IAR's Son of Zeus on final...
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7147/6450181041_725a01880b_b.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffwelker/6450181041/)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7158/6712961039_457a81927a_b.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffwelker/6712961039/)
New IAR bird! First flight...just back from refurb and new paint. Headed for China next week.
(http://yipdog.smugmug.com/Airplanes/Aircraft/i-g2hXWG5/0/L/1DX_4306-L.jpg) (http://yipdog.smugmug.com/Airplanes/Aircraft/22434311_JfJJP9#!i=2276194016&k=g2hXWG5&lb=1&s=A)
(http://yipdog.smugmug.com/Airplanes/Aircraft/i-9SZKhX8/0/L/1DX_4315-L.jpg) (http://yipdog.smugmug.com/Airplanes/Aircraft/22434311_JfJJP9#!i=2276194981&k=9SZKhX8&lb=1&s=A)
Dang, was this out at Coolidge or at Willie?
Sorry! Willie!
Taken from the Gate 5 cubby.
I knew about this in advance as a friend of mine does their video production work.
Interesting, this appears to be one of the former Hawkins and Powers Hemet Valley Flying Service birds with those 8 door drop tanks.
I saw this out there yesterday, but only got a thru the fence shot of it while they were refueling.
I think 121 was one of the three they've been operating out of Coolidge and Willie for a while. There's another they're working on (Tanker 88?) out at Coolidge.
I'm pretty sure that the one that was Tanker 88/N138FF is now N119TG. That's the one that was at Coolidge during the October and November fly-in weekends stripped of all paint. It apparently left some time between the November fly-in and two weeks ago. Probably out being painted. I don't think that one was an H & P bird though. I think it was owned by Hemet Valley Flying Service at one time.
Got another chance at shooting today...
(http://yipdog.smugmug.com/Other/IAR/i-Nkm9dGs/0/L/IAR%20C-130%20Low%20and%20Fast-L.jpg) (http://yipdog.smugmug.com/Other/IAR/27161629_366Z9W#!i=2280592263&k=Nkm9dGs&lb=1&s=A)
(http://yipdog.smugmug.com/Other/IAR/i-Ht3FPh8/0/L/1DX_6049with%20WM-L.jpg) (http://yipdog.smugmug.com/Other/IAR/27161629_366Z9W#!i=2280617108&k=Ht3FPh8&lb=1&s=A)
(http://yipdog.smugmug.com/Other/IAR/i-wZtwdfV/0/L/IAR%20C-130%20Sunset-L.jpg) (http://yipdog.smugmug.com/Other/IAR/27161629_366Z9W#!i=2280652956&k=wZtwdfV&lb=1&s=A)
(http://yipdog.smugmug.com/Other/IAR/i-hgPBjkX/0/L/YDS_7611-L.jpg) (http://yipdog.smugmug.com/Other/IAR/27161629_366Z9W#!i=2281154460&k=hgPBjkX&lb=1&s=A)
Found out this was the plane used for the opening scene of "The Dark Knight Rises"!
Amazing history for this airframe!
New bird fresh out of paint!
(http://yipdog.smugmug.com/Airplanes/Aircraft/i-PfTJCqh/0/X3/N117TG-X3.jpg)
(http://yipdog.smugmug.com/Airplanes/Aircraft/i-3LVZLjM/0/X3/C130-Artfor%20Print-X3.jpg)