Gallery Update: Ole Yeller is Back!

If you've been looking at my recent photos from the Legacy Flight Museum from this year so far, you might have noticed that a very famous P-51D Mustang nicknamed 'Ole Yeller' once owned by Bob Hoover has been absent. Well, it has been in St. George, Utah for the winter but now she's back in Rexburg! I decided on a whim to head over to the Legacy Flight Museum to help out a little bit and my timing could not have been better when I found out 'Ole Yeller' was being brought back to Rexburg! I captured her arrival into Rexburg and she taxied right into the museum hangar! The following links have the photos of 'Ole Yeller' I took as she arrived today:

Rexburg (RXE) 5

Legacy Flight Museum Revisits (Updated)

Here she is in all of her glory:

Touch down on RXE's runway 17.

Taxied straight into the hangar like a boss!

Inside the museum. It is great to see this P-51 again!

Gallery Update: Playing "Observer" at St. Anthony

I'm spending the weekend with my relatives and my uncle took me flying around St. Anthony, Idaho again. Of course I took some photos; after flying, my uncle practiced the pattern in a two-seat tail-dragger with a student pilot and I got to observe and practice photographing fast movement. Not only that, I got some action shots for the first time at St. Anthony as a result. Here are the links:

General Aviation Wings (Updated)

St. Anthony (U12) 5

Funny thing is, I only photographed three airplanes at the airport and yet this photo album consists of 50 photos total. How that happened, I do not know. Here's a preview:

My uncle's Mooney M20 (N9716M) sitting pretty in its hangar.

A Denny Kitfox (N79JW) parked on the ramp.

My uncle practicing touch-and-goes in a Piel Emeraude (N5TX).

Gallery Update: Improvements from last time...

Remember in my recent post about screwing up a shot I could have gotten in my latest photo shoot from Idaho Falls regarding an Allegiant Air MD-80 at take-off? Well, I couldn't live with my first shot of Allegiant being ruined by the chain link fence so I decided to try again. Allegiant flies into Idaho Falls on Thursdays and Sundays so I went in the morning because of nice weather; it was windy when I went spotting but it was worth it because I pretty much nailed the shot I was looking for. I may be an amateur aviation photographer but I'm proud of the shot I got because of the angle from which it was shot. Here's the link:

Idaho Falls (IDA) 4

Here's the preview, including the shot I'm proud of:

Allegiant Air's MD-80 departing IDA for Las Vegas (LAS). The downside about this angle is being unable to identify the tail number. But I believe this is an MD-82 (N417NV). (Source: FlightAware)

Seeing this Twin Beech D18S (N90552) working the pattern at IDA was a surprise but quite a treat nonetheless, making this trip a whole lot more worthwhile.

Gallery Update: More Photos from Rexburg

I spent the afternoon volunteering at the Legacy Flight Museum once again and I got a chance to take some photos on the ramp. Unlike last week however, there weren't any take-offs or landings to be seen.

Here's the link:

Rexburg (RXE) 4

And the preview:

Rexburg-Madison County Airport does see scheduled cargo-feeder service.
Parked on the FBO/cargo ramp is an Ameriflight Beechcraft C99 Airliner (N6199D). This aircraft saw service previously with now-defunct Wings West Airlines under contract for American Eagle Airlines out of Los Angeles back in the 1980s.

Gallery Update: Finally Photographed Allegiant!

This time I went planespotting in Idaho Falls and finally went after some of the commercial traffic that flies there, specifically to photograph an Allegiant Air MD-80. I normally wouldn't go planespotting unless I had reason to be there but I figured it was a nice day weather-wise and I just had to photograph an Allegiant Air livery after not having done so before. Allegiant is one major U.S. airline that has been eluding my camera lenses for some time (another being Hawaiian Airlines) up until today, mainly because of the airline's unique low-cost business model, which is flying less frequently and flying into secondary airports away from most commercial traffic at primary airports. My spotting vantage point was a soccer field just west of the main runway threshold. It was pretty good spotting, minus the cursed chain link fence that partially obstructed the view.

Here's the link:

Idaho Falls (IDA) 3

Preview:

Allegiant Air McDonnell Douglas MD-88 (N401NV) having just arrived from Phoeniz-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA).

I intend to get a better, unobstructed shot of an Allegiant bird next time. I had a chance for close-up take-off shot but I screwed it up... Next time.

I pretty much saw every carrier that serves IDA since I also saw SkyWest regional jets in Delta and United colors:

SkyWest Airlines in United Express livery Canadair CL-600-2B19 CRJ-200LR (N969SW) having just arrived from Denver.

Although, the Delta Connection-SkyWest CRJ turned off the active runway early after arriving from Salt Lake City.

I critiqued Idaho Falls before in terms of a spotting location and it's definitely not the best, now that I know there are semi-unobstructed views that is, if you don't mind the chain link fence...

Gallery Update: Warming Up Little By Little

It's a new month and that means a transition in seasons. Things are beginning to warm up here in Rexburg and once again, I found myself at the Legacy Flight Museum. It was another slow day in terms of visitors so that allowed me an opportunity to take some pictures from the ramp. This time, there was some flight activity going on but I still wouldn't call it "Active." But as it starts getting warmer, more flying activity will be taking place, including test flights from the Legacy Flight Museum in preparation for the 2014 Rexburg Air Show scheduled for this June; I'll be sure to get photos of that!

In the meantime, here's a small update with more photos from Rexburg-Madison County Airport:

Rexburg (RXE) 3

And a preview:

A definite visitor parked out on the ramp is this Cessna 401A (N401PC).

Maule M-4-220C (N2058U) departing RXE.

A Cessna 180 departing RXE; it's paint scheme makes it difficult to identify the tail number.

Special Liveries & Paint Jobs Volume II: A Tribute to Retro (and soon-to-be Retro) Airline Liveries

Last time I did a montage on aircraft liveries, I tackled special commemorative liveries and one-of-a-kind paint jobs. One aspect of aviation history I appreciate is the various airline liveries applied to their fleets over the years. Some like Northwest Airlines is pretty much long gone, with the exception of some faded boneyard airframes that were never consolidated into the Delta fleet. Though, I've yet to see my first actual "retro" livery on a modern airliner (like US Airways' America West, Piedmont, Allegheny and Pacific Southwest heritage liveries, United/Continental retro heritage liveries, or American's Astrojet, to name a few ), there are historical DC-3s and such in the hands of private owners/organizations and museums painted in airline liveries that are truly retro. This time, how about a montage of some retro airline liveries on preserved aircraft that you just don't see anymore? In addition to that, I've been looking back at my photo collection and I've found some photos depicting airline liveries that are either just about gone or recently gone.

Preserved History

This Douglas DC-3C (NC33611) is in a post-war Pan American World Airways named 'Clipper Tabitha May'; on static display at the Reno Air Races.
Reno, Nevada. 

 This Douglas DC-3C (N814CL) painted in United Airlines livery, 'Mainliner O' Connor' is owned by famous aviator Clay Lacy; on static display at the Reno Air Races.
Reno, Nevada. 

Douglas DC-3A (N18121) owned by Blue Skies Air is in Eastern Air Lines 'The Great Silver Fleet' colors; on static display at the Oregon International Air Show.
Hillsboro, Oregon.

The sole surviving Boeing Model 80A-1 (NC224M) in launch customer United Air Lines colors from way back in the day on display at the Museum of Flight.
Seattle, Washington.

 A Douglas DC-3-277C painted in retro Alaska Airlines on display at the Museum of Flight.
Seattle, Washington.

Evergreen International Airlines Ford 5-AT-B Tri-Motor (NC9645), the "City of McMinnville" preserved at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum.
McMinnville, Oregon.

Recently Gone/Soon To Be Gone

Though I wouldn't consider this "retro" just yet, Japan Airlines has since gone back from their "Arc of the Sun" livery to the "Tsurumaru" (crane circle). Pictured here is a Boeing 767-346 (JA8268) still in the "Arc of the Sun" livery on push-back prior to departure from Komatsu Airport (KMQ).
Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.

This Horizon Air livery is definitely long gone! This De Havilland Canada DHC-8-402Q Dash 8 (N424QX) pictured is departing Portland International Airport (PDX). This was the very last Dash 8 Q400 with the Horizon Air livery before the whole fleet was finally re-branded in sister-carrier Alaska Airline's Alaska-Horizon livery. However, unlike most Q400s in the current fleet, this one was simply removed from the Horizon Air fleet and did not get the updated Alaska-Horizon livery.
Portland, Oregon.

"Battleship Grey" on a SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a United Express) Embraer EMB-120ER Brasilia (N295SW) taxiing out for departure out of Portland International.
Portland, Oregon.

The latest "Tulip" livery on a SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a United Express) Embraer EMB-120ER Brasilia (N563SW) having just arrived into Portland International.
Portland, Oregon.

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a United Express) Canadair CL-600-2B19 CRJ-200LR (N924SW) with latest "Tulip" livery taxiing for departure at Portland International Airport (PDX).
Portland, Oregon.

United Airlines Airbus A319-131 (N809UA) in the latest "Tulip" livery taxiing for departure at Portland International Airport (PDX).
Portland, Oregon.

Air Canada Jazz De Havilland Canada DHC-8-311 (C-GABP) with green "Jazz" title departing Portland (PDX).
Portland, Oregon.

Air Canada Jazz Canadair CL-600-2B19 CRJ-200ER (C-GGJA) with orange "Jazz" title taxiing for departure at Portland (PDX).
Portland, Oregon.

Another Air Canada Jazz Dash-8 in red "Jazz" title parked at PDX. Can't tell the tail number though...
Portland, Oregon.

Though American Airlines still has a ways to go before their newest livery is applied to their entire fleet, time for the traditional "AA logo" is limited. Not only that, but the MD-80s in American's fleet will be retired as well! Pictured here is an American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-83 (N9628W) on its take-off roll for departure out of Portland (PDX).
Portland, Oregon.

And let's not forget US Airways, which has officially merged with American Airlines. Catch US Airways liveries while you can because in a few short years, they'll all be sporting "the new American" livery. Pictured here is a US Airways A321-211 (N161UW) taxiing for departure at Portland International (PDX).
Portland, Oregon.