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picture below.)
March Air Reserve Base and Air Museum |
March 23, 2005 |
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picture below.)
The March Air Field Museum is located close to the west side of the runway at March ARB. They even have benches and small grandstands facing the runway. It is a pleasant location to watch the airplanes flying in the pattern.
Wednesday, March 23 was a day of turbulent weather. Sunlight peeked through gaps in the drifting cumulus clouds. Frequent showers drifted across the area.
Pools of water on the tarmac reflected images of the airplanes. Douglas VC-47A, 43-15579 is undergoing restoration.
Boeing B-29A Superfortress, 44-61669
There are benches under the wing of Boeing KC-97G Stratotanker, 53-0363. The grandstand makes it possible to shoot pictures over the chain link fence between the museum and the runway. I sought refuge from the rain showers under the wing of the Stratotanker. It turns out that rainwater flows around the leading edge below the wing and drops down all over underneath.
A few minutes before noon, Lockheed C-130J Hercules, BuNo 165736 from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron VMGR-352, based at Miramar MCAS, arrived, requesting about forty minutes in the pattern for Runway 32.
The C-130J made many touch-and-go landings. Condensation is spiraling from the tips of the propeller blades.
The sun started to peek out shortly before Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker, 61-0234 of the local 452AMW made a missed approach.
Lockheed C-130J Hercules, BuNo 165736
The Stratotanker made a full-stop landing after its single missed approach.
Lockheed C-130J Hercules, BuNo 165736
Lockheed C-141B Starlifter, 65-0248 of local AMW462 took off from the reciprocal Runway 14 while the Hercules made a 360.
Flight WOA8515, World Airways MD-11, N273WA arrived from Bangor, Maine.
The world airways charter was followed by McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18D Hornet, VMFAT-101 #253, based at Miramar. It made a missed approach and headed elsewhere fast.
Lockheed C-130J Hercules, BuNo 165736
Lockheed P-3B Airborne Early Warning (AEW) Orion, N144CS arrived from Corpus Christi NAS, Texas. It used to be operated by the Customs Service (thus the serial number ending in CS). It is based at Davis-Monthan AFB and usually stays closer to the border.
It was not until I loaded the image files into my computer and looked at this one at full resolution that I discovered that the P-3B AEW is now operated by the Department of Homeland Security instead of the Customs Service.
You can buy a 2006 calendar featuring my photographs of Special Purpose Airplanes in Southern California.
Photos of a dozen special purpose airplanes taken in southern California in 2005.
Airplanes pictured include:
Department of Homeland Security Lockheed P-3B Airborne Early Warning Orion, N144CS, March Air Reserve Base, March 23, 2005;
NASA Airbus Super Guppy 201, N941NA, Boron, California, April 14, 2005;
Volga-Dnepr Antonov An-124-100 Ruslan, RA82704, Vandenberg Air Force Base, May 20, 2005;
McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-10, N450AX, 10 Tanker Air Carrier, Victorville, June 17, 2005;
Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 737-7ES Wedgetail, N378BC, Victorville, July 9, 2005;
Lockheed NP-3D Orion, BuNo 150522, VX-30 Bloodhounds, Naval Air Station Pt. Mugu, July 26, 2005;
Omega Tanker Boeing 707-321C, N707AR, Naval Air Station Pt. Mugu, July 27, 2005;
Scaled Composites Model 318 White Knight, N318SL, Mojave Airport, August 2. 2005;
Boeing 747-Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, N905NA, Space Shuttle Discovery, Edwards Air Force Base, August 19, 2005;
Dornier Do-24ATT, RP-C2403, Santa Barbara Airport, October 10, 2005;
McDonnell-Douglas NF-15B Eagle, NASA 837, Edwards Air Force Base, October 21, 2005;
Scaled Composites Model 281 Proteus, N281PR, Mojave Airport, December 10. 2005.
Put a copy of the Special Purpose Airplanes in Southern California: 2006 Calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $13.95.
The base fire trucks fired up their water cannons to greet the arriving World Airways charter flight.
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