Gallery Update: Mitsubishi Marquise Sighting in Salem!

A year and a half ago, I photographed a Mitsubishi MU-2 for the first time. The twin-turboprop I photographed back then was a improved version of the short-fuselage variant, the MU-2B-40 Solitaire. Today, I got to photograph the ultimate version of the long-fuselage variant, the MU-2B-60, which has the same overall improvements with the ultimate version of its short-fuselage counterpart. Since MU-2s are fairly uncommon sights in my experience as a spotter, I knew I had to chase this one down!

Salem (SLE) 53

Preview:

Mitsubishi MU-2B-60 Marquise (N6KE) arriving on 31 from Idaho Falls.

My first time photographing one of the long-fuselage variants of Japan's most successful post-war aircraft designs!

N6KE taxiing to the ramp. 

The Marquise designation denotes that this is the ultimate version of the long-fuselage variant of the MU-2, much like the Solitaire I photographed last year being the ultimate version of the short-fuselage variant. Note the fuselage length of N6KE.

N6KE turning into the FBO ramp. Like the Solitaire, the MU-2 Marquise uses the Garrett (later Honeywell) TPE331 turboprop engines. And I appreciated the distinctive "scream" this engine emitted; it was pretty loud!

The MU-2 is such a unique aircraft that it's always worth chasing down. 139 MU-2B-60 Marquises were built out of the 704 MU-2s built to-date.

Face-to-face with the Marquise.

No doubt, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries designed a very respectable utility transport aircraft during the post-war era in Japan!

N6KE parked and engines shut down.