Gallery Update: Interesting Sightings in Albany & Salem

With weather being rather unpredictable this month thanks to the "April showers" we've been getting, today was really the only good day to get some flying in. I made a stop in Albany to get some fuel and got a few quick shots around the ramp area, including a few new additions to the flight school's fleet where I completed my instrument training. Upon returning to Salem, I also got some interesting shots of some aircraft. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Albany (S12)

Salem (SLE)

Preview:

Beechcraft A23-19 Musketeer (N5685S) parked on the ramp.

Infinite Air Center Flight Design CTLS (N929CT) parked on the ramp. Infinite Air Center acquired this light sport version of the CT series due to an increase in demand of high-wing aircraft for flight training purposes.

Infinite Air Center Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee D (N6403J) parked on the ramp. This plane replaced the Cherokee I finished my Instrument training in after it was sadly wrecked October last year.

Co-Z Cozy Mark IV (N287R) taxiing out for departure. My first time seeing this homebuilt based off the Rutan Long-EZ! The Cozy Mk IV is built from plans using basic raw materials, but is not technically a kit aircraft, though many small parts are available prefabricated. The design derives from the Rutan Long-EZ, which was approved by Burt Rutan himself.

AutoGyro Cavalon (N252RG) taxiing back the south hangars after working the pattern. Only my second time seeing a Cavalon!

SOCATA TBM 930 (N930MP) taxiing for departure to Newport.

N930MP departing on 34 for Newport.

Gallery Update: A Quick Stop in Canby

Sometimes, on my way home from PDX after doing some plane-spotting, I take a detour through Canby and Aurora before hopping back on the interstate to avoid traffic in and around the Wilsonville area if it's bad. On numerous occasions, I've passed by the Vietnam Era Veterans Memorial in Canby, which includes a Bell UH-1 Iroquois "Huey" helicopter mounted on a stand in full display but never took the opportunity to stop and take a look. I figured I might as well make a quick stop to get a few pictures on the way home. I always appreciate seeing aircraft serving as airport "gate guards" or as memorial displays.

Off-Airport 

Preview:

United States Army Bell UH-1H Iroquois "Little Orphan Annie" (70-16351) on display at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Formerly with the Ohio Army National Guard before being put up for display. In spite of being exposed to the elements, this old Huey appears to be great shape.

Gallery Update: Air Force One in Portland!!!

This was an exciting day and certainly will stand out as a plane-spotting highlight of the year for me! 

Today, I got to photograph one of the Holy Grails of aviation, the Boeing VC-25A, a modified version of the 747-200B flown by the United States Air Force exclusively for presidential transport under the "Air Force One" call-sign when the President of the United States is on board (though any Air Force aircraft can carry the call-sign when flying the sitting president).

President Joe Biden made his first presidential visit to Oregon today since winning the 2020 Presidential Election and stopped in Portland for a few hours to make a speech about infrastructure before continuing on to Seattle. And considering that the current VC-25A is slated to be retired with the VC-25B in a few years, this was an opportunity that I could not pass up! Uncharacteristically of me, I did not photograph anything else on this special spotting trip other than Air Force One.

As an aside, I know people are divided about the current President of the United States and I know some will feel inclined to make political statements, so I (unfortunately) feel inclined to state that I was only interested in seeing and photographing this iconic aircraft, regardless of who was on board. I am in no way expressing support for politicians or their respective party affiliations through my photos, as this platform is NOT the place for such matters. Otherwise, I'll let my photos from this special plane-spotting trip speak for themselves.

Portland (PDX) 70

Preview:

Air Force One on final short final for 28L!

United States Air Force Boeing VC-25A (747-2G4B) (82-8000) arriving on 28L as "Air Force One" from Joint Base Andrews, Camp Springs, Maryland near Washington D.C. I am beyond thrilled to finally photograph this iconic aircraft after years of waiting for the opportunity!

Note the reverse thrust deployed even before the nosewheel touches down.

One of two built, the VC-25A is a highly-modified version of the Boeing 747-200B. As such, this is also my first time photographing a 747-200 airframe in action (second time seeing a 747-200 overall)! 

Air Force One taxiing to the Oregon Air National Guard ramp, where VIPs and staff await to greet the President.

Although technically the "Air Force One" designation applies to the aircraft only while the president is on board, the term is commonly used to refer to the VC-25 in general. However, any U.S. Air Force aircraft can carry the call-sign when flying the president.

The VC-25A replaced the VC-137 Stratoliner, which was based off of the Boeing 707 starting in 1990.

Starting in 1985, the United States Air Force issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to replace the VC-137, with Boeing offering their iconic 747 and McDonnell Douglas offering the DC-10. Of course, Boeing won.

Work on the VC-25A began during the Reagan administration and the airframe was completed in 1986 with the maiden flight taking place in 1987.

Former First Lady Nancy Reagan created the interior designs of the VC-25A, which is reminiscent of the American Southwest.

Air Force One turning onto the Air National Guard Ramp.

Note the antennae domes along the top of the fuselage. With the addition of special communications systems which led to problems for the aircraft's internal wiring, the VC-25A's delivery to the Air Force was delayed until 1990, during the George H.W. Bush administration.

The VC-25s are based at Andrews Air Force Base in Camp Springs, Maryland, a suburb of the Washington D.C. metro area and operated by the Presidential Airlift Group, the 89th Airlift Wing. Note the bump on the nose of the aircraft below the cockpit windows; the VC-25A is capable of aerial refueling.

In addition to the primary mission of carrying the sitting president, the VC-25 fulfills other VIP roles, including the rare occasion of carrying the Vice President under the "Air Force Two" call-sign and carrying outgoing presidents following the inauguration of the newly-elected one under the "Special Air Mission 28000" and "29000" call-signs ("SAM28000" and "SAM29000" as referred by the respective VC-25's tail number).

Another notable use of the VC-25 has been carrying deceased former presidents to Washington D.C. for their state funerals and then on to their final resting places. The bodies of Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, and George H.W. Bush were carried by the VC-25A in recent years.

The tradition of placing the caskets of former presidents in the passenger cabins of aircraft used for Air Force One missions dates back to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, when the crew refused to allow president's body to be placed in the cargo hold and again during the state funeral of Lyndon B. Johnson.

Air Force One beginning the 180 degree to turn to park. Another tradition is the president always boards and disembarks with the left side of the aircraft always facing the crowd.

The VC-25A is outfitted with a lot things, many of which is classified for national security reasons. However, it has long been known that the VC-25As carry countermeasures such as chaff and flares to protect against heat-seeking and radar-guided missiles as well as ECM to jam enemy radar. In addition, the aircraft's components are shielded from a nuclear electromagnetic pulse in the event of a nuclear attack, effectively making the it capable of serving as a military command center for the president.

The rear profile of the VC-25A.

Being nearly 40 years old, the Air Force will replace the VC-25As in a few years (hence why I'm glad I was able to photograph it today!). And to no one's surprise, the Boeing 747-8I Intercontinental was selected in 2015 to form the basis of the next Air Force One aircraft, which has since been designated as the VC-25B.

The Air Force began soliciting interest for the replacement for the VC-25A in 2009. Speculation already assumed the top two contenders would be the Boeing 747-8I and the Airbus A380 SuperJumbo.

EADS North America representing EADS and Airbus stated that they wouldn't respond to the Air Force's request, as Airbus believed that constructing two or three airplanes in the U.S. wouldn't make financial sense. Plus, it wouldn't have been a good look for a U.S. president to be flying around in a non-U.S. plane, so it had to be the Boeing 747-8I by default.

Air Force One pulling up to park.

Work on the VC-25A's replacement began in early 2020 for modification work.

The 747-8I airframes are already built and were originally slated for defunct Russian air carrier, Transaero Airlines, which went belly-up in 2015. The Air Force purchased the airframes from Boeing after they were sent out to the desert for storage; the reason for purchasing the already-built airframes was to reduce cost at the behest of former president, Donald Trump, who at the time said was an expensive.

The deal for the upcoming VC-25B program was formally finalized in early 2018.

Since then, it hasn't been all smooth-sailing for Boeing (not surprisingly) and the overall program. The VC-25B were originally scheduled to be delivered in 2024, but delays due to whole array of issues, internal conflicts, repercussions from the COVID-19 pandemic and the global supply chain issues could push back delivery to 2025 and possibly 2026.

Regardless of when the VC-25Bs get delivered, once they do, the VC-25As will (thankfully) be placed into museum displays upon retirement.

Perhaps the biggest question aviation enthusiasts have right now is whether or not the VC-25Bs will keep this currently livery adorned by the VC-25As. In 2019, President Trump announced plans to revamp the VC-25 livery from the traditional white and ultramarine shades (reminiscent of the Kennedy era) designed by Raymond Loewy to one of red, white, and blue.

Air Force One parked on the Air National Guard Ramp. Note the presidential limousine convey gathering in the background.

This beauty will remain on the ramp for a few hours before continuing on to Seattle.

Regardless of who this plane was carrying, I'm glad I was finally able to photograph it for the first time!

One last look at this iconic aircraft. No doubt, this is a plane-spotting highlight of the year for me!

Gallery Update: T-28 Trojan Sighting in Salem

Before going up for a quick cross-country flight, I had the chance to see a North American T-28 Trojan in action. I've seen this particular T-28 several times already before, but today was the day I finally had a chance to photograph it in action, and I believe this was my first time seeing a T-28 in flight. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Salem (SLE)

Preview:

North American T-28C Trojan (N128JC) taxiing for departure to Brookings. Arrived earlier this morning from Aurora.

N128JC departing on 34 for Brookings. Just saw this plane parked at Salem earlier this year, but also several times during air show season last year.

The T-28 would definitely be a warbird I'd like a ride in!

Gallery Update: Chasing ExpressJet at Eugene

Well as of my last spotting trip to Eugene a month ago, I've chased down every ERJ-145 ExpressJet is currently operating (except for one, which is currently doing sports charters out east at the moment!). However, looking back to my first time catching them inaugurating their "Aha!" branded service back in November, I did find it somewhat dissatisfying due to weather. Since then, I've thought about going back to chase down the ERJ-145 airframe (the one in the basic ExpressJet livery!) that operated the inaugural flight to Eugene for some redemption and I decided to pull the trigger today!

I was able to time the spotting trip just right and even utilized a new spotting location for some quick photo opportunities pointed out to me by a fellow plane-spotter I met in Eugene last fall. I was even pleasantly surprised to catch another Saab 2000 operated by Air Charter Express (ACE)! I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Eugene (EUG) 10

Preview:

Cessna 400 TTx T240 (N443CS) airborne off 16R for an instrument training flight.

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a United Express) Bombardier CL-600-2B19 CRJ-200ER (N906EV) taxiing to the terminal after arriving on 16R as SKW5645 from Los Angeles. Airframe previously flew with ExpressJet Airlines flying under the Delta Connection and then American Eagle banner before going to SkyWest for United Express operations.

Life Flight Network Pilatus PC-12/47E (N660LF) airborne off 16R.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 (N284WN) taxiing to the terminal after arriving on 16R as SWA1374 from Las Vegas.

Empire Airlines (d/b/a FedEx Feeder) Cessna 208 Super Cargomaster (N788FE) taxiing to the south cargo ramp after arriving on 16R as CFS4662 from Portland.

Cessna 551 Citation II/SP (N102DR) arriving on 34L from Marysville, California. Winds calmed down briefly to allow a pair of arrivals coming in from the south to shoot a straight-in approach for 34L.

Cessna 550 Citation II (N100DS) arriving on 34L from Palm Springs-Bermuda Dunes.

N100DS taxiing to the hangar, located on the south side the airport. Definitely a locally-based Citation II!

Freight Runners Express (d/b/a Air Charter Express - ACE) Saab 2000 (N506FR) parked on the FBO ramp. My second time seeing a Saab 2000 operated by FRE/ACE and talk about a pleasant surprise! Arrived early yesterday morning as FRG327 from Pullman/Moscow on a college sports charter.

ExpressJet Airlines Embraer EMB-145LR ERJ-145LR (N844HK) arriving on 16R as ASQ7062 about 40 minutes behind schedule from Reno-Tahoe. Operating doing business as "Aha!" Airlines.

ASQ7062 clearing the runway. This was the airframe that inaugurated the "Aha!" route between Reno and Eugene last November.

Last time I saw this airframe, the weather was not the greatest and I didn't know about the spotting location that was pointed out to me. I credit a fellow spotter I met back in October and November for pointing out this spot to me that made shots like this possible.

Glad I was able to get shots of this airframe in better conditions!

So far, I've yet to properly photograph one more ERJ-145 in ExpressJet's current fleet (registered as N839HK), which is in a partial/hybrid livery at the moment working sports charters.

From a visual perspective, it would've made sense to use this airframe for charter operations and leave the "Aha!" branded airplanes in scheduled service. I would think seeing the ExpressJet branded jet flying the "Aha!" services would cause some confusion among the flying public (especially the non-AvGeek kind!).

ExpressJet and their independent "Aha!" brand has been in service for about six months now. They now serve ten routes out of their Reno hub.

News regarding "Aha!" has been rather quiet lately, but a press release from ExpressJet back in late February stated that they've identified at least 25 more markets they could serve with the E-145 fleet.

As of right now, the airline is still gathering data on the overall performance of the markets they currently serve, which will likely determine schedules and frequencies in the future.

ExpressJet also has to yet to bring their vacation package deals online, which is to be the core of their "Aha!" Airlines business model (much like Allegiant Air on a smaller scale). Apparently that's going to be the focus of the company throughout this year. With their Reno hub being an underserved multi-season destination with various attractions and events taking place throughout the year, ExpressJet/"Aha!" Airlines is in a prime position to find success.

ASQ7062 pulling up to the terminal; looks like they're either sharing or leasing gate space with Alaska Airline's regional flights. Also likely the jet bridges at Eugene are a little too high for the ERJ-145s to utilize (ironic, considering that the CRJs that serve Eugene seem to have no problem using them!).

A few more shots of N506FR. This airframe is the 6th Saab 2000 off the production line. Airframe first delivered to Crossair as HB-IZC in August 1994 before being transferred to Swiss in March 2002. Returned to Saab Aircraft in September 2003 as SE-006 before being operated by Soder Air starting in December 2003. Returned to Saab Aircraft once again in June 2004.

Airframe then spent time in the U.K. as G-CDKA with Eastern Airways starting in March 2005. British Airways leased this frame starting in May 2015 to be operated under this BA CityFlyer regional brand until June 2018 when it returned to regular Eastern Airways operations. Airframe was withdrawn from use in July 2020 due to pandemic repercussions and went into storage. Leasing firm Jetstream Aviation Capital took on the airframe in October 2021 before leasing it Freight Runners in December 2021.