Gallery Update: Chasing an Allegiant Airbus A320

Now that Allegiant Air has brought their Airbus A320s out west, it's a matter of chasing each one down whenever they bring one in and keeping tabs on the N-numbers. This morning, I went after another A320 flying into Provo from Phoenix-Mesa; this is only the third time so far that Allegiant's used an A320 for scheduled operations into Provo.

Provo (PVU) 57

Preview:

Allegiant Air Airbus A320-214 (N229NV) arriving on 31 as AAY132 from Phoenix-Mesa.

AAY132 taxiing to the TAC Air terminal parking. This 20-year old A320 has quite a history of operators prior to acquisition by Allegiant. Previously flew for the now-defunct Hamburg Airways as D-AHHG.

Gallery Update: Jet Smorgasbord at Spanish Fork

As the title implies, there was quite a bit of jet activity at Spanish Fork while I was at work today. Of course, whenever there were jets flying in or out, regular activity halts for a moment so we could watch and observe, dreaming of the ultimate goals for our respective careers, seeing where we could end up in our flying careers. And given the proximity to Provo, it's always surprising to see jets at Spanish Fork at all!

Spanish Fork-Springville (SPK) 28

Preview:

Cessna 525 CitationJet (N526CP) taxiing to 30 for departure to St. George. This is an original 525 Citation model!

N526CP beginning takeoff roll on 30 for St. George Regional.

Cessna 560 Citation Ultra (N561DA) taxiing to 30 for departure to Henderson, Nevada. At the controls is my boss from work!

N561DA on takeoff roll on 30 for Henderson Executive.

N526CP on short-final for 30 returning from St. George.

Cessna 560XL Citation Excel (N75PS) on short final for 30.

Mooney M20K 231 (N231AS) on short final for 30 working the pattern.

Piper PA-22-135 Tri-Pacer (N3514A) parked on the ramp.

Mountain West Helicopters Bell UH-1H Iroqouis (N58468) arriving over 30 working the pattern. It's been a year since I last saw this "Huey."

Twin Otter International De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 (N615AR) taxiing to 30 for departure for an aerial survey mission.

Backcountry Super Cubs Super Cub Replica (N1698K) on short final for 30.

Raytheon Hawker 800XP (N47HA) taxiing to 30 for departure to Las Vegas after spending several hours on the ground at Spanish Fork.

Cessna M377 O-2A Super Skymaster (N102WB) taxiing to the hangars after picking up some fuel from the self-serve pumps.

N47HA beginning takeoff roll on 30 for Las Vegas.

Beechcraft B300 Super King Air 350i (N154KF) taxiing to 30 for departure as ARCAT55 for Victorville-Southern California Logistics Airport.

A Sight No More: Farewell to Virgin America

Today marks the end of another era in U.S. commercial aviation with the retirement of the Virgin America brand by the Alaska Airlines Group. In 2004, the Virgin Group announced the founding of Virgin USA, an American-based low-fare airline. After considering several locations, the Virgin Group chose the San Francisco Bay Area for the airline's main hub and corporate headquarters.

The airline began scheduled operations on August 8, 2007 with two inaugural flights on two city-pairs: San Francisco to New York and San Francisco to Los Angeles. From conception, Virgin America grew to serve 24 destinations at major cities across the United States. The airline began operations with Airbus A319s and A320s. In January 2011, the airline announced a firm order for new A320s, including the A320 and A321 neo models.

And on April 4, 2016, the Alaska Air Group announced that it had agreed to buy Virgin America for $2.6 billion, which included their debts and aircraft leases, for a net worth of approximately $4 billion. The merger was approved by shareholders in July 2016. Following approval from the Department of Justice, the merger was officially closed in December 2016. And on January 10, 2018 Virgin America flew its final flight under the "Redwood" callsign. On the following day, single operating certificate for the combined Alaska Airlines and Virgin America was issued by the FAA. The Alaska Air Group plans to have the entire Airbus fleet and Virgin America brand fully retired by 2019; until then, they are to continue to pay for licensing the Virgin brand from the Virgin Group.

Boeing 737-990/ER (N493AS) in the "More to Love" livery, celebrating the merger of the two airlines. This is probably the only time a 737 will sport anything to do with the Virgin America brand. While Alaska Airlines has remained upbeat about the merger and full intends to integrate certain features Virgin America was known for, no doubt many (including Richard Branson himself) are disappointed to see "Redwood" go away.

In recognizing this merger, here is a montage of all the Virgin America Airbus aircraft I've photographed over the years:

Airbus A320-214 (N835VA), nicknamed "Arnold."

Airbus A320-214 (N636VA), nicknamed "Airplane 2.0."

Airbus A320-214 (N623VA), nicknamed "three if by air."

Airbus A320-214 (N635VA), nicknamed "My other ride's a spaceship."

Airbus A320-214 (N627VA), nicknamed "Runway Angel."

Airbus A320-214 (N631VA), nicknamed "Chic Mobile."

Airbus A320-214 (N284VA), nicknamed "Rabid Badger." The only time I've seen a sharklet-equipped Airbus operated under the "Redwood" callsign...

Farewell, Virgin America, farewll "Redwood," the most hip airline to grace U.S. skies!

Gallery Update: A Smorgasbord of Activity at Provo and Spanish Fork!

Another busy day today. Before going into work this morning, I stopped over by the dike road at Provo Airport to chase another Allegiant Airbus; but this time, it was an A320! That's right, Allegiant has finally brought out a few of their longer Airbuses out west, initially basing them at their focus city Phoenix-Mesa. After seeing nothing but A319s and no MD-80s recently, it's nice to see that Allegiant is finally mixing things up out here. We'll see how far the A320s spread.

After my "prize catch" at Provo, I headed down to Spanish Fork for work. While there, I managed to get a few more interesting shots at the airport throughout the day, including a record-setting aircraft, and a Twin Otter!

Provo (PVU) 56

Spanish Fork-Springville (SPK) 27

Preview:

Provo

Allegiant Air Airbus A320-214 (N220NV) on short final for 13, arriving from Phoenix-Mesa as AAY132. This is Allegiant's first ever, scheduled A320 flight into Provo! This is also only my second time photographing an Allegiant A320 (the last time was when the carrier sent a sports charter into Provo). It's so nice to finally see Allegiant mixing up their Airbus fleet around in the western half of the country!

Airframe first delivered to Iberia as EC-HKI in July 2000. It was then re-registered shortly after a year after delivery. During it's service with Iberia, the aircraft was nicknamed "Ciudad de Ceuta." It then went into storage at Madrid in January 2013 before acquisition by Allegiant in September 2013. 

Spanish Fork

Lancair Legacy "Turbulence" (N707MM) holding short of 30 prior to departure. This Mike Patey's record-setting turboprop, which currently holds the record for fastest average speed (438.02 mph!) in a single-engine turboprop!

CubCrafters Carbon Cub EX1 (N43EX) on short final for 30.

Van's RV-9 (N6538Z) on final for 30.

Twin Otter International De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 (N615AR) on short final for 30. Talk about a surprising visitor for Spanish Fork! Twin Otter International is a Las Vegas-based aerial survey, surveillance, and airborne research company. They're also in the business of buying Twin Otters, converting them to Vistaliners, and leasing them with full parts and technical support to airlines and tour operators throughout the world.

Airframe first flew for Seaborne Aviation as N220SA sporting floats out of the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. It was then converted for land-use and flew for Carib Aviation out of Antigua and Barbuda until the airline ceased operations in 2008. Twin Otter International then took up the airframe and converted it for aerial research.

Gallery Update: Unique Sightings at Spanish Fork

In my never-ending quest to photograph some of the more unusual aircraft sightings, I came across a few interesting aircraft (including a type I've never heard of or seen before!) when I went into work today.

Spanish Fork-Springville (SPK) 26

Preview:

Owyhee Air Research Vulcanair P68 Observer 2 (N17ZX) parked on the ramp. This is an Italian-made, twin-engine light transport aircraft. First built by Partenavia as the P.68 and later by Vulcanair for private and business use as well as for both training and transport, the aircraft was designed by Italian engineer Luigi Pascale. Quite a unique visitor for Spanish Fork!

Face-to-face with the P68 Observer 2. P68s with the more transparent nose are typically used for observation and law enforcement, ideal for Owyhee Air Research, an aerial infrared surveying and natural resource data acquisition company based in Murphy, Idaho.

Side-view of the P68 Observer 2.

AirGyro Tercel (N557AT) on short final for 30 working the pattern. Since I last saw this airframe, it has been repainted and given a Fire Rescue look. It seems like AirGyro Aviation is pushing to advertise their gyroplanes for unique roles.

Platinum Aviation Diamond DA-20-C1 Katana Eclipse (N992CT) on short final for 30 working the pattern.

Cessna 170B (N170SB) on short final for 30.

Pilatus PC-12/47E (N358MB) on short final for 30 arriving from St. George. 

Gallery Update: Even More Random Shots from Work

I wasn't supposed to come in today, but I did because my co-worker was sick and asked if I could cover for him for half the day. I was happy to help out and had a chance to get a few more photo opportunities in for my never-ending quest to catch aircraft I haven't photographed before.

Spanish Fork-Springville (SPK) 25

Preview:

Cessna 560 Citation Ultra (N561DA) taxiing after a quick engine run. Yet another jet based in Spanish Fork!

Epic LT (N504SM) airborne after departing from 12 for Boulder, Colorado. My boss at Platinum Aviation was flying this sleek turboprop!

Gallery Update: Random Shots from Work

It's another work day and gorgeous one! During lulls of activity, I got my camera out and just spotted some traffic in my continual quest to photograph unfamiliar, visiting aircraft to the Spanish Fork area.

Spanish Fork-Springville (SPK) 24

Preview:

Cessna 310I (N8056M) on the ramp.

Mooney M20TN Acclaim (N4YM) on short final for 30 arriving from St. George.

A little action from Platinum Aviation aircraft! N7625F is holding short of 30 on A1 with N321PF in sequence.

Beechcraft B300 Super King Air 350i (N154KF) taxiing to 30 for departure to Victorville, California as ARCAT55.

Pilot Life: Flight Down to Richfield for Breakfast!

This morning, I along with bunch of other pilots and instructors from Platinum Aviation flew down to Richfield, Utah to participate in a fly-in breakfast activity; Platinum Aviation does a Saturday activity once a month where they take the planes somewhere to have some fun and this was the first of the year and my first time to participate in one. This was also my first cross-country flight since getting my license! My aircraft of choice for this morning's fly-in was the good ol' Piper Cherokee Cruiser. I was also asked by a fellow dispatcher if I could let Troy, one of his friends fly with me; as it turns out, he's a "high-time" student pilot with over 100 hours who hasn't flown in 30 years and is considering getting back on the saddle. I welcomed the addition as he could get some informal experience and act as a crew member!

I brought the Cherokee down to Richfield for the fly-in. Not only that, but I think my bad luck with N7625F is behind me too!

After arriving at the airport at the crack of dawn, I immediately went to pre-flight the airplane. I then towed the plane over to the fuel pumps and added the needed fuel for the trip down. We then met for a short briefing, discussing what our discreet frequency for communicating among each other is and where to park upon arrival. Afterwards, we broke to get ready for departure. Because the school's Piper Cherokee is the slowest plane in the fleet, we had to be the first to depart, which we did. After engine start-up (with some difficulty) and run-ups, I taxied us over to Runway 12, and we got airborne. I made a right crosswind departure and we were southbound. We also borrowed stratus receiver and we were able utilize ForeFlight on my iPad to help with navigation. Once I leveled us off at cruising altitude and got some considerable distance between us and Spanish Fork, I switched over to the discreet frequency we would communicate on; eventually, I was talking with everyone flying the Platinum Aviation fleet! I also let Troy in the right seat take the controls for the duration of the flight en route, and I have to say, he did really well in maintaining heading and altitude! For him, it's just like riding a bicycle.

Flying southbound!

Having flown to Richfield several times now, I already knew the route since I was recycling one of my old flight plans and routes from the previous cross-country flights I did to there. Our flight took us via waypoints at Nephi, the Sevier Reservoir, and Salina-Gunnison Airport before reaching Richfield. Once we were ten miles out, I retook the controls and got ready for the descent and landing into Richfield. I tuned into the AWOS frequency and got the latest weather and wind conditions. I descended down to pattern altitude and entered the left downwind for Runway 19. I configured the plane for landing and made a smooth touchdown on the runway. I then cleared us off the runway via the next available taxiway and taxied to the ramp area on the west side of the airfield where breakfast was being served!

A view of the mountains as we neared Richfield.

We parked the plane, shut the engine down, disembarked and met with everyone for a delicious breakfast! After finishing eating and having a good time, I stepped out to take a few pictures.

Everybody enjoying their breakfast!

Some of Platinum Aviation's planes on the ramp at Richfield.

Group photo of the Platinum Aviation entourage!

It was eventually time to hop back into our planes and head home. Some of us had to taxi over to the fuel pumps and top off our tanks, and we were one of them. The fuel pumps for the Richfield Airport were on the east side of the field and we had to taxi across the runway to get there. I taxied us over to the pumps and called first dibs, since our Piper Cherokee was the slowest plane and therefore needed to be the first one out to get a head start. After refueling was complete, Troy and I hopped back in the plane, got the engine started up, and I taxied us away from the fuel pumps to a spot where we could do the run-ups. After run-ups were complete, I taxied us over to Runway 19 a short distance away. We held short for an aircraft landing on the opposite Runway 01. Once the landing traffic was clear, I taxied onto the runway and we took off. I made a left-crosswind off the departure end and then climbed through the downwind leg northbound. After putting some distance between us and the airport, I let Troy take the controls for the duration of the flight.

After departing Richfield.

I then took over monitoring the flight and engine instruments as well as radio communications, including talk with the other aircraft on our designated discreet frequency. We also again, made use of the Stratus and ForeFlight on my iPad to watch for other air traffic. The route heading home was more or less the same; we flew via the Salina-Gunnision Airport, the Sevier Reservoir as our visual waypoint, and finally Nephi, all while keeping in constant communication with other aircraft from the Platinum Aviation fleet.

Eventually, Spanish Fork came back into view. I took over the controls while Troy made use of my iPad to watch for traffic; the airspace around the airport was the busiest I've seen, so I was glad to have someone with me this time to help keep an eye out for traffic and use ForeFlight as a tool to ensure safety of flight. Winds were favoring Runway 12 according to the AWOS, so I crossed over midfield above pattern altitude and swung around to enter the left downwind for the favored runway; we ended up following a Cessna 172 that was part of the entourage.

We followed N736ML into Spanish Fork for landing. 

Once on the downwind, I configured the plane for landing. I descended, made my base turn, and got established on final approach. I touched down on Runway 12, rolled out, and got us clear at the next available taxiway. After going through the after-landing checks, I taxied us back over to the ramp. Once we got to the ramp, I shut the engine down and called it a successful flight and cross country outing. I had to laugh because while we were the first ones to depart Spanish Fork, we were the last ones to arrive back after all this was done!

After a quick post-flight inspection, we handed the Cherokee over to an instructor and his student and Troy and I called it a morning well-spent!