Gallery Update: Aerial Firefighting Assets in Salem

I haven't flown since Labor Day weekend and after nearly two weeks of no flying thanks to all the wildfire smoke we saw here, I finally got a flight in this evening after about two good days of rain to clear the place up! After landing back in Salem, I got a few quick ramp shots in the dusk light of some aerial firefighting aircraft that were parked for the night and they were worth photographing.

Salem (SLE) 58

Preview:

Air Spray Air Tractor AT-802A Airtanker (N358AS) "Tanker 829" parked on the ramp. As of recent, this Airtanker has been working on wildfires up around the Newberg-area.

North Wind Helicopters Bell UH-1H Iroquois (N353RC) parked on the ramp. This "Huey" built in 1966 is capable of aerial firefighting with a hanging bucket, but can also be used in a variety of other roles ranging from forestry support, farm crop support, and aerial spray application. As of recent, this venerable Vietnam War-era helicopter has been supporting efforts around the Beachie Creek, Lionshead, and Riverside fires, which have all been burning in the rural parts east of Salem.

CHI Aviation Boeing CH-47D Chinook (N949CH) parked on the ramp. Supporting the firefighting efforts occurring east of Salem. CHI is a subsidiary of The Heligroup Organization, which operates four operating and three asset-holding companies and their fleet of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Neat to see a civilian Chinook! Formerly 90-00205 with the United States Army.

Baker Aircraft Bell 206L-3 LongRanger III (N412KK) parked on the ramp. Based out of Baker City, Oregon, this helicopter has also been supporting firefighting efforts that's been happening east of Salem.

Gallery Update: Smokey Shots from Salem

Last Tuesday, winds from the east blew wildfire smoke into the Willamette Valley and all of Salem and the surrounding communities became enveloped in said smoke. The wildfires to the east of Salem are some of the worst we've seen and this year is turning out to be a bad year for wildfires as the entire west coast is currently burning. Last Tuesday, it was pretty bad thanks to a horrifying, orange glow that made it look like Armageddon! Several small towns and communities east of Salem unfortunately had to evacuate and subsequently burned down. For Oregon, this year is definitely the worst wildfire season in the state's history and it's unfortunate that this has occurred in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic (the year 2020 can really f**k off!).

Thankfully for me and my family, Salem has only had to deal with smoke and the poor air quality from the fires. Unfortunately for me, the ongoing conditions created by the wildfires has put some of my flight training on hold; I was supposed to start my multi-engine flight training up in Aurora last Wednesday, but of course that got postponed. And then my single-engine commercial checkride is coming up rather quickly, but everything at this point will depend on whether or not the weather and current conditions to cooperate so I can continue to make preparations (I still need to get a few flights in!).

I had an unexpected day off from work today, so I made the most of it by running some errands before I go back into work tomorrow. I also decided to stop by the airport to visit the club hangar and check out the ramp. Needless to say, I think the photos speak for themselves. And as long as this smoke lingers, I won't be doing much plane-spotting either!

Salem (SLE) 57

Preview:

NetJets Cessna 680A Citation Latitude (N581QS) parked on the ramp. Been on the ground since last Wednesday after it arrived from Missoula as EJA581.

Cessna 150H (N50059) parked on the ramp. The checkered tail gives the impression that the plane could be an Aerobat, but that's not the case.

Eurocpater AS350 B3 Écureuil (N352TA) parked on the ramp. This one has also been assisting with firefighting efforts until the smoke reduced visibility down to next-to-nothing.

Cessna 150L (N18666) parked on the ramp.

Beechcraft K35 Bonanza (N629T) parked on the ramp.

Gallery Update: Sightings in McMinnville & Salem

Yesterday, I was flying with my instructor and we flew up to McMinnville to practice short approaches. While flying the pattern, I noticed a Fairchild Metro III sitting on the ramp. After I got home yesterday, I looked up McMinnville's arrivals on FlightRadar 24 and verified that the plane arrived a day earlier and wasn't departing anytime soon! And as it turns out, the Metro III I spotted has connections to Berry Aviation, a charter airline based out of San Marcos, Texas that operates charter passenger and cargo flights as well as work for the Postal Service.

So today, after a commercial ground session with my instructor in Salem, I flew solo back up to McMinnville to first practice some things from yesterday's flight lesson again and to check out and get photos of the Metro III I saw! After my quick stopover at McMinnville, I flew back to Salem and got to see some aerial firefighting aircraft throughout the day, which included a Bombardier Superscooper and a Sikorsky Skycrane!

McMinnville (MMV) 4

Salem (SLE) 56

Preview:

Cessna 320C Skyknight (N3050T) parked on the ramp. My first time seeing a Cessna 320, the enlarged version of the 310.

Berry Aviation Fairchild SA227-AC Metro III (N691AX) parked on the ramp. Arrived two days ago from Denver-Rocky Mountain Metropolitan.

While the nose gear doors on either side still bear the Berry Aviation name, this Metro III is actually registered to a private company (it's implied that Berry Aviation operates the aircraft on the private company's behalf.).

Face-to-face with the Metro III. As it turns out, this "Texas Lawn Dart" is headed to Hawaii, which means it's going to get fitted with ferry tanks here in McMinnville before making the crossing. That also means Southern Cross Aviation will most likely be operating the flight.

NetJets Embraer EMB-505 Phenom 300 (N312QS) parked on the ramp. Arrived this morning as EJA312 from Paso Robles, California and scheduled to depart later in the afternoon for Petaluma, California.

Piper PA-32-301T Turbo Saratoga (N8185Y) parked on the ramp. Arrived yesterday from Auburn, Washington.

Aero Commander 500A (N471D) parked on the ramp. Arrived yesterday from The Dalles.

Aero-Flite Bombardier CL-215-6B11 CL-415 Superscooper (N386AC) parked on the ramp. One of two amphibious water bombers that arrived earlier this morning from Moses Lake. Looks like they'll be temporarily based in Salem for some nearby wildfires. My first time seeing one of these!

Helicopter Transport Services Sikorsky S-64E Skycrane (N6979R) parked on the ramp. This heavy-lift aerial crane has been operating on nearby wildfires the past few days. Formerly with Evergreen Helicopters.