Gallery Update: The Newest Gulfstream Models in Salem!

For the past few days, I've been chasing a pair of business jets built by Gulfstream Aerospace that are spending the weekend at Salem for a PR photo shoot. The two jets in question also happened to be the latest models in Gulfstream's two latest models of their line-up of large, long-range business jets, the G500 and G600 (both part of the GVII series)! Unveiled on October 14, 2014, the G500 first flew on May 18, 2015 and received type certification three years later on July 20, 2018 The first customer delivery took place on September 27, 2018. The longer G600 had its first flight on December 17, 2016, received type certification in June of this year; the first customer delivery took place earlier this month! The G500 has a range of 5,200 nautical miles and is designated to replace the G450. The larger G600 has a range of 6,500 nautical miles and is designated to succeed the G550. Both are powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW800 turbofan engines.

Salem (SLE) 30

Salem (SLE) 31

Preview:

Gulfstream Aerospace GVII G600 (N600G) parked on the ramp after arriving from Savannah, Georgia, where the Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation is headquartered. 

Gulfstream Aerospace GVII G500 (N507GD) parked on the ramp after arriving back from a air-to-air photo shoot.

Pilot Life: Night Currency in the Cherokee!

My night currency expires in just a few days and I haven't flown all week! So naturally in continuing a good habit of keeping my currency with specific pilot privileges in check, I did a local night flight to reset the clock on my night currency. And to add to the challenge, I did it flying the flight club's Piper Cherokee, since I still don't have a lot of night hours in the type; I figured that this would hopefully be a good way to start off this coming week out right.

Getting night-current by flying N1636H!

After arriving at the hangar, I went through pre-flight checks as well as the walk-around; I took my time with pre-flight so I can time my departure well-after Salem Tower closed for the night and the clock was an hour past today's sunset time in order to ensure the night hours I'd log tonight were legit. Once it was dark enough and the pre-flight was done, I pulled the plane out of the hangar and hopped in. After getting the engine started and situated, I taxied out to Runway 34. After engine run-ups, I taxied onto the runway and got airborne.

I had originally planned to fly down to Albany and even Corvallis to do some landings at different airports, but I decided against that and stayed local in the traffic pattern at Salem. I did my first three landings on Runway 34, doing standard left-traffic pattern laps each time; my first landing was a touch-and-go to help me get the sight-picture I was looking for when it came to night landings and my second and third were both stop-and-go landings followed by a short-field takeoff with 10 degrees of flaps applied.

For my next three landings, I decided to switch things up by moving over to the longer Runway 31. It was around this point the airport-based firefighters (Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting - ARFF) got their trucks out and began their nightly rounds of inspecting the taxiways and runways, and they seemed to enjoy seeing an aircraft work the pattern as it seemed to make their jobs a little more interesting. I too enjoyed having the opportunity to interact with them a little bit over the radio as we coordinated with each other a little bit to make sure neither of us would come into conflict with one another. I have to give the ARFF folks a shout-out here for everything they do!

Once again, I did a touch-and-go landing on Runway 31 followed by a lap in the pattern to execute another stop-and-go landing before doing another short-field takeoff with 10 degrees of flaps applied. After doing one more lap in the pattern, my sixth landing of the night was a full-stop. And it looked like I was calling it quits at a good time because ARFF crew were about to begin inspecting the runway I was using. Without delay, I cleared the runway and communicated to the ARFF crew to let them know they could proceed out onto the runway. As for me, I taxied over the fuel pumps to top off the tanks a little bit before bringing the plane back to the flight club's hangar. After the usual post-flight, I rolled the trusty Piper Cherokee back into the hangar just as the moon was starting rise above the horizon and closed up shop.

Gallery Update: Wings Over the Willamette 2019 Recap

So it turns out there's a yearly event in Independence this weekend! The annual Wings Over the Willamette fly-in hosted by the 292nd chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA 292) based at the Independence States Airport includes static displays and a STOL exhibition and competition, which makes for an interesting event! I didn't focus any of my photography on the actual STOL competition (because it was the same exact thing airplane after airplane), but I had opportunities to get up close and personal with the aircraft on display as well as those that were competing, something that really interested me!

(Perhaps next year, I'll plan on spending more time at this event and get some photos of the STOL competetion!)

Wings Over the Willamette 2019

Preview:

Bellanca 7KCAB Citabria B (N41807) on display. Citabria is "Airbatic" spelled backwards!

Beechcraft D17S Staggerwing (N248E) on display. This beautiful vintage is locally-based at Independence!

Travel Air 4000 (NC4834) on display. Another locally-based vintage! This beauty first flew in 1928!

Sonex Aircraft Sonex (N76EQ) on display.

Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub (N91105) on display.

Aeronca 7BCM L-16 Champion (N6705C) on display.

Piper J-5A Cub Cruiser (N552DP) on display.

Cessna 177 Cardinal (N3171T) on display. Built in 1967, this Cardinal is one of the earliest models still around!

Just Aircraft Highlander (N942DH) on display.

Backcountry Super Cubs LLC Super Cub (N998JM) on display.

Just Aircraft Escapade (N239ZT) on display. The Escapade is the standard version compared to the Highlander.

Quick Aircraft Quick Air (N151QA) on display. Designed by Kelly Quick, this a one-of-a-kind!

Evans Mosquito (N5163G) on display. Not much is known about this aircraft, but I can only assume it's a home-built and one-of-a-kind.

Earthstar eGull 2000 on display. An electrically-powered version of the Earthstar Gull 2000 ultralight. Note that there's no visible N-number on this aircraft.

Denney Kitfox V Outback (N4803J) on display.

Just Aircraft Highlander (N642SC) on display. I've seen this particular aircraft on YouTube before and is slated to perform at this year's Reno Air Races for the inaugural STOL demo!

Pereira Osprey 2 (N651LM) on display. A unique, single-seat amphibious sport aircraft!

Aeropro CZ Eurofox 2K (N416E) on display. A Slovak-designed LSA known and marketed as the Aerotrek A220 here in the U.S.

Cub Crafters CC19-180 XCub (N17XC) on display. The newest model from Cub Crafters, developed from the Carbon Cub EX. In addition to the tailwheel version, Cub Crafters also designed and built a tricycle gear version of the XCub called the NXCub, which naturally caused quite a stir in the General Aviation community, particularly with the die-hard tailwheel pilots!

Cessna 172C Skyhawk (C-GXJU) on display. Quite a treat to see an earlier model of the 172, particularly one from Canada!

Rans S-7S Courier (N49CR) on display.

Denney Kitfox S7 Super Sport SLSA (N157SN) on display. This is the current "flagship" product of Kitfox.

Stinson 108-1 (N8570K) on display.

AutoGyro Calidus (N6283B) on display. It was just about two years ago I first saw a similar aircraft built by AutoGyro GmbH, the Cavalon which is a two-seater in a side-by-side configuration. The Calidus is different as it's a two-seater in a tandem formation.

Gyroflug SC 01 Speed Canard (N29PK) on display.

Rocky Mountain Wings Ridge Runner Model 3 (NX503PE) on display.

Avid Aircraft Flyer C (N213V) on display.

Earthstar eGull 2000 on display.

Aeroprakt A-20 Vista (N498NS) on display.

Piper PA-18A-150 Super Cub (N3374Z) on display.

Rans S-7S Courier (N813XD) on display.

Piper L-21B Super Cub (N986CK) on display.

Cub Crafters CC11-160 Carbon Cub SS (N40WP) on display.

Piper J3C-65 Cub (NC3614K) on display.

Avid Aircraft Magnum (N39HB) on display.

Backcountry Super Cubs LLC Super Cub replica (N211JJ) on display. This one looks like a hybrid of an original Piper Super Cub and a Cub Crafters Carbon Cub! The company Backcountry Super Cubs specializes in the design and manufacture of bush aircraft based off the original Piper Super Cub family in the form of kits for amateur construction.

Gallery Update: Two Unique Cessna Citation CJ4s in Salem!

Another thing I need to chase more often are corporate jets sporting unique or unusual liveries! It's one thing to see a standard or default livery on General Aviation aircraft, but it's always fun seeing ones with unique paint jobs. One Cessna Citation CJ4 arrived in Salem last night and another one early this morning; it was just out of boredom/curiosity, but after checking out the tail numbers and finding pictures of them on FlightAware and FlightRadar24, I realized both of these corporate jets were sporting pseudo-military liveries! So I just knew I had to go over and check these planes out while they were on the ramp, and that's exactly what I did!

And here's the other kicker: Both of these CJ4s are a part of or affiliated with The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, which is kind of funny considering that I photographed their Bombardier Global 5000 yesterday!

Salem (SLE) 29

Preview:

Cessna 525C Citation CJ4 (N215HG) parked on the ramp. Arrived last night from Bismarck, North Dakota and scheduled to hop up to Portland before returning to Bismarck and then on to Farmingdale, New York this afternoon. Sporting a pseudo-USAF markings with a pseudo tail-code 18-0266. Registered to SMGM LLC out of Marysville, Ohio; pretty good bet it's from The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company!

Cessna 525C Citation CJ4 (N1MG) parked on the ramp. Arrived this morning from Sioux Falls, South Dakota and scheduled to depart this afternoon for Afton, Wyoming and then on to Farmingdale, New York. Sporting a pseudo-USAF markings with a pseudo tail-code 17-0246. Registered to Hagedorn Aviation, Inc. out of Port Washington, New York, which probably means this CJ4 is the personal jet of James Hagedorn, CEO and Chairman of the Board of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company.

Gallery Update: Chasing a Global 5000 in Salem

I really should chase large, long-range business jets more often! Today, I decided to go after a member of the Bombardier Global Express family flying into Salem during the afternoon hours, a Global 5000. I figured this was worth chasing down because it's something that doesn't come into Salem often and I don't think I've photographed this particular model before (even though I have seen a Global Express XRS a few years back). Plus, I don't think I give enough attention to corporate aviation!

Salem (SLE) 28

Preview:

Empire Airlines (d/b/a FedEx Feeder) Cessna 208B Super Cargomaster (N711FX) taxiing for departure as CFS7686 for Portland following a stopover from North Bend/Coos Bay. This cargo feeder started the day departing Portland for North Bend/Coos Bay as CFS8670.

CFS7686 departing on 34 for Portland.

Bombardier BD-700-1A11 Global 5000 (N50MG) arriving on 31 from Columbus-John Glenn. Owned by the Marysville, Ohio-based multinational corporation, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company.

N50MG taxiing to the ramp. The Global 5000 is the first-generation base-model of the Global Express family. Being the first of its kind, the Global 5000 is naturally the smallest of the family and has the shortest range, powered by a pair of BMW-Rolls-Royce BR710 turbofan jet engines. The Global 6000 is an updated version of the 5000 modified to fulfill military missions. The longer range Global 5500/6500 are powered by new Rolls-Royce Pearl engines with lower fuel burn while the even larger, stretched Global 7500/8000 have longer range capability.

Face-to-face with one of the largest business jets currently built by Bombardier. The aircraft type shares the fuselage cross section with the CRJ family and Challenger 600 series with the only distinguishable changes being a new wing and tail design.

You have to get close to get an idea how large the Global 5000 really is! And considering that I never got to photograph any of the SkyWest CRJs that flew into Salem when there was airline service here over a decade ago, I suppose this is as close to it that I'm going to get!

N50MG getting marshaled onto the transient parking spots due to limited space in front of the FBO!

Gallery Update: Quick Ramp Spotting in Salem

I decided to drop by the Salem Airport for Day 2 of Warbirds Over the West this afternoon as I was under the impression that there would be more display aircraft flying in compared to yesterday. However, I decided against going in (and paying another admission fee!) because as it turns out, not a lot changed compared to yesterday; weather has definitely NOT been in our favor in the surrounding areas, especially for some display aircraft and their pilots that couldn't make it at all because they got stuck somewhere. But I did stick around long enough at my usual spotting location at Salem-McNary Field to get a few interesting aircraft sitting out on the ramp by the Flight Deck Restaurant & Lounge.

Salem (SLE) 27

Preview:

Cessna 525 CitationJet CJ1 (N44VS) parked on the ramp. Arrived yesterday from Sandpoint, Idaho. Note the large aftermarket winglets, something that isn't standard on a factory CJ1.

Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage (N4133G) parked on the ramp.

Flight Design CTSW (N248CT) parked on the ramp. I last saw this aircraft four years ago.