Gallery Review: New Year's Montage 2018

I wish you all a Happy New Year! As another year closes, it's time again to take a look back at some of my best aviation photography, personal highlights, as well as some of my favorites. The year 2018 is special to me because it marks ten years since I started engaging in this photography hobby with an emphasis on aviation subjects. It all started with a visit to the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon with a small point-and-shoot digital camera. And now, here I am ten years later and four years into using my first DSLR camera, having taken thousands of photos and creating a wonderful, private collection.

I present to you my personal favorites and highlights from each month of the year 2018. That's right, EVERY month! Unlike annual montages from past years, I was able to photograph something noteworthy every month this year!

January 2018
While still home for the winter break from school, I had a chance to re-visit the Tillamook Air Museum to see some updates to their collection. After getting back to Utah for school for another semester, I resumed flying, building up flight time and taking people up when opportunities permitted; with the frustrations I experienced in 2017 still fresh in my mind, I intended to fly the hell out of this year. I also achieved a personal milestone off the bat by logging my 100th flight hour as a pilot in my logbook! And as always, I did some spotting when opportunities presented themselves.

Tillamook Air Museum's Aero Spacelines 377MG Mini-Guppy (N422AU) in front of Hangar B, which the museum is housed in. I normally don't include many museum shots in my annual montages, but I'll make exceptions for some of the more notable subjects and images.

Alenia G.222 C-27A Spartan (N2286Z). This was my first time seeing one of these twin-turboprop airlifters, especially one of these older models!

Alpine Air Express Beechcraft 1900C (N125BA).

Platinum Aviation Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee Cruiser (N7625F). I took this photo on January 16, 2018, the day I logged my 100th flight hour as a pilot on board this very aircraft, making it a special one to me!

Cessna M377 O-2A Super Skymaster (N102WB). It's not every day you get to see a warbird used as an R&D platform!

United States Air Force Fairchild SA-227DC RC-26B Metro 23 (94-0261).

During the month of January, I had the privilege of taking up more good friends flying, all of them first-time passengers in General Aviation aircraft!

Photo credits go to my respective passengers who took the selfies:

My good roommate all the way from Canada, Ben Thomson.

My lovely friend, Jessica Boekweg.

My lovely friend, Jennifer Boekweg.

My lovely friend, Desy Mendoza.

February 2018
And then came February, still my least favorite month of the year! Again, more time to get some flying in and going plane-spotting when opportunities presented themselves (and there were some unique opportunities and special occassions!). Also, as part of my Instrument flight training, I began learning how to fly another new aircraft that's IFR-capable and started gaining some experience with a Garmin G1000 avionics package!

Douglas C-47 (DC-3F) Skytrain (N8061A), which was retired from flying and began the next phase of it's life by becoming a playground!

Air Lease Corporation Gulfstream Aerospace G-VI G650ER (N1AL), also known as Steven F. Udvar-Házy's personal jet; he visited UVU during the month of February, which presented an opportunity to catch his plane!

Cirrus SF-50 Vision (N17CX). This was my first time seeing and photographing one of these cool little jets! Definitely a major highlight of the month!

Cirrus SF-50 Vision (N52CV). Hard to believe that I bagged TWO Cirrus jets in a single spotting trip!

Platinum Aviation Diamond DA-40 Diamond Star (N321PF). The first four-seater aircraft that I logged time in as well as the first aircraft I've flown with the Garmin G1000 as part of my Instrument flight training! I would get officially checked out in this plane the following month.

Key Lime Air (d/b/a Denver Air Connection) Fairchild-Dornier 328-300 328JET (N394DC). My first time catching the Denver Air Connection (DAC) livery!

And of course, I had the privilege of taking up a few more of my good friends (all first-timers in GA aircraft!) in February when opportunities permitted (photo credits goes to each respective passengers!):

My lovely friend, Megan Stromness.

My lovely friend, Allison Hale.

My lovely friend, Katy Pratt.

My good friend and former mission companion from my days in Japan, Jordan Larkin.

My lovely friend, Tyra Draper.

March 2018
The month of March started out with me gaining some meaningful employment in the aviation industry with a job at Platinum Aviation as a dispatcher! Considering all the bull crap I went through with UVU and my overall private pilot flight training last year, this job in the aviation industry was the best thing that's ever happened to me! I also finally got checked out in a third aircraft-type (the DA40 Diamond Star)! And I did photography whenever opportunity permitted, and even got a few unique sightings.

SOCATA TBM 700 (N930YY).

Bell 505 JRX Jet Ranger X (N505XX).

CubCrafters Carbon Cub EX (N111XC).

CubCrafters Super Cub Sport (N47KJ).

Eclipse 500 (N2486B).

Intermountain Life Flight AgustaWestland AS109SP (N291HC).

Allegiant Air Airbus A319-111 (N337NV).

I also got checked out this month in this DA40 Diamond Star.
(Plus, I got the strobe lights in this shot!)

Cessna 560XL Citation Excel (N75PS).

Robinson R44 Raven II (N825TJ).

Lancair 320 (N320DP).

Airgyro Taurus (N553AT).

And of course, I had a chance to take more friends flying! Again, photo credits go to each respective individual:

My cute friend Miriam Flinders.

My lovely friend, Amanda Schwicht.

My lovely friend, Korynn Gustafson.

My good friend (and potential future pilot!), Connor Holman.

My lovely friend and associate from our mission days in Japan, Maricella Shaver.

April 2018
The year was moving along. Unfortunately, I got let go from my job as a dispatcher at the end of this month, so I was back at square one. During the month however, I did get one major flight outing by taking part in a fly-in with a cross-country flight down to Richfield, Utah.

Beechcraft A60 Duke (N335D).

Cessna 560XL Citation Excel (N560JF).

Orca Airways Beechcraft 99A Airliner (C-FVCE). It was quite unusual to see one of these still configured for passenger operations, and I'm glad I got to see one like this because as it turns out, this airframe did go Alpine Air Express and got converted into a package freighter!

The gathering during the fly-in at Richfield, Utah.

Owyhee Air Research Vulcanair P68 Observer 2 (N17ZX). This was one of my more unusual sightings this year.

Pilatus PC-12/47E (N358MB).

Allegiant Air Airbus A320-214 (N220NV). After keeping them confined to the eastern half of the country, Allegiant has finally brought a couple of their A320s out west this year!

Lancair Legacy "Turbulence" (N707MM).

Twin Otter International De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 (N615AR).

Cessna 560 Citation Ultra (N561DA).

Cessna 525 CitationJet (N526CP).

Raytheon Hawker 800XP (N47HA).

Allegiant Air Airbus A320-214 (N229NV).

I didn't take any of my friends flying during the month of April due to how busy things were between work and school.

May 2018
The beginning of May saw to a successful end to another semester of online classes with UVU. I also attended my first aviation event of the year, which was a groundbreaking celebration for a new aviation center/museum at my de facto home airport in Spanish Fork. My flight training also kicked back up into full swing with a continuation in my pursuit for the Instrument rating. I also had the opportunity to return home to Oregon for a few days and got a few spotting opportunities in at Portland with some major highlights. After spending some much-needed time at home, I finished out the month back in Provo, Utah as I intended to hit the ground running.

United States Air Force Fairchild SA-227DC UC-26B Metro 23 (94-0262). My first time seeing one of these "flying cigars" in the military grey livery!

Bell 505 JRX Jet Ranger X (N505XX) with Colonel Gail S. Halvorsen on board performing a candy drop at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Gail S. Halvorsen Aviation Center.

Allegiant Air Airbus A319-111 (N329NV).

Cessna 680 Citation Sovereign (N885M).

NetJets Gulfstream Aerospace G-IV-X G450 (N468QS).

Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-232 (N647NK).

Alaska Airlines Airbus A320-214 (N625VA). The first Virgin America Airbus to get repainted as well as my first time seeing the Alaska Airlines livery on an A320!

ABX Air (d/b/a DHL Aviation) Boeing 767-281SF (N783AX). This was my first time photographing the shorter 767-200!

American Airlines Airbus A321-231 (N150NN). First time catching one of American's A321s sporting sharklets!

Air Canada Embraer ERJ-190-100IGW E-190AR (C-FHKI). Better catch these while they're still around because they're slated to be retired and replaced by the 737 MAX and the new Bombardier CSeries, or now the Airbus A220!

Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A321-271N (N202HA). My first time seeing a member of the A320neo family as well as my first time seeing Hawaiian Airlines' new, revised/updated livery!

Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A321-271N (N204HA). Two Hawaiian A321neos in a single spotting trip!

Virgin America (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Airbus A320-214 (N361VA) "Jersey Girl." Glad there were still opportunities to catch the Virgin America livery while they were still around!

Volga-Dnepr Airlines Antonov An-124M Ruslan (RA-82081). As far as regular spotting trips go, THIS is a major highlight for me!

Because one photo of an An-124 is not enough!

Virgin America (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Airbus A320-214 (N624VA) "Red, White & Blue."

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 (N8710M). My first time seeing a member of the 737 MAX series!

Elite Airways Bombardier CL-600-2C10 CRJ-701ER (N78EA). My first time seeing this airline!

Virgin America (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Airbus A320-214 (N855VA) "Screw it, let's do it." This former-Virgin America Airbus has one of the most hilarious nicknames ever! Only at Virgin America!

Icelandair Boeing 757-208 (TF-FII) "Eyjafjallajökull." Note the new scimitar winglet that's now available for 757s; my first time seeing a 757 with the new type of winglets!

FedEx Express McDonnell Douglas MD-11F (N595FE). Always a treat to see tri-jets still in action!

Empire Airlines (d/b/a FedEx Feeder) ATR-42-300F (N921FX).

FedEx Express McDonnell Douglas MD-11F (N617FE).

Delta Air Lines Boeing 767-332/ER (N177DN).

United Parcel Service - UPS Airlines Boeing 747-4R7F/SCD (N582UP). I was thrilled to photograph a UPS 747-400F for the first time!

This catch is up there with the An-124 in terms of regular spotting highlights!

Alaska Airlines Airbus A321-253N (N926VA) "More to Love." My third time catching an A321neo and my first time seeing one operated under the Alaska Airlines logo!

Ameriflight Beechcraft C99 Airliner (N108SX).

Ameriflight Fairchild SA-227AC Metro III (N673AV).

Ameriflight Embraer EMB-120ER Brasilia (N246AS). First time catching a Brasilia with my DSLR camera; I never had the opportunity since SkyWest ended Brasilia flights to Oregon in 2014, during a time when I was using a point-and-shoot camera.

Ameriflight Embraer EMB-120RT Brasilia (N266AS).

Compass Airlines (d/b/a American Eagle) Embraer ERJ-170-200LR E-175LR (N203NN). Note the mismatched nose cone!

Cessna 525 Citation M2 (N480WB).

Bombardier CL-600-2B16 Challenger 604 (N770BQ).

Allegiant Air Airbus A320-214 (N228NV) sporting the "Visit Florida" special livery. This would be my first time photographing a special livery from Allegiant Air!

I also had an opportunity to take a few friends up flying during the month of May. Photo credits to each respective individual:

My good friend and associate, Sean Fisher.

My lovely friend, Katrina Cookson.

My lovely (not to mention cute!) friend, Kalissa Nielsen. The day I took her flying was actually the first time ever that she stepped on to an airplane!

My sister Ellen; I finally had the chance to take her up!

June 2018
The year was moving along. Flight training continued. I had a chance to fly out to Wendover, Utah (and add the historic airfield to my pilot's logbook!) on one of my many cross-country trips. Air show season also started up for me during the month, starting with the Legacy Flight Museum's "Fire in the Sky" Air Show in Rexburg, Idaho, which of course meant a trip to Idaho! A week after the air show up in Rexburg, I was pleased to attend the 2018 Warriors Over the Wasatch Air Show at Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah, where I got to see the United States Air Force Thunderbirds for the first time in six years, along with a whole host of new acts.

A unique perspective of some of the planes I get to fly. This photo was taken from the historic control tower located at Wendover Airport!

Swift Air Boeing 737-4B7 (N440US).

A pretty rare sight for Provo when two Allegiant Air jets utilized for regularly-scheduled flights are on the ground at the same time. Photo taken on a day when the airline was not having the greatest day for their operations out of Provo due to an A320 having mechanical issues.

Gulfstream Aerospace G-IV-X G450 (N236FS).

NetJets Cessna 560XL Citation XLS (N576QS).

Gulstream Aerospace G-V-SP G550 (N528AP). With such a sweet paint job on the tail, how could I not photograph this biz-jet?! Actually, I've been trying to photograph this Gulfstream since I first saw it not too long after I moved to Utah and I finally got it under good conditions during the month!

Trans States Airlines (d/b/a United Express) Embraer EMB-145XR ERJ-145XR (N16151). My first time photographing an ERJ-145!

My good friend Todd Therp in the Interavia I-3 (N4413N) at the 2018 Legacy Flight Museum Air Show.

Two T-6 Texans at the LFM Air Show!

Formation break of the two Texans!

Barry Hancock's North American T-6G Texan (N49388); Hancock performed his first show of 2018 by performing at the LFM Air Show for the first time!

Beechcraft SNB-5 Model 18 (N90265).

Grumman S2F-1 Tracker (N8115M) in a photo pass!

Stinson AT-19 (V-77) Reliant (N43YF) "Yankee Ship."

Boeing B75N-1 Stearman (N49259) in a photo pass.

Lee Lauderback flying the North American P-51D Mustang (N51RH) "Ole Yeller" at the air show!

Howard DGA-15P (NC52991). Always a "Damn Good Airplane!"

The Legacy Flight Museum's three P-51D Mustangs and P-63C Kingcobra in formation at the close of the air show.

Execution of the Missing Man Formation.

Cessna 305C/L-19E O-1E Bird Dog (N305SU) sporting the unique landing gear configuration known as the Whitaker gear.

Honda HA-420 HondaJet (N420KA).

Waco CTO (NX8517).

My uncle having some fun in the Piel CP-30 Emeraude (N5TX)! I even got to log some more tail-wheel time with him in this plane this year!

Allegiant Air Airbus A320-214 (N223NV).

Paul "Sticky" Strickland and his Aero L-39C Albatros (N139ES) at the 2018 Warriors Over the Wasatch Air Show.

Gary Rower and his Boeing A75J1 PT-18/R985 Stearman (N212PC).

United States Air Force Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II (15-5172).

United States Air Force Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II (15-5176).

United States Air Force Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II (15-5124).

Formation of F-35s in a show of force!

United States Air Force Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II (15-5143).

Breaking formation! THIS is how our tax dollars ought to be spent!

Greg Colyer and his Canadair CL-30 CT-133 Silver Star 3 (N133HH) "Ace Maker II."

Mark Peterson and his Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jet A (N120AU); my first time seeing one of these rare European jet trainers fly!

Buck Roetman and Gary Rower showcasing two very different aerobatic biplanes!

Buck Roetman and his Pitts S-2S Special (N99MF).

Buck Roetmand and Gary Rower in a fly-by formation!

A U.S. SOCOM Para-commando with the POW/MIA flag.

Got to see Barry Hancock perform twice this year!

Matt Younkin and his Beech C18S (N9109R).

Captured the exact moment his many lights were flashing in this shot during the Elephant's Waltz!

You can't expect to go to a major air show and NOT see a flame-throwing, jet-modified land-based (not to mention NOT street-legal) vehicle!

Jeff Boerboon and his Yakovlev Yak-110 (N110JY). One of the most unique and anticipated air show acts of the year!

Photo pass of this tri-motor aerobatics plane!

Showcasing the the center-mounted jet engine! The Yak-110 is truly an American engineering marvel using Russian-built airplanes!

Brad Wursten and his MX Aircraft MXR-R (N545EA).

The United States Air Force Thunderbirds Diamond Formation. Thunderbird #1, a Lockheed F-16C Fighting Falcon (92-3898) with Thunderbirds Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Walsh at the controls leads Thunderbird #2, a Lockheed F-16C Fighting Falcon (92-3908) flown by Captain Will Graeff, Thunderbird #3, a Lockheed F-16C Fighting Falcon (92-3881) flown by Major Nate Hofmann, and Thunderbird #4, a Lockheed F-16CJ Fighting Falcon (92-3880) flown by Major Nick Krajicek.

United States Air Force Lockheed F-16C Fighting Falcon (92-3888), Thunderbird #5 with Major Whit Collins at the controls.

Trail to Diamond Transition.

United States Air Force Lockheed F-16C Fighting Falcon (92-3896), Thunderbird #6 with Major Matt Kimmel at the controls.

Line to Diamond Loop.

Knife Edge Pass by Thunderbird #5.

Thunderbird #6 in a Slow Roll.

The Diamond Roll.

The Bon Ton Roulle.

The famous Calypso Pass!

Trail to Diamond Clover Loop.

Diamond Pass in Review.

Thunderbird #5 in the High Alpha Pass.

Dirty Pass by the Diamond.

The 5-Card Loop.

Line Break Loop.

Thunderbird #6 in a High Speed Pass!

Arrowhead Loop by the Diamond.

Delta Bottom-Up-Pass.

Delta Roll.

Delta Loop.

The beautifully-executed Delta Burst!

Warrior Loop by the Diamond.

The High Bomb Burst by the Diamond!

The Reflection Pass!

United States Air Force Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II (15-5134).

United States Air Force Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II (15-5140).

North American B-25N Mitchel (N8195H) "Heavenly Body."

United States Navy Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II (169030) from Strike Fighter Squadron 125 (VFA-125) "Rough Raiders." My first time seeing a C-model of the F-35!

United States Air Force Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor (06-4116) from the 57th Wing's USAF Weapons School, the 433rd Weapons Squadron out of Nellis AFB, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Fairchild A-10C Thunderbolt II (82-0650).

United States Navy Lockheed C-130T Hercules (164994) of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron Five Four (VR-54), the "Revelers" of NAS/JRB New Orleans.

United States Air Force Boeing 717-148 KC-135R Stratotanker (61-0275) of the 151st Air Refueling Wing (151 ARW) "Mountain West Militia" out of Salt Lake City.

United States Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle (87-0173) of the 366th Fighter Wing (366 FW), 389th Fighter Squadron, the "Thunderbolts" out of Mountain Home AFB in Idaho, painted in the special 30th anniversary scheme to commemorate 30 years of operating the Strike Eagle.

United States Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle (88-1705) of the 366th Fighter Wing (366 FW), 389th Fighter Squadron, the "Thunderbolts" out of Mountain Home AFB in Idaho.

Lockheed P-38L Lightning (NX2114L) "Tangerine."

Commemorative Air Force Douglas DC-3C (N147AZ).

SIAI-Marchetti S.211 (N211BJ).

Canadair CL-30 CT-133 Silver Star 3 (NX84TB).

Canadair CL-30 CT-133 Silver Star 3 (NX333MJ).

Yakovlev Yak-50 (N50BK).

United States Air Force Beech T-1A Jayhawk (94-0124) of the 71st Flying Training Wing out of Vance AFB in Enid, Oklahoma.

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a Delta Connection) Bombardier CL-600-2C10 CRJ-701ER (N762SK).

United States Air Force Lockheed L-500 C-5M Super Galaxy (86-0022) of the 60th Air Mobility Wing (60 AMW) and 349th Air Mobility Wing (349 AMW) out of Travis AFB in California.

United States Army Beechcraft (B200C) C-12T Huron (84-0149).

Allegiant Air Airbus A320-214 (N233NV). My first time catching an A320 in Allegiant's new livery!

United States Army Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow (99-5586). My first time seeing one of these in action up close!

Allegiant Air Airbus A319-111 (N319NV).

And of course, during the month of June, I was able to take a few more of my friends flying!

My good friends who were engaged at the time and has since gotten married! My former roommate Derek Strate and his now wife, Cassidy Cook!

My lovely passenger, Normandy Wanberg!

My lovely passenger, Virginia Leiter!

My uncle Alan, who visited Provo during the month! I had the opportunity to take him flying in a DA20 and he even acted as my safety pilot!

My lovely passenger, Candice Boren!

July 2018

At the beginning of the month, I made some huge decisions that would set me in a unexpected direction. My uncle Alan offered me the opportunity to build flight time with him in his Cessna 172, with us acting as each others' safety pilot. How could I refuse such a lucrative (and cost-effective!) opportunity!? So I spent the beginning of July scrambling and getting prepped and I moved out of Provo and temporarily relocated back home to Oregon. But I'm getting ahead of myself here; before returning home to Oregon, I spent a solid two weeks with my uncle Sam and his family in eastern Idaho! I figured I needed a sort of mini-vacation between the transition I was making and I could accomplish a few things related to flight training with my uncle Sam, since he was a flight instructor! He and I flew together several times during my visit, allowing me to log time in his Mooney M20 for the first time (not mention an introduction to high-performance, complex airplanes!) as well as some tail-wheel time! One flight we did together would stand out to be one of most memorable flights I've had in my entire life thus far! In addition to having some much-needed down-time and fun (which included a visit to Driggs, Idaho and the Teton Warbird Collection!), I also got checked out in a Cessna 172 in Idaho Falls as part of my preparation in flying with my uncle Alan! Eventually, I would make my way home to Oregon and I would start flying like crazy with my uncle Alan!

Alpine Air Express Beech 1900C (N422AX).

United Parcel Service - UPS Airlines Airbus A300F4-622R (N147UP). I have waited a long time for an opportunity to photograph an Airbus A300!

Allegiant Air Airbus A320-214 (N219NV). Never expected to photograph the very first A320 Allegiant acquired!

Swift Air Boeing 737-4B7 (N440US).

Shupe Flying Service Ayers S-2R-G10 Turbo Thrush (N40261).

Shupe Flying Service Ayers S-2R-G10 Turbo Thrush (N440AT).

A view of Old Faithful during a flight over Yellowstone National Park!

A view of Grand Prismatic Spring from the air! I was absolutely blown away by this sight!

Sights like this from the air are a great reminder to take the time to appreciate the beauties and wonders of the world we live in.

Aero L-39C Albatros (N439RS).

Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 (N112D).

McDonnell Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk (N234LT).

Cessna 172N Skyhawk II (N2207E), the plane I did my checkout flight in!

United Parcel Service - UPS Airlines Boeing 757-24APF (N419UP). My first time photographing a 757 in UPS colors!

Arizona Air National Guard General Dynamics F-16DM Fighting Falcon (89-2163) from the 162nd Fighter Wing out of Tuscon, Arizona.

Arizona Air National Guard General Dynamics F-16D Fighting Falcon (84-1325) of the 162nd Fighter Wing out of Tuscon, Arizona.

Atlas Air Boeing 747-481 (N322SG). Another plane-spotting highlight catch for the year! Not to mention my first time seeing the "golden" Atlas Air livery!

JetBlue Airways Airbus A320-232 (N606JB) "Idlewild Blue."

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-990 (N302AS). This is the prototype 737-900 and I was quite surprised to photograph it!

Delta Air Lines Airbus A321-211 (N330DX). My first time photographing a Delta A321!

Oregon Air National Guard McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle (85-0100).

Oregon Air National Guard McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle (78-0470).

And before making the transition back home, I was able to take one more friend flying during the month of July, just before I left.

My lovely passenger, Sammy Graves!

August 2018
It was a busy month of flying and logging all the hours I needed and then some! I hit another personal milestone during this month when I logged my 200th flight hour as a pilot! Being home in Salem, Oregon afforded me opportunities I never expected to get this year, and that includes an aviation event or two in addition to all the flying I've been doing! Event-wise, the month started out with not one, but two days of Warbirds Over the West! Other than that, most of the month was spent flying, building hours, and checking out many of the airports around the Pacific Northwest!

Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 (N61072) "Old Glory."

Globe GC-1B Swift (N619JM).

Cessna 195B Businessliner (N3070B).

Ryan PT-22 (ST-3KR) Recruit (N60805).

United States Army Beechcraft C-12F Huron (84-0486).

Raytheon Hawker 800 (N41HF).

Cessna 175A Skylark (N7029E).

Stolp SA-300 Starduster Too (N96576).

Stolp SA-300 Starduster Too (N96558).

Steen Skybolt (N202GM).

Vultee BT-13B (V-54) Valiant (N59840).

Lancair IV-P (N811HP).

Steen Skybolt (N300SB).

Aeronca 7AC Champion (N2982E).

The West Coast Ravens in a Diamond formation.

West Coast Ravens Delta formation.

West Coast Ravens EZ formation.

Curtiss P-40E Warhawk (NX940AK).

Douglas A-24A Banshee (NX5254L).

Beechcraft E18S (N118SA).

The P-40 and A-24 in an "odd couple" formation, one of my favorite shots from the 2018 Warbirds Over the West!

Israel Aerospace Industries - IAI/Gulfstream Aerospace G200 (N282CM).

Cessna 550 Citation II (N303SD).

Erickson Air-Crane Sikorsky S-64F Skycrane (N163AC) "Bubba." Wild fire season was pretty bad this year, so it's no surprise that we had aircraft like this around our local airports...

Curtiss-Wright Travel Air B-4000 (N13907).

Cessna 560 Citation V (N560G).

Even though I still had access to an airplane, my main focus was training and time-building so taking passengers up for fun became a secondary focus. Even so, I still took passengers up from time to time when opportunities permitted.

The first passenger I got take up as a newly-minted Skyhawk pilot would be Josh Garvin, who's never been flying until I took him up.

September 2018
Flight training and time-building continued. I've done a few Instrument lessons with my new flight instructor and I tried to put them into practice with my uncle as my safety pilot. My uncle and I continued to explore Oregon together, checking out airports throughout the state on many cross-country flights as we took turns building hood time for our respective Instrument Ratings. On these outings, I made it a point to bring my camera and snap a few photos where I could with some interesting results! I also got in a few spotting trips at Portland to chase down some notable highlights and opportunities, which I don't regret! And finally, I capped off my 2018 air show season by attending the Oregon International Air Show, which featured the Canadian Forces Snowbirds as the headliner along with a few additional notable highlights; as of this year's air show season, I have successfully photographed all three military formation jet teams in North America within a short span of two years (Blue Angels featured in 2017, and the Thunderbirds and Snowbirds during this year alone!)!

Aero Commader 680 Super (N6863S).

Cessna 190 (N4342V).

PZL-Warszawa-Okęcie PZL-104 Wilga 35 (N770SB).

Cessna 172 Skyhawk (N6165E). An original model is quite the General Aviation gem!

Ameriflight Embraer EMB-120ER Brasilia (N189CA).

Horizon Air (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 (N441QX) in the University of Alaska at Fairbanks Nanooks livery. After eluding me for a few years, I finally got this livery, completing the state university themed collection (that is until Horizon adds another college livery to their fleet!)!

American Airlines Airbus A321-231 (N931AM).

Alaska Airlines Airbus A320-214 (N621VA). My second time this year catching this former Virgin America Airbus in the full Alaska livery. Still a sight we're still getting used to...

Virgin America (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Airbus A320-214 (N638VA) "San Francisco Pride." Enjoy these airline colors while you still can!

Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 767-33A/ER (N582HA)"'Ake 'Ake." This was my first time photographing a 767 in Hawaiian's fleet. They should've been retired already but ended up sticking around longer than anticipated due to delivery delays of the carrier's A321neos! Saying that I was relieved when I had the opportunity to catch one of these is an understatement!

Massachusetts Air National Guard McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle (80-0004) from the 104th Fighter Wing (104 FW), the Barnstormers.

Oregon Air National Guard McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle (84-0031). I was glad to finally catch this particular F-15 with the colored Redhawk logo!

Oregon Air National Guard McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle (78-0473).

Oregon Air National Guard McDonnell Douglas F-15D Eagle (85-0130).

Oregon Air National Guard McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle (84-0030).

Massachusetts Air National Guard McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle (84-0016).

Oregon Air National Guard McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle (86-0151).

Massachusetts Air National Guard McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle (79-0064).

Empire Airlines (d/b/a FedEx Feeder) ATR-42-300 (N911FX).

Horizon Air (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Embraer ERJ-170-200LR E-175LR (N620QX), the very first E-Jet delivered to Horizon Air!

United Parcel Service - UPS Airlines Boeing 767-34AF/ER (N337UP).

FedEx Express Boeing 767-3S2F/ER (N132FE).

Virgin America (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Airbus A320-214 (N840VA) "by the way."

Icelandair Boeing 757-256 (TF-FIR) "Vatnajökull." Absolutely thrilled to FINALLY photograph this beautiful livery by Icelandair this year!

ABX Air Boeing 767-338/ERF (N364CM).

Ameriflight Beechcraft 1900C (N7203C). My first time seeing one of Ameriflight's 1900Cs!

Frontier Airlines Airbus A320-251N (N317FR) "Georgia the Painted Bunting." This was my first time seeing the base model of the new A320neo family!

United Parcel Service - UPS Airlines Boeing 757-24APF (N447UP).

American Airlines Airbus A321-231 (N907AA).

United States Navy Northrop F-5N Tiger II (761549) of Fighter Squadron Composite (VFC-13) "Saints" out of NAS Fallon.

United States Navy Grumman G-123 E-2C Hawkeye 2000 (165648) of Carrier Air Wing Seventeen (CVW-17) out of NAS Lemoore and attached to the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

United States Navy Northrop F-5N Tiger II (761537) of Fighter Squadron Composite (VFC-13) "Saints" out of NAS Fallon.

United States Air Force Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Super Hercules (08-3173) of 317th Airlift Wing, 40th Airlift Squadron, the "Screaming Eagles" out of Dyess Air Force Base. This was my first time seeing the stretched Super Herc up close!

Royal Canadian Air Force De Havilland Canada DHC-5 CC-115 Buffalo (115452) of 19 Wing, 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron out of CFB Comox.

United States Army Boeing CH-47F Chinook (08-08774).

Royal Canadian Air Force Ratheon CT-156 Harvard II (156110) of 2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School (CFFTS)/15 Wing out of CFB Moose Jaw.

United States Navy Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet (165675) of Strike Fighter Squadron 122 (VFA-122), the "Flying Eagles" out of NAS Lemoore.

United States Navy Sikorsky MH-60S Knighthawk (167815) of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron SIX (HSC-6) out NAS North Island and attached Carrier Wing 17 (CVW-17) on the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

Royal Canadian Air Force McDonnell Douglas CF-18A CF-188A Hornet (188776) of the Canadian CF-18 Demo Team painted up in a livery commemorating 60th anniversary of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). This jet was supposed to perform at the 2018 Oregon International Air Show, but unfortunately had mechanical issues that kept it grounded.

United States Navy Sikorsky S-70B MH-60R Strike Hawk (168101) of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 49 (HSM-49), the "Scorpions" out of NAS North Island.

United States Air Force Fairchild A-10C Thunderbolt II (79-0202) of the 355th Operations Group, representing both the 354th Fighter Squadron "Bulldogs" and the 357th Fighter Wing "Dragons" out of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.

A para-commando from the U.S. SOCOM parachute team with the American flag.

United States Air Force Lockheed C-130H Hercules (92-3285) of the 934th Airlift Wing, 96th Airlift Squadron, the "Flying Vikings" out of Minneapolis-Saint Paul Joint Air Reserve Station.

Royal Canadian Air Force BAE Systems CT-155 Hawk (155205).

United States Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III (96-0004) of the 62nd Airlift Wing out of McChord Air Force Base.

2018 also marked the 60th anniversary of one of the most important partnerships of North America between the United States and Canada, NORAD. The Royal Canadian Air Force and United States Air Force commemorated the occasion with some excellent fly-by passes!

Plenty of afterburner action too!

United States Air Force General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon (84-1294) of the 309th Fighter Squadron "Wild Ducks" out of Luke Air Force Base.

Plenty of afterburner!

And vapor, let's not forget the vapor!

United States Air Force General Dynamics F-16D Fighting Falcon (84-1324) of the 309th Fighter Squadron "Wild Ducks" out of Luke Air Force Base.

Royal Canadian Air Force McDonnell Douglas CF-18A CF-188A Hornet (188735) of 410 Tactical Fighter Operational Training Squadron "Cougars" out of CFB Cold Lake.

This was my first time seeing one of Canada's venerable Legacy Hornets in action as well!

Another pass by the F-16C in afterburner!

Never get tired of the sight of military fighters in action!

This shot was by far one of my favorites of the Canadian Hornet!

Final pass by the F-16C!

Overcast weather plus afterburners make for some cool shots like this!

Final pass by the F-16D, which was interesting sight to see as part of the NORAD flight!

The Huey family of helicopters in action!

Bell UH-1H Iroquois (NX443YB).

Bell TAH-1P Cobra (N7239T) "Voodoo Venom." My first time seeing the Cobra in flight!

Redline Air Shows and their Van's RV-8s. Jon Thocker in #1 (N803RL) and Ken Reider in #2 (N804RL).

Just two weeks after performing at the 2018 Oregon International Air Show, Jon Thocker sadly lost his life when his RV-8 crashed while performing with Ken Reider at the Culpepper Air Fest night show. I dedicate these photos of Redline Air Show's performance in Oregon to the late-Jon Thocker.

It's not an aircraft, but it has aircraft engines! Gotta love the old Chevy jet truck "Hot Streak II!"

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-890 (N562AS).

Smoking the mains! Still aim to get shots like this! It's just wouldn't be an Oregon International Air Show without participation by Portland's hometown airline!

United States Air Force Fairchild A-10C Thunderbolt II (78-0684) of the 355th Fighter Wing, 357th Fighter Squadron "Dragons" out of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.

United States Air Force Heritage Flight consisting of two of the greatest ground-attack/close air support aircraft of the 20th Century!

USAF Heritage Flight second pass. This has to be my favorite shot from this act!

USAF Heritage Flight third pass.

Cross-over break!

Douglas AD-4NA A-1D Skyraider (NX965AD) "The Proud American."

Supermarine 361 Spitfire LF9E (N633VS).

Always a privilege to see the legendary Spitfire in action!

North American B-25D Mitchell (N88972) "Grumpy."

"Grumpy" in a dirty pass!

Odd couples in formation, a rare sight!

The Canadian Forces Snowbirds of 431 Air Demonstration Squadron and their Canadair CL-41A CT-114 Tutors in the Vulcan formation.

The Big Arrow formation. I was absolutely thrilled to see the Snowbirds again this year. I have now photographed all three of North America's military jet teams in DSLR!

The Concord bottom-side pass.

The Big Wedge Topside Pass.

The Big Diamond.

The Trail Echelon in Review. 

The Double Take Roll.

The Cormorant Split. Snowbird #1 (114504) with Major Denis Bandet at the controls leads Snowbird #2 (114051) with Captain Sarah "T-Rex" Dallaire, Snowbird #3 (114009) with Major Jason "J-Rock" Tuckett, Snowbird #4 (114090) with Major Stephen "Pup" Melanson, Snowbird #5 (114109) with Captain Kevin Domon-Grenier, Snowbird #6 (114096) with Major Bassam "Panda" Mnaymneh, and Snowbird #7 (114143) with Captain Pierre-Marc "Dash" Deschenes at the controls of their respective Canadair CL-41A CT-114 Tutor jets.

The Goose formation.

The Swept Seven formation.

The solos in the reflection roll. Snowbird #8 (114033) with Captain Greg "FOMO" Hume-Powell and Snowbird #9 (114141) with Captain Taylor "McLovin" Evans at the controls of their respective Canadair CL-41A CT-114 Tutor jets.

The Double Diamond formation.

The Swept Delta Bottom side pass.

The Wineglass formation.

The Nine Plane Line Abreast Exit.

I took a few more Oregon friends of mine flying during the month of September as well.

My good friend, Andrew Thomas.

I also finally took my dad flying on a father-son outing!

My good longtime friend, Dan Clark.

My longtime friend, Megan Brooks!

October 2018
Air show season for the year is done with. I got in a few crucial training flights in during this month. We also had some unprecedented, good-flying weather (which I took advantage of!), so I flew out to a few places. For starters, I flew out to Madras, Oregon and finally made a visit to the Erickson Aircraft Collection. I also attended the last aviation event I planned on attending for the year, the 2018 Hillsboro Airport Air Fair, which I made a cross-country flight out of. Other than that, I had my camera with me wherever I went and photographed any interesting aircraft that I came across along with a few notable highlights as usual.

Piper PA-25-235 Pawnee (N6900Z).

ERCO 415-C Ercoupe (N93890).

Grumman (McKinnon) G-44 Super Widgeon (N45PV).

Let L-33 Solo (N290BA).

Peterson J-4 Javelin (N101P).

Schweizer SGS 1-23H-15 (N2405W).

Schweizer SGS 1-26C (N8612R).

Schwizer SGS 2-33A (N1216S).

Erickson Aero Tanker Douglas DC-7B (N838D) Tanker 60.

Erickson Aero Tanker Douglas DC-7 (N6353C) Tanker 66.

McDonnell Douglas MD-83 (N950NS).

McDonnell Douglas MD-87 (N296EA/EC-LUJ). This was my first time getting a good look at an MD-87!

Spanair McDonnell Douglas MD-87 (N294EA/EC-FFI). This little gem was quite the catch, given that Spanair went out of business just about seven years ago now in January 2012!

Erickson Aero Tanker Douglas DC-7 (N401US) Tanker 62.

Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't include a shot of my uncle's Cessna 172N Skyhawk II (N5174E). I'm grateful for my uncle that he offered me access to his airplane this year and providing me a cheaper, more-cost effective way for me to be build my flight time and experience!

Commonwealth CA-17 (P-51D) Mustang 20 (N551D).

Hispano HA-1112-M1L Buchón (NX90602).

Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawk (AK803). A time capsule basically untouched since the post-World War II years!

Grumman J2F-6 Duck (N3960C).

Grumman/Schweizer G-164B Ag Cat (N8115K).

Bell P-39Q Airacobra (44-2485). Another rare gem that will soon become airworthy once again!

Martin AM-1 Mauler (N7163M). One of only four left in existence!

Nakajima Ki-43-IIIa Hayabusa replica (N43JE).

Lockheed SP-2H Neptune (N360RR).

Empire Airlines (d/b/a 'Ohana by Hawaiian) ATR-42-500 (N801HC) "Kaiāulu." Another major spotting highlight of the year as this is mainly a common sight in Hawaii! It just happened to be passing through on a ferry flight when I came across this regional turboprop! This was also my first time photographing a passenger-variant of the ATR-42!

Raytheon Hawker 800XP (N544PS).

And once more, I've taken people up a few times during the month of October:

My lovely friend, Julia Hasbrouck!

I also had the opportunity to finally take my mother up for a flight one evening!

November 2018
The year 2018 was quickly winding down and I was quickly approaching one year since becoming a Private Pilot. I kept an eye on the weather each day and went up flying when I could. Otherwise, I got a few notable spotting trips in at Portland.

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a United Express) Embraer ERJ-170-200LR E-175LR (N162SY).

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 (N955WN) "Arizona One." I've waited a long time to catch one of Southwest's special liveries like this!

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a United Express) Embraer ERJ-170-200LR E-175LR (N140SY).

Compass Airlines (d/b/a American Eagle) Embraer ERJ-170-200L E-175LR (N215NN).

Alaska Airlines Airbus A320-214 (N854VA). My third A320 in Alaska colors...

Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-232 (N697DL).

Southwest Airline Boeing 737 MAX 8 (N8722L). My second time seeing a 737 MAX!

Piaggio P.180 Avanti (N777ZK). My first time seeing one of these unique pusher turboprops!

Spirit Airlines Airbus A319-133 (N535NK). My first time seeing the shorter A319 in this (still atrociously yellow!) livery.

American Airlines Airbus A321-231 (N144AN).

Virgin America (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Airbus A320-214 (N633VA) "The Tim Clark Express." The Virgin America livery continues to become a rare sight...

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 (N945WN) "Florida One." I got lucky with two Southwest state liveries in a single spotting trip!

Boutique Air Pilatus PC-12/45 (N776JT).

Alaska Airlines Airbus A320-214 (N623VA), my fourth A320 photographed in the standard Alaska colors.

Jazz Air (d/b/a Air Canada Express) Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 (C-GJZK). My first time seeing the new Air Canada livery since it's unveiling in early 2017!

Virgin America (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Airbus A319-112 (N523VA) "contents may be under pressure." This was actually my first time photographing the shorter A319 in the Virgin America livery, so I was glad to see one before it inevitably gets repainted!

Virgin America (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Airbus A319-112 (N527VA) "tubular belle." Until all the A320s get repainted, the A319s are safe for now... But the Alaska Air Group is rapidly progressing with the re-branding of of all Virgin America aircraft!

Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-232(WL) (N648NK).

Unfortunately, I didn't take anyone flying with me during the month of November because of weather and waning interest on the part of those who I extended invitations to.

December 2018
And we come full-circle to the end of 2018, my tenth year as an aviation photographer! I was supposed to have my Instrument checkride by this point, but made the decision to push it back as I felt the need for additional flight training which doesn't come as a surprise to me, considering the absolute bull$*&% I went through with UVU in 2017! Regardless though, I'm proud of what I was able to get done in terms of time-building my flight hours, flying a variety of single-engine airplanes, personal milestones, and what I was able to learn during the year. I WILL get my Instrument Rating early on in the New Year! Aside from flying when I could, I got a few spotting trips in during the holiday season, which included a bunch of notable highlights.

Horizon Air (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Embraer ERJ-170-200LR E-175LR (N643QX), the 1,500th E-Jet delivered by Embraer!

Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-232 (N603NK).

United Parcel Service - UPS Airlines Boeing 757-24APF (N413UP).

Jazz Air (d/b/a Air Canada Express) Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 (C-FSRZ). Now that I've gotten the new Air Canada livery, it's only a matter of time before this old livery is gone.

United Parcel Service - UPS Airlines Airbus A300F4-622R (N121UP).

Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-232 (N655DL).

Virgin America (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Airbus A319-112 (N529VA) "Moonlights, camera, action." My third A319 in Virgin America colors photographed!

Virgin America (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Airbus A319-112 (N530VA) "gogo dancer." My fourth time photographing the A319 in this livery!

FedEx Express Boeing 767-3S2F/ER (N128FE).

Air Transport International - ATI Boeing 767-223/BDSF (N255CM). This was another rare catch for me as there aren't many 767-200s out there these days!

United Parcel Service - UPS Airlines Boeing 757-24APF (N473UP).

FedEx Express McDonnell Douglas MD-11F (N599FE).

I wish you all a Happy New Year! Hands down for me, the year 2018 was so much better than 2017! Here's hoping 2019 will be a better year than the past two combined!