"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."
The primary purpose of this blog is to showcase the best of my aviation photography. As such, you will find links to my main aviation gallery on Facebook containing photos from aircraft spotting, some kind of aviation event such as air shows and fly-in events, as well as aviation museums. I also critique my flights on commercial airlines and the services they provide. Occassionally, you'll find personally written, independent articles based on news and current events involving aviation. And of course, I'll put up links to official and unofficial aviation-related websites when I find them. And when time permits, I'll talk and discuss about anything involving aviation. But most importantly, this is my way to document my journey into the aviation industry!
This morning, my dad, uncle, and I took a little drive to a small town just west of Salem called Independence to have breakfast at a restaurant called the Starduster Cafe located at the Independence State Airport. Need I say more? The restaurant is what you call spotter friendly and as such, serves as a local gathering place for pilots flying in to get a bite to eat and whatnot. Independence State Airport is also an airpark, meaning there's community neighborhood with houses with hangars. Pretty sweet deal to have a home where you can taxi and hangar your airplane into! Makes a guy dream... Anyways, the Starduster Cafe has an outdoor deck with tables and I got some spotting in while we stuffed our faces. After breakfast, we walked around the ramp to get a closer look at some of the planes and there were quite a few unique things there. I'll let the pictures in the photo gallery do the talking!
Old-style, retro-looking Cessna 182A Skylane (N5192D) departing on 34.
Glasair GlaStar GS-1 (N9TZ) getting started up.
Beechcraft K35 V-tail Bonanza (N954DR) taxiing into the ramp. V-tail Bonanzas has a special place in the heart of our family members because my grandfather owned two V-tailed Bonanzas.
Van's RV-9A (N954RC) with a cool paint scheme on the verticle stabilizer taxiing for departure. I'm starting really have a thing with Van's RVs because I look at them as "wildcards" due to the many paint jobs they seem to have.
Fournier RF-5B Sperber (N55SM) motorglider parked on the ramp. Seeing this is a first for me!
Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage (N345MM) taxiing for departure. Note the radar pod under the wing.
Locally-based GlaStar (N50RJ) rolling for take-off. I saw this one at Warbirds Over the West in Salem a few weeks back. This may be the prototype because the serial number for this airframe (according to the FAA) is 1.
Rans S-6S "Super Six" Coyote II (N335BK) doing touch and goes.
It is with great sadness and a heavy heart to announce along with other aviation-related sources the death of Academy Award Winning composer of some of Hollywood's greatest films, James Horner, who was killed when his Short Tucano (a British license-built version of the Brazilian Embraer EMB-312 Tucano) turboprop crashed in the Los Padres National Forrest near Ventucopa, California shortly after taking off from Camarillo Airport yesterday on June 22, 2015; he was 61. Horner composed music for some of the greatest modern films of all time, including James Cameron's "Titanic" and "Avatar," "Braveheart," "Apollo 13," "Glory," and many others. Having been a fan of his scores for years, I personally considered James Horner to be one of few in the Hollywood industry I still had a great deal of respect for.
Not only was he involved with music and film, Horner was also well involved in aviation. The aircraft Horner died in was recently acquired, but he was an experienced pilot nonetheless. As a matter of fact, one of my favorite compositions of James Horner was not featured in any film, rather, was written for the air show circuit. His passion for aviation was reignited when he was asked to score a musical piece for The Horsemen, the world's only P-51 Mustang demonstration team (which has since expanded to flying other World War II fighters as well as the Korean War-era F-86 Sabre). This 12-minute piece, titled "Flight Demonstration Music" (and later shortened by the composer to "Flight") expresses the freedom of flight and further reflected the freedom the composer enjoyed while he wrote the composition, a rather rare luxury for a film composer when constrained by the limits and factors imposed by film directors dictating the parameters within a script of a movie. He wrote this piece with his heart and soul.
I first saw The Horsemen flying in a three-ship formation in F-86 Sabres at the Oregon International Air Show late last year and first heard this beautiful music composition written by Horner that the Sabre pilots choreographed to and I immediately fell in love with the piece and display.
The Horsemen flying F-86 Sabres at the 2014 Oregon International Air Show.
Steve Hinton flying lead, Dan Friedkin flying right wing, and Ed Shipley, the founding member of the flight team and the one who asked James Horner to come up with the music accompaniment for the flight team flying left wing.
To me, this combination of vintage warbirds flying in formation accompanied by the beautiful piece of music James Horner wrote made for one of the most beautiful and inspiring air show demonstrations I have ever witnessed. James Horner, through this magnificent piece of music has effectively brought aviation and music, two unlikely combinations, together. Horner shared a bond of brotherhood and often flew with The Horsemen pilots and talked about flying in formation with them at air shows one day. In essence, he was known as The Fourth Horsemen.
I hereby dedicate this one to James Horner. His musical genius and legacy will live on in the films he composed music for and every time The Horsemen flight team take to the skies. The Fourth Horsemen will indeed, live on.
Horner talking about his experiences composing the music for The Horsemen:
Two videos of The Horsemen and their full routine with Horner's full composition in an F7F Tigercat and two F8F Bearcats at the 2014 Rhode Island ANG Open House & Air Show:
Update: Soundtrack of the composition by the late-James Horner:
"Flight was originally conceived and written as an orchestral piece to be used as the background music for a live aerobatic display of precision flying. I\'ve been involved with planes and pilots most of my life. In 2010, I was part of an aerobatic display team whose members asked me to compose and record an orchestral piece that would epitomize the beauty of flight, to which the team could choreograph and perform a thrilling aerial “dance” of precision loops and rolls at 800 feet for an audience often numbering close to 160,000 people! The concept was to give the impression of a live symphony orchestra performing outdoors against the backdrop of a vast airplane-filled sky… something that had never been done before. Unlike music composed for a traditional ballet which must be very precise, the shape and tempo of this piece needed to be somewhat loose and flexible, due to the fact that prevailing weather and variable wind conditions on any given day would affect the speed with which the planes were able to perform their aerobatic maneuvers. When all the elements coalesced, the result was, in a way, the ultimate film score, combining the power of a full symphony orchestra with a thrilling display of formation aerobatics. To this day, whether they’re flying P-51 Mustangs, Spitfires, or F-86 Sabre jets, the team uses this music whenever they perform. So when listening to this piece, close your eyes and imagine these magnificent airplanes soaring into the skies to demonstrate the poetry, power and the enthralling beauty of flight."
-James Horner
To honor the late-James Horner, I use the following hashtag:
This week really has been a "Warbird Week" considering that I saw the Collings Foundation's B-17 and B-24 up in Aurora earlier this week and now this: Warbirds Over the West, a fly-in and car show held right here in my current home town of Salem, Oregon. The last time there was any major event held at the Salem Airport was Hot August Flights but this particular event hasn't been held since 2012... Needless to say, Salem was in desperate need of a new aviation-related event and this one is more than sufficient!
In past years, the Warbirds over the West event was held up in Aurora, Oregon due to the proximity to Milwaukie, Oregon, home of The B-17 Alliance Group, which hosts this event. The group holds this event as a fundraiser in order to help them restore the "Lacey Lady," a B-17G Flying Fortress which for many years sat as a centerpiece for a restaurant called The Bomber up in Milwaukie. And as expected, the bomber airframe sat out in the Oregon elements, which has taken its toll. The restoration team have a lot on their plate and many years to go before this restoration is complete. This event also marked the grand opening of the B-17 Alliance Museum at Salem's McNary Field, where the "Lacey Lady" will undergo restoration indoors, safe from the elements.
This year's Warbirds Over the West was my first and I was not disappointed! The Historic Flight Foundation brought their North American B-25D Mitchell as sort of the main headliner for the event. Along with that were several interesting static displays of aircraft, cars, and of course, fuselage sections of the soon to be restored "Lacey Lady." I spent several hours at this event and I took a lot of photos, which of course took me a long time to get through. I categorized the event photos into four separate sections: Flight Demonstrations, Runway Activities, Ground Movement, and Static Displays. In addition to the event, I also did some planespotting of the general aviation traffic throughout the day because of the unprecedented access on the Salem Airport tarmac. Here are the links to the galleries:
Historic Flight Foundation's North American B-25D Mitchell (N88972) known as "Grumpy" doing a fly-by. This B-25 gave paying visitors rides throughout the day.
Douglas DC-3A (N18121) in retro Eastern Air Lines The Great Silver Fleet livery. Owned by Blue Skies Air LLC, this DC-3 is a legit Eastern Air Lines veteran, having flown for the actual airline as NC18121 and also being pressed into military service during World War II as a C-49G. This was the very first time I've seen a DC-3 in flight!
There were a lot of Vans RVs at the event, including the West Coast Ravens, demonstrating formation flying.
Boeing B75 Kaydet (N1734B) taxiing into the display area.
North American AT-6G Texan (N92761) taxiing out for departure.
Boeing E75 Stearman (N58986) taxiing out for departure.
Zoomed-in shot of "Grumpy" as it's taxied into parking after one of many flights.
The brand-new Van's RV-14A prototype (N214VA) taxiing to be put on display.
Locally-based North American T-6G Texan (N4269E) nicknamed "Six-shooter" taxiing for departure. This T-6 raced at the Reno Air Races in years past.
Vultee BT-13A Valiant (N53331) known as "My Mistress" taxiing out for departure on a photo mission. This is the same BT-13 that was on static display earlier this week up in Aurora when the Collings Foundation was in town. I think I got a thumbs-up from the back-seater!
Here's a unique sighting: An Italian Aermacchi AM.3C (N949CM) on display. The AM.3 the result of a joint venture between Aermacchi and Aeritalia in response to an Italian Army requirement for an aircraft to replace the Cessna L-19. The C variant of the AM.3 used a more powerful Piaggio-built Lycoming GSO-480-B1B6 in place of the original Continental GTSIO-520-C, and thus the designation.
Taylorcraft L-2M Grasshopper (N3072Z) on display. This aircraft is from the Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum in Hood River, OR.
Stinson L-5G Sentinel (N62451) nicknamed "Super Snooper" on display.
Diamond HK36TC Super Dimona (N641TT) on display in one of the open hangars. The Super Dimona is classified as a motor glider; an obvious classification given the aircraft's long wingspan.
Blue Skies Air LLC's Eastern Air Lines The Great Silver Fleet Douglas DC-3A (N18121) on display under some great lighting conditions.
Van's RV-8 (N707AA) sporting one of the most unique paint jobs on display.
Right side of N707AA. Van's RVs are such wildcard aircraft given the wide variety of paint jobs owners put on them.
Van's RV-8 (N214KT) on display.
Van's RV-12 (N381RV) taxiing to parking. I am really digging this livery! I mean, come on! Who doesn't like some badass flames painted across the fuselage???
Cirrus SR20 (N66JP) taxiing to parking.
Robinson R22 Beta (N305NN) hover-taxiing to the ramp.
Diamond DA40 Diamond Star (N102UV) taxiing out for departure.
Another rare vintage: New Standard D-25 (N930V) taxiing out for departure. This aircraft, believe it or not, can seat FIVE people; four up in the front with the pilot in the back-elevated position. Built for joy-rides, barnstorming, crop-spraying, and carrying mail, only 45 New Standard D-25s were built and about 13 are currently registered with the FAA.
Someone's clearly a fan of the Oregon State University Beavers! Van's RV-9A (N984AW) taxiing for departure.
Van's RV-6A (N226YK) taxiing to parking.
Van's RV-6 (N974JS) taxiing to parking.
Piper PA-46-500TP Malibu Meridian (N713WA) taxiing to parking.
Cessna 560 Citation V (N62WD) departing Salem.
Van's RV-4 (N87WJ) taxiing for departure.
Weird and stubby microlight/ultralight: Flight Design CTSW (N248CT) initiating a missed-approach. The CTSW is a short wing version of the CT series.
Piper PA-32-300 Cherokee Six (N8984N) taxiing to parking.
Glasair GlaStar (N50RJ) taxiing to parking.
Marquart MA-5 Charger (N42879) taxiing to parking. Designed by Ed Marquart, the MA-5 is a homebuilt two place biplane designed to perform mild aerobatics. Marquart only sold plans for scratch building the aircraft, meaning no kits were manufactured. The first prototype took seven years to build.
Cessna 560 Citation V (N904LR) taxiing for departure.
Cessna 680 Citation Sovereign (N499GB) taxiing to parking.
I wish the B-17 Alliance Group the best of luck in restoring the the "Lacey Lady."
I drove up and spent a few hours in Aurora, Oregon at the Aurora State Airport today to see the Collings Foundation's Wings of Freedom tour during their only Oregon stopover. It was about this time three years ago when I first saw them in Salem; they haven't back in Salem since then. With a few exceptions, most tour stops include their B-17G Flying Fortress "Nine-O-Nine," B-24J Liberator "Witchcraft," and P-51C Mustang "Betty Jane." The only downside about today was that their P-51C Mustang developed maintenance issues and was consequently hangared away from the display... But today was still a good day regardless! For starters, I got to see the B-17 and B-24 fly; it's been several years since I've seen a B-17 fly and I've never seen a B-24 in flight before so this was a first for me. In addition to World War II bombers, there was a limited static display as well as an opportunity to do a little planespotting at Aurora, composed mainly of general aviation traffic. Here are the links to the full gallery:
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress (NL93012) "Nine-O-Nine" taking off from UAO with passengers on a joyride.
Consolidated B-24J Liberator (NX224J) "Witchcraft" taking off with paying passengers for a joyride. This is only one of two airworthy B-24s in the world; the other is an A-model owned by the Commemorative Air Force.
"Nine-O-Nine" flying overhead while bringing down the landing gear in preparation for landing. Given that it's World War II technology, leave plenty of time to crank down the landing gear! Considering that there are not many B-17s flying today, you can only imagine what it was like to have hundreds of them flying overhead in formation...
"Nine-O-Nine" rolling after landing.
"Nine-O-Nine" taxiing back to the ramp prior to being put on static display for the day.
"Witchcraft" flying overhead prior to landing.
"Witchcraft" rolling after landing.
"Witchcraft" taxiing back to the ramp to prior to being put back on display for the day.
Planespotting - General Aviation Highlights:
Columbia Helicopters, Inc. Beechcraft 200C Super King Air (N111NS) departing UAO.
Locally-based Cessna 750 Citation X (N896RJ) departing UAO.
Piper PA-34-220T Seneca III (N968C) departing UAO.
Life Flight Network Pilatus PC-12/47E (N661LF) departing UAO.
Warbirds - Static Display:
Vultee BT-13A Valiant (N53331) nicknamed "My Mistress" on static display. This is the first time I've seen a BT-13 and from what I've heard, there's only a handful of them still airworthy.
Face to face with "Witchcraft." Note the new air traffic control tower in the background. The tower is completed but still not staffed as of yet. Aurora State Airport has been an uncontrolled airport since being built in 1943 but that won't be the case in the near future. The reason for putting a tower in Aurora is most likely because of it's proximity to Portland; like the Hillsboro and Troutdale airports, Aurora see's a fair amount of business jet traffic and will likely serve as another reliever airport for the Portland-area. Air traffic at Aurora has also been growing for the last several years now and it's considered the third busiest airport in Oregon overall, which would justify having a tower.
