In stark contrast to the rainy spotting day I had at PDX just four days ago, today was an absolutely gorgeous morning as we have some sunny weather for the weekend! This morning I went down to Eugene Airport to try some mid-morning spotting and chase down a rare 'Mad Dog.' For those unfamiliar with the term 'Mad Dog' in aviation, it's a nickname of the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 (playing off from the "MD-" abbreviation). How this term came to be is somewhat of an urban legend; pilots who fly the MD-80 say when they pressed a so-called "Go-Around Button," the throttles go all the way to full power, the nose shoots up, the airplane rattles and roars like never before. In other words, the MD-80 just goes crazy and sounded like a mad dog when a go-around (an aborted landing) is initiated. As for the existence of a so-called "Go-Around Button," there's probably no such thing but the urban legend continues to live so long as people use the term "Mad Dog." Hence the origin of the "Mad Dog."
Thanks to FlightAware, I noticed this charter flight operated by World Atlantic Airways, which I've never heard of; most likely a college game charter for March Madness. So given the fact that there was an opportunity to photograph a new airline and get myself an MD-80, which is something that's become a rare sight here in Oregon
since American Airlines stopped flying MD-80s into Portland last summer, it was reason enough to go to an airport that's usually quiet most of the day to photograph a few airplanes in addition to my intended subject. Here's the link:
Eugene (EUG) 3
Preview:
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| Horizon Air Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 airborne after departing on 16R for Portland as QXE2036. Compared to Portland, I really enjoy shooting from this particular angle when flights are departing out of Eugene on 16R. Also, I didn't notice until now, but I got some prop vortices in this shot! |
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| SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a United Express) Bombardier CL-600-2B16 CRJ-200LR (N920SW) taxiing to the gate after arrival from San Francisco as SKW5632. While CRJ-100s and 200s are a rare sight at PDX now, you can sill catch them with relative ease at Eugene! |
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| World Atlantic Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-83 (N807WA) named "Ray Bradley" taxiing for departure as WAL206 for Montgomery Regional Airport (KMGM/MGM) in Montgomery, Alabama. |
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| Based at Miami International Airport, World Atlantic operates on-demand and scheduled charter services using a fleet of 6 MD-80s (one MD-82 and five MD-83s). This is the first MD-80 I've gotten to photograph this year and I have to admit, I really miss seeing these all over the place. There's just something about old, smokey, loud jet airliners that thrills spotters such as myself... |
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| Beechcraft M35 Bonanza (N9745R) airborne after departing via 16R. |
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| WAL206 airborne after departing 16R. Eugene Airport's Runway 16R/34L is 8,000 feet long. This MD-83 used up almost the entire runway! |
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| This was definitely the catch of the day! |
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| NetJets Bombardier BD-100-1A10 Challenger 350 (N770QS) airborne after departure from 16R as EJA770 for Kissimme Gateway, Florida. |
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| SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a United Express) Bombardier CL-600-2B16 CRJ-200LR (N920SW) airborne after departure from 16R as SKW5392 for the return-trip to San Francisco. |
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| Beechcraft B300 Super King Air (N291DB) airborne after departure from 16R. |
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