Gallery Update: Chasing 'Mad Dogs' in Eugene

In stark contrast to the rainy spotting day I had at PDX just four days ago, today was an absolutely gorgeous morning as we have some sunny weather for the weekend! This morning I went down to Eugene Airport to try some mid-morning spotting and chase down a rare 'Mad Dog.' For those unfamiliar with the term 'Mad Dog' in aviation, it's a nickname of the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 (playing off from the "MD-" abbreviation). How this term came to be is somewhat of an urban legend; pilots who fly the MD-80 say when they pressed a so-called "Go-Around Button," the throttles go all the way to full power, the nose shoots up, the airplane rattles and roars like never before. In other words, the MD-80 just goes crazy and sounded like a mad dog when a go-around (an aborted landing) is initiated. As for the existence of a so-called "Go-Around Button," there's probably no such thing but the urban legend continues to live so long as people use the term "Mad Dog." Hence the origin of the "Mad Dog."

Thanks to FlightAware, I noticed this charter flight operated by World Atlantic Airways, which I've never heard of; most likely a college game charter for March Madness. So given the fact that there was an opportunity to photograph a new airline and get myself an MD-80, which is something that's become a rare sight here in Oregon since American Airlines stopped flying MD-80s into Portland last summer, it was reason enough to go to an airport that's usually quiet most of the day to photograph a few airplanes in addition to my intended subject. Here's the link:

Eugene (EUG) 3

Preview:

Horizon Air Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 airborne after departing on 16R for Portland as QXE2036. Compared to Portland, I really enjoy shooting from this particular angle when flights are departing out of Eugene on 16R. Also, I didn't notice until now, but I got some prop vortices in this shot!

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a United Express) Bombardier CL-600-2B16 CRJ-200LR (N920SW) taxiing to the gate after arrival from San Francisco as SKW5632. While CRJ-100s and 200s are a rare sight at PDX now, you can sill catch them with relative ease at Eugene!

World Atlantic Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-83 (N807WA) named "Ray Bradley" taxiing for departure as WAL206 for Montgomery Regional Airport (KMGM/MGM) in Montgomery, Alabama.

Based at Miami International Airport, World Atlantic operates on-demand and scheduled charter services using a fleet of 6 MD-80s (one MD-82 and five MD-83s). This is the first MD-80 I've gotten to photograph this year and I have to admit, I really miss seeing these all over the place. There's just something about old, smokey, loud jet airliners that thrills spotters such as myself...

Beechcraft M35 Bonanza (N9745R) airborne after departing via 16R.

WAL206 airborne after departing 16R. Eugene Airport's Runway 16R/34L is 8,000 feet long. This MD-83 used up almost the entire runway!

This was definitely the catch of the day! 

NetJets Bombardier BD-100-1A10 Challenger 350 (N770QS) airborne after departure from 16R as EJA770 for Kissimme Gateway, Florida.

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a United Express) Bombardier CL-600-2B16 CRJ-200LR (N920SW) airborne after departure from 16R as SKW5392 for the return-trip to San Francisco.

Beechcraft B300 Super King Air (N291DB) airborne after departure from 16R.

Gallery Update: PDX in the Rain

I NEVER go spotting in lousy weather, especially when its raining like it does in western Oregon for nearly half the year; otherwise, I risk damage to my photography gear. Of course, I do have to make exceptions every once in a while whether it be a special aircraft making a rare appearance or I'm just going to be in the neighborhood anyways. In today's case, it's the latter. My aunt was visiting for the past several days and today I had to drive her to the airport so she could catch her flight back home. Even though it was raining, I took about an hour after dropping my aunt off and got a little planespotting in at my usual spot. I didn't take as many pictures compared to previous spotting trips but there was one or two things from today that made the trip worthwhile. Also with regards to the rainy weather, the one cool thing about spotting in the rain is watching jets kick up water on the runway and tarmac with their engine thrust. Here's the link:

Portland (PDX) 20

Preview:

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 (N784SW) arriving on 28R from Chicago-Midway as SWA2332.

United Airlines Boeing 737-924/ER (N37437) arriving on 28R as UAL569 from Chicago O' Hare.

Delta Air Lines Airbus A320-211 (N349NW) departing 28R as DAL1073 for Minneapolis/St Paul.

Saab 2000 (N92225) airborne after departure from 28R. It's been years since I've seen a Saab 2000 and this is the first one I've photographed since getting into planespotting. Based off of the shorter Saab 340, Saab 2000s are pretty rare considering that only 63 airframes were built and only about half that number are still in service. Reasons why they were built in limited numbers is because they were introduced around the time when regional jets, which provided better performance and passenger comfort for the same initial price (at the time), were starting to become the norm for regional airlines so that really killed sales. Now that we're in a time where fuel prices are a factor and turboprop regional airliners are starting to look good again, who knows how the Saab 2000 would've fared... This discreet, all-white airframe is registered to the United States Department of Justice.

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-790 (N619AS) arriving on 28L as ASA587 from Santa Ana-John Wayne Airport.

American Airlines Boeing 737-823 (N803NN) taxiing for departure as AAL1525 to Dallas/Fort Worth.

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Bombardier CL-600-2C10 CRJ-701ER (N227AG) arriving on 28L from Fresno-Yosemite as SKW3449. Unlike most Alaska-SkyWest CRJs, this particular airframe is not a former-Horizon Air, rather this is former D-ACPD of Lufthansa Regional/Lufthansa CityLine.

Horizon Air Bombardier DHC-8-401 Dash 8 Q400 (N410QX) arriving on 28L from Sacramento as QXE2618.

Horizon Air Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 arriving on 28L from Medford as QXE2328.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 717-2BD (N977AT) arriving on 28R from Los Angeles as DAL638.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 737-832 (N399DA) rotating off 28R for Atlanta as DAL1711.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 737-832 (N37700) arriving on 28R from Salt Lake City as DAL623.

United Airlines Airbus A320-232 (N469UA) arriving on 28R from San Francisco as UAL550.

Frontier Airlines Airbus A320-214 (N213FR) "Montana the Elk" departing on 28L for Denver as FFT788. After getting Frontier's new livery style the last two times, I'm glad I got another shot of Frontier's previous livery once more!

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Bombardier CL-600-2C10 CRJ-702 (N219AG) departing 28L for Burbank-Bob Hope as SKW3454. Airframe is former Horizon Air N619QX.

Horizon Air Bombardier DHC-8-402 Dash 8 Q400 (N434MK) departing on 28L. Unlike all Horizon Air planes, this aircraft's registration does not contain QX (Horizon Air's IATA code). Instead, it's got MK because this aircraft is named Milton G. Kuolt II, dedicated to honor the founder of Horizon Air; Kuolt founded Horizon Air in 1981.

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Bombardier CL-600-2C10 CRJ-700 (N216AG) taxiing for departure after push-back. Check out that reflection on the tarmac! I should try spotting in rainy weather a little more often!

Gallery Update: Breakfast and Not A Lot of Spotting at Independence

This morning, my dad, uncle, two aunts, and I went over to the Starduster Cafe at Independence State Airport for some breakfast. Given the rainy weather we've been having, it's no surprise that there wasn't anything to see from a planespotter's perspective save for one Cessna sitting on the ramp. Here's the link:

Independence (7S5) 2

Here's what I saw:

Cessna 172M Skyhawk (N5154R) parked on the ramp. I'm liking how there's a reflection on the ground. My dad says this Cessna's colors look very similar to the one he and one of my uncles co-owned a number of years ago.

Gallery Update: Lincoln City, OR Coast Guard Activity

In the ten or so years I've lived in Oregon, I have actually never been out to the Oregon coast until today. I went with a group of friends to Lincoln City, about an hour drive west of Salem. Knowing that the United States Coast Guard has stations in Astoria and Coos Bay and probably at a few other installations, I hoped that I would get lucky and catch one of their aircraft in the air buzzing the beach. And my luck paid off!

Here's the link:

Off-Airport 3 (Updated)

Preview:

United States Coast Guard Aérospatiale/Eurocopter MH-65D Dolphin (6548) buzzing Oceanlake Beach in Lincoln City, OR.

Gallery Update: Spotting at PDX on My LEAST Favorite Day of the Year

When you're single like me, you kind of resent Valentine's Day. As long as I'm single, V-day will probably be my least favorite holiday of the year. So for me, the only way to cope with feelings of resentment towards happy couples and those feelings of loneliness is to go do something I like, namely, planespotting! When I think about it, the majestic airplane really is my only one true love!

All joking aside, I drove up to PDX today and spent a couple hours practicing up on my photography in less-than-ideal conditions. Hedging on my bets, I saw a few things I've never seen before too, so the trip was worth it. Some new stuff includes a good shot of a Delta Air Lines plane in the SkyTeam Alliance livery, a casino charter airline, a special Boeing 757, and a new aircraft type from Jazz Air/Air Canada Express. I also wanted to get a few things I missed or screwed up from the last time as well, such as getting another Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330.

Link:

Portland (PDX) 19

Photo Preview:

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Embraer E-175LR (N176SY) departing on 28L. As of this photo, this is the newest E-Jet in service with SkyWest on Alaska Airlines' behalf.

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-490 (N793AS) departing on 28L.

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-890 (N590AS) equipped with split-scimitar winglets departing on 28L.

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-790 (N615AS) departing on 28L. Note the subtly revised livery; I photographed this airframe last September.

Hawaiian Air Airbus A330-243 (N395HA) taxiing for departure to Honolulu as HAL25.

HAL25 departing for Honolulu on 28L.

Gulfstream Aerospace G-VI G650 (N673HA) arriving on 28R. This aircraft is based at Portland-Hillsboro Airport (HIO).

N673HA taxiing to the FBO after clearing 28R.

Horizon Air Bombardier DHC-8-402 Q400 (N401QX) in Washington State University Cougars livery arriving on 28L.

Jazz Air (d/b/a Air Canada Express) De Havilland Canada DHC-8-301 (C-GTAG) pulling up to the gate after arrival Vancouver.

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-890 (N569AS) bearing the Starliner 75 retro livery departing on 28L.

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-890 (N593AS) taxiing for departure.

United Airlines Boeing 737-924/ER (N39450) just after push-back.

SkyWest Airlines Bombardier CL-600-2B19 CRJ-200ER (N498CA) just after push-back. As the tail number indicates, this airframe was once part of the now-defunct Comair. Before adorning its current SkyWest house colors, this CRJ flew on the behalf of Delta Connection (as Comair) and then for Midwest Connect (as SkyWest).

SeaPort Airlines Cessna 208B Grand Caravan (N1026V) pulling up to the ramp in preparation for passenger boarding. SeaPort is currently in Chapter 11 bankruptcy and recently shut down its entire southwest network in California and Mexico apparently due to shortage in pilots.

Frontier Airlines Airbus A320-214 (N228FR) "Orville the Red Cardinal" arriving from Denver on 28R. Note the new Airbus winglets or Sharklets!

N498CA taxiing for departure.

N498CA just after rotation from 28R departing for Denver as SKW5302.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 767-332/ER (N179DN) arriving on 28R from Amsterdam as DAL179.

Jazz Air (d/b/a Air Canada Express) De Havilland Canada DHC-8-301 (C-GTAG) departing as JZA8118 for the return trip to Vancouver.

United Airlines Boeing 737-924/ER (N69824) arriving on 28R from Chicago.

Cessna 560 Citation V (N629EP) taxiing to the FBO after arrival on 28R.

United Airlines Airbus A319-131 (N807UA) arriving on 28R from Houston as UAL1938.

Peninsula Airways (operating as PenAir) Saab 340B/Plus (N410XJ) arriving on 28R from Crescent City. I photographed this very same airframe last November.

N410XJ taxiing to the gate.

PenAir recently just announced expansion out of their new hub at PDX with service to the following destinations:
1.) North Bend/Coos Bay on March 21, 2016, which replaces (and adds capacity) SeaPort Airlines after the latter announced it will be ceasing PDX-OTH service earlier this month.
2.) Starting on April 21, 2016, service to additional northern California cities in Eureka/Arcata and Redding.
PenAir was supposed to start service to Klamath Falls, OR after Crescent City services started, but those plans are currently on hold due to the Transportation Security Administration refusing to station staff and equipment at LMT.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 737-832 (N3765) bearing the SkyTeam Allaiance livery arriving on 28R from Atlanta as DAL773. 

Xtra Airways Boeing 737-484 (N148AS) arriving on 28R from Wendover, NV as CXP712. I have never seen an Xtra Airways casino charter aircraft before so I was pretty excited to catch this. And this is exactly what Xtra Airways' business model is, hence its callsign "Casino Express." Not only that, but the airline recently introduced an updated livery on one of their newer aircraft so I was pleased to get this old livery while it lasted.

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a United Express) Bombardier CL-600-2B19 CRJ-200LR (N952SW) taxiing for departure. CRJ-100s and CRJ-200s have become a rare sight at PDX since so many of them have been phased out and retired in favor of larger regional jets due to the former being uneconomical to operate these days.

Dassault Falcon 50 (N2FQ) taxiing to the FBO after arriving on 28R.

Dassault Falcon 900EX (N904JY) taxiing to the FBO after arrival on 28R.

N952SW departing as SKW5995 for San Francisco.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 717-2BD (N970AT) taxiing for departure. Formerly with Air Tran Airways.

Boeing 757-223 (N874TW) after departure via 28R. A very unusual visitor to PDX. Formerly with American Airlines as N616AA. Aircraft is registered to the U.S. Department of Justice and was in town due to some current events one really doesn't want to hear about that has been happening in central Oregon recently.

N970AT just after rotation from 28R departing as DAL1190 for Los Angeles.

American Airlines Boeing 737-823 (N808NN) taxiing for departure. Check out the red beacon!

N808NN departing on 28L as AAL1525 for Dallas/Ft. Worth, a route once flown by American's MD-80s.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 (N921WN) arriving on 28L.

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Bombardier CL-600-2C10 CRJ-700 (N223AG) departing on 28L. This former Horizon Air airframe was leased to South African Express as ZS-NLV after Horizon phased out the CRJ-700 from its fleet.

Horizon Air Bombardier DHC-8-401 Q400 (N412QX) departing on 28L.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-3H4 (N365SW) departing on 28L.

United Airlines Boeing 737-924/ER (N69824) taxiing for departure.

Delta Air Lines Airbus A320-212 (N354NW) arriving on 28R.

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-790 (N622AS) arriving on 28L.

Horizon Air Bombardier DHC-8-402 Q400 (N442QX) arriving on 28L.

American Airlines Boeing 737-823 (N912AN) arriving on 28L as AAL1355 from Dallas/Ft. Worth.

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Bombardier CL-600-2C10 CRJ-700 (N225AG) departing on 28L. Formerly with Horizon Air as N601QX and then leased to South African Express as ZS-NBD.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-3H4 (N640SW) arriving on 28L.

SkyWest Airlines Bombardier CL-600-2B19 CRJ-200ER (N495CA) arriving on 28L. Formerly with Comair under the Delta Connection banner and then flew exclusively for Midwest Connect and then US Airways Express under SkyWest ownership.

Delta Air Lines McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30 (N943DN) arriving on 28R as DAL1073 from Minneapolis/St. Paul. Formerly with Japan Air Systerm-JAS and later Japan Airlines-JAL as JA003D.

N410XJ taxiing for departure for the return trip to Crescent City.

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a Delta Connection) Bombardier CL-600-2C10 CRJ-701ER (N625CA) taxiing for departure. Formerly with Comair and once wore a special special livery commemorating Comair's 150th CRJ in the fleet. What's unique about this airframe is that even though it's operated by SkyWest, Delta Air Lines is the actual owner of this aircraft.

N410XJ airborne after departure from 28R bound for Crescent City.

N148AS taxiing for departure. This airframe is formerly SX-BKG of Olympic Airlines and then VQ-BNX of Moskovia Airlines.

N3765 taxiing for departure.

N625CA after departure via 28R as SKW4623 for Seattle-Tacoma.

N673HA after departure on 28R after spending about two hours on the ground.

N148AS just after rotation from 28R departing for Reno as CXP777. See what they did with the flight number there???

The only other 737-400s I've photographed were ones from Alaska Airlines so it was actually kind of nice to catch another airline flying this variant of the 737 Classic. Catch these old classics while they're still around!

Raytheon Hawker 800XP (N401TM) taxiing to the FBO after arrival on 28R.

N3765 rotating from 28R on the return trip to Atlanta as DAL773.

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Bombardier CL-600-2C10 CRJ-701 (N224AG) departing on 28L.

Horizon Air Bombardier DHC-8-401 Q400 (N413QX) taxiing for departure.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 (N709SW) arriving on 28R.

N179DN departing on 28L for the return trip to Amsterdam as DAL178.

American Airlines Airbus A320-232 (N679AW) arriving on 28L as AAL408 from Phoenix-Sky Harbor. Formerly with American West Airlines and then US Airways prior to the merger.

Ameriflight Beech 99A Airliner (N1924T) after departing via 28L. 

Delta Air Lines Boeing 767-332/ER (N1201P) taxiing for departure.

Horizon Air Bombardier DHC-8-402 Q400 (N437QX) in Boise State University Broncos livery arriving on 28L.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7BD (N7740A) departing via 28L. Formerly with Air Tran Airways as N313AT.

N1201P departing on 28L as DAL623 for Tokyo-Narita.

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-990 (N320AS) taxiing for departure.

N320AS departing on 28L as ASA400 to San Francisco.

N943DN taxiing for departure.

N943DN rotating on 28R for Minneapolis/St. Paul as DAL827.

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Bombardier CL-600-2C10 CRJ-700 (N217AG) arriving on 28L. Formerly with Horizon Air as N609QX.

Bombardier BD-700-1A10 Global Express XRS (N999YY) after departing via 28R.

Jazz Air (d/b/a Air Canada Express) Bombardier CL-600-2D15 CRJ-705ER (C-GPJZ) arriving on 28R as JZA8315 from Calgary. This particular route was recently upgraded from the shorter CRJ-200 to the CRJ-705 so naturally, this was at the top of my list of what I wanted to see today as I have never seen a CRJ-705 before.

Taxiing to the gate. After seeing nothing but Dash 8 300s and CRJ-200s from Jazz Air, it was actually nice to something else from their fleet.

The series 705 is based on the standard CRJ-900, with a business class cabin and a reduced maximum seating capacity.

This special version of the CRJ-900 seats 75 passengers.

Many regional airlines have contracts with their mainline carrier partners that limit the maximum passenger capacity on aircraft they operate.

In this case, the Air Canada Pilots Association negotiated a scope agreement with Air Canada limiting the maximum seating capacity of any jet aircraft at Air Canada Express to 75 seats.

 Air Canada Jazz was the launch customer for this aircraft in 2005 with 10 Executive Class and 65 Economy Class seats, all fitted with personal audio/video-on-demand systems. Jazz Aviation, a subsidiary of Chorus Aviation, operates 16 CRJ-705s on behalf of Air Canada and is currently the only operator of the type.

Pulling up to the gate. I hear this variant of the CRJ is very favorable among passengers and it is quite the upgrade from the CRJ-200s Jazz operated into PDX in the past!