Gallery Update: Chasing an Eastern Air Lines Boeing 737 in Salem

Remember when a Dornier 328JET flew into Salem earlier this month and I said that it was the largest jet I've seen at the airport? Well, today that just got trumped as I had a rare opportunity to photograph a chartered Boeing 737-800 at Salem-McNary Field! What's even more crazy about this opportunity is that it was a 737 from the newly-revived Eastern Air Lines! It's a pretty big deal when a 737 flies into Salem, but it's an even bigger deal when the 737 happens to be from an airline adorned with a name from a by-gone era in aviation! Indeed this was a rare opportunity, a west coast planespotter's dream come true, a sight of aviation nostalgia!!!

The original Eastern Air Lines ceased operations on January 18, 1991; I was born less than six months before that date so I was too young to remember this airline. It was one of the “Big Four” airlines (along with United, Delta and American, the current U.S. "Big Three") that dominated the passenger airline business in the United States for nearly 50 years. It started flying officially as Eastern from 1930 (after its predecessor company known as Pitcairn Aviation was founded in 1927) and operated until 1991, when it ceased operations during the first Gulf War. Compounded by skyrocketing fuel prices, stiffer competition, financial difficulties, debt, and eventually bankruptcy, the airline folded as a result. However, Eastern’s court-appointed Trustee and Administrator were very careful to preserve the core asset (such as the airline’s name and trademarks) to allow for the airline to one day be revived and re-launched.

And in late-2011, a professional group of airline managers got together and formed Eastern Air Lines Group, Inc. by acquiring the intellectual property of Eastern Air Lines to develop a new business and financing plan to re-launch the airline. And in early 2014, the new incarnation of Eastern Air Lines filed an application with the United States Department of Transportation for a certificate of public convenience and necessity, followed by certification with the Federal Aviation Administration. The airline launched passenger services on May 28, 2015 with it's first Boeing 737-800 dubbed the "Spirit of Captain Eddie Rickenbacker" (named after the early leader of the original Eastern Air Lines) on a charter flight to Havana, Cuba from it's home base in Miami (like it's original predecessor, the new Eastern Air Lines will be based in Miami as it's operating hub). Since then the new Eastern fleet currently consists of one Boeing 737-700 and four Boeing 737-800s (all used), with plans to acquire an additional 20 737 (split between 10 -800s and 10 MAX 8s) from Boeing, as well as 20 Mitsubishi MRJ90s from Japan.

When it comes to reviving an old airline name, this is nothing new. In the past several start-ups attempted to bring back classic airline names like Pan Am (which was brought back twice and all failed) or People Express (which was brought back in 2012 and failed again in 2014). However, in the case of the new Eastern Air Lines, it appears to be succeeding. The airline is currently operating only charter flights primarily between Miami and Cuba, with additional charter destinations to the Caribbean and Latin America planned. Their aircraft are also available for charters throughout the United States as well as for professional and college sports teams; the airline is currently the “Official Airline” for University of Miami Athletics and also operates charter flights for the Florida Panthers, San Francisco Giants, Miami Marlins, Oakland A's, Georgia State University, and Georgia Southern University. The new Eastern Air Lines is currently in the process of getting certified by the FAA commence scheduled operations, which will focus on the Caribbean and Latin America.

I later found out that the Eastern Air Lines 737 I saw and photographed in Salem today was chartered by country music star and American Idol Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood! She's currently on tour and performed at the Oregon Jamboree held in Sweet Home yesterday and was on her way to her next stop of the tour up in Duncan, British Columbia, near Victoria on Vancouver Island. Here's the link:

Salem (SLE) 14

Photo preview:

SOCATA TB-20 Trinidad (N25125) taxiing out for departure to Tacoma Narrows.

Cessna A185F Skywagon II (N7350N) equipped with floats taxiing to parking after arrival.

Eastern Air Lines Boeing 737-8CX (N277EA) taxiing out for departure with Carrie Underwood and her tour entourage on board as EAL6590 for Victoria, British Columbia. Airframe arrived the night prior from Burbank as EAL943. Airframe was also in Salem two days ago dropping off Underwood and her tour group coming from Nashville. Airframe previously registered as N359AM while leased to AeroMexico and before that as PR-GOJ while flying for Gol Transportes Aereos.

As of this moment, the largest aircraft I've ever seen in Salem! Note the San Francisco Giants logo on the engine cowling; nicknamed "We Are SF We Are Giant," this aircraft is also used by the Giants baseball team for their charter flights. A classic livery on a modern, 21st Century jet airliner!

EAL6590 just airborne after departing on 31 for Victoria International Airport (YJJ/CYJJ). Thanks Carrie Underwood for giving me this opportunity to photograph this elusive airline!

(Does taking these photos officially qualify me as a paparazzo???)

Robinson R44 Raven II (N441KA) arriving into Salem.

Happy Centennial Anniversary to The Boeing Company!

On this day 100 years ago on July 15, 1916, William Edward Boeing who would become an aviation pioneer, founded The Boeing Company in Seattle, WA. The company would cement itself as an aerospace giant in the United States and as one of the two largest passenger aircraft manufacturers (the main competitor being Airbus). The company is among the largest global aircraft manufacturers, is the second-largest defense contractor in the world, and is the largest exporter in the United States by dollar value. In 100 years, Boeing went from wood and fabric planes and pioneered the concept of an all-metal construction airplane. The company eventually became known for iconic aircraft that has made history such as the B-17 Flying Fortress during World War II and jets like the Boeing 707 that ushered in the commercial jet age and subsequently led to newer designs such as the 747, known as the Queen of the Skies or 737, often referred to as the "Baby Boeing." The 20th Century was full of great innovations pioneered by Boeing. And now in the 21st Century, Boeing is once again at the forefront of pioneering the next big aviation concept which includes composite materials, starting with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

In celebration of Boeing's 100th anniversary and for some history of the company, check out the five-part documentary series, The Age of Aerospace created as a collaboration between Discovery Communications (the Discovery Channel) and Boeing!

"Wild Card" Aviation Photography wishes The Boeing Company a Happy 100th Birthday! Congratulations for achieving 100 years of operation! As an aviation enthusiast and budding pilot, I look forward to seeing all the new aircraft and technologies the company has in store in the years to come!

And now, a montage of some of the finest Boeing desings:

Boeing B75N1 Stearman (N49259) on display at the Legacy Flight Museum in Rexburg, ID.

Boeing B-52G Stratofortress (58-0191) on display at the Hill Aerospace Museum in Ogden, UT.

Boeing 757-200 (TF-FIT) of Icelandair departing from Portland International Airport in Portland, OR.

Boeing WB-47E Stratojet (51-7066) on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, WA.

Boeing AV-8B Harrier II+ (165582) of the United States Marine Corps VMA-214 "The Black Sheep" at the 2014 Oregon International Air Show held at Portland-Hillsboro Airport in Hillsboro, OR.

Boeing 717-200 (N979AT) of Delta Air Lines departing from Portland International Airport in Portland, OR. Originally designed and developed as the MD-95 by McDonnell Douglas before the company was acquired by Boeing, which continued with the aircraft development and design, building a total of 156 airframes with 155 of them currently in service.

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress (N93012) nicknamed "Nine-O-Nine" owned and operated by the Collings Foundation out of Stow, MA departing from Aurora State Airport in Aurora, OR.

Boeing C-17A Globemaster III (05-5147) of the United States Air Force Hawaii National Guard on static display at the 2015 Reno Air Races held at the Reno Stead Airport in Reno, NV.

Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet (168357) of the United States Navy, VFA-122 "Flying Eagles" at the 2012 Reno Air Races.

Boeing 767-300/ER (D-ABUI) of Condor Airlines arriving at Portland International Airport in Portland, OR.

Boeing Model 40C (N5339) on static display at the 2014 Oregon International Air Show held at Portland-Hillsboro Airport in Hillsboro, OR.

Boeing 747-200(SF) (N482EV) formerly with Evergreen International Airlines on display at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, OR.

Boeing CH-47D Chinook (10-00282) of the United States Army on static display at the 2015 Reno Air Races held at the Reno Stead Airport in Reno, NV.

Boeing 757-300 (N589NW) of Delta Air Lines departing Portland International Airport in Portland, OR.

Boeing 747-400 (N122UA) of United Airlines taxiing at Eugene Airport in Eugene, OR.

Boeing 777-300/ER (B-KQY) of Cathay Pacific departing Portland International Airport in Portland, OR.

Boeing 737-800 (N805SY) of Sun Country Airlines arriving at Portland International Airport in Portland, OR.

Boeing 737-700 (N714CB) of Southwest Airlines departing Portland International Airport in Portland, OR. Southwest is the world's largest operator of the 737 series.

Boeing 737-400 (N148AS) of Xtra Airways taxiing at Portland International Airport in Portland, OR.

Boeing 737-500 (JA8504) of Hokkaido International Airlines - Air Do taxiing at Toyama Airport in Toyama, Japan.

Boeing 777-200 (JA712A) of All Nippon Airways taxiing at Komatsu Airport in Komatsu, Ishiikawa, Japan.

Boeing 737-300 (N368SW) of Southwest Airlines departing Portland International Airport in Portland, OR.

Boeing 737-900 (N320AS) of Alaska Airlines departing Portland International Airport in Portland, OR.

Boeing 737-100 (N515NA) on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, WA. This is the prototype 737, the very first one ever built! Originally registered as N73700 before it went to NASA.

Boeing 727-200/Adv (N874AA) formerly with American Airlines on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, WA. Since this photo was taken, the Museum of Flight received the prototype 727 and N874AA was slated for the scrapyard until the National Airline History Museum in Kansas City acquired it; this airframe is undergoing the necessary restoration in order to get a ferry permit from the FAA and eventually make its way to its new home.

Boeing 747-100(SF) (N481EV) formerly with Evergreen International Airlines perched atop the Evergreen Wings & Waves waterpark in McMinnville, OR.

Boeing Model 80A-1 (NC224M) on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, WA. Out of 16 airframes built, this is the sole example of the type left in the world.

Boeing VC-137B (58-6970), a military version of the 707-100 that served as SAM 970, the very first presidential jet that served as Air Force One. This airframe carried Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon as well as VIPs such as Nikita Khrushchev and Henry Kissinger.

Meanwhile, Airbus has just one thing to say to Boeing:

That's what I call class! This is capitalism at it's finest, when two aerospace giants promote fair and healthy competition that drive each other to do better. Well said Airbus! And congratulations again to Boeing for 100 years in operation, and for 100 years worth of incredible and iconic aircraft and aerospace marvels!

Gallery Update: Chasing a Fairchild-Dornier 328JET in Salem (Again!)

Last week prior to the long weekend, Key Lime Air sent one of their Fairchild-Dornier 328JETs into Salem on a holiday charter. Today, the same 328JET was departing Salem and returning to it's home base at Centennial Airport in Colorado. I decided to see the flight off and made a quick spotting trip out of it. Here's the link:

Salem (SLE) 13

Preview:

Cessna 170B (N170PP) parked on the ramp.

Piper PA-28-151 Cherokee Warrior (N43671) airborne after departing 34.

Ryan Navion (N4382K) getting towed out to the ramp. A general aviation classic!

Key Lime Air (d/b/a Denver Air Connection) Fairchild-Dornier 328-310 328JET (N398DC) taxiing for departure as LYM3307 on the return trip to it's home base at Denver-Centennial after spending the weekend at SLE.

N170PP airborne after departing 34.

LYM3307 airborne after departing 31 for Denver-Centennial.

Civil Air Patrol Cessna 182T Skylane (N591CP) clearing 34 to allow another aircraft to land before beginning back-taxi due to construction.

N43671 arriving back on 34.

Gulfstream Aerospace G-IV Gulfstream IV-SP (N888ZF) parked at the Salem Air Center FBO ramp.

Gallery Update: 4th of July Weekend at PDX

Happy Independence Day to all of you here in the United States! I hope you're enjoying what should be your long 4th of July weekend. As for me, I'm sticking to my traditions and taking advantage of the long weekend at home by making a commute up to Portland International Airport and getting some planespotting in; it's been a few weeks since I was last at PDX to catch the inaugural Sun Country Airlines flight to Minneapolis earlier this month. While I managed to catch all the new airlines that came to PDX this year, I still haven't been able to see the two European carriers, Icelandair and Condor Airlines that serve PDX on a summer seasonal basis at all this year and they've been back at it for a couple months now. That all changed today though! In addition to catching the two European carriers currently serving PDX, I also finally caught the new American Eagle/Compass Airlines E-175 flying the route to Los Angeles (which started on June 2 of this year) today as well. Here's the link:

Portland (PDX) 25

Photo preview and highlights:

Delta Air Lines Boeing 737-932/ER (N808DN) clearing 28R after arrival from Atlanta as DAL259.

Icelandair Boeing 757-256 (TF-FIT) Helgafell getting towed from the remote stands back to the terminal. Arrived the evening prior as ICE665 and spent the night in Portland. Will be departing later in the day as ICE664. Registration formerly belonged to a Fokker 50 of Air Iceland, a regional subsidiary of the Icelandair Group. This 757 was also previously leased to Globespan, a British tour operator based in Edinburgh, Scotland which operated the airline as Flyglobespan, which ceased operations in December 2009 due to financial problems. After that, the airframe briefly went to Russia and flew for Yakutia Airlines.

Helgafell is the name of a dormant cone volcano on the outskirts of an important fishing town in the Westman Islands. A neighboring volcano, Eldfell, was formed in an eruption in 1973.

This is actually my first time photographing a standard Icelandair livery. The last time I photographed an Icelandair 757, it wasn't this livery, rather an interim, all-Euro-white fuselage with only the winglets, engine cowlings, and vertical stabilizer as the only recognizable features with the airline's logos.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 737-832 (N387DA) taxiing for departure as DAL222 to it's Pacific Northwest hub in Seattle. Airframe arrived from Seattle about an hour prior as DAL373.

Gulfstream Aerospace (G-VI) G650 (N673HA) taxiing to Atlantic Aviation FBO. This Hillsboro-based G650 is often seen overseas so I suspect that this airframe comes into PDX to get processed by customs despite such services being available (albeit, on a limited basis) at HIO.

Flexjet Bombardier BD-100-1A10 Challenger 350 (N571FX) airborne after departing 28R as LXJ571 for Oakland County International Airport in Pontiac, Michigan.

Condor Flugdienst Boeing 767-330/ER (D-ABUI) clearing 28R after arrival from Frankfurt as CFG90. This is the same airframe that was used for the inaugural flights between Portland and Frankfurt last year.

Delta Air Lines Airbus A320-212 (N357NW) taxiing out for departure as DAL1741 for Salt Lake City. Formerly with Northwest Airlines.

DAL373 just airborne on departure from 28R for Seattle.

DAL1741 rotating on 28R for Salt Lake City.

Jazz Air (d/b/a Air Canada Express) Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 (C-GGMZ) clearing 28R after arriving from Calgary as JZA8315.

Face-to-face with JZA8315. Note that the left engine has been shut down.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 737-932/ER (N816DN) rotating on 28R for departure to Atlanta as DAL740.

United Airlines Boeing 737-824 (N37274) getting towed to the remote stands for an overnight stay. Scheduled to depart on the 4th of July as UAL714 for Denver; airframe arrived earlier in the day as UAL550 from San Francisco.

Learjet 60 (N29LJ) airborne after departing 28R.

Sun Country Airlines Boeing 737-8Q8 (N805SY) arriving on 28R as SCX8024 from Laughlin/Bullhead International on a casino charter. Given that the daily Minneapolis flight has already come and gone for the day, I was absolutely thrilled to catch another Sun Country airframe! It is also my understanding that this airframe also landed at Salem-McNary Field on a military charter back in 2012.

Learjet 60 (N208BH) airborne after departing 28R.

Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-323 (N819NW) taxiing for departure to Amsterdam as DAL178. Formerly with Northwest Airlines.

American Airlines Boeing 737-823 (N950AN) taxiing for departure as AAL1500 to Dallas-Fort Worth.

DAL178 departing on 28L for Amsterdam.

Horizon Air Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 (N441QX) in the University of Alaska at Fairbanks Nanooks livery over at the Horizon maintenance base. This one still somewhat eludes me, but one of these days though! 

AAL1500 departing on 28L for Dallas-Fort Worth.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-8H4 (N8661A) arriving on 28L as SWA6068 from Denver.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7BD (N7747C) taxiing for departure to Baltimore as SWA1428, one of the few trans-con routes the airline flies. Airframe formerly with Air Tran Airways as N329AT.

SWA1428 rolling on 28L for departure, beginning the long four-hour flight to Baltimore.

N808DN taxiing for departure as DAL2466 for the return-trip to Atlanta.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-232 (N695DL) taxiing out for departure as DAL1073 for Minneapolis-St. Paul. Kind of ironic to see a Boeing 757 taxiing right behind a 737-900, the latter which seems to be more or less replacing the venerable 757 on many routes...

United Airlines Boeing 737-924/ER (N69816) taxiing out for departure to Chicago O' Hare as UAL464.

DAL2466 airborne after departing via 28R for Atlanta.

DAL1073 airborne after departure from 28R heading for Minneapolis.

Beechcraft F33A Bonanza (N204LP) airborne and immediately turning northbound to avoid the Delta 757's wake turbulence for Friday Harbor, WA after departing from 28R.

UAL464 rotating on 28R for Chicago O' Hare.

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-790 (N614AS) in the interim livery arriving on 28L from Los Angeles as ASA419.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 (N714CB) in the classic "retro" livery in tribute to Colleen Barrett arriving on 28L from Austin-Bergstrom as SWA2426. I knew Southwest had at least three of their 737s in the classic retro livery and I'm glad I got to photograph one today because I've waited a long time for this one!

Horizon Air (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 (N403QX) in the Montana State University Bobcats livery rotating on 28L.

C-GGMZ taxiing for departure as JZA8316 for the return-trip to Calgary.

JZA8316 airborne after departing 28R for Calgary.

Horizon Air (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 (N435QX) in the Washington State University Huskies livery taxiing to the gate after arriving from Eugene as QXE2609.

SeaPort Airlines Cessna 208B Grand Caravan (N932SP) taxiing to the gate after arriving from Pendleton as SQH823.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 (N240WN) departing on 28L as SWA912 for Denver.

Horizon Air (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 (N402QX) in the University of Montana Grizzlies livery airborne after departing on 28L as QXE2170 for Seattle.

Compass Airlines (d/b/a American Eagle) Embraer ERJ-170-200LR E-175LR (N218NN) taxiing for departure as CPZ6026 for Los Angeles. This is one of the newest sights here at PDX, with service commencing one month ago. 

N805SY taxiing for departure for the return-trip to Lauglin/Bullhead as SCX8023 on casino charter.

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Bombardier CL-600-2C10 CRJ-700 (N225AG) arriving on 28L as SKW3493 from Santa Barbara. 

CPZ6026 departing on 28L for Los Angeles.

SCX8023 departing on 28L for Laughlin/Bullhead.

Jazz Air (d/b/a Air Canada Express) Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 (C-GGMQ) taxiing up to the gate after arriving from Vancouver as JZA8125. I was kind of surprised to see that the flights to Vancouver got upgraded to the Q400 from the usual DHC-8-300s; my best guess is that Q400s are summer season equipment upgrades.

United Airlines Boeing 737-924/ER (N69838) arriving on 28R as UAL1159 from San Francisco.

Flight Options Embraer EMB-505 Phenom 300 (N314FL) airborne after departing 28R as OPT314 for Sun Valley, ID.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 (N298WN) arriving on 28L as SWA885 from Houston-Hobby.

N714CB departing on 28L as SWA1927 for Phoenix-Sky Harbor after a relatively quick turn-around.

American Airlines Boeing 737-823 (N988NN) taxiing for departure as AAL2281 for Chicago O' Hare. This is a brand new airframe for American, having been delivered from Boeing earlier this spring.

N8661A taxiing for departure as SWA2635 for Dallas-Love.

AAL2281 departing on 28L for Chicago O' Hare.

SWA2635 departing on 28L for Dallas-Love.

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a Delta Connection) Bombardier CL-600-2C10 CRJ-701 (N603QX) airborne after departing 28R as SKW4705 for Seattle. Tail number gives it away here; airframe formerly with Horizon Air.

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-890 (N526AS) arriving on 28L as ASA557 from Los Angeles.

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-790 (N613AS) arriving on 28R as ASA409 from San Jose.

It's been a while since I got a view like this but check out that Airbus A319 arriving on 28R with Mt. Hood in the background!

Spirit Airlines Airbus A319-132 (N507NK) arriving on 28R as NKS990 from Los Angeles. It has been a long time since I last photographed an aircraft from Spirit Airlines. Spirit seems to fly in and out of PDX during the mid-afternoon with a red-eye flight or two late at night.

N673HA airborne after departing 28R, most likely to it's home base in Hillsboro a short hop away.

N387DA clearing 28R after arriving BACK from Seattle on a re-positioning flight. Scheduled to depart to Salt Lake City as DAL50 later in the day.

C-GGMQ airborne after departing 28R as JZA8124 for the return-trip to Vancouver.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 717-2BD (N979AT) taxiing for departure to Los Angeles as DAL2814.

TF-FIT taxiing out for departure to Reykjavik-Keflavik as ICE664.

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a Delta Connection) Bombardier CL-600-2C10 CRJ-701ER (N641CA) arriving on 28R from Seattle as SKW4623. Airframe owned by Delta Air Lines and formerly flew for the now-defunct Comair.

DAL2814 just airborne after rotation from 28R for Los Angeles.

ICE664 beginning it's rotation on 28R for Reykjavik-Keflavik. Icelandair increased it's flight frequencies into PDX this year as well so there are more opportunities each week to spot their flights during their summer seasonal runs.

Delta Air Lines Airbus A319-114 (N371NB) arriving on 28R from Salt Lake City as DAL1194. Airframe formerly with Northwest Airlines.

N507NK taxiing for departure as NKS991 for the return-trip to Los Angeles.

NKS991 departing on 28L for Los Angeles.

N613AS departing on 28L for the return-trip to San Jose as ASA402. The 737-700 is the ideal platform for routes like this, especially when flying at several frequencies a day, where a quicker turn-around is ideal.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 (N215WN) departing on 28L for Oakland as SWA1244.

American Airlines Boeing 737-823 (N892NN) arriving on 28L from Phoenix-Sky Harbor as AAL329. Seeing that they're using  a legacy American 737 on a route inherited from US Airways following the merger shows that the post-merger American fleet has been fully integrated and consolidated into the entire route network; in the past, American-operated flights to Phoenix were always with Airbus A319/320/321s inherited from US Airways.

D-ABUI taxiing for departure for the return-trip to Frankfurt as CFG91.

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-790 (N611AS) in the interim livery arriving on 28L as ASA583 from John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, CA.

Horizon Air (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Bombardier DHC-8-401 Dash 8 Q400 (N400QX) in University of Idaho Vandals livery beginning it's taxi for departure.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 (N449WN) arriving on 28L as SWA1507 from Sacramento.

CFG91 departing on 28L for Frankfurt.

N400QX rotating on 28L on a re-positioning flight for Seattle.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-3H4 (N656SW) arriving on 28L from Oakland as SWA374.