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:
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| NetJets Cessna 680A Citation Latitude (N581QS) parked on the ramp. Been on the ground since last Wednesday after it arrived from Missoula as EJA581. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| Cessna 150L (N18666) parked on the ramp. |
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| Beechcraft K35 Bonanza (N629T) parked on the ramp. |
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