Oddball days

There are times while out looking for aircraft to fly in front of your lens that things are just, well... weird. I should probably admit that my day started off on a sour note discovering my lovely wife's car had blown a head gasket which comes with a bill close to half the cost of a really nice Canon super telephoto lens and my mood was commensurate with such news. Grumble grumble grumble.....

Arrived at the usual spot with aircraft operating in the normal pattern  using runway 12; a 6-ship of Vipers had just landed and I figured they would be up again a time or two today. T-37 in the pattern and then the sky split open as two of the 162FW Vipers on alert for Operation Noble Eagle go screaming into the sky in Zone 5. Those flights depart from 30 as they sit alert on the far end of the airfield so they were right overhead whilst going zoom-zoom. Somewhat of a double-edged sword though as you don't know if it's an exercise or if they're TCB*. I often wonder if the general public realizes that there are armed aircraft sitting at the ready inside the US borders ready to protect and defend at a moment's notice.

*TCB- taking care of business; as in intercepting bad guys

And then the thing that makes spotting aircraft a real pain: a runway flip. The wind shifted and since most aircraft like to point their noses into the wind on takeoff and landing the decision was made to utilize 30 for flight ops. Off to the other end of the field we go! Then things get real weird. Planes taking off from one direction, then the other. Not exactly sure where to look or point the camera. Frustrating, but that's sometimes how it goes. "Classic Iron" from the 171st made my day on final to 30 then a couple of the New Jersey Devils in Zone 5 and even Pave Hawks doing sling load flights.

And then what to my wondering eyes did appear? A flipping P-3 Orion departing towards me with Brazilian markings! From the opposite direction! Good grief!!!!

152168 was originally a Lockheed P-3A-55-LO Orion built in the mid-60s and was last assigned to VP-69 "Totems" NAS Whidby Island, WA when she was relegated to the 309th AMARG a.k.a. the Boneyard on 17JAN1990 as AA2P0034. As a result of a Foreign Military Sale FMS she was upgraded to P-3AM status and given the Brazilian Air Force designation 7209. Brazilian P-3AMs have been fitted with the CASA FITS (Fully Integrated Tactical System) and perform not only maritime patrol duties but also border patrol and aerial rescue missions as needed. Being sent to AMARG isn't necessarily a death sentence, especially if you can stay on the west side of Kolb Road!

A few more Vipers, a herd of Warthogs and the light finally began to dim. So ended another day of spotting at little old Davis-Monthan AFB. Let the editing begin.