Tag Archives: jet

A Little RIAT Reds Editing

Why, when my last visit to RIAT was in 2019, am I still working my way through some shots from that show? There are many potential reasons but none of them reflect too well on me so we shall move past that topic and on to what I shot at that show. Specifically, let’s look at the Red Arrows. When we used to live in the UK, we would see the Reds on a regular basis and would sometimes get a bit blasé about them. When you live elsewhere, they become a bit more fun to see.

Consequently, I did make the effort to get a few good shots of their displays. It would have been nice to have some slightly better light to shoot them in, but that show was not the best for weather. Take off is always nice since you are close to the formations, and they are potentially tightly grouped in the frame. There are always the crossing shots to go for and then the bigger formation breaks will be a target. All of these were part of my efforts that year. When I was young, the rollbacks were a favorite of mine. They do a variation on this now, but I am not quite so keen. It is a tough one to shoot anyway since you really want to be on the display axis to get the best effect. Even so, I was still pretty happy with what I got overall.

They Continue to Fly the Max10 But it Is Going to Be a While

Leave a reply

The 737 Max program continues to be a total bear for Boeing. As I write this, they are just recovering from the Max9 door plug incident. Prior to that, it was issues with rudder components not rigged properly and then it was rear bulkhead production issues. All of these follow on from the disaster that was MCAS. The Max7 and Max10 have both been flying for ages but still haven’t achieved certification. The Max7 was thought to be close, but it needed an exemption for inlet heating which Boeing had applied for. In the aftermath of the door plug incident, that exemption application has been withdrawn and now the Max 7 might be a year away from approval.

The Max10 is behind the Max7 so it is possible that it might get approval by 2025 but, at this point, who knows when it will actually be. Meanwhile, there is still testing underway. The first Max 10 jet is active at the moment undertaking testing work. It was due out from Boeing Field on another test heading off to Texas. I figured it would run a little longer given that it would be heavier so chose my spot for the shots. However, I did still use a longer lens to get a tighter shot for rotation. The light came out nicely as they rolled and the rotation was ideal for where I was. It is going to be a while before I see these in service but at least I get to see them on test periodically.

I Should Just Enjoy the Old Pods

Leave a reply

I have seen some pictures recently of Growlers bouncing at Coupeville with the latest jamming pods on the underwing pylons. I was hoping that the jets I saw from the Rooks might be carrying the new pods. Instead, they were using the older pods. At first, I was disappointed by this but then I realized that this was the wrong way to look at things. The new pods will be around for a long time and the chances are I will see them a lot in the future. Making sure I have some shots of the older pods on jets as the bounce is something to make the most of before they are gone. We only miss stuff when it is going away so time to think ahead.

A Rapid Turnaround for a G700

Leave a reply

I managed to get some shots of one of the Gulfstream G700 test aircraft earlier in the test program. Certification (at time of writing – not sure when this post goes live) is still not complete but they have built a lot of jets. One of the test fleet (I think, based on the registration and the Experimental markings) filed to fly in and out of Boeing Field. It was coming up from Monterey in California and then turning around quickly to go to Portland. It was a quiet Saturday so I headed out. I had also seen some shots of this jet and it looked like it had a nice livery compared to the average bizjet.

The conditions were not great with a lack of light and some washed out skies, but I still managed to get some okay shots of it landing. I then headed down the field to be ready for the departure. Normally, I see a scheduled time and figure it will be a bit later. Not this time. By the time I got there, someone was already doing the walk around checks. It was not long before they fired up and taxied. Unfortunately, I had chosen a location quite a way down the runway. The performance of these jets is good, and Portland is a short hop, so the jet was light. They rotated very early compared to where I was. I still got okay shots but a little less dramatic than I was hoping for. Certification can’t be too far off so we might start seeing a lot more of these jets soon.

A Twin Tub A-12 Sitting by the Parking Lot

Leave a reply

Google Maps can really be your friend. I was hoping to find the time to get to see the space shuttle stack in Expo Park while I was back in LA if possible. I went on Google Maps to see how to get there and the layout of the area and I saw a tag for an A-12. Sure enough, the twin seat Lockheed A-12 is mounted on display right next to the parking lot. It is tucked in between the lot and a pathway over a dip in the grounds. It is rather tight to the parking lot which made getting shots a touch tricky but the early morning light when I was there was the best angle for it. I was pleased to add an unusual airframe to the briefest of visits!

Is This My Last Kalitta 727?

Leave a reply

The 727 is a rarity already and one of the remaining operators, Kalitta, is close to ending their operations too. I read that they only have two left and that they will both be gone later this year. Consequently, I was rather pleased when one was due into Seattle. Unfortunately, it was due to land at about 8pm. I did think of getting out to try and see what the ambient light would be like but decided against it. It then got delayed and didn’t arrive until after 10pm.

They filed to head straight back out that evening so I figured I would miss out. However, something was not right with the jet, and they didn’t leave. The following day, when I saw that they hadn’t gone, I was able to come by and see if they were still there. Indeed they were. It wasn’t long before I heard the sound of an engine running and thought I might be in luck. Sadly, the open panels were a sign that they were just doing an engine test. I had to leave shortly afterwards and was wondering whether they would depart while I was absent.

Luck continued to be on my side, and they were still there later in the day. No flight plan filed, and I was wondering whether they were either not going at all or might wait until after dark. I was pondering driving around to the other side of the field to see if I could find out anything when my friend messaged me that a flight plan had been filed for a departure shortly. Now, I never trust the timing of a flight plan for a freighter, but this was still promising.

Needless to say, they did not go promptly. This was not a bad thing, though. As I waited, the conditions were steadily improving with some nice light. At this time of year, though, that light doesn’t last too long, and I was fearing it might disappear before they left. Fortunately, they finally fired up and taxied past me. The light was looking great. Now to hope that they didn’t have a long wait for ATC release.

I had wondered whether they would get off the ground fast or not. The 727 was capable enough in short fields but they don’t leap off the ground. I chose a location that I thought might be good for rotation shots and I am glad I did. I had just about the perfect spot. They rotated in front of me, climbed out in lovely light and disappeared. I wonder whether this will be my last Kalitta 727 shot or not.

The KF Centre of Excellence

Leave a reply

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.)

CAG Growler is Clean

Leave a reply

A trip to Coupeville is always going to be a bit hit or miss. Will the weather play ball, will the jets show up, how much will they bounce, how many of them will there be, will they be RAG jets or operational squadrons? All sorts of options. I was really happy that the weather suited a pattern direction that was better for photography, but it was mainly cloudy so not quite as good-looking light. It was the Rooks of VAQ137 that were bouncing so that was cool, and they brought their CAG jet. Getting this in its nice colors was cool. The jet was operating clean which was slightly disappointing but, fortunately, the other jets that came in were carrying pods.

It Might Have Been Green but the Light Was Excellent

Leave a reply

An Air Tanzania 737 Max 9 made its initial flight from Renton and was due into Boeing Field at the end of the day. The timing of its arrival was looking promising. However, I was dealing with something else, and it was a higher priority. If that could be completed in time, the Air Tanzania might just work out. Having shot their 767 freighter, I was hoping that it would already be painted. That was not to be the case with only the rudder and winglets showing the colors that are to come.

The evening light was developing nicely so the green of the protective covering really looked pretty good. However, the real benefit was once the plane had passed me. The sky to the east was developing a really cool purple hue. The evening light was working wonders with the clouds over there. Stick a green 737 in front of that and things really did look good. I hope I get to see it once painted before it heads off to its new home.

Comparison of Two Globals

Leave a reply

When Bombardier launched the Global 7500, I was quite keen to see them. My friend was the engineering director on the project and, despite me giving him crap at every opportunity, I think he probably did a good job on this one. Sadly, I haven’t shot as many 7500s as I would have liked. Global 6000s, on the other hand, I have shot plenty of. There have been a few, though, so I decided to see what the obvious visual differences would be.

With some bizjets, counting windows is the way to know. That rarely helps me out as I can never remember what the appropriate numbers are. For the 7500, though, I think the windows look very different. They seem to be a lot larger and squarer. That is a bit of a giveaway. Then there is the fin top. The 7500 has a more angular top to it which actually looks a bit like some of the CRJ versions. Last, there are the flaps. The 7500 flap system seems to be more complex than that of the 6000. I have included images of NetJets and VistaJet examples of both types at similar angles for comparison. See what other differences you spot.