Gallery Review: New Year's Montage 2019

And here we are again at the end of another year! I wish you a very Happy New Year and hope that 2019 was a fulfilling and meaningful year. This past year ended up being another one of those years of struggle, frustrations (but not like 2017, thankfully!), and some new lows.

January 2019
The year 2019 got started off on the right foot for me. I also started what was officially my final semester of classes (once again done online) through UVU by knocking out the final two required courses I needed to take (one of which included my capstone class!). Weather still played against me, but when I did get good weather, I managed to get some flights in; while I was still waiting to get a checkride for the Instrument Rating scheduled, I decided to be proactive with my flying when the weather was good by working on and fulfilling some solo requirements for the commercial rating, including a solo 250-nautical mile cross-country flight down to Redding, California and some important (not to mention necessary!) night flights. Another highlight to this year was the opportunity to revisit the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum during this month because this is where I first started doing aviation photography. And having just completed my 10th year as an aviation photographer in 2018, this was an appropriate return to my "square one."

Alaska Airlines Airbus A320-214 (N361VA). My first time seeing an Alaska Airlines Airbus with sharklets.

Virgin America (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Airbus A319-112 (N523VA) "contents may be under pressure." The Virgin America livery would disappear midway through the year so it was a scramble to see them while they lasted!

Virgin America (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Airbus A319-112 (N522VA) "the 1-year-old virgin."

United Airlines Boeing 737-724 (N27724). United Airlines would update their brand image as well as livery early on in the year.

Curtiss-Wright CW-A22 Falcon (N500G).

Douglas DC-3A-197 (NC16070).

United States Air Force North American F-86H Sabre (53-1251).

Focke Wulf Fw-190A9 replica.

Messerschmitt Me-262A-1C Schwalbe replica (110999).

Auster Model K AOP.6 (N52874).

Hispano HA-200A Saeta (N631HA).

Hughes H-4 Hercules (NX37602).

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29S Fulcrum (23 Blue).

United States Navy Grumman F-14D Tomcat (164343).

United States Air Force Convair F-106A Delta Dart (59-0137).

Evergreen International Airlines Boeing 747-132SF (N481EV).

United States Air Force Convair F-102A Delta Dagger (56-1368).

United States Air Force McDonnell Douglas VC-9C (73-1683).

NASA Lockheed (SABCA) F-104G Starfighter (N813NA).

United States Air Force McDonnell F-101A Voodoo (53-2418).

United States Air Force Fairchild A-10C Thunderbolt II (80-0186).

United States Air Force Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird (61-7971).

United States Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle (73-0089).

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23ML Flogger (339 Red).

Beechcraft 2000A Starship 1 (N74TD).

NASA Grumman American G-1159 Gulfstream II/STA (N947NA).

Douglas F5D-1 Skylancer (139208/NASA708).

North American Rockwell NA-287 Sabreliner 50 (N50CR).

Evergreen International Airlines Boeing 747-212BSF (N482EV).

Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 Solitaire (N66FF).

De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Mk 1 Beaver (N221RT).

Cessna 172 Skyhawk (N3966F).

A view of Shasta Lake as I flew down to Redding, California during my long solo cross-country flight required for my commercial certificate.

Cessna 172N Skyhawk II (N5174E). I took this photo at Redding, California during my long solo cross-country for my commercial license. This was special to me because this very plane came out of the Redding area and I took my first flight with my uncle in this plane when he acquired it over a decade ago flying to and from Redding!

A view of Mt. Shasta in northern California as I made my return-trip from Redding, California on my long solo cross-country flight.

February 2019
I did more flying, more training, all in preparation for the checkride that seemed to become elusive to me. I didn't get much photography in during what is still my least-favorite month of the year (for what's really obvious reasons!).

Mooney M20K (N231RB).

Infinite Air Center Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee Cruiser (N98241). Little did I know it at the time, but this airplane would become large part of my Instrument flying later in the year!

Looking out to the Pacific Ocean on one of my solo VFR flights. Views like this just remind me how small and insignificant we can be on this world...

Facing northward over the Oregon coast with a view of the Siletz Bay/Gleneden Beach area.

A view of Chief Kiawanda Rock and Cape Kiawanda in Pacific City, Oregon.

View of Chief Kiawanda Rock and part of Cape Kiawanda.

A view of Cape Lookout just outside of Tillamook, Oregon.

March 2019
Well, what can I say about this month in particular other than the fact that it sucked, big time??? I got a checkride scheduled and started, but I failed the oral portion. Aside from what I was hoping to be the next big step forward, March was not a good month for me. What could I do? I regrouped, rebounded, and moved forward by doing what I could. The news wasn't all good, or at least not what I wanted however; my instructor recommended I enroll in a three week-long ground school starting in April to refresh my knowledge on Instrument flying. After some thought, I agreed to the idea. In the meantime, I asked my instructor if we could spend the month of March doing some commercial training flights; he was more than happy to help me out with that! So, he and I worked on my Complex Endorsement flying a Piper Arrow, the first new aircraft type added to my logbook this year and helped me knock out a significant chunk of the commercial requirements, particularly the cross-country training flights we needed to do. Other than that, I got a couple notable plane-spotting trips in during the month of March.

Piper PA-28R-180 Arrow (N4958J), the plane I would get my Complex Endorsement in and get the necessary complex hours I needed for the commercial certificate somewhere down the road. Not too long after I earned my Complex Endorsement, Infinite Air Center sold this plane to a former student of theirs, who earned his Private Pilot Certificate around the same time. Sadly, this plane would disappear off the coast of California near Shelter Cove with former Infinite Air Center student pilot Justin Winfrey and a passenger of his on board on October 24, 2019. Some of the people at Infinite who knew Justin were devastated...

Cessna 510 Citation Mustang (N530RM).

Honda HA-420 HondaJet (N430HJ). I made it a point to go after unusual, rare, and uncommon business jets this year!

Pak West Airlines (d/b/a Sierra West Airlines) Fairchild SA-227BC Metro III (N770TR). This was my first time seeing one of Pak West's Metroliners!

Delta Air Lines Boeing 767-432/ER (N832MH). This was my first time seeing a Boeing 767-400!

Horizon Air (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 (N421QX) in the Horizon retro livery. One of two new liveries to be sported on Horizon Air's fleet this year!

Alaska Airlines Airbus A321-253N (N927VA) "More to Love."

Frontier Airlines Airbus A321-211 (N706FR) "Max the Lynx."

Sun Country Airlines Boeing 737-8Q8 (N813SY) "Lake Winona." A rare look at a 737-800 without winglets.

Icelandair Boeing 757-223 (TF-ISF) "Laki."

Sun Country Airlines Boeing 737-8F2 (N829SY). This was only my second time seeing Sun Country's moderately-updated livery.

Atlas Air (d/b/a Amazon Prime Air) Boeing 767-36N/ER BDSF (N1049A). Second time seeing the Amazon Prime livery, but my first time seeing it on an Atlas-operated 767!

Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-232 (N694NK).

I also finally took passengers again during this month! After months of flying solo and with instructors, I had a nice reprieve and got a few fun flights in with non-pilots!

With my sisters Ellen and Cloe! They were visiting from Utah on Spring Break and I took them out for scenic flight out to the coast. It was nice to be able to take them both up at the same time!
(Photo credit goes to my younger sister, Cloe!)

April 2019
The first three weeks of April were spent going to Instrument ground school, taught by my flight instructor. I found it to be very beneficial, as I got to meet people who were attending class with me. And it was probably a good thing we had the ground school when we did because the worst weather I've seen all year so far occurred on days when class was in session! I also got my tenth flight hour in a complex airplane and earned my Complex Endorsement from my flight instructor! The other success I saw during this month in particular was finishing up my last semester of online classes from UVU early, meaning all I had left was to get my pilot ratings and I could FINALLY graduate! Also, my uncle decided to sell his Cessna 172 to a flying club based in Salem and as part of the deal, he and I got to join! This also meant that my instructor and I would pick up right where we left off with Instrument training in a different airplane, with me flying in a IFR-certified Piper Cherokee (and the beginning of new challenges for me!). I also made several spotting trips to Portland to get my fix of commercial airliner photography in; one of these trips was to chase a new airline that has since begun service to PDX!

Meregrass, Inc. (d/b/a Wildcat Touring) Saab 2000 (N813BB). Only my second time seeing a Saab 2000 and I was quite thrilled about it! This is one of three owned by this particular operator and they tend to be an elusive sight!

United Parcel Service - UPS Airlines Boeing 757-2A4/PF (N422UP).

Ameriflight Beechcraft 1900C-1 (N112YV).

FedEx Express Boeing 757-222/SF (N793FD). My first time seeing a 757 freighter operated by FedEx!

FedEx Express Boeing 757-2Q8/SF (N963FD).

United Parcel Service - UPS Airlines Boeing 767-34AF/ER (N308UP).

Jazz Air (d/b/a Air Canada Express) Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 (C-GGMI).

FedEx Express McDonnell Douglas MD-11F (N625FE).

FedEx Express McDonnell Douglas MD-11F (N588FE).

West Air Cessna 280B Grand Caravan (N863MA). It was neat to see a former-Mokulele Airlines plane!

Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330-243 (N399HA) "Kūmau." It's been several years since I last saw one of Hawaiian's A330s!

Alaska Airlines Airbus A319-112 (N521VA). My first time seeing an A319 in the Alaska colors. This also meant any remaining Airbuses in the Virgin America colors were just about gone!

ABX Air Boeing 767-338/ER/BDSF (N362CM). My first time seeing a standard ABX Air livery!

Ameriflight Embraer EMB-120ER Brasilia (N578SW). This view brought back memories of the old United livery!

Alaska Airlines Airbus A319-112 (N524VA).

Oregon Air National Guard McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle (85-0106) of the 142nd Fighter Wing, 123rd Fighter Squadron, the Redhawks.

Oregon Air National Guard McDonnell Douglas F-15D Eagle (85-0130) of the 142nd Fighter Wing, 123rd Fighter Squadron, the Redhawks.

American Airlines Airbus A319-112 (N752US).

United Airlines Boeing 737-924/ER (N75432) in the special Eco-Skies livery.

Frontier Airlines Airbus A321-211(WL) (N716FR) "Seymour the Walrus."

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 (N931WN) "Lone Star One."

Virgin America (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Airbus A321-253N (N923VA) "3-2-1 liftoff." I was so glad I got to see one of these as it would be my only opportunity to see an A321neo in the Virgin America livery!

Alaska Airlines Airbus A319-112 (N530VA).

Volaris Airbus A320-271N (N532VL). My second time photographing the base-model A320neo and my first time photographing one operated by a foreign carrier. This was also my first time seeing the new Volaris livery!

Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-271N (N903NK). Of course, this was my first time seeing an A320neo in the Spirit Airlines livery!

Sun Country Airlines Boeing 737-8Q8 (N809SY) "Lake Nokomis."

Ameriflight Beechcraft 1900C (N31701). My first time seeing the new Ameriflight livery!

United Parcel Service - UPS Airlines Boeing 767-34AF/ER (N301UP).

United Parcel Service - UPS Airlines Boeing 757-24APF (N426UP).

JetBlue Airways Airbus A320-232 (N789JB) "What's Blue And White And Flies All Over?"

FedEx Express McDonnell Douglas MD-11F (N601FE).

Alaska Airlines Airbus A319-112 (N528VA).

FedEx Express McDonnell Douglas MD-11F (N591FE).

FedEx Express Boeing 757-2B7/SF (N976FD).

Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A321-271N (N208HA).

Ameriflight Embraer EMB-120ER Brasilia (N246AS).

FedEx Express Boeing 757-28A/SF (N970FD).

United Parcel Service - UPS Airlines Boeing 757-24APF (N445UP).

West Air Cessna 208B Grand Caravan (N841MA).

Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330-243 (N385HA) "Manaiakalani."

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-890 (N536AS) sporting decals of Seattle Seahawks Quarterback Russell Wilson. 

Another look at N536AS with another set of Russell Wilson decals.

Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330-243 (N361HA) "Hoku Mau." My first time seeing the new, updated Hawaiian livery on one of their A330s!

Virgin America (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Airbus A320-214 (N639VA) "air drake." This would be my last time seeing the Virgin America livery.

Sun Country Airlines Boeing 737-8K2 (N817SY).

Sun Country Airlines Boeing 737-8Q8 (N805SY).

United States Air Force Raytheon T-6A Texan II (05-3766) from the 71st Flying Training Wing (71 FTW) out of Vance Air Force Base.

Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-323 (N803NW).

American Airlines Airbus A319-132 (N802AW).

WestJet Encore (d/b/a WestJet) Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 (C-FWEW). My first time seeing the WestJet livery as this was the inaugural flight into Portland by the airline!

Bombardier CL-600-2B16 Challenger 604 (C-GLPP).

Cessna 525C Citation CJ4 (N574BB).

May 2019
Needless to say, the year for me was going to get a little rough for me before things got better; the transition to a new airplane to finish out my Instrument training hasn't helped and we unfortunately started pushing things back at least until I got proficient again (not what I wanted to do, unfortunately!). I needed to prove that I could execute Instrument flying procedures overall safely. This also means I had to re-prioritize my focus and did not get much photography in for this month. I also finally got acquainted with the flying club that my uncle sold his plane to by getting checked out with them in order to access their fleet.

Pak West Airlines (d/b/a Sierra West Airlines) Fairchild SA-227AT Expediter (N564TR).

Cessna 172M Skyhawk II (N12382), the plane I did my checkout flight in to finalize my membership with the flight club.

June 2019
My Instrument training woes continued. Other than that, summer was in full swing, which meant some aviation events were in order. The main highlight of the month was the Collings Foundation and a handful of their warbirds on the 2019 Wings of Freedom Tour, which made a stop in Salem this year. Other than that, I got another spotting trip to Portland for yet another new airline that began (or rather re-instated!) service.

Cessna 172M Skyhawk II (N515ED), another club airplane (with a glass cockpit!) I got to fly in.

Talon Air Hawker-Beechcraft 4000 (N713AK). My first time photographing this rather uncommon business jet.

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress (NL93012) "Nine-O-Nine." Sadly, this B-17 crashed resulting in seven fatalities towards the end of the 2019 Wings of Freedom tour at Hartford, Connecticut on October 2, 2019.

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

North American TF-51D Mustang (NL551CF) "Toulouse Nuts."

Curtiss TP-40N Warhawk (NL293FR).

North American B-25J Mitchell (NL3476G) "Tondelayo."

Piper PA-22-160 Tri-Pacer (N9556D).

Beechcraft 95 Travel Air (N9601R).

Piper PA-31-310 Navajo (N116GW).

Van's RV-12iS (N412RV).

Eclipse EA500 (N80WP).

Jazz Air (d/b/a Air Canada Express) Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 (C-FSRN).

Icelandair Boeing 757-256 (TF-FIR) "Vatnajökull."

Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-232 (N631NK).

Air Canada Rouge Airbus A319-112 (C-GITR). My first time seeing the Rouge livery!

GMJ Air Shuttle Embraer EMB-145XR ERJ-145XR (N386AZ). My first time seeing one of the Intel corporate shuttles!

Frontier Airlines Airbus A320-251N (N350FR) "Miracle the Seagull."

Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A321-271N (N214HA) "Kukui."

United Parcel Service - UPS Airlines Airbus A300F4-622R (N145UP).

And while I haven't been actively taking people up, I did take two friends flying during the month of June:

My good friend, Josh Elliot!

My lovely friend, Miranda Thomas!

July 2019
Personal progress was still at a plateau... I was definitely having a not-so-good summer as a pilot; outside of my life as a pilot, I was doing okay, but I was definitely feeling some pressure!

Two F-15s from the Oregon Air National Guard overflying the 4th of July parade in Monmouth, Oregon!

Luscombe 8E Silvaire Deluxe (NC1803B).

Local pilots from Independence, Oregon overflying the Monmouth 4th of July parade.

North American NA-145 Navion (NC8683H). One of my favorite General Aviation classics!

Urban Air UFM-13 Lambada (N675MB).

Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee Cruiser (N1636H). The third Piper Cherokee I got to fly in. This plane also helped me get to used to flying a Cherokee again, especially since I was struggling in the one I've been flying in order finish my Instrument Rating!

Cessna 750 Citation X (N808GG).

Cessna 551 Citation II/SP (N551GE).

Cessna 560 Citation Ultra (N554TS).

Cirrus SF50 Vision (N843MF). Only my third time seeing the SF50!

And I got to take a few more friends flying on a flight, this time filling up a whole four-seat aircraft!

Flying with Amy Chirinos, Hannah Taylor, and Ammon Teubner!
(Photo credit: Amy Chirinos)

And because one selfie wasn't enough for this group!
(Photo credit: Ammon Teubner)

August 2019
I was finally starting to see light at the end of the tunnel as I've made great strides to improve my personal airmanship for the Instrument Rating. I got to attend two aviation events during the month of August. The first was the 2019 Warbirds Over the West in Salem hosted by the B-17 Alliance Museum. The second is the Wings Over the Willamette fly-in hosted by the 292nd Chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association located in Independence, Oregon.

Douglas A4D-5 A-4E Skyhawk (152012), the new gate-guard display at Albany Municipal Airport. It was great to finally see this finally get mounted as it felt like this local project was going on forever!

Globe GC-1B Swift (N80671).

Boeing E75 Stearman (N58986).

Oregon Army National Guard Sikorsky HH-60M (S-70A) Black Hawk (10-20132).

Oregon Army National Guard Eurocopter UH-72A Lakota (12-72235).

North American AT-6D Texan (N7517).

Grumman (General Motors) FM-2 Wildcat (N58918).

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

Consolidated PBY-5A Canso-A (N9767) "Princesse des étoiles." As the primary headliner of the event, this was my first time seeing a PBY Catalina fly!

Fairchild M-62A-3 PT-26 (NC58894).

Partenavia P.68 Observer (N9000V). First time seeing this twin fly!

Cessna 550 Citation II (N631TS).

Cessna 525 CitationJet CJ1 (N44VS).

Flight Design CTSW (N248CT).

Empire Airlines (d/b/a FedEx Feeder) Cessna 208B Super Cargomaster (N711FX).

Bombardier BD-700-1A11 Global 5000 (N50MG).

Cessna 525C Citation CJ4 (N215HG). Gotta appreciate the pseudo military livery! 

Cessna 525C Citation CJ4 (N1MG). I've seen photos of these jets sporting pseudo military paint schemes online before, yet I had a chance encounter with two of them in a single spotting trip!

Beechcraft D17S Staggerwing (N248E).

Travel Air 4000 (NC4834).

Sonex Aircraft Sonex (N76EQ).

Cessna 177 Cardinal (N3171T).

Quick Aircraft Quick Air (N151QA).

Evans Mosquito (N5163G).

Earthstar eGull 2000.

Just Aircraft Highlander (N642SC).

Pereira Osprey 2 (N651LM).

Cub Crafters CC19-180 XCub (N17XC).

Denney Kitfox S7 Super Sport SLSA (N157SN).

Stinson 108-1 (N8570K).

AutoGyro Calidus (N6283B).

Gyroflug SC 01 Speed Canard (N29PK).

Earthstar eGull 2000.

Aeroprakt A-20 Vista (N498NS). There's an incredible story of friendship, the legacy behind this particular airplane,and the previous owner, documented by the current owner, who posted two videos on YouTube here and here!

Backcountry Super Cubs LLC Super Cub replica (N211JJ).

Gulfstream Aerospace GVII G600 (N600G).

Gulfstream Aerospace GVII G500 (N507GD).

September 2019
September was my month to shine! Between August and September, I improved vastly after some extra flying with my instructor to the point we got another checkride on the calendar. Because of scheduling conflicts with my original examiner, I ended up re-doing my checkride with another examiner, one that my flight instructor highly recommended. And because of weather, I did my checkride in two segments; I got the oral portion done one week, waited on better weather and subsequent schedule openings of my examiner and then passed the flight portion of the checkride a week and a half later and I was finally an Instrument-rated pilot! This milestone was definitely a long time coming after months of frustration. In between the two checkride segments, I also got to attend the 2019 Oregon International Air Show, which was being held in McMinnville this year due to Runway rehabilitation in Hillsboro. The main highlights of the 2019 air show would have to be the Royal Air Force Red Arrows on their North American tour and the United States Air Force F-35A Lightning II demo, which went to a full demonstration as of this year. Aside from that, I got in a few decent spotting trips during the month and a few new aircraft types to add to my photography portfolio as well.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-232 (N689DL).

Southern Air (d/b/a Amazon Prime Air) Boeing 737-83N/BCF (N5153A). Another new sight for PDX!

Boutique Air Pilatus PC-12/47 (N478SS).

Gulstream Aerospace G-VI G650 (N235BH).

United Airlines Boeing 737-924/ER (N69818) sporting the "One Hundred" sticker.

United Parcel Service - UPS Airlines Boeing 757-24A/PF (N419UP).

American Airlines Airbus A321-232 (N543UW).

United Parcel Service - UPS Airlines Boeing 767-34AF/ER (N351UP).

Frontier Airlines Airbus A319-111 (N941FR) "Lobo the Wolf."

Jazz Air (d/b/a Air Canada Express) Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 (C-FSRW).

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a Delta Connection) Embraer ERJ-170-200LR E-175LR (N297SY).

AirNet Express Learjet 35A (N220CK).

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a Delta Connection) Embraer ERJ-170-200LR E-175LR (N254SY).

Guimball Cabri G2 (N969MH).

Ryan Navion A (N4591K).

Ryan Navion (N4579K).

Scottish Aviation Bulldog 120/121 (N321BD).

Royal Canadian Air Force McDonnell Douglas CF-188B CF-18B Hornet (188931).

Industria Aeronautică Română S.A. Brașov IAR-823 (NX66KB).

Royal Canadian Air Force/KF Defence Programs Grob G-120A (C-FPFJ).

Stinson 108 Voyager 150 (NC8623K).

Fairchild 24J (NC20615).

Cessna 208B Grand Caravan (N208SL).

Cessna 525 CitationJet CJ1+ (N186DL).

Aviation Specialties (Oracle) Challenger III (N260HP). At the close of the 2019 show season, this plane was donated by Sean D. Tucker to the Smithsonian for permanent display, so I was really happy to see the Oracle Challenger III fly one more time!

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-990/ER (N224AK).

Giles G-200 (N97GH) flown by Greg Howard. One of only 12 ever built!

Extra EA-330SC (N330FU) flown by Elias Corey.

Van's RV-8 (N76540) flown by Joe "Rifle" Shetterly.

Yakovlev Yak-110 (N110JY) flown by Jeff Boerboon. I got to see the fraken-Yak two years in a row!

Industria Aeronautică Română S.A. Brașov IAR-823 (N823WT) "Wild Thing II" flown by Steve Stavrakakis.

Horizon Air (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Embraer ERJ-170-200LR E-175LR (N631QX). The first time Horizon Air sent their new E-175 to the Oregon Air Show!

Extra EA-300L (N772TA) flown by Jessy Panzer as part of the new "Team Oracle" team aerobatics act debuted by Sean D. Tucker as of this past air show season.

North American P-51D Mustang (N151AF) "Val-Halla" from the Heritage Flight Museum flown by Greg Anders.

United States Air Force Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II (13-5081) flown by Captain Andrew "Dojo" Olson from the 56th Fighter Wing out of Luke AFB, Phoenix, Arizona. 2019 marked the inaugural year for the new F-35A Demo Team!

Weapons Bay Door pass.

Mmmm! I love the smell of afterburner!

A little vaping action!

Little did I know it, but I was on the verge of getting some coveted shots with the F-35A!

Dedication Pass

I got the vapor cone!

Double vapor cone! I've waited years to get shots like this!

These shots are among my favorites of the F-35 from this year!

And it was absolutely a privilege to see the full demo of the F-35 on its inaugural year!

Slow-speed pass.

The Dojo Drift.

More afterburner!

United States Air Force Heritage Flight, first pass.

Heritage Flight, second pass.

Third pass by the Heritage Flight.

Fourth pass by the Heritage Flight.

Fifth and final pass by the Air Force Heritage Flight.

Note the size comparison of the two fighters from different generations.

The cross-over break!

Perfect timing!

Val-Halla high-speed pass.

One last Dojo Drift flown by "Dojo!"

One last afterburner shot!

The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows and their nine British Aerospace BAe Systems Hawk T1As in Big Battle Formation. No doubt, the Red Arrows are the highlight of the 2019 air show season!

Short Diamond formation.

Apollo formation in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo Moon landings.

Red #1 (XX219) is Squadron Leader Martin Pert. Red #2 (XX177) is Flight Lieutenant Damo Green. Red #3 (XX322) is Squadron Leader Mike Bowden. Red #4 (XX319) is Flight Lieutenant Gregor Ogston. Red #5 (XX 242) is Squadron Leader Steve Morris. Red #6 (XX244) is Flight Lieutenant Toby Keeley. Red #7 (XX232) is Flight Lieutenant  Jon Bond. Red #8 (XX323) is Flight Lieutenant Chris Lyndon-Smith. And Red #9 (XX310) is Flight Lieutenant Dan Lowes.

The Apollo Roll.

Concorde formation.

Concorde transition to the Cygnet.

The Phoenix Pass.

The Lancaster Formation.

Lancaster Roll.

The Tornado.

The Detonator conducted by the Enid group.

Enid completing the Detonator.

The rear section in the Detonator.

With crossovers with colored smoke!

One of the many photo highlights of the Red Arrows!

Red #9 executing the Goose with Enid.

Red #9 climbing away from and behind Enid.

The Vortex executed by Reds 6 through 8.

The red, white, and blue smoke representative of the Red Arrows' nation's flat, the Union Jack.

The Revolution.

The Enid group line astern.

Enid consists of Reds 1 through 5.

Enid in reverse Battle Formation.

The solos and synchro pair executing the Corkscrew.

Enid executing the Rollbacks.

First rolls done by Reds 2 and 3!

Rolling to the outside with blue smoke.

The Red Arrows performed several maneuvers that I've never seen before, which made seeing them all the more exciting!

Reds 2 and 3 about to complete their roll.

Reds 2 and 3 completed their rolls and now rejoining the formation.

Now, wait for it...

Keep waiting for it!

Reds 4 and 5 beginning their roll in the Rollbacks!

This has to be my favorite photo of the Enid group!

Reds 4 and 5 halfway through their roll.

The solos and Synchro pair executing the Gypo Break!

The crossovers with the colored smoke was simply incredible!

The finale of the demonstration, the Vixen Break!

With more colored smoke and a beautiful contrast with the Oregon skies!

Unless I see myself going to Europe in the near-future, seeing the Red Arrows this year was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

The Vixen Break!

The Stars and Stripes Pass by the Red Arrows in Big Battle Formation, exclusive for the North American tour!

Using the same red, white, and blue smoke representing their Union Jack, the Red Arrows performed and patriotic and touching tribute to their American allies by creating the smoke pattern representative of the American flag!

I was honestly touched by this tribute to America by our British friends!

The RAF Red Arrows made the 2019 air show season absolutely memorable!

Pak West Airlines (d/b/a Sierra West Airlines) Fairchild SA227-DC Metro 23 (N852DR).

Me with my Instrument flight instructor, Devin Burroughs, after passing my Instrument checkride!
(Photo credit: Tony Hann)

October 2019

The month of October saw a few lifestyle changes for me. For starters, I got a part-time (non-aviation) job working early mornings, which works out in my favor because I could still fly during the day. Part of the reason for taking on part-time work is because of finances, which did take a hit from my prolonged instrument training. The other reason being that I no longer had any classes I had to register for as part of my Bachelor's Degree, so I wanted to fill my time with something productive, and having a source of income while still living at home was ideal. Unfortunately, this change in lifestyle with me getting used to my new job meant I had little to no time for any spotting and October ended up being uneventful to begin with. And with October came less-than-ideal weather Oregon is notorious for. I did however manage to get a few flights in with a passenger or two and I started flying with my new flight instructor in the flight club to begin mopping up what was left as far as my commercial flight training was concerned.

My lovely friend, Carolina Pachas!

November 2019

Work was going along fine. And I continued to fly when weather permitted; my focus of course, was that commercial license. Other than that, November was a rather uneventful year for me on the aviation front. Rectifying my neglect for October with a glaringly-obvious lack of any spotting trip, I made it a point to have my camera on me as much as possible when I did go flying and I did get one spotting trip to Portland in, which was worthwhile as I nailed a few highlights from said trip.

United States Army Grumman OV-1D Mohawk (67-18926). A restoration done by the Mohawk #926 Project, it's fine piece of local history in Salem!

Alaska Airlines Airbus A321-253N (N921VA). My first time seeing an A321neo in the standard Alaska livery!

Wheels Up/Gama Aviation Cessna 560XL Citation Excel (N500UP).

American Airlines Airbus A321-231 (N988AL).

Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-232 (N6711M).

Atlas Air (d/b/a Amazon Prime Air) Boeing 767-306/ER/BDSF (N1321A).

Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-232 (N676DL).

Ameristar Jet Charter Boeing 737-205/Adv (N467TW). A major spotting highlight, considering that 737-200s are a rare sight now!

WestJet Encore (d/b/a WestJet) Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 (C-FKWE).

Cessna 560XL Citation Excel (N560VM).

Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-232 (N618NK).

Southern Air (d/b/a Amazon Prime Air) Boeing 737-83N/BCF (N5147A).

Jazz Air (d/b/a Air Canada Express) Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 (C-GGNF).

United States Army Boeing-Vertol MH-47G Chinook (10-03789) from the 4th Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) (4–160th SOAR(A)) (also known as the "Night Stalkers" and Task Force Brown) out of Gray Army Airfield within Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), Washington. First time seeing a Chinook fly, let alone a special operations version!

And November would be the last month of the year where I took a few people flying as there wouldn't be a lot of good weather for the remainder of the year and I got pretty busy at and tired from work once the holiday season and holiday rush went into full-swing:

My new friend and co-worker, Kevin Dvorak!

My lovely friends, May Pinto-Haynes and her sister Serafina!

December 2019

And we come full-circle at the end of another year. Things were absolutely busy at work with the holiday peak season, so I was making money, flying whenever I could, but ending each day absolutely fatigued, only to repeat the next day until after Christmas. During this month, I filled out and completed my first pilot logbook after logging two flights. I also made it a point to get in at least one worthwhile spotting trip to Portland during the holiday travel rush and cargo peak, and I was not disappointed!

Boutique Air Pilatus PC-12/47 (N471SS).

NetJets Gulfstream Aerospace G-IV-X G450 (N448QS).

Meridian Air Charter Dassault Falcon 900EX (N963RS).

Volaris Airbus A320-271N (N533VL).

WestJet Encore (d/b/a WestJet) Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 (C-FWEP).

AvCenter Cessna 560XL Citation Excel (N499AV).

Israeli Aircraft Industries IAI-1125A Astra SPX (N500MA).

Jazz Air (d/b/a Air Canada Express) Bombardier CL-600-2D24 CRJ-900LR (C-FJJZ). My first time photographing a CRJ-900 in the new Air Canada livery!

Southern Air (d/b/a Amazon Prime Air) Boeing 737-83N/BCF (N5167A).

Asia Pacific Airlines Boeing 757-230PCF (N888LT). My first time photographing this airline livery and a highlight during the holiday peak season!

Dassault Falcon 900 (N900YY).

NetJets Cessna 680 Citation Sovereign (N320QS).

Frontier Airlines Airbus A320-251N (N310FR) "Sunny the Collared Lizard."

Delta Air Lines McDonnell Douglas MD-88 (N912DL). My first time photographing an MD-80 in the Delta livery! For us West Coasters, Delta's MD-88s are a rare sight!

If I can be honest, 2019 was one hell of year for me. This past year, I experienced the lowest of lows, personal frustrations, and setbacks in both the flight training environment with my work towards the Instrument Rating, as well as with things outside of aviation such as my Young Single Adult (YSA) church congregation group and personal faith and confidence. But for the most part, I am happy to end 2019 on a fairly high note though, as I did get that Instrument Rating well before the end of the year.

This past year, I earned my Complex Airplane Endorsement, finished the last of my online classes for my Bachelor's Degree, finally became an Instrument-rated pilot after experiencing failure and going through re-training, found a part-time job, began training towards my Commercial Pilot certification, and completed and filled out my first pilot logbook after just over three years of flying and logging a little over 400 hours of flight time as a General Aviation pilot, with continued aspirations to take my flying career further afield. Looking back at the past 3-4 years combined, I certainly hope that the year 2020 and this new decade will be a whole lot more fruitful and satisfying.

That being said, Happy New Year to you, as one decade ends, and another begins! May the new decade bring continued blue skies and tailwinds, along with a sense of renewal towards our commitments and goals!