I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year! It's that time of year again; time to continue a personal blogging tradition I started doing last year by presenting to you another montage of some of my best photos taken during the year 2013. This year wasn't the greatest in terms of what aircraft I was able to photograph due to me spending half of the year studying at school, plus a few factors outside my control (like the sequester, to name something!), but I kept my passion burning as best as I could. Enjoy the following photos!
Commercial Aircraft Spotting:
 |
| Alaska Airlines (Horizon Air) De Havilland Canada DHC-8-401Q Dash 8 Q400 (N407QX) in Oregon Ducks livery departing Portland International Airport (PDX). Portland, Oregon. |
 |
| Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-890 (N592AS) push-back from gate for departure from PDX. Portland, Oregon. |
 |
| So nice to see some of the old United tulip colors on the regional jets. SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a United Express) Canadair CL-600-2C10 CRJ-702/ER (N796SK) taxiing for departure from Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO). Reno, Nevada. |
 |
| American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-82 (N499AA) taxiing up to the gate after arrival at RNO. Catch these 'Mad Dogs' while you still can! And catch AA's livery like this one while you still can! Reno, Nevada. |
 |
| Bombardier BD-700-1A10 Global Express (N304CC) parked on the general aviation ramp at PDX. Portland, Oregon. |
Museum Shots:
 |
| FACE OFF! With the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum's Messerschmitt Me-262 reproduction replica. McMinnville, Oregon. |
 |
| ANOTHER FACE OFF!! With the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum's Focke-Wulf FW-190 reproduction replica. McMinnville, Oregon. |
 |
| ONE MORE FACE OFF!!! With the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum's newly acquired Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 'Flogger'. McMinnville, Oregon. |
 |
| A rather captivating evening shot of the main part of the museum with the Hughes H-4 Hercules 'Spruce Goose' visible inside and an F-14 Tomcat and a MiG-29 also visible. Note the road leading up to the building is painted like an airport runway! McMinnville, Oregon. |
 |
| Tillamook Air Museum's PZL-Mielec Lim-6 (N2503N) sporting a unique arctic camouflage. Tillamook, Oregon. |
 |
| One of only four left in existence, this Martin AM-1 Mauler (N7163M) can also be found at the Tillamook Air Museum. Tillamook, Oregon. |
 |
| This Nakajima Ki-43-IIIa Hayabusa 'Oscar' (N43JE) at the Tillamook Air Museum is a Texas Airplane Factory replica and is the only airworthy example of the type in the world. Tillamook, Oregon. |
 |
| Republic P-47D Thunderbolt (NX47DA) on display at the Tillamook Air Museum. Tillamook, Oregon. |
Air Shows/Events:
 |
| P-51D Mustang (N551BJ) nicknamed 'Mormon Mustang' of the Legacy Flight Museum. Rexburg, Idaho. |
 |
| P-51D Mustang (N51RH) nicknamed 'Ole Yeller' taxiing at Rexburg-Madison County Airport (RXE). Rexburg, Idaho. |
 |
| Hawker Hunter F51 (N611JR) on static display at the Oregon International Air Show. Hillsboro, Oregon. |
 |
| The Classic Aviation Museum's PZL-Mielec Lim-5 (N1426D) in afterburner during the Oregon International Air Show. Hillsboro, Oregon. |
 |
| With red, white, and blue smoke, the Patriots Jet Team does their thing as the main headliner in their six L-39C Albatross at the Oregon International Air Show. Hillsboro, Oregon. |
 |
| A brand new tri-jet is a rarity these days! A Dassault Falcon 900LX (N265LX) in a demo flight during the Reno Air Races. Reno, Nevada. |
 |
| Patriots Jet Team also performed in Reno this year as well so I got to see them twice! Smoke on and they're showing off their LED wingtip lights installed by Fry's Electronics. Reno, Nevada. |
 |
| Okay, it's not an airplane but the Coin Force Smoke 'n Thunder jet dragster is always an air show favorite; especially when there's some fire involved! Reno, Nevada. |
 |
| The British always had some cool names for their planes... The Commemorative Air Force's Supermarine 379 Spitfire FR14 parked in the pits during the Reno Air Races. Reno, Nevada. |
 |
| I was so thrilled to see this Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero (N712Z) of the Commemorative Air Force fly this year at the Reno Air Races. Reno, Nevada. |
 |
| It's always nice to catch aircraft from different parts of the world and a Brazilian Embraer is no exception! This years Jet Class Pace Plane at the Reno Air Races was this Embraer EMB-505 Phenom 300 (N900HT). Reno, Nevada. |
 |
| Racers for the 2013 Unlimited Warbird Class lined up for the final Gold Heat race waiting for the Pace Plane. In the foreground are the Patriot Jet Team's L-39s parked on the ramp. Reno, Nevada. |
Happy New Years everyone! The year 2013 is over, and in the world of aviation, we have seen quite a lot of things (both good and bad) play out this year:
- The 787 Dreamliner getting grounded for three months due to battery problems.
- U.S. Government sequester grounding much of the military from performing at air shows; many air shows throughout the country were cancelled.
- Drama concerning the merger of American Airlines and US Airways which eventually did go through.
- 2013 saw over 20 major incidents and accidents worldwide.
- Allowing the use of electronic devices on flights even during take-off/landing.
As for me, I did what I could keeping my passion for aviation alive. May the year 2014 be full great things to come, including more awesome photos! AND hopefully a better air show season this year, with military jets and demos!
Regards from your fellow aviation enthusiast,
Michael with a "K"
No comments:
Post a Comment