Tag Archives: hawker

The KF Centre of Excellence

Usually, when I go somewhere new, I have done some research on what aviation related things might be in the area should there happen to be any spare time to squeeze something in.  I had actually been checking out the layout of the airport at Kelowna before our trip since I knew that Kelowna Flightcraft had their operations and there was an Alaska Airlines paint facility.  I figured it would be worth a drive by if time allowed.

As it turned out, our planned hike got scrubbed because the snow made access to the trail, we intended to try impossible for our not off-road optimized car.  We were looking for something else to do and I asked Nancy is a quick drive by at the airport would be possible.  With nothing else in mind, so generously acquiesced.  We drove up the west side of the airport and passed a pair of Convairs up a side road with a sign saying Open to the Public.

I had no idea what this could be but, when we came back, we drove up to take a look.  Much to my surprise (and Nancy’s bemusement that I didn’t already know), we were at the KF Centre of Excellence.  This is a new museum that the owner(?) of Kelowna Flightcraft has established.  The building itself is a lovely structure.  It is loosely designed to resemble the layout of a plane with a central fuselage element and two wings which are hangars.  The external styling is very nice, and the interior is tastefully finished with lots of wood.  We paid to have a look around with the front desk being a converted nacelle.  (Much of the furnishing is aviation components that have been repurposed.  An office desk from a tailplane, nacelles that have been modified and the café seating is all old business class seats.

The center section of the museum has a lot of exhibits about flying including engines, fuselage components and even an old simulator.  It is quite informative and educational.  We enjoyed looking around.  Then it was to the hangars.  One has a Second World War vintage to it.  The largest item was a DC-3 but it was probably the least exciting.  Alongside it was a Mosquito that had only recently been flown in.  Beside that is a Hawker Tempest which is in an advanced state of restoration to flightworthy condition.  It may well be the only Tempest I have seen.  I’m not sure if I have ever seen one before.

Across to the other side and things are still quite empty.  Clearly there are plans to add more aircraft in due course.  A Staggerwing and a few floatplanes are in place but the two-seat F-104 Starfighter is definitely the most exotic.  It was airworthy until relatively recently.  Sadly, it is rather tight to the wall which made getting shots from different angles tricky.  Still cool to see it though.

I had no idea about the museum.  I had heard something about the Mosquito flying out of Vancouver to a new owner but hadn’t really pieced together what was going on so didn’t realize it was Kelowna.  The whole thing was quite a surprise.  Finding such a collection and in such a lovely building was a shock.  Oh yes, parked out front were two Convairs.  One was the old Honeywell testbed that I have shot prior to its retirement and the other is a retired water bomber.  How cool.  (As an aside, the Honeywell 757 testbed was just down the road undergoing some maintenance work.)

Kemble Gate Guards

The trip to the UK early this year included a quick trip to Kemble or Cotswolds Airport as it is also known.  Near the tower, they have a couple of preserved airframes that harken back to the time that this was a Royal Air Force base (including it being home of the Red Arrows).  One of the gate guards (okay, they aren’t near the gate, but you get the idea) is a Folland Gnat.  I don’t know whether it is a genuine ex-Red Arrow or just painted to look like one, but it is cool either way.  It is the tiniest of jets.  I wonder what it was like ferrying one across the Atlantic as they did for a tour.

The other airframe is a Hawker Hunter.  This is a classic aircraft and one that continues in use to this day.  It is a trainer version with the side-by-side cockpit arrangement and in a grey paint job that I am not familiar with them having used in service.  Either way, another great looking jet and something cool for any visitors to check out.

Other Sunny Sunday Bizjets

One Sunday earlier in the year, I was up at Boeing Field for the arrival of an old Gulfstream.  That proved to be a successful encounter and has been on this blog already.  However, that was not the only bizjet traffic that day.  I ended up with a variety of corporate aircraft movements.

There was a Canadian Challenger as well as some NetJets examples.  A Falcon 7X was on the move which is a cool looking aircraft.  There was also a Falcon 50 parked near the road alongside a Hawker.  An Excel came through which isn’t that special but then we got an Eclipse which certainly is.  It was a fun time to be out photographing with a lot in a short space of time.  Here are some shots of those planes.

Hunter Surprise

The number of times I have just missed something or didn’t even know it was close by I cannot count.  However, sometimes I can get lucky, and I had one day when things just clicked.  The result will be several posts.  I was at Boeing Field to catch a test jet from Gulfstream (which I did and will appear here soon).  I was waiting for it to show up on approach and was scanning FlightRadar24 when I saw an odd registration appear turning in to the approach.  I tapped on it, and it showed as a Hawker Hunter.

Needless to say, this was quite a surprise.  Then, another one appeared.  The two came down the approach in trail.  I got shots of both of them being a little brave/reckless with my shutter speed.  Even as this was happening, a third and a fourth popped on screen and it was not long before the second pair had made it into my viewfinder.

They taxied to the ramp at Modern and shut down.  Sadly, I wasn’t able to be there when they made the next leg of their trip to Alaska.  One was delayed by engine issues and my friend was able to get some shots of it testing.  I was hoping to catch them during their return but that took place while I was up in the Islands.  However, I had got them once and that was a lucky break I am grateful for.

Hawker on a Sunny Day

I am just going to throw in a gratuitous shot of a business jet today.  This Hawker was on approach one sunny day at Paine Field.  It wasn’t rare or special in anyway (unless you count the scimitar tips to the winglets) so might not have got a post of its own but I just like this family of jets so here it is!

A Little SoCal Shoot As I Head Home

Half an hour of spare time on my way back to John Wayne Airport so I figured a quick shoot of approaches was worth a shot.  It wasn’t going to be the most productive of shoots but why waste an opportunity.  There were some regional jets and some airliners while I was there but also a few biz jets showed up.  The sun was getting lower so the light was a bit more appealing.  Even so, just a few stock shots for possible future use.  Two Alaska Embraers came in but they were from different operators, Skywest and Horizon.  I know someone who has a preference there (David).

Tucson Corporate Activity

AE7I4695.jpgI 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.

B11I5681.jpgEven 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.

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Any Expensive Jets Here?

C59F1981.jpgAirliners 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?

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Sea Fury Surprise

wpid13516-AU0E0485.jpgIt’s always fun to get a nice surprise while you were out.  I was up at Sonoma Skypark with my friend Eric looking at a bunch of pictures he had taken.  There is usually something buzzing around on a Saturday so, while the noise of an engine will cause us to look, we normally then return to what we are doing.  However, the sound of this engine made us take a second look.  It was a Hawker Sea Fury circling high above.  This is a plane belonging to Walt Bowe and we watched him high above us.  Eric said it was unlikely Walt would do a pass so we just watched casually.

wpid13518-AU0E0491.jpgHowever, as we watched, Walt’s path did look like he was turning in towards us.  We paused a little so as not to look foolish but then it was clear he was dropping down towards the field.  Fortunately, I had the camera on the table near me.  Eric and I jumped up to get to the other side of the field where the light is better.  We scurried across as gracefully as two old geezers can and we in position as Walt dropped into his pass.  I guess he saw us as we got a great pass from him before he pulled up and continued on his way.  Now I want to shoot this plane again but in a more planned way!

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