Gallery Review: New Year's Montage 2015

I wish you all a Happy New Year! 2015 was quite the year for me. For starters, all of my aviation photography this year was on my new Nikon D3200 DSLR camera and I was very pleased with how so many of my images turned out! Many of my photos certainly do look a lot more professional and I spent a lot of time this year getting to know my new photography platform and experimenting with the settings to get some of the best results an amateur photographer can ask for. No more, digital point-and-shoot photography for me! I took A TON of photos and it was very difficult to pick favorites because I liked how so many turned out. Therefore, I am changing up how I do these yearly montages from now on by picking out notable occurrences, events, and moments for me personally divided up by each month.

January 2015
Once again, the year started out with me going out to Rexburg, Idaho for school, this time for my final semester at Brigham Young University-Idaho as I was a few credits away from earning my general education Associates Degree. And while there, I went back to volunteering at my favorite place in Rexburg, the Legacy Flight Museum as I spent most of my weekends there for the duration of the semester! Aside from the museum, I got to go flying with my uncle once and that's about it; it would be a little while longer before I got to photograph some flying action...

North American T-28C Trojan (N328AK), the museum's latest acquisition.

My uncle's Mooney M20F Executive (N9716M) just before we went out flying.

February 2015
Again, other than museum work, the month of February was a slow one for me. But I also got some shots of aircraft in-flight during this month, which allowed me to get an idea how my images would turn out so I had quite a learning curve with my new camera. I just didn't expect it all to be helicopters!

Eurocopter AS350 B3 (N324BF) overflying the main campus of BYU-Idaho. I later found out that this helicopter caused quite a stink with the local community due to noise complaints. The student housing complex that was leasing this helicopter offered free air tours to BYU-Idaho students who signed on leases with them early enough. I even came across an online petition on Change.org to address the complaints people were having just two days after I took this photo! From my point of view, it was a rather amusing observance! The petition failed, by the way!

Enstrom 280C Shark (N106DA).

Life Flight Network AgustaWestland AW119 Koala (N596LF).

March 2015
As winter gave way to spring, things started to pick up. Pilots started flying a lot more with the advent of good weather and I finally snapped some photos of some fixed-wing aircraft in flight with my new camera. I even found time to make a trip down to Idaho Falls this month and I finally got some commercial airlines sighted in my camera viewfinder!

North American SNJ-5 Texan "Lil Ashlee" (N6900C).

Cessna 170 (N3910V).

Cirrus SR22 (N321BR).

Rutan VariEze (N410U).

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a Delta Connection) Bombardier CL-600-2D24 CRJ-900 NG NextGen (N822SK).

Cessna 525A Citation CJ2 (N96NA).

Gulfstream Aerospace G-V (N50KC).

Corporate Air (d/b/a FedEx Feeder) Cessna 208B Super Cargomaster (N991FE).

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a Delta Connection) Bombardier CL-600-2B19 CRJ-440 (N8884E). I was absolutely thrilled to catch this specially-configured CRJ-200 that once flew for Northwest Airlines in a 44 seat configuration! 

Ameriflight Fairchild SA-227AC Metro III (N838AF).

Allegiant Air McDonnell Douglas MD-83 (N883GA).

April 2015
My final semester at BYU-Idaho was a fast one! As quickly as it began, it ended so soon and I was glad because honestly, I was getting sick of and bored with the campus atmosphere of BYU-Idaho. Plus, I was ready to transfer to a new school and work on my Bachelors degree in aviation with an emphasis on becoming a pilot. BYU-Idaho did not offer the kind of education I was ultimately seeking so I already knew that I wouldn't be there the entire time as a college student. It was around this point that I decided to seek admission into Utah Valley University as a result. It was somewhat bittersweet, especially with my associates at the Legacy Flight Museum, knowing that it would probably be a long time before I would come back to visit... I made the most of my final few weeks in Idaho however, with a few notable highlights. I even took some time on my way home to check out places including a museum. And this month in particular marked the beginning of new aviation adventures in Oregon, as I was eager to explore some new places and photograph aircraft I never seen before! Highlights in Oregon include my first ever spotting trip down to Eugene's regional airport as well as my first round of spotting in Portland with my new camera!

North American P-51D Mustang "Section Eight" (NL2869D). This was a very pleasant surprise during my second-to-last day volunteering at the Legacy Flight Museum!

I really loved getting such an unprecedented close-up of the action!

Cessna 185F Skywagon (N469RP). It was so cool seeing it perform a soft-field takeoff!

Ameriflight Beechcraft C99 Airliner (N106SX).

Air Idaho Rescue Pilatus PC-12/45 (N129JW).

Air Idaho Rescue Bell 407 (N160AM) making an off-airport landing in Ashton, ID while I was spending a few days with my relatives after the semester officially ended.

North American P-51C Mustang "Boise Bee" (NX4651C) at the Warhawk Air Museum in Nampa, ID.

Curtiss P-40E Warhawk (NX94466).

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a United Express) Bombardier CL-600-2B19 CRJ-200LR (N969SW). One of my first shots from my very first time spotting at Mahlon Sweet Field in Eugene, OR.

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a American Eagle) Bombardier CL-600-2B19 CRJ-200LR (N417SW). This was my first time photographing the old American Eagle livery, so I was quite thrilled with this shot!

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a Delta Connection) Bombardier CL-600-2B19 CRJ-200LR (N460SW).

Horizon Air (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Bombardier DHC-8-401 Dash 8 Q400 (N404QX).

Israel Aircraft Industries IAI-1125 Astra (N777AM).

This was a neat shot, as it represents SkyWest Airlines' operations in Eugene.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-251 (N530US).

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-890 "Salmon Thirty Salmon II" (N559AS). I find great humor with the name of this special livery!

Horizon Air (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Bombardier Dash 8 DHC-8-401 Q400 (N400QX) in University of Idaho Vandals livery.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-3H4 (N622SW). I love it when I catch the right moment when the plane is smokin' the mains!

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-76N (N7723E). Photographing this was exciting because this was the first time I saw Southwest's new livery!

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a United Express) Embraer ERJ-170-200LR E-175LR (N110SY). This was also new to Portland, therefore my first time catching one of these E-jets in the United Express livery.

American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-83 (N9618A). Little did I know it, but MD-80s in Portland were soon to be a rare sight...

Compass Airlines (d/b/a Delta Connection) Embraer ERJ-170-200LR E-175LR (N620CZ).

US Airways (operated by American Airlines) Airbus A321-211 (N162UW). With the merger between American Airlines and US Airways completed and closed, it was a race to catch as many airframes in the latter's livery before they got repainted!

May 2015
The month of May was rather uneventful but I got in two exciting and heavy spotting trips to Portland. Two major highlights from my first spotting trip during the month of May was photographing a brand-new Boeing 777. The other is that American Airlines ended regularly scheduled flights into PDX with their MD-80s. This month in particular also saw Icelandair beginning weekly seasonal flights to Portland, expanding what PDX has to offer to Europe! And I got photograph the inaugural flight during my second spotting trip this month!

I am just blown away with the comparison between the 737-700 and 777-300/ER depicted in this photo!

Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-367/ER (B-KQY) prior to delivery. This was my first time photographing a 777-300/ER as well as my first time catching a Boeing test flight fresh out of the paint shop!

I was even more blown away by how quickly the flight rotated! The empty 777 used less runway than a Q400!!!

Getting airborne and I got the red anti-collision light!

And of course, check out some of that wing flex!

United Airlines Boeing 737-924/ER (N69819). This was my first time photographing a 737-900 in United colors.

Delta Air Lines McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30 (N904DA).

JetBlue Airways Airbus A320-232 "The Blues Were Made For Flying" (N760JB).

Horizon Air (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Bombardier Dash 8 DHC-8-402 Q400 (N414QX) in the San Diego State University Aztecs livery.

American Airlines Boeing 737-823 (N835NN). This was my first time photographing the new American Airlines livery since it was introduced back in 2013!

United Airlines Boeing 737-824 (N78524). This was my first time catching a United 737-800 sporting split scimitar winglets!

American Airlines Airbus A320-232 (N635AW). This was my first time photographing an A320 in the new American colors. This was also my first time catching a former US Airways airframe in post-merger colors.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 767-332 (N126DL). I was thrilled photograph a domestic 767-300 as they are a rather rare sight in Portland!

Delta Air Lines Boeing 767-332/ER (N199DN).

Air Canada Jazz Bombardier CL-600-2B19 CRJ-200ER (C-GJZJ). These old Jazz colors were disappearing quickly so I was glad to photograph them when they were still around...

American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-83 (N9403W). This was the last time I would see one American's old Mad Dogs in PDX on regularly scheduled service. The last official MD-80 flight operated by American was on June 3, 2015.

Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-323 (N817NW).

Horizon Air (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Bombardier Dash 8 DHC-8-402 Q400 (N437QX) in the Boise State University Broncos livery.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7AD (N798SW) sporting stickers for "Live in the Vineyard."

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a United Express) Embraer ERJ-170-200LR E-175LR (N109SY).

American Airlines Boeing 737-823 (N893NN). I was thrilled to catch the old American livery on a 737 on this trip!

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-8H4 (N8625A). This was my first time catching one of Southwest's 737-800s sporting split scimitar winglets!

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 (N959WN). I really liked how this photo turned out.

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-890 (N514AS). I got the red anti-collision strobe light in this shot!

Icelandair Boeing 757-25C "Hekla Aurora" (TF-FIU) commencing the inaugural flight from Portland to Reykjavik. Such a beautiful paint job!

This was one photo subject I completely fell in love with!!!

NetJets Cessna 750 Citation X (N795QS).

Jazz Air (d/b/a Air Canada Express) De Havilland Canada Dash 8 DHC-8-301 (G-GMON).

United Airlines Airbus A320-232 (N486UA).

Bombardier BD-700-1A10 Global Express (N881TS).

Compass Airlines (d/b/a Delta Connection) Embraer ERJ-170-200LR E-175LR (N616CZ).

June 2015
I was really looking forward to the month of June and the entire summer season as I had several events to look forward to. I attended two warbird-related events; the first was the Collings Foundation's Wings of Freedom tour, which stopped in Aurora Oregon this year. That also meant my first ever visit to the Aurora State Airport, situated half-way between Salem and Portland. The second event was the Warbirds Over the West fly-in hosted by the B-17 Alliance Group close to home in Salem. I got a little sunburned, but I was in airplane heaven! I also had the opportunity to check out the Independence State Airport near my home in south Salem and get some general aviation spotting in. June was by far the most eventful month of the year!

Collings Foundation Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress (NL93012) "Nine-O-Nine" during the Wings of Freedom Tour.

Collings Foundation Consolidated B-24J Liberator (NX224J) "Witchcraft."

Columbia Helicopters, Inc. Beechcraft 200C Super King Air (N111NS).

Cessna 750 Citation X (N896RJ).

Life Flight Network Pilatus PC-12/47E (N661LF).

Blue Skies Air LLC Douglas DC-3A (N18121) in retro Eastern Air Lines The Great Silver Fleet livery flying into Warbirds Over the West 2015. I've seen many DC-3s on display at museums before, but this was my first time seeing one fly!

The West Coast Ravens demonstrating formation flying at Warbirds Over the West 2015.

Historic Flight Foundation North American B-25D Mitchell (N88972) "Grumpy" performing a fly-by at Warbirds Over the West 2015.

Vultee BT-13A Valiant (N53331) "My Mistress" doing a fly-by at Warbirds Over the West 2015. This was also my first time seeing a BT-13 in flight!

Van's RV-14A (N214VA). This is the prototype RV-14, the first ever built.

Aermacchi AM.3C (N949CM) on display at Warbirds Over the West 2015. Every year, I always photograph an aircraft that I've never heard of before, usually rare types built in European countries.

Diamond HK36TC Super Dimona (N641TT).

New Standard D-25 (N930V). Another rare vintage I was privileged to photograph!

Piper PA-46-500TP Malibu Meridian (N713WA).

Cessna 560 Citation V (N62WD).

Flight Design CTSW (N248CT). 

Glasair GlaStar (N50RJ). This was the first GlaStar built!

Marquart MA-5 Charger (N42879).

Cessna 560 Citation V (N904LR).

Cessna 680 Citation Sovereign (N499GB).

Fournier RF-5B Sperber (N55SM). This is what I love about small general aviation airports; you never know what unique aircraft type you're going to find! Also, if you're visiting Independence, Oregon, I highly recommend the Starduster Cafe at the airport for breakfast!

Van's RV-9A (N954RC). I just love the sea turtles painted on the vertical stabilizer!

Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage (N345MM).

Cessna 140 (N3625V). Another vintage general aviation aircraft!

July 2015
July was also a pretty eventful month. I got in one major spotting trip up to Portland again. This time, the highlight was photographing Condor Airlines, another European carrier that began service to PDX with flights to Frankfurt, Germany in June. The other major even of the month was the 2015 Oregon International Air Show in Hillsboro, with the United States Navy Blue Angels as the show headliner. For me, it's been six years since I last saw the Blues!

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-890 (N569AS) in the "Starliner 75" retro livery. This was my first time catching an active retro livery!

Delta Air Lines Boeing 717-2BD (N967AT). Delta only just brought the 717 out to the west coast this year and this was my first time seeing one in person!

Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-323 (N808NW).

United States Air Force Gulfstream Aerospace C-37A G-V (01-0065) operating as "Mango 65," one of the coolest callsigns I've ever heard!

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-8H4 (N8653A). This was my first time catching a Southwest 737-800 in the new livery sporting a pair of split-scimitar winglets.

Horizon Air (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 (N401QX) in Washington State University Cougars livery. 

US Airways (operated by American Airlines) Airbus A320-232 (N677AW). With the US Airways brand and livery quickly disappearing, I was glad to photograph these airframes while they lasted...

SkyWest Airlines Bombardier CL-600-2B19 CRJ-100ER (N594SW). The CRJ-100 has become a rather rare sight, with SkyWest operating only a handful of them. I was glad I photographed one of these in PDX when the opportunity presented itself!

Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-351 (N581NW). I keep forgetting how long the 757-300 really is!

Delta Air Lines Boeing 767-332/ER (N187DN).

Air Canada Jazz Bombardier CL-600-2B19 CRJ-200ER (C-GJZZ).

Condor Flugdienst Boeing 767-330/ER (D-ABUE) in the Janosch special livery. I never expected that my first shot at a Condor flight would be a special livery! Condor began flying between Portland and Frankfurt on June 19, 2015.

JetBlue Airways Airbus A320-232 (N519JB) "It Had To Be Blue."

NetJets Gulfstream Aerospace G200 (N740QS).

Jazz Air (d/b/a Air Canada Express) De Havilland Canada Dash 8 DHC-8-301 (C-GVTA).

Vought F4U-7 Corsair (NX1337A) on display at the 2015 Oregon International Air Show. The Corsair looks cool with the wings folded; it looks as if it's giving a salute!

United States Air Force De Havilland Canada UV-18B/DHC-6-300 Twin Otter (N70465/77-0465). This was my first time seeing a Twin Otter in action!

Lockheed EP-3E Aries II (160764) of Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron VQ-1 "World Watchers" from NAS Whidbey Island performing a surprise fly-by. This was my first time seeing a P-3 in flight! 

Interstate S-1A-65F Cadet (NC37428) flown by Kent Pietsch performing a deadstick landing.

Stearman PT-17/R985 Kaydet (A75N1) (N63529) with Vicky Benzing at the controls.

Commemorative Air Force Red Tail Squadron's North American P-51C Mustang (NL61429) "Tuskegee Airmen, By Request" performing a photo pass. I have waited a long to see this special P-51!

Canadair CT-133 Silver Star 3 (CL-30) "Ace Maker II" (N133HH) with Greg "Wired" Colyer at the controls performing a photo pass. Another aircraft with a special jet warbird scheme I've waited a while to photograph since Colyer acquired this airframe for his show routine in 2014.

IAR-823 (N823WT) with Steve Stavrakakis at the controls. I've seen this aircraft on display several times in several places, but I've never seen one of these fly.

Steve Hinton, Ed Shipley, and Dan Friedkin flying 3-ship in the F-86 Sabre as the Bremont Horsemen Flight Team, my all-time, hands-down, favorite civilian warbird air show performance!

Choreographed to the music written by the late-James Horner, who was tragically killed this year in a plane crash on June 22, 2015, I could not hold back tears as this performance occurred because I've been an avid fan of Horner's scores. The Horsemen dedicated their entire 2015 air show season in honor of James Horner, the 4th Horseman of the group.

The Horsemen coming in for a 3-ship photo pass.

This has got to be my all-time favorite shot! I even made this my screensaver!

The Horsemen in an overhead pass before breaking formation. The F-86 is a beautiful aircraft from all angles. The Sabre is perhaps my favorite jet-warbird.

North American F-86F Sabre (NX186AM) "Jolley Roger" with Dan Friedkin at the controls.

North American F-86F Sabre (NX860AG) with Steve Hinton at the controls.

Canadair CL-13B Sabre 6 (NX1F) "Hell-er Bust X" with Ed Shipley at the controls.

A comical moment between Kent Pietsch and Dan Buchanan, where Pietsch "stole" streams from Buchanan!

Northwing Pulse 10 Meter (N62073) hang glider flown by paraplegic Dan Buchanan.

Sukhoi Su-29 (N699SU) with Renny Price at the controls.

Horizon Air (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Bombardier DHC-8-401 Dash 8 Q400 (N407QX) in the University of Oregon Ducks livery performing a fly-by. Alaska Airlines is a principle flying sponsor for the air show.

Start & Flug H-101 Salto (N101AZ) with Bob Carlton at the controls.

North American P-51D Mustang (N151AF) "Val-Halla" with Greg Anders at the controls. Aircraft owned by Apollo 8 astronaut, William "Bill" Anders.

Lockheed Martin F-16CM Fighting Falcon (91-0376) from the 20th Fighter Wing, based at Shaw Air Force Base, SC with Captain Craig Baker, callsign, "Rocket" at the controls.

"Rocket" performing a photo pass.

United States Air Force Heritage Flight first pass. Three generations of American air power in one photo!

USAF Heritage Flight second pass.

USAF Heritage Flight third pass. It's always a privilege to get shots like this!

MX Aircraft MXS (N530JK) with John Klatt at the controls.

United States Marine Corps Lockheed C-130T Hercules (164763) "Fat Albert" on a photo pass.

The C-130 has always been such a versatile and durable heavy-lift transport.

"Fat Albert" coming in for a fast landing!

The 4-ship Diamond in very tight formation.

The solos with gear and tailhooks down.

The Diamond with gear and tailhooks down.

The Diamond double farvel formation.

The Diamond flying the echelon.

The solos performing the "Section High Alpha."

All six jets in the Delta.

Final pass from the Delta formation.

August 2015
August was a really slow month. I was bogged down with work and I often found myself too exhausted to do any of the things I normally liked to do. The one major highlight for me during this month was photographing a Boeing 747-400 in one of the most unlikeliest places: Eugene, Oregon!

LearJet 60 (N860PD).

United Airlines Boeing 747-422 (N122UA) on a military charter. I never would've expected to catch one of these at a regional airport like the one at Eugene! Definitely a highlight of the month!

Horizon Air (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 (N438QX).

Horizon Air (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 (N422QX).

Empire Airlines (d/b/a FedEx Feeder) Cessna 208B Super Cargomaster (N700FX).

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a United Express) Bombardier CL-600-2C10 CRJ-701ER (N783SK).

September 2015
The month of September was another eventful month! The transition between summer and fall included another major spotting trip up to Portland with a few notable highlights. I also had another warbird-related event close to home in Salem involving a B-17 from the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). And of course, the big deal of the month was a trip down to Reno, Nevada for the National Championship Air Races, which I miraculously managed to get time off from work for!

Air Canada Jazz Bombardier CL-600-2B19 CRJ-200ER (C-FIJA).

Horizon Air (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 (N446QX).

Cessna 750 Citation X+ (N68ES). This was my first time seeing one of these upgraded biz jets!

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-990/ER (N453AS) with the "Go Russell" banner.

Condor Flugdienst Boeing 767-330/ER (D-ABUD). First time catching the standard Condor/Thomas Cook livery!

JetBlue Airways Airbus A320-232 (N656JB) "California Blue."

US Airways (operated by American Airlines) Airbus A320-232 (N601AW). This would be the last time I would see this livery while the US Airways brand technically existed before American Airlines retired it on October 16, 2016.

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-790 (N615AS). This was my first time seeing the "new" or rather subtly-revised Alaska Airlines livery!

Jazz Air (d/b/a Air Canada Express) De Havilland  Canada DHC-8-311 (C-FTAK).

JetSuite Embraer EMB-500 Phenom 100 (N582JS).

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a United Express) Bombardier CL-600-2C10 CRJ-701ER (N712SK).

Icelandair Boeing 757-23N (TF-FIC) "Magni."

Just imagine hundreds of these droning overhead back in the day...

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress (N5017N) "Aluminum Overcast."

I got to see two airworthy B-17s this year!

Cessna 550 Citation II (N458N).

Mercy Flights Bell 407 (N119MF).

Extra EA-300L (N311EX) sponsored by Breitling with aerobatics pilot David Martin at the controls.

Hmmm... I thought I saw this Mooeny somewhere else; I just can't put my finger on it... ;-)

Pipistrel Sinus (N6717P). This was my first time seeing one of these unique planes.

United States Air Force/Nevada Air National Guard Lockheed C-130H Hercules (79-0477) of the 152nd Airlift Wing "The High Rollers" at the 52nd National Championship Air Races.

Dassault Aviation Falcon 7X (N715FJ).

United States Air Force Lockheed F-16CM Fighting Falcon (91-0398) from the 20th Fighter Wing, based at Shaw Air Force Base with Captain Craig Baker, callsign, "Rocket" at the controls. I got to see the the F-16 Viper demo twice this year.

USAF Heritage Flight first pass.

USAF Heritage Flight second pass.

USAF Heritage Flight third pass.

North American P-51D Mustang (NL7715C) "Wee Willy II."

Captain Baker rolling out the Viper on landing, passing the Reno Home Pylon.

North American TF-51D Mustang (NL327DB) Race #81 "Lady Jo."

Hawker Sea Fury T20 (N924G) Race #924.

North American P-51D Mustang (N64824) Race #31 "Speedball Alice."

North American P-51D Mustang (NL26PW) Race #4 "Grim Reaper."

North American P-51D Mustang (N151CF) Race #12 "The Rebel." 

North American P-51D Mustang (NL151D) Race #44 "Sparky." 

Canadair (CL-30) CT-133 Silver Star 3 (NX377JP)"Pacemaker" with none other than Steve Hinton at the controls.

Another major highlight of the year was seeing the Breitling Jet Team, the largest civilian formation flight team all the way from France for the first time this year. Here they are making a pass in the Avenger Formation.

The B1 Formation.

The Chronomat Formation.

The signature formation of the Breitling Jet Team, the Blackbird. Folks here in the states are used to 6-ship formation teams, but a 7-ship formation really brings out a whole new dynamic!

6-ship photo pass.

Aero L-39C Albatros (N139RM) Race #54 "Robin 1."

Aero L-39 Albatros (N757SF) Race #25 "Czech 6."

Aero L-39C Albatros (VH-IJY) Race #66 "True Blue."

Aero L-139 Albatros 2000 (N1390A) Race #139 "Darkstar."

Aero L-39 Albatros (N139BJ) Race #5 "American Spirit."

De Havilland DH-115 Vampire T55 (N4861K) Race #24. I was really excited to see a DH Vampire fly in the jet races this year. But there was more excitement to come from this "black sheep!"

Aero L-39 Albatros (N139AJ) Race #8 "Fast Company."

Embraer EMB-505 Phenom 300 (N900HT).

This year's jet class was by far one of the most exciting! It was unprecedented, but the DH Vampire won the jet class race, which was just surprising!

The Commemorative Air Force "Tora! Tora! Tora" Squadron was also a pretty neat highlight from this year. 

Modified airframes from the North American T-6/SNJ family used in the 1970 film "Tora! Tora! Tora!"

North American B-25J Mitchell (N747AF) "Russian Ta Get Ya!"

I love the camouflage and sexy nose art on this B-25! I've actually waited a few years to see this B-25 and I finally got to see it this year! 

Hawker Sea Fury FB11 (N19SF) Race #114 "Argonaut."

Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat G-58 (N777L) Race #77 "Rare Bear."

North American P-51D Mustang (N71FT) Race #7 "Strega."

North American P-51D Mustang (N551VC) Race #5 "Voodoo."

Hawker Sea Fury T20 (NX20SF) Race #8 "Dreadnought."

Hawker Sea Fury FB10 (N71GB) Race #71 "Sawbones."

Grumman (General Motors) TBM-3E Avenger (N3969A).

North American P-51B Mustang (N515ZB) "Berlin Express." Talk about a rare sight to catch one of these!

Lockheed 12-A Electra Junior (NC14999).

Fairchild A-10C Thunderbolt II (78-0625) from the Idaho Air National Guard's 124th Fighter Wing.

Fairchild A-10C Thunderbolt II (78-0611) from the Idaho Air National Guard's 124th Fighter Wing.

Oregon Air National Guard McDonnell Douglas F-15D Eagle (78-0569) from the 173rd Fighter Wing out of Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base.

United States Air Force General Atomics MQ-1B Reaper (00-0432).

United States Air Force/Hawaii Air National Guard Boeing C-17A Globemaster III (05-5147) from the 154th Wing's 15th Airlift Wing.

Pilatus PC-6/B2-H2 Turbo-Porter (N156PC). This was the firs time I've seen one these unique STOL-capable turboprops.

Aero L-29 Delfín (VH-XET) Race #61 "Miss Independence."

Aero L-29 Delfín (N50DG) Race #6 "Sluggo."

Aero L-39 Albatros (NX39AY), Race #39 "Blue Merlin." Sadly, on December 6, 2015, this aircraft crashed at the Apple Valley Airport in California, taking the life of pilot Mike Mangold and one other passenger. It just sends chills down my spine seeing a photo of this jet, knowing that it crashed a few months after I took the photo. I dedicate this photo in memory of the two individuals who died in this jet air racer.

Aero L-39C Albatros (NX139UK) Race #15 "Reality Czech."

Aero L-39C Albatros (N139PJ) Race #33 "Blue Streak."

Aero L-39C Albatros (N810RC) Race #10 "Riff Raff."

PZL-Mielec TS-11 Iskra (N315JB) Race #1 "Hot Section."

Epic Aircraft LT (N850DV).

Beechcraft Model C18S "Twin Beech" (N6409J).

Learjet 28 (N500LG).

Let C-11 (NX25YK) Race #92 "Lylia."

The Breiting Jet Team's Final Salute, which involved flares!

This was absolutely beautiful as I've never seen flares used at an air show before!

Lancair Evolution (N698W).

Cessna 172S Skyhawk (N2291C).

Seeing off my uncle and his entourage in the Mooney M20F Executive (N9716M) departing Nervino Airport in Beckwourth, CA just outside of Reno at the end of race weekend.

This was one of my more unique images from the year. A beautiful lunar eclipse and better yet, I had an aircraft cross the frame and got in a long exposure shot and this was the end result!

October 2015
Unfortunately for me, October was a rather uneventful month. So uneventful, that I didn't get any aviation photography in at all. Work schedules and routines for me changed yet again and I was finding myself really exhausted most days. And to top it off, typical fall weather in Oregon meant rain nonstop. Considering the rather eventful summer I had with all the shows and fly-ins, I figured taking a break from all my aviation-related activities was totally acceptable...

November 2015
Again, another uneventful month. Fall and winter months in Oregon aren't all that great in my opinion. However, I did get one more big spotting trip up to Portland during my Thanksgiving break from work before the year wound down, which included a few notable highlights consisting of certain airline liveries. Also, I got accepted into Utah Valley University's Aviation Science program, so I had something else to look forward to.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 767-332/ER (N16065) adorned with the "Andrew Young - Atlanta's Ambassador to the World" sticker.

Cessna 560XL Citation Excel (N760ED). Note the Oregon Ducks "O" used in the N-number!

United Airlines Boeing 737-924/ER (N69830).

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-790 (N607AS) in the Portland Timbers. I've been waiting a long time to get a decent shot of the Timbersjet!

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Embraer ERJ-170-200LR E-175LR (N173SY). My first time seeing the new E-jet operating on the behalf of Alaska Airlines!

Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-251 (N537US).

Jazz Air (d/b/a Air Canada Express) De Havilland Canada DHC-8-301 Dash 8 (C-GETA).

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Embraer ERJ-170-200LR E-175LR (N171SY).

Frontier Airlines Airbus A320-214 (N232FR) "Sammy the Squirrel." This was my first time photographing the new Frontier Airlines livery and my first time catching a narrow-body Airbus sporting sharklets!

American Airlines Airbus A319-132 (N803AW). This was my first time photographing an A319 in the new American livery.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 737-932/ER (N815DN). This was the first time I saw a 737-900 in the Delta livery.

London Air Service (LAS) Learjet 45 (C-FBCL).

Learjet 31A (N535PS).

Delta Air Lines Boeing 717-2BD (N938AT).

Cessna 510 Citation Mustang (N1245).

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a Delta Connection) Bombardier CL-600-2B19 CRJ-200LR (N442SW). I have not seen a short CRJ in the the Delta Connection livery at PDX before, so this was a pretty rare sight.

Peninsula Airways-PenAir Saab 340B/Plus (N410XJ). This was my first time seeing a PenAir aircraft as well as the first Saab 340 I've photographed!

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-890 (N512AS) "Spirit of Seattle." Another of many special liveries in Alaska Airlines' fleet that I've waited a long time to photograph!

December 2015
And once again, we come to the end of the year! However, with all the buzz with the holidays and work, I've been so busy that I haven't been able to do any of things I want. I've been pretty much worked into the ground that I'm too exhausted to go do any kind of planespotting or even get in a museum visit. The only thing worth noting is photographing a Beechcraft 1900D close to home in Salem.

Erickson Aviation Beech 1900D (N105EV). My first time seeing and photographing the 1900D model during the holiday season where cargo carriers upgauge their equipment as well as contract additional flights to meet demand. I suppose this was an okay way to end the year on.

Well, Happy New Year everyone! Hope you've enjoyed looking through my photos as much as I've enjoyed taking them. And thank you all for following along in my personal adventures as I slowly, but surely continue to immerse myself in aviation and eventually go into the actual industry myself. Thank you for following along as I continually make greater improvements in my amateur photography. May we all look back on the past years in a moment of reflection and recall all the great things that were accomplished. And may the new year be filled with greater hopes and successes. Here's the greater things to come for the year 2016!