Tag Archives: LongRanger

Alpine Helicopters – Alberta Edition

In a previous post, I had shared some images of Alpine Helicopters from when we were in Kelowna. Our trip to Canmore in Alberta brought me close to another base for the company (assuming it is the same company rather than just a common name for operators). This base was providing pleasure flights for visitors heading up in to the mountains. The base was about a mile down the road from where we were staying so, one afternoon, after we had finished our plans for the day, I popped down to see if anything was moving.

The location is not ideal for photography. The base is on the side of a hill and the parking lot is quite a way below the area from which they operate. There is a viewing area for those that are waiting to go flying but I was outside the fence so had to see what shots I could get. There was a movement of a helicopter from a parking space to the pick up zone and then there was the departure of a flight. Things were not great for getting shots but they did curve around on takeoff giving me some views of the climb out. I needed to head back so I didn’t wait for the return.

LongRanger That Is Shy

This Bell LongRanger came in to Boeing Field and I got a few shots of it as it made its approach.  It was painted gray which made it look a little out of the ordinary.  Once I got home, I decided to check out who owned it.  However, trying to find the registration proved to be a little tricky.  Registration markings are supposed to be clearly visible with rules governing how they are applied.  I think the idea is to mean your registration can quickly be read if needed.  The choice of color and the placement made this one very hard to detect.  I assume someone doesn’t want you to know.