First Digital only post

First current digital only post. No retro scans today. Just ones that I picked out randomly.

 

 

 

Odd Military stuff

Odd military stuff that would consist of just one or two approaches here and would be on their way again. I know I have a picture of an E-4 (B747-200) that I have not run across in my yet in my files...have to look for that one.

 

Edit: found the E-4 picture and added it to the bottom.

 

 

 

 Battle Creek ANG A-10's were frequent guests' when the weather was poor in BTL.

 

KGRR first B777 visit

Grand Rapids just recently had its third ever B777 diversion on July 27th 2014.

 http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL188/history/20140727/2305Z/KGRR/KDTW

 

Many may not remember the first two B777 visits, though they happened on the same night.

UAL 928 a ORD-LHR flight had an inflight emergency on its climb out of  Chicago and diverted to KGRR on the evening of Dec 28th, 2002. The emergency aircraft landed fine and it checked out OK by the fire crews after it landed. A second B777-200 then ferried from ORD to pick up the stranded passengers and then make up the flight to London. So for a few hours there were two B777-200's on the ramp at the same time. It had been twelve year gap from the first ones, until the most recent one.

The pictures below are all of N219UA on its departure the next afternoon...empty, ferry flight back to KORD.

 

 

 This is about the 3000' mark on the 10,000' runway.

 

9-11-01

The ramp as it looked on 9-11 after the aircraft were diverted to the closest airport.

Think it was a Beijing flight inbound to DTW if I remember correctly.

Same aircraft as above, just re-positioned on the cargo ramp.

Zantop Lockheed Electra II

Zantop was a cargo airline based in Willow Run, MI (KYIP) that was seen regularly during the 80's and 90's to pick up, typically, auto parts for the big three. Besides L188 Electras, they also operated DC-8's and Convairs  but ultimately could no longer survive economics and went out of business in 2005. 

The remaining air frames have sat at the airport in KYIP since then awaiting their fate. One aircraft flew out in 2010 and is now a water fire fighting platform in Canada.

 I had the opportunity to get close and personal with N286F in August 2014 as she was being prepped for a departure to Florida. Buffalo Airways has committed to a number of air frames that  are still at YIP. Today N286F took to the air for the ferry flight to a small airport in FL where they plan to do the remaining work to get it airworthy for work again in the Yukon.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N286F

Remaining aircraft still in KYIP

Stitched panoramic front office

North American T-28

Had the opportunity to work around 2 different North American T-28 Trojans. One was based in GRR for 15 years or so, the other just a year or two. Need to get some new digital images of N28TY!

The T-28 (B & C) was the primary trainer in the 60's, 70's and 80's for the Navy and Marines. The Air Force used the A model as a trainer for a short time as well. The last U.S. Navy training squadron to fly the T-28 was VT-27, based at NAS Corpus Christi , Texas. That is the same squadron as the orange and white one depicted below.

 Front seat cockpit



 Oh yeah...I might have got a ride in one too.

 N255JM

 N28TY



 These next three are were all taken at Oshkosh Airventure within the last 7 years.

Propliners 1

Part 1 of more propliners. 

       

Very rare N89FA Carvair was a modified DC-4 cargo hauler. I only saw this aircraft here once. It was still flying in 2005, and is possilby still on the ground in Gainsville, TX as seen here.

      

N291TC 1952 Grumman Albatross w/ wave runner pod. Appears this plane has been scrapped in AZ.

      

I actually have this picture hanging on the wall. The color representation here doesn't do it justice. Probably one of the best angles to photograph a DC-3.

Working DC-3's

Have not seen too many DC-3's in KGRR in the last 10 years. It was a very common scene to see them coming and going. Typically they were cargo aircraft, but there were a few corporate operators still.

    

 N707BA. Converted now to a BT-67 but still flying for a 3 letter agency.

     

     

 Rare long nose with gear doors. Sorry no N-number