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.
Fort Worth Alliance Airport 7/4/23
A quick trip to the Fort Worth Alliance yielded two classic aircraft in a short span of time!
A quick trip to the Fort Worth Alliance yielded two classic aircraft in a short span of time!
First up was an Eastern Airlines Boeing 767-200 that has been in service with multiple carriers since its delivery to EgyptAir in in 1984. The airframe, registration N605KW, remains one of the few 767-200s still using the legendary Pratt and Whitney JT9D engines. These engines have powered some of the most iconic aircraft such as the classic 747-100/200 series. With its nearly 39 years of service, this old veteran is still going strong. It departed for March Air Force Base in California as "Eastern 9038 heavy" presumably to perform a military charter.
Shortly after Eastern departed, an FBO crew van arrived to 94-7310, a C-130H Hercules belonging to the 302nd Airlift Wing out of Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This C-130H boasts upgraded NP2000 propellers, but despite the modern addition, the airplane still has that unmistakable look and exhaust of an older Herk. If you look closely, you can also see the outline of the number five on the side as this aircraft was recently used for firefighting, outfitted with a Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems, also known as MAFFS.
Seeing these older types in action is always enjoyable for me. It's a testament to the longevity and reliability of the these legendary designs. While newer models have since been introduced, these old planes are still running strong and getting the job done.
Around The Metroplex: April 24-25
Activity around the Dallas/Fort Worth area between April 24-25.
It's been a cloudy but busy past 48 hours here in the Fort Worth, TX area. Yesterday at the Fort Worth Alliance Airport, we had two fairly rare Boeing visitors - one from 1961 and one from 2021! First to depart was "HOKU 808," a KC-135 making the long trek back to it's home at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Mere minutes later, the much newer 737 MAX 10 taxied out as "BOEING 101" for a 7hr10m test flight over the Gulf of Mexico. Amazing that 60 years separate these airframes yet they still share many similarities, like that iconic Boeing cockpit/nose section.
Fast forward to this morning, and I made the quick trek down to the Fort Worth Meacham Airport and made it just in time to see two beautiful CH-53K King Stallions belonging to the Ironhorse of HMH-461 (Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina) prepping to depart. My first time seeing the relatively new King Stallion in the flesh! It's almost unsettling how clean these CH-53s are...! First to taxi out was "METAL 44" which first flew only 4 months ago followed by "IRONHORSE 12," which interestingly enough is the first King Stallion delivered to the USMC back in May 2018! Both headed east for what I assume is the trek back home to North Carolina after spending time at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in Southwest Arizona.
