. Not a G-IISP but not far off. The fuselage is familiar, the wing similar but the engines are the old Speys and they have none too subtle hushkits fitted to them in order to meet current noise regulations. This is certainly a vintage jet by corporate standards and I was pretty pleased to see one still flying. These are often found now lurking at airports with the signs of lack of use clear to see. Shame we didn’t have an original Gulfstream turboprop but they are rare beasts these days.

Southwest Evasive Maneuvers

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This was not an aircraft photography trip. I was taking a walk along the shore at Hayward Regional Park. It is a place with lots of wildlife and views across the bay. It is also near the approach to Oakland so I did have the chance to take aircraft pictures if I wanted. That wasn’t the goal though. It didn’t stay that way though. The approach to Oakland involves flying right by Hayward Airport. Hayward has a lot of general aviation traffic. The spam cans are intermixed with some corporate jets.

What caught my eye was the incoming Southwest 737 and a departing Cessna CJ M2. The CJ took off and entered a climbing left turn. This put it into the path of the Southwest 737. I don’t know who was at fault in this. Was the Southwest jet too close, did the CJ pilot break his cleared departure profile or should Hayward tower never let him go? I don’t know. Whatever the reason, they were heading towards each other.

I also don’t know whether the Southwest crew saw the CJ first or if the TCAS gave them a resolution notice. Whatever happened, they took some pretty dramatic avoiding action. I imagine it felt pretty interesting from inside the cabin. They gained good separation and everything was fine. At first I thought they were going to try and get reestablished on the approach but cooler heads prevailed and they cleaned up the jet and went around. After some time to let the heart rate fall, they appeared back on the approach for a more conventional approach. All ended well. I wonder how the conversations went after landing.

Tucson Corporate Activity

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I don’t know whether the timing was favorable or whether there is just a lot of traffic but I saw quite a few corporate jets on the move at Tucson during my short time shooting there. Corporate stuff is always a nice break from the regular airline traffic although it can be harder to shoot. The jets are usually smaller and the bigger ones are often performing well within their capabilities so get airborne really quickly and are way too high by the time they get to you.

Even so, we did okay. A couple of Hawkers were heading out and I was particularly pleased to get a Global Express. It did look a touch anonymous but maybe I can pretend that means there is an interesting story behind it.

Incomplete JetStar

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Regular readers will know I am partial to the Lockheed JetStar. I have previously posted about shooting one at Hayward when it was taking off and another that was at the airport as a source of spare parts. This spare aircraft has moved from the location I previously saw it and is now out on the ramp near the taxiway. While out working with the HueyVets guys, I ended up by the airframe waiting to shoot the Huey.

Up to this point, the airframe looked in good shape. However, recently, one of the engines was removed so I guess it will progressively become more obvious that this jet is not going to be flying again. For the time being, though, you can choose an angle to make the missing items no longer apparent. Then the jet still looks like a great airframe. I hope it lasts a bit longer and that its sacrifices are enough to keep the other jet airworthy.

Michael Jordan’s Gulfstream

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Waukegan Airport is the home for a number of corporate aircraft. One of the regular visitors is a Gulfstream belonging to a man who has a home in the area and who is associated with Chicago area sports in a big way. However, the aircraft is wearing colors that are more associated with his college playing days in North Carolina. The result is possibly not the most attractive paint job you have ever seen. It does include the logo of the man in question in his trademark (literally) pose of Air Jordan. I once spent a portion of a day driving around the airfield with the Airport Manager. As we went through one of the electronic gates, he spotted the remnants of a cigar on the ground outside the gate. Apparently, this is one of Michael’s cigars. He is not allowed to smoke them when on the ramp so he drops them just before entering the area.

Nice Challenger 300

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I may joke about what my favorite business jet would be to buy but, of course, I am not getting one any time soon. That doesn’t stop me considering which would be a good choice. The large cabin ultra long range jets are, without doubt, a nice idea but I would actually like something in the super midsize bracket. This would meet most of my needs (except for paying for it of course). One great looking jet and a good performer is the Bombardier Challenger 300 (and the newer 350). I would certainly be happy with one of these. This example is one that I saw at Hayward recently. Should I get one do you think?

Any Expensive Jets Here?

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Airliners were not the only thing we got to see above LAX. On the south side of the field are some FBOs and they had an interesting selection of planes parked up on their ramps. As we passed overhead, it was a good time to see what was around. There were plenty of Gulfstreams on show. The view from above shows just how large the wing is on the largest of Savannah’s products. We also had some BBJs, a 757 that appeared to belong to a casino and some Cessnas, Challengers, Falcons and Hawkers. I am not sure I would be able to choose which one to use today. Maybe I will rotate them?

Santa Monica – The Friendly Airport

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My buddy Pete joined me for some fun in the LA area. Pete is a commercial pilot but any form of aviation appeals to him so we have a lot in common. We had a full day available to go exploring. One part of the day was allocated to a helicopter trip but the rest was open time for us. Our first stop was Santa Monica airport.

I was introduced to this great place by another friend, Paul, who was, coincidentally, introduced to me by Pete. It is a short distance north of LAX but is the total opposite. Santa Monica accommodates everything from light sport aircraft to some pretty substantial corporate jets. What it also accommodates is visitors. A nice terrace area is laid out at the terminal building providing a great spot to watch operations with the runway only a short distance away.

The tower frequency is piped to the terrace so you know what is going on. There are vending machines and bathrooms to cover both ends of the spectrum and, in the past, I have seen the airport police officers handing out stickers to kids. The place is so welcoming you see lots of parents show up with their kids to watch the planes. As a UK based pilot, Pete found this to be an amazing improvement on his usual experiences at small airports.

I didn’t actually take my camera initially. I wasn’t sure how long we would be there. As it turned out a couple of cool jets including a nice Gulfstream came in while I was cameraless. No matter. I did get it after a while and got a few shots of traffic before our plans took us onward. Before we left, we did walk across the road to the Museum of Flying. Santa Monica was the home of Douglas Aircraft for many years. The museum was sadly closed when we were there but there was a nice DC-3 on a pole along with an A-4 and an F-86 so something nice to see.