Curious on the backstory behind the photos? This is the place. You'll find not only write ups on local outings, but also reviews of major events I’ve attended.
The Super 80 Send Off
The conclusion of American Mad Dog operations happened four years ago and I had the privilege of being on airfield for the historic day!
September 4th, 2023 marks four years since the final day of revenue operations for the American Airlines MD-80, affectionately nicknamed the Mad Dog. On September 4, 2019, many aviation enthusiasts and employees mourned the end of an era as the last American Airlines MD-80 flights took to the air concluding 36 years of operations for the Dallas/Fort Worth-based airline.
I was one of the lucky ones to witness the occasion in person as I attended the "Super 80 Send-Off" hosted by the DFW Airport. As I gazed upon the sea of American MD-80s lined up on the tarmac, I couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia and gratitude for this aircraft - this workhorse of American Airlines that had carried so many passengers to destinations all over the world.
The numbers speak for themselves - the MD-80 constituted a whopping 44 percent of American Airlines' fleet at its peak in 2002 and carried over 87 million passengers in its lifetime - truly a testament to the aircraft's reliability and versatility.
In tribute to the airframe, American operated the final revenue flight from Dallas/Fort Worth to Chicago O'Hare as flight 80. The rest of the departures were non-revenue position legs with the majority going to Roswell for storage. Lucky for us watching, many of the pilots performed some rather spirited departures including wing waves and low transition departures!
Love it or hate it, here's to the Mad Dog - a true aviation legend. The skies are sure quieter without it!
Happy 247th Birthday, USA!
A very happy 247th…
A very happy 247th birthday to the United States of America!
I wouldn't call us a perfect union just yet, but we are still pretty decent all things considered. Can't detract from our aviation scene, that's for sure!
Here are some of my favorite flag related aircraft/photos over the years.
Beauty And The Beast
Two iconic quads departing DFW.
Beauty and the Beast. Nearly 9,000 nautical miles of travel tonight between these two giants as they depart DFW Airport!
The A380 is impressive but the 747 is still timeless for me. Which one do you prefer?
SXM: The Caribbean Jewel Of Aviation
After 31 years, I finally visit the iconic Caribbean island of St Maarten!
Growing up as a total aviation nerd, I had always longed to visit the island of St Maarten to experience the thrill of watching planes take off and land over the iconic Maho Beach. Last month, I finally got the opportunity to witness this spectacle for myself, and it did not disappoint. However, what truly stood out for me was the sheer variety of aircraft that I witnessed over the span of 5 days despite it currently being the "low season" for tourists on the island.
Typically, you'll see the same set of aircraft across most US airports - the 737s, the A320s, the ERJ175s.. However, SXM Airport is different. It plays host to some more rarely seen and unique aircraft still in operation. As soon as I got off my plane, I was struck by the sight of planes that I had only seen in pictures before.
One of the first planes that caught my eye was the Fokker 70 operated by JetAir Carribean. This 80-seat regional jet was manufactured by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer, Fokker and only 47 were ever built since 1992.
Another plane that you see (VERY regularly) was the Britten Norman Islander. This aircraft is one of the most versatile in the world and is renowned for its ability to operate in harsh and remote environments. It's incredible short take off and landing performance makes it a popular choice for many local operators such as Anguilla Air Charters, Anguilla Air Services, Winward Express, and SXM Airways who perform both cargo and passenger flights between the many islands in the area.
The real aviation highlight of my trip to SXM Airport was my first glimpse at the ultra-rare Trislander, the three-engined cousin of the Islander. This is an aircraft that is almost impossible to see anywhere else in the world with only a handful still operating, which made the sight all the more special.
Between the 5 days I had the pleasure of visiting, I trekked to the French side of the island up north. There you'll also see some ATR action courtesy of French carrier Air Caraibes. Grand Case Airport is mere miles away from SXM and provides service to the beautiful surrounding beaches and resorts.
I could ramble on and on but it's as simple as this. If you are an aviation enthusiast, the island of St Maarten should definitely be on your bucket list. Between the perfect white sand beaches, world class food and booze at the Sunset Beach Bar, and the glorious variety of aviation you'll witness, the experience is truly unmatched by any other airport in the world.
You won't be disappointed!
N287KB Leaves Storage
After nearly two quietly sitting on the Southwest corner of the McKinney National Airport, N287KB finally departs.
For the first time since September 2021, "McDonnell Douglas 287 Kilo Bravo" took to the skies at the McKinney National Airport (TKI.) The private MD-87 had been stored at the North Texas Airport since the death of its original owner, billionaire Ken Behring.
The 34 year-old airframe headed for the Miami Executive Airport (TMB) around 1 PM and appeared to be non-RVSM as it cruised at FL270 the entire way down.
My hope is that the aircraft has found a new home and is not on a one way journey to become beer cans.. Either way, it will be a bit odd now not seeing the familiar sight of the MD-87 sitting on the south end of TKI! Farewell Mad Dog.
Imua One’s First Revenue Flight
Southwest Airlines latest special livery makes its first appearance and first revenue flight out of Dallas Love Field! A tribute to 5 years of Hawaiian operations by the once small intra-Texas airline.
A proud moment for those with Southwest Airlines as Imua One departed Dallas Love Field yesterday on its maiden revenue flight as SWA578 to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
Imua One was painted up in Spokane, Washington a little over a week ago, and is dedicated to the people of Hawaii as a symbol of thanks 4 years into Southwest's service to the Islands. Below you'll find more information from Southwest Airlines on the background of the latest high flying paint job:
Imua is a rallying cry in the Hawaiian language that translates to an urging forward, and it underscores a key value at Southwest—Teamwork. And it’s fitting that our aircraft dedicated to our Employees and the Island communities is called Imua One, as this aircraft is a symbol of the partnership between the Hawaiian Islands and Southwest.
Osaki Creative Group, an Oahu-based agency, designed Imua One with the guidance of a Hawaiian Cultural Practitioner. Its distinctive design features eight elements that represent concepts in Hawaiian culture that also align with Southwest values. The aircraft design features stars for each of the five airports in Hawaii Southwest serves: Honolulu, Lihue (Kauai), Kahului (Maui), Kona (Island of Hawaii), and Hilo (Island of Hawaii); six paddlers in an outrigger bring to life the concept of Imua; and six turtles in two groups of three to represent harmony and balance. A lei near the nose of the aircraft honors the unique Islands through their official flowers. And, in keeping with the traditional and distinctive colors in our Southwest Heart livery, including bold blue, warm red, and sunrise yellow, a gradient transition from blue to yellow represents the evolution from night to day and honors the Hawaiian history of journeying the Pacific using wind, and following the guidance of the sun, stars, and moon to navigate.
The eight central visual elements of the Imua One livery hold significance in Hawaii and at Southwest:
Ohana (Family): Root in relationships.
Honu (Turtle): Move with perseverance.
Aina (Land): Find common ground.
Ama (Support): Connect to strengthen and balance.
Hoku (Star): Guide with purpose.
Kai (Ocean): Harness good energy.
Lokahi (Unity): Succeed with Teamwork.
Source: https://community.southwest.com/t5/Blog/Say-Aloha-to-Imua-One-an-Aircraft-Dedicated-to-Our-Employees-and/ba-p/158057?fbclid=IwAR1eXlvY8tZlOx6NMmvGMopmXLXn_HtzRMly_jeE_VEYnPXAPkvhDK9JWEo
From The Vault: 2021 Wings Over Dallas WWII Air Show
We revisit the 2021 Wings Over Dallas WWII Air Show!
This show was particularly tough to revisit considering the horrible tragedy occured at the 2022 show, with some of the aircraft and volunteers in the photos having been lost. I've also thrown together some new edits that have never been seen before. Below you'll find the original writeup:
One of the last air shows we try to attend each year is the Commemorative Air Force Wings Over Dallas WWII Air Show which is held annually at the Dallas Executive Airport. The event always promises an extraordinary collection of flyable vintage aircraft, most of which are owned and operated by the CAF. This year's attractions included aircraft rides in a variety of historic aircraft, education day, living history, and an impressive daily air show.
In addition to CAF aircraft, this year's show included an additional P-40 Warhawk joining the fray courtesy of the local Cavanaugh Flight Museum and the Trojan Phlyers AirShow & Racing Team performing formation aerobatics with their T-28 Trojans.
The Commemorative Air Force's mission is to educate, inspire, and honor through flight and living history experiences. Events like Wings Over Dallas show the mission is still going strong 64 years after the organization's inception.
Thank you to all involved for a great show! We will certainly be back again next year.
The Endling: Stargazer
The final airworthy L-1011 takes flight at the Mojave Air & Space Port!
Around 80 miles Northeast of LAX is one of the most unique airports in existence, the Mojave Air & Space Port. This airport is home to many fascinating aviation companies, including Scaled Composites, Virgin Galactic, Stratolaunch, and the National Test Pilot School. Perhaps a lesser known tenant to some is Northrop Grumman's specially modified rocket-lobbing mother ship, Stargazer.
Stargazer is the last airworthy example of one of civillian aviation's most beloved flying machines, the Lockheed L-1011 Tristar. Before serving as a mother ship, Stargazer first started life with Air Canada in March 1974, flying for the airline until the early 1990s. Soon after, the airframe was purchased by the Orbital Sciences Corporation, an American company specializing in the design, manufacture, and launch of smalL and medium class space and launch vehicle systems for commercial, military and other government customers. The company decided to christen the Tristar launch platform as Stargazer. Since entering service as a mother ship, the airframe has changed hands, with Northrop Grumman purchasing Orbital Sciences in 2018, and thus inheriting the Tristar.
Stargazer has been primarily used to launch the Pegasus rocket, which has been considered the industry standard for boosting small payloads to orbit at lower cost, relatively speaking. Since 1994, Stargazer has launched over 45 Pegasus rockets (containing nearly 100 satellites) and performed many more lesser known missions, some involving the US military.
These days, Stargazer doesn't fly too often. In fact, the last time Stargazer had flown was when aviation enthusiasts were treated to its presence at the nearby Edwards Air Force Base Air Show back in October 2022. When I rolled up to the Mojave Airport on April 11th, I was just seeing if there was anything going on around the airport grounds, as it's one of the airports where you can see just about anything on any given day.
Imagine my shock when I heard "Lockheed N140SC Heavy requesting engine start" crackle from my scanner! I quickly relocated to the other side of the airport and as I was parking in my normal spot for departures, I heard the crew inform tower they would be informing over NINE approaches. Imagine my excitement hearing those words! I was about to get the rare privilege of seeing the world's last Tristar take flight for what I have to imagine was for crew currency purposes.
At around 10:24 AM, Stargazer was cleared for take off and the crew advanced the three 50,000-lb thrust Rolls-Royce RB211-524B4 turbofans, creating a symphony as it clawed its ways to the skies for the first time in nearly half a year. As the lighting was pretty much directly pointing down the runway, I opted to primarily go for photos of it on base and downwind legs to capture it as its most graceful, in flight!
I hope you enjoy the photos of this 50 year old stunner and hope the Northrop Grumman team receives more missions for iconic bird, as I'd imagine it will be the last of the 250 Tristars built to fly when it's all said and done. As a bonus, I've included a few aerial shots I got of Stargazer during my March/April mega trip around the US.
Stay tuned for a mega album to appear at some point of my travel adventures!
From The Vault: EAA Airventure Oshkosh 2022
Thought 2021 was a great week for Airventure? Between perfect weather and an incredible lineup, 2022 was an unforgettable year!
I was once again honored to receive media credentials for The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration in 2022. Oshkosh is often considered by many to be the best aviation event on the planet with just about every facet of aviation being present each year. 2022 was no different with over 10,000 aircraft arriving to the otherwise quiet Wisconsin town in late July. At Oshkosh's Wittman Regional Airport alone, there were over 18,684 aircraft movements between July 21-31 which comes out to an average rate of 121 take offs/landings per hour while the airport was open.
In the second year back since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold on the world, the 2022 edition of the World's Greatest Aviation Celebration was a record-breaking success with over 650,000 in attendance over the week-long event, a 7 percent increase over 2021’s visitor tally. The event was also very fortunate to receive beautiful weather over the entire week, a rarity as seasoned Oshkosh attendees would attest.
Some of the themes for the ‘22 show were the 75th anniversary of the United States Air Force, 50th anniversary of the Van's Aircraft RV series, and the 30th anniversary of the EAA - Young Eagles ride program. Airlines, eager to inspire and recruit a new generation of pilots, were also a strong presence with impressive flight demos by both United and Delta Air Lines. Despite the US Air Force being OSH22’s focal point, US Naval Aviation also showed up in strong numbers, bringing the F-35C Lightning II, EA-18G Growler, and E-2C Hawkeye demonstration teams. Another visitor, this one unexpectedly, was Delilah the "stowaway cat" who ended up sneaking into her parent's camper all the way from Maine and ended up spending the entire week at the show!
I hope the following photos can do this incredible event justice. Oshkosh is both a slice of aviation heaven while also getting to see both old and new friends each and every year. I can't wait to be back in 2023!
This is a very large album that includes action from throughout the week I was up there. Below are 341 images for your viewing pleasure. Please be patient as this album may take a bit of extra time to load.
From The Vault: EAA Airventure Oshkosh 2021
A look into the 2021 edition of the World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration, the first since the start of the global pandemic!
In 2021, I was lucky enough to make the trip north to Oshkosh, Wisconsin for the year's edition of the World's Greatest Aviation Celebration - EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. This was my sixth AirVenture and despite the ongoing pandemic, I was very impressed with the turnout and adjustments made by the organizers to make this extraordinary event happen. Attendance numbered around 608,000 for the week and more than 10,000 aircraft arrived. According to the EAA, there were 16,378 aircraft operations in a 10-day period from July 22-31 which averages out to around 116 takeoffs/landings per hour. There's a reason why OSH tower is considered the "World's Busiest Control Tower" during the week of the show! If there was anything I could possibly complain about, it would be the constant smoky skies due to the terrible ongoing wildfires across North America that week, but of course, that is totally out of our control. The performers and themes at OSH21 quickly made everyone forget about the lack of blue skies. Themes of 2021's AirVenture included Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) which brought a staggering number of high profile assets to the show, the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII, and humanitarian aircraft such as the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital.
If all of that wasn't enough, did I mention I was lucky enough to hitch a ride on a Pilatus PC-12 up to Oshkosh? Pinch me!
This is a very large album that includes action from throughout the 7 days I was up there. Below are 297 images for your viewing pleasure. Please be patient as this album may take a bit of extra time to load.
A Royal Classic
One of the few private 737-200s still flying around and this one has quite the history!
Those of us in North Texas are fortunate to have no shortage of classic aircraft based in the area, and this privately-owned Boeing 737-205(A) is one of my personal favorites as there are few private (or operating for the matter) "Jurassic Guppies" still flying in '23!
Even with yesterday morning's temps at a crisp 49F and a slight headwind, this classic ate up a significant portion of Addison Airport's 7,203ft runway 34 for its 2.6 hour flight down to Nassau, Bahamas!
This airframe was delivered to Norwegian airline Braathens S.A.F.E. in 1986 before being converted into a VIP configuration in 1993 for Saudi Arabian Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz. The Prince had a rather flashy interior outfitted with the aircraft boasting a VIP configuration of 19 seats, a meeting quarters, dining room, two large salons, and a master state room in the back with a bed. I also have it on good authority that much of the aircraft has gold accents and the photos in the below link seem to confirm that!
In 1999, the aircraft was sold to Basic Capital Management Inc of Dallas, TX and has been based in Addison ever since. Hoping this beauty still has plenty of life left in it!
OH....I forgot to mention this aircraft is for sale.. but you'll have to call for the price...
For Sale:
https://www.hangar67.com/aircraft/1986-boeing-737200/24336
Airframe History:
https://www.planespotters.net/airframe/boeing-737-200-n370bc-basic-capital-management-inc/rqp1vj
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport 1/16/23
Various traffic seen at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on Monday, January 16th, 2023.
Various traffic seen at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on Monday, January 16th, 2023.
