Official Aviation Thread...

[mrsleeve]

Late: Up here we have brown trucks mobbing the small cargo planes about 3 times a day nearly every day getting everyone's amazon shit.... I know I have stuff that has been delivered to my house at 8pm that was on 1 of those 3pm planes ....

[LateFan]

Oh I just learned something new....

The 1900 is an evolution of the King Air. That explains the looks and proportions.



This military version hauled Lyndon Johnson back and forth to his TX ranch, so it was Air Force One...


I like old Beechcrafts

[LateFan]

Oh, 318kid I think you win the cookie.

Alpine Air runs a freight plane Beech 1900 in here between 9 and 10, that's when I hear it and look up. There are the canards at the tail. The wings fooled me because I'm looking straight up, or he's banking away from me to line up with the runway. I see a ton of Dash 8's from Alaska, which are similar, but seem to be slower and lumber along.

It's a good looking plane, sleek and fast. Most everybody has their wheels down already as they bank around the valley and over us, but this guy dives straight in over the mountain going fast.

Funny there are daily freight runs, when you can't fly passenger from MSO to Billings. The two biggest commercial cities in MT. You can pay $400 to $800 and fly Alaska to Seattle and then back over MSO to Billings, in 5 hours, which is what it takes to drive. Big Sky Airlines went under in 2010 or so.

There's a corporate subscription charter service to Billings with Neptune Aviation (the fire bomber guys) for business types who need to be there and back the same day.

[LateFan]

hmmm....could be an ATR I guess....has about the right proportions, but I don't see the canards.

Some of the Beech 1900 pics show a chubby guppy looking plane - this one is fairly skinny. Could I be mistaking the high wing because I'm looking straight up at it...?? Mayyybe.

Where are you finding those planes coming in? I looked for incoming flights and don't see any 9:15, mostly the regional commuters / twinjets / 737 / Airbus twin.

Thanks!

[318kid]

Yeah I looked back and I bet it's a Beech 1900 actually. One comes in at 9:15 AM most weekdays. There is also an ATR that comes in on occasion from GTF as well so it could be either of those.

Saab 340 is more mid wing but idk how close LateFan is seeing these planes from.

[mrsleeve]

^

Out of all those the ATR is the only high wing IIRC anyway

Late: is this it ATR 42 in Fedex livery,

[318kid]

Maybe you guys can help identify a plane I see regularly. It looks like a small to medium commuter (or freight?) plane, twin turboprop, high wings, pretty skinny shape, and I'm pretty sure a pair of rounded canards sticking straight out at the rear of the fuselage.

A quick look at flight aware shows that MSO gets some Beech 99 and Saab 340 freighters. My guess would be one of those. Other freighters running around out west are Merlin Metroliners, and Embraer EMB-120's. I doubt an ATR 42 comes in there or a Shorts 360 but it's possible. For Passenger Turboprops, there are only a couple of Part 121 (schedueled airline) operaters. Horizon operates the Dash8-400 into MSO.

[LateFan]

Maybe you guys can help identify a plane I see regularly. It looks like a small to medium commuter (or freight?) plane, twin turboprop, high wings, pretty skinny shape, and I'm pretty sure a pair of rounded canards sticking straight out at the rear of the fuselage.

It appears pretty fast - it comes ripping in here to the Missoula MT MSO airport from the east most weekday mornings. Maybe he's just low, but it rips overhead at what seems like way faster than the Alaska/Horizon small commuters.

The closest similar shape I've seen with amateur google fu is a Dash 8, except for those rounded canards. I see the newest 400 version has some blade-like canards or stabilizers angled down at the rear - but those look more like a bilge keel on a tugboat hull.

[BlackbirdM3]

Well done, and congrats..... All that time and practice is paying off.... thats awesome Will !!!!!

Thanks. I have to say, my static shots this year were awesome, but my ones of the actual racing, were less than impressive. There are a few good ones, but it was my static sunset, sunrise and night shots that kicked ass.

Will

[mrsleeve]

Well done, and congrats..... All that time and practice is paying off.... thats awesome Will !!!!!

[BlackbirdM3]

So this happened....




I got two of my Reno pics published in a New Zealand based magazine. I guess that makes me an internationally published photographer now.

Will

[hoveringuy]

Yes I know what a radio frequency looks like. (I've been around planes since I was 2 weeks old.) When fire fighting, you have the air tankers, helicopters, military (helicopters) ground crews, (Cal fire, USFS). I'm not sure if different groups use different frequencies or not. Obviously everyone is on one frequency or at least monitoring it, but I'm not sure if the helos are on their own, tankers on another, guys on the ground, ect. I'd have to guess that with everyone on the same frequency would become difficult to remember who is who and who is doing what. (I forgot to grab my scanner when I was shooting the fires.) This could be why all the writing is on the window. Might also be loads out of the different ponds, apparently Cal Fire and USFS need to refill the different ponds after they are done. (They used a LOT of water in the area.)

Will

I would think they're all on the same frequency, even if there is a FAC coordinating everyone. It's just too important for S.A.

My guess on the windshield notes is that it's logistics information for maintenance record keeping. Flight times and water/retardant loads. I don't know if they bill by the hour or by "ordnance" delivered.

[BlackbirdM3]

A few more shots from Reno this year.

















Happy Holidays,
Will

[M-technik-3]

Here is a neat one I came across today. Guy said he was play a hanger dance and he saw this neat application of a John Deere 318 as a tug and it's made by Deere.

[BlackbirdM3]

true. radio frequencies would look like 118.75 or 127.3, etc. normally, i think that if you were in the same location you would probably use the same one all day unless you have to transition in and out of someone's airspace like sfo or lax's class B.

Yes I know what a radio frequency looks like. (I've been around planes since I was 2 weeks old.) When fire fighting, you have the air tankers, helicopters, military (helicopters) ground crews, (Cal fire, USFS). I'm not sure if different groups use different frequencies or not. Obviously everyone is on one frequency or at least monitoring it, but I'm not sure if the helos are on their own, tankers on another, guys on the ground, ect. I'd have to guess that with everyone on the same frequency would become difficult to remember who is who and who is doing what. (I forgot to grab my scanner when I was shooting the fires.) This could be why all the writing is on the window. Might also be loads out of the different ponds, apparently Cal Fire and USFS need to refill the different ponds after they are done. (They used a LOT of water in the area.)

Will