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Some New Max Jets

Boeing has now certificated the first of the new Max versions of the 737. The Max8 has now entered service. I first saw a Max at some distance across San Francisco Bay as I wrote about here. I was passing Renton so I thought I would have a quick look at what was on the flightline. A few of the new jets were mixed in with the current builds of the NG aircraft. Customer jets were clearly awaiting delivery while a Max9 was also on the ramp. The test program for the Max9 is at a far earlier stage although it will be a shorter program given the amount of testing already completed by the Max8. A Max8 was close by and one awaiting delivery was behind the Max9.

Goslings En Masse

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Spring is the season for new life. The geese had obviously been taking the task to heart because, as we walked around Bloedel Reserve, there was a large gathering of goslings. It appeared to be that several families were mingling together. I guess strength comes in numbers. The adults were all grazing around the periphery of the group while the multitude of goslings were munching away in the middle.

When we were in Seattle a week later, we came across more goslings. A smaller group this time but the same thing with the adults keeping an eye on them. A couple were getting a bit more adventurous and heading off on their own but they were soon brought back into line. I wonder how many predators geese have. I guess hawks will be happy to take them out but the numbers might explain why there are so many geese wherever you go these days.

Trying Something Different for the Night Burner Shots

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When the B-1s show up at Red Flag, everyone is pretty pleased. A big bomber with four afterburning engines is like a giant fighter to photograph. It is a good looking jet. It also has a nice feature at night. The majority of the fighters that take off in burner are back to military power shortly after getting airborne. The B-1 is a different story. It stays in burner for a ridiculous amount of time. Not having flown one, I don’t know whether they pull back the power from full burner at some point but they do stay plugged in for ages. Long into the climb you can still see the glow.

I have shot the B-1s from a location out in the area on the extended centerline before. Go back to some old posts here and here and you will see the sort of shots I am talking about. Paul has also shot from out there so we agreed to try something different. We headed closer to the rotation point. The jets get airborne pretty smartly and, the closer in they are, the further away they are from the highway. However, something that had more of a side on feel was what I was after and so we tried a different spot.

Of course, you never know what time the launch will start and when the B-1s will be scheduled for so there is a lot of sitting around and waiting – in the dark. During the day it is easy to hang about and wait for something to move. At night things seem to take longer and you feel a bit more exposed. However, they did eventually launch and these shots are the result. I have learned some new things about the behavior of the camera at night which will be useful next time so, while the shots aren’t perfect, it was certainly worthwhile.

Inlet Vapor for the Heavies

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More shots from a fun shoot a while back. If the wind is coming from the west, evening departures from O’Hare provide plenty of opportunity to get some shots. The heavy departures to Europe leave later in the afternoon and in to the early evening and, as the sun drops down things are getting better and better. The nice thing about this day was that we got a combination of good conditions. Earlier in the afternoon, while the light wasn’t as good, a storm had not long passed through and there was plenty of moisture in the air.

The result was a lot of vapor in the inlets of the jets as they climbed out at high thrust settings. Some of them had clouds sitting in the inlets for long periods of time. Others would just pulse with the vapor as they climbed away. They would also puff up little clouds over the upper surfaces of the wing as they fought to gain height. As the afternoon wore on, the air dried out a bit and the vapor went away. However, the light was then getting better so no reason to go just yet!

Mixed Formations

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Returning jets from the Red Flag missions often come back with the other jets from their units. However, you do occasionally get a mixed formation or two as a straggler joins up with some other jets for the run in and break. This time, it might have been my imagination, but there seemed to be more mixed formations than normal. We discussed whether, with the F-35s taking part in larger numbers, other pilots were kind of keen to get in formation with them and check them out from closer quarters. Whether that was the case or not, whether there was another reason or perhaps it was just coincidence. Whatever the reason, we got a few mixed groups and not always just with the Daves!

Fungi in the Woods

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The grounds of Bloedel Reserve included a lot of different types of growth. Meadows and woodland, organized gardens and natural growth. There is obviously a lot of moisture in some areas because the amount of fungal growth was substantial. Some of the fungi were small growths while others seemed to be substantial organisms. The majority were growing on tree trunks, whether still alive or lying dead on the ground. While I find fungus interesting, there is a lurking thought in my mind from watching too many sci-fi movies that, as I get close, spores will burst forth and I shall be infected with some terrible disease. Fortunately , this time I got away with it. Clearly, there is no harm to watching to much TV as a kid.

Falcon 20s

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The Falcon 20 was a ground breaking corporate aircraft. It sold well and has been sufficiently flexible that it has also found a lot of secondary uses including FedEx package carrying and electronic warfare support. However, its use as a bizjet was its main role. Now, it is a dated airframe so it doesn’t show up very often. As a result, when we were heading around the perimeter of McCarran I was pleasantly surprised to see one parked up on the ramp. What really caught me unawares was to find another one a short distance away. This must be the place that old Falcon 20s gather! Sadly they weren’t in a position to shoot but I did see one depart while I was there so it will have to do to represent the type at McCarran.

Lenin on a Street Corner

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Knowing the mix of people I know, all sorts of comments could result from this post! Let’s see who has self-restraint. We were spending a weekend checking out different parts of Seattle and a lunchtime stroll took us to the Fremont area of town. As we walked up to an interchange, a large statue was looking down on the road. Vladimir Ilyich Ulynaov Lenin was there. Of course, I know he is dead and embalmed in a tomb in Moscow but his likeness in bronze was sitting by a plaza.

I don’t know why he is there. Whether it is a tribute, an ironic insult or just a weird outcome to some other plan, I have no idea and I don’t really care. This blog is not about political statements. It is a record of things I have come across at various times. If your sensibilities are unable to handle a picture of a statue of Lenin without you exploding with rage, tough luck. His brand of crazy is not what this is about and neither is your adopted brand of crazy come to that. Instead, I just came across a strange statue and I am writing about it.

PG&E Heli Lift Training

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I miss the amount of helicopter shooting I used to do. Every once in a while I come across a help in action and I feel like it is a little victory. One time it was the local sheriff’s department practicing line work and that showed up here. On this occasion, I was coming away from an interview I had done for a GAR feature. I was at Yolo County airport in California. As I drove down the road, an MD500 was hovering over the field next to the road.

I pulled off a short distance away to see what was going on. PG&E is a local power company and they appeared to be running a training program for they power line teams. They were hooking up transmission components and moving them a short distance to another team that then unhooked them. This process continued as they moved items from place to place giving the ground teams practice with the various items.

There was a strong breeze and a bit of gustiness so the pilot was working quite hard but, since everything was at ground level, I suspect it was a lot easier than if this was at the top of a pylon. He wasn’t the one getting the training, though, by the look of it. I watched for a while and from a couple of different angles and then left them to it. I hope the class was successful.

What a Great View of the Sound!

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The house at Bloedel Reserve sits up on the hill with the grounds landscaped to provide an unobstructed view down to the sound below. You can imagine the tranquility of sitting on the terrace in the evening, sipping a cocktail and looking out at the water. Unfortunately, at the time of our visit, a large barge was moored a short distance out in the water. I’m sure the view is beautiful but, with a barge plonked in the middle of things, somehow the delightful nature of the scene is a little compromised!