WORDS & WINGS: May 2012

1944 Grumman G-21A Goose, c/n B-101, CF-VFU, FIFT. Dockside somewhere up Knight Inlet, B.C., Canada in spring 1969.

[1959 Kodak Retina IIIS (Type 027) rangefinder 35-mm roll film camera, s/n 86125, with Schneider-Kreuznach Retina-Xenon 50-mm f/1.9 Synchro Compur lens, s/n 6841319; Kodak Plus-X Pan (ISO 125/22°) 36-exposure black & white negative film]

“The whole history of the Canadian North can be divided into two periods—before and after the aeroplane.”

Hugh L. Keenleyside, Deputy Canadian Minister of Mines and Resources, October 1949

Monday, May 14, 2012

1986 de Havilland Canada DHC-8-102 Dash 8 Series 100, c/n 049, C-FABT, Air BC

1986 de Havilland Canada DHC-8-102 Dash 8 Series 100, c/n 049, C-FABT, Air BC (Jim Pattison Group, CP Air Commuter partner), Sea Island, Richmond, B.C., Canada; powered by two 2,000-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PW120A turboprop engines with constant-speed, full-feathering reversible-pitch, four-blade Hamilton Standard propellers; retractable landing gear; crew of two (pilot and co-pilot), seating configuration Y37, medium-range regional airliner; built by de Havilland Canada, Toronto, Ontario at Downsview, Ontario; first flight on October 2, 1986; C-FABT, Air BC, Sea Island, Richmond, B.C. on October 18, 1986; C-FABT, Air Nova, Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ), Enfield, Nova Scotia on March 25, 1999; C-FABT, Air Canada Regional (Air Canada Regional Inc.), Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ), Enfield, Nova Scotia on November 2, 2001, merged; C-FABT, “848”, Air Canada Jazz (Jazz Aviation LP), Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ), Enfield, Nova Scotia in April 2002, transferred; C-FABT, “848”, Air Canada Express (Jazz Aviation LP), Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ), Enfield, Nova Scotia on April 26, 2011, transferred; active.

Landing at Vancouver International Airport (YVR), Sea Island, Richmond, B.C., Canada on Sunday, May 7, 1988.

[1984 Nikon FE2 SLR 35-mm roll film camera, s/n 1816483, with Nikkor AI 50-mm f/1.8 lens, s/n 2336591, and 52-mm polarizing filter; Kodak Kodachrome 64 36-exposure colour slide film]

1975 de Havilland Canada DHC-7-102 Dash 7 Series 100, c/n 003, C-GFEL, “401”, Air BC

1975 de Havilland Canada DHC-7-102 Dash 7 Series 100, c/n 003, C-GFEL, “401”, Air BC (Jim Pattison Group, CP Air Commuter partner), Sea Island, Richmond, B.C., Canada; powered by four 1,120-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-50 turboprop engines with constant-speed, full-feathering reversible-pitch, four-blade Hamilton Standard propellers; retractable landing gear; crew of two (pilot and co-pilot), seating configuration Y54, STOL (short take-off and landing) regional airliner; built by de Havilland Canada, Toronto, Ontario at Downsview, Ontario; test registration C-GQIW-X; EC-DCB, Spantax (Spantax SA), Madrid, Spain on May 31, 1978; C-GFEL, de Havilland Canada, Toronto, Ontario on May 3, 1981, returned; C-GFEL, Air BC, Sea Island, Richmond, B.C. on July 16, 1983, leased from de Havilland Canada; C-GFEL, de Havilland Canada, Toronto, Ontario on April 28, 1989, returned; stored in sad condition at Las Vegas-McCarran International Airport (LAS), Paradise, Nevada, USA in March 1990, wearing colours of Air BC minus titles and tail logo; suffered damage in a fire at Hughes Aviation hangar in March 1990; N703WW, Worldwide Resources Ltd., West Babylon, New York purchased on December 4, 1990, registered on January 24, 1991, cancelled on March 25, 1995, stored; withdrawn from use; written off (damaged beyond repair); scrapped.

Landing at Vancouver International Airport (YVR), Sea Island, Richmond, B.C., Canada on Sunday, May 7, 1988.

[1984 Nikon FE2 SLR 35-mm roll film camera, s/n 1816483, with Nikkor AI 50-mm f/1.8 lens, s/n 2336591, and 52-mm polarizing filter; Kodak Kodachrome 64 36-exposure colour slide film]

Friday, May 11, 2012

1977 Boeing 747-236B, c/n 21239/302, G-BDXB, City of Liverpool, British Airways

1977 Boeing 747-236B, c/n 21239/302, G-BDXB, City of Liverpool, British Airways, London, England; powered by four 53,000-lbs thrust Rolls-Royce RB211-524D4-B-19 high-bypass turbofan engines; crew of three (pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer), seating configuration F14C64Y298, long-range, wide-body, double-deck airliner; built by The Boeing Company, Seattle, Washington, USA at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Everett, Washington; first flight on February 22, 1977, test registration N8280V; G-BDXB, City of Liverpool, British Airways, London on June 16, 1977; G-BDXB, Nigeria Airways (Nigeria Airways Ltd.), Abuja, Nigeria on November 2, 1999, leased; G-BDXB, British Airways, London on August 3, 2000, returned; stored.

I flew aboard the City of Liverpool non-stop from London Heathrow Airport (LHR), Hillingdon, London, England to Vancouver International Airport (YVR), Sea Island, Richmond, B.C., Canada on Sunday, August 16, 1987.

In background is 1977 Boeing 747-236B, c/n 21240/305, G-BDXC, City of Manchester, British Airways, London, England; powered by four 53,000-lbs thrust Rolls-Royce RB211-524D4-B-19 high-bypass turbofan engines; crew of three (pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer), seating configuration F14C64Y298, long-range, wide-body, double-deck airliner; built by The Boeing Company, Seattle, Washington, USA at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Everett, Washington; first flight on April 8, 1977; G-BDXC, City of Manchester, British Airways, London on June 22, 1977, cancelled in September 2001; tt 100,115 hours, 16,182 landings; G-BDXC, EAC—European Aircharter (European Aviation Air Charter Ltd.), Bournemouth, Dorset, England on March 8, 2002, cancelled in July 2002; scrapped at Cardiff Airport (CWL), Rhoose, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales on August 18, 2002.

Starboard view of Arctic Canada.

Over northern Canada.

1977 Boeing 747-236B, c/n 21239/302, G-BDXB, City of Liverpool, British Airways having just arrived at Vancouver International Airport (YVR), Sea Island, Richmond, B.C. in late afternoon or early evening (?).

[1984 Nikon FE2 SLR 35-mm roll film camera, s/n 1816483, with Nikkor AI 50-mm f/1.8 lens, s/n 2336591, and 52-mm polarizing filter; Kodak Gold Super 200 36-exposure colour negative film]

Thursday, May 10, 2012

1978 Boeing 727-256(A), c/n 21609/1369, EC-DCC, Albariño, Iberia

1978 Boeing 727-256(A), c/n 21609/1369, EC-DCC, Albariño (a wine of Galicia), Iberia (Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España SA), Madrid, Spain; powered by three 14,500-lbs thrust Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9 low-bypass turbofan engines; crew of three (pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer), seating configuration C10Y154, mid-range, mid-size, narrow-body airliner; built by The Boeing Company, Seattle, Washington, USA at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Renton, Washington; first flight on July 19, 1978; EC-DCC, Albariño, Iberia, Madrid on July 28, 1978; N903RF, Republic Advanced Freighter Inc., Aurora, Colorado on February 2, 2001; C5-SBM, Mahfooz Aviation, Banjul, Gambia on August 30, 2001; stored at Kingman Airport (IGM), Mohave County, Arizona; C5-SBM, Sudan Airways, Khartoum, Sudan on September 26, 2004, leased; C5-SBM, Kallat El-Saker Air (Kallat El-Saker Air Company), Tripoli, Libya in September 2006; active.

London Heathrow Airport (LHR), Hillingdon, London, England on Sunday, August 16, 1987.

[1984 Nikon FE2 SLR 35-mm roll film camera, s/n 1816483, with Nikkor AI 50-mm f/1.8 lens, s/n 2336591, and 52-mm polarizing filter; Kodak Gold Super 200 36-exposure colour negative film]

1958 Grumman C-1A Trader (Model G-96), c/n 78, BuNo 146048/6048/16, Blue Ghost #6, N7171M, Palm Springs Air Museum

In the hot sun at 15:18 PDT

1958 Grumman C-1A Trader (Model G-96), c/n 78, BuNo 146048/6048/16, Blue Ghost #6, N7171M, Pond Warbirds LLC, Palm Springs Air Museum, Palm Springs International Airport (PSP/KPSP), Palm Springs, California, USA

Capt. Arthur D. Ward USNR, VR-24 Fleet Tactical Support Squadron “Ghost Riders” (World’s Biggest Little Airline), Essex-class training aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CVT-16) “The Blue Ghost”, US Navy
powered by two 1,525-hp Wright R-1820-82WA Cyclone supercharged nine-cylinder, single-row, air-cooled radial piston engines with constant-speed three-blade Hamilton Standard Hydromatic propellers
retractable landing gear
crew of two (pilot and co-pilot), nine passengers or 3,500 lbs of cargo, COD (Carrier Onboard Delivery) transport/all-weather carrier operations trainer
folding wings, enlarged, deepened fuselage, rearward-facing passenger seats, tail hook, known as “Mailman of the Fleet”
built by The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, Bethpage, Long Island, New York, USA at Bethpage, Long Island, New York (F)
built as TF-1 Trader
one of 87 built
delivered to US Navy
redesignated as C-1A Trader in 1962
BuNo 146048/6048/JM-048
provided carrier onboard delivery to USS Lexington from NAS Pensacola
last operational C-1A Trader, last launch from USS Lexington on September 27, 1988 and retired from active service three days later on September 30, 1988
donated to National Naval Aviation Museum (formerly known as National Museum of Naval Aviation), NAS Pensacola (NPA/KNPA), Escambia County, near Pensacola, Florida, USA
on loan from US Navy
N7171M, Robert J. Pond, Pond Warbirds LLC, Palm Springs Air Museum, Palm Springs International Airport (PSP/KPSP), Palm Springs, California, USA on September 10, 1996
displayed in airworthy condition

Spring Break vacationing in Palm Springs from Saturday, March 17 to Saturday, March 24, 2012. I visited the Palm Springs Air Museum on Thursday, March 22 from after 14:00 to about 17:00 PDT.

At 15:19 PDT

[Casio Exilim EX-Z20 point-and-shoot 8.1 MP digital camera, 38–114-mm f/3.1–5.9 lens]

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

1984 Boeing 737-236(A), c/n 23165/1064, G-BKYG, River Exe, British Airways

1984 Boeing 737-236(A), c/n 23165/1064, G-BKYG, River Exe, British Airways, London, England; powered by two 15,500-lbs thrust Pratt & Whitney JT8D-15A low-bypass turbofan engines; crew of two (pilot and co-pilot), seating configuration CY106, short- to medium-range, narrow-body airliner; built by The Boeing Company, Seattle, Washington, USA at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Renton, Washington; first flight on November 9, 1984; G-BKYG, River Exe, British Airways, London on December 6, 1984; operated by British Airways Birmingham since February 28, 1993; renamed Prospero on February 28, 1993; seating reconfigured CY108 on February 28, 1993; withdrawn from use on September 19, 1998; N926PG, Pegasus Aviation (Pegasus Aviation Finance Company), San Francisco, California on December 3, 1998; OB-1715, Aero Perú (Empresa de Transporte Aéreo del Perú SA), Miraflores, Lima, Peru on December 6, 1998, leased from Pegasus Aviation; withdrawn from use on March 10, 1999; returned to lessor on March 14, 1999; N625AC, Access Air, Des Moines, Iowa on June 11, 1999, leased from Pegasus Aviation; TC-ESC, Side, Euro Sun Airlines, Antalya, Turkey, powered by two 15,500-lbs thrust Pratt & Whitney JT8D-15A(HK3) low-bypass turbofan engines, seating configuration Y117, on June 24, 2000, leased from Pegasus Aviation; N926PG, Pegasus Aviation, San Francisco, California on January 11, 2002, returned; stored at Comalapa/Cuscatlán International Airport (El Salvador International Airport) (SAL), San Salvador, El Salvador in March 2002.

Starboard wing, nearing the runway at London Heathrow Airport (LHR), Hillingdon, London, England on Sunday, August 16, 1987.

As we were landing, a British Airways Boeing 747-236 and a PanAm Boeing 747 in background. The -236 was the second fleet of 747s to operate with British Airways, starting service in the mid-1970s. PanAm was the first customer for the Jumbo Jet.

Flaps deployed and on the runway. (?) Air France Boeing 747, Iberia Airbus, British Airways Boeing 737-236, Aeroflot Ilyushin Il-76, Malev Tupolev Tu-154.

Thrust reversers deployed.

Air Mauritius Boeing 747SP-44 (Special Performance) and MAS—Malaysian Airline System Boeing 747-236B.

[1984 Nikon FE2 SLR 35-mm roll film camera, s/n 1816483, with Nikkor AI 50-mm f/1.8 lens, s/n 2336591, and 52-mm polarizing filter; Kodak Gold Super 200 36-exposure colour negative film]

1984 Boeing 737-236(A), c/n 23165/1064, G-BKYG, River Exe, British Airways

View of starboard wing, climbing away from ZRH.

Over the Zürich countryside.

Crossing the French countryside.

Leaving the French coast to cross the English Channel, en route from Flughafen Zürich (ZRH), Kloten, Rümlang, und Oberglatt, Zürich, Schweiz to London Heathrow Airport (LHR), Hillingdon, London, England. I was homeward-bound to Canada on Sunday, August 16, 1987.

[1984 Nikon FE2 SLR 35-mm roll film camera, s/n 1816483, with Nikkor AI 50-mm f/1.8 lens, s/n 2336591, and 52-mm polarizing filter; Kodak Gold Super 200 36-exposure colour negative film]

1969 McDonnell Douglas DC-8-73CF, c/n 46090/504, N4867T, Flying Tigers

1969 McDonnell Douglas DC-8-73CF, c/n 46090/504, N4867T, Flying Tigers (Flying Tigers Line), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Westchester, Los Angeles, California, USA; powered by four 22,000-lbs thrust CFM International CFM56-2C1 high-bypass turbofan engines; crew of three (pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer), cargo configuration, narrow-body intercontinental freighter; built by McDonnell Douglas Corporation, Douglas Aircraft Co. Division, Long Beach, California at Long Beach, California; built as DC-8-63CF, powered by four 19,000-lbs thrust Pratt & Whitney JT3D-7 low-bypass turbofan engines, equipped with cargo door; N4867T, TIA (Trans International Airlines), Oakland International Airport (OAK), Oakland, California on December 29, 1969; N4867T, UTA (Union de Transports Aériens), Paris, Île-de-France, France from August to December 1972, leased; N4867T, Air Afrique, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire from November to December 1974, from September to November 1975, and from September to November 1976, leased; N4867T, Transamerica Airlines, Oakland International Airport (OAK), Oakland, California on October 1, 1979, airline renamed; converted to DC-8-73CF in March 1983; operated for Spirit of America Airlines, Burlingame, California from April 1985 to September 1986; operated for UPS (United Parcel Service Co.), Louisville, Kentucky from December 5, 1986 to December 24, 1986; N4867T, GPA (Guinness Peat Aviation), Shannon, County Clare, Munster, Ireland on February 1, 1987; N4867T, Flying Tigers, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Westchester, Los Angeles, California on February 1, 1987, leased from GPA; N705FT, “705”, Flying Tigers, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Westchester, Los Angeles, California in May 1988, re-registered; N705FT, “405”, FedEx (Federal Express), Memphis, Tennessee on August 7, 1989, merged; N405FE, “405”, FedEx, Memphis, Tennessee on February 20, 1990, re-registered; N405FE, “405”, UPS, Louisville, Kentucky on July 6, 1990; N405FE, “814”, UPS, Louisville, Kentucky on January 7, 1991, transferred; N814UP, “814”, UPS, Louisville, Kentucky in March 1991, re-registered; N814UP, AerSale Inc., Coral Gables, Florida on March 30, 2010; stored.

Flughafen Zürich (ZRH), Kloten, Rümlang, und Oberglatt, Zürich, Schweiz on Sunday, August 16, 1987.

Starboard wing of 1984 Boeing 737-236(A), c/n 23165/1064, G-BKYG, River Exe, British Airways, taxiing from gate A41 to runway for flight to London Heathrow Airport (LHR), Hillingdon, London, England.

[1984 Nikon FE2 SLR 35-mm roll film camera, s/n 1816483, with Nikkor AI 50-mm f/1.8 lens, s/n 2336591, and 52-mm polarizing filter; Kodak Gold Super 200 36-exposure colour negative film]

Friday, May 4, 2012

Alberni Inlet, Nitinat, Caycuse, Youbou, and Crofton on Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada in early summer 1969

Likely from the port window of an early-model Cessna 180 or 185 Skywagon floatplane, judging by the following wing strut and cockpit views, and comparing them to photographs on the internet. Note the apparent absence of the V-strut inside of the cockpit windshield. V-struts were in use in floatplane configuration for extra strengthening.

Looking north, crossing eastbound the lower end of Alberni Inlet, Vancouver Island, B.C.

Looking north, about two-thirds en route between Alberni Inlet and the western end of Cowichan Lake.

Kissinger Lake immediately west of BCFP’s Camp 3 at Nitinat, a few miles west of Cowichan Lake.

Log booms on the south shore at the western end of Cowichan Lake.

BCFP’s Camp 6 mill and townsite at Caycuse on the south shore near the western end of Cowichan Lake.

BCFP’s Youbou townsite on the left and the mill in centre foreground, on the north shore of Cowichan Lake.

Looking south over the Island Highway (Trans-Canada Highway 1), just north of Westholme Road in middleground on the left, the E&N (Esquimalt & Nanaimo) Railway line running diagonally to foreground in the left corner, Mount Prevost in background to the middle right, and Mount Sicker the nearer peak.

Banking left to land in Osborne Bay at BCFP’s (British Columbia Forest Products) Crofton Pulp and Paper Mill, Crofton, Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada in early summer 1969.

[1959 Kodak Retina IIIS (Type 027) rangefinder 35-mm roll film camera, s/n 86125, with Schneider-Kreuznach Retina-Xenon 50-mm f/1.9 Synchro Compur lens, s/n 6841319; Kodak Plus-X Pan ISO 125/22° 36-exposure black & white negative film]

Thursday, May 3, 2012

1985 McDonnell Douglas MD-83, c/n 49385/1244, N429NV, “429”, Allegiant Air

1985 McDonnell Douglas MD-83, c/n 49385/1244, N429NV, “429”, Allegiant Air (Allegiant Travel Company), Enterprise, near Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; powered by two 21,000-lbs thrust Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 low-bypass turbofan engines; crew of two (pilot and co-pilot), seating configuration Y166, medium-range, mid-size, narrow-body airliner; built by McDonnell Douglas Corporation, Douglas Aircraft Co. Division, Long Beach, California at Long Beach, California; built as MD-82; first flight on December 11, 1985; SE-DFT, Assur Viking, SAS—Scandinavian Airlines System, Stockholm-Bromma Airport (BMA), Stockholm, Sweden, seating configuration Y156, on December 20, 1985; SE-DFT, Spanair (Spanair SA), L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, near Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain on June 3, 1991, leased from SAS—Scandinavian Airlines System; SE-DFT, Assur Viking, SAS—Scandinavian Airlines System, Frösundavik, Solna, near Stockholm, seating configuration Y156, on October 1, 1991, returned; SE-DFT, Spanair, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, near Barcelona, Catalunya on June 3, 1992, leased from SAS—Scandinavian Airlines System; SE-DFT, Nordic East Airways, Stockholm, seating configuration Y156, on November 29, 1992, leased from SAS—Scandinavian Airlines System; SE-DFT, Assur Viking, SAS—Scandinavian Airlines System, Frösundavik, Solna, near Stockholm, seating configuration Y156, on October 31, 1994, returned; LN-ROR, Assur Viking, SAS—Scandinavian Airlines System, Frösundavik, Solna, near Stockholm, seating configuration CY150, on December 13, 1999, re-registered; stored in April 2009; SE-DFT, Assur Viking, SAS—Scandinavian Airlines (SAS Scandinavian System AB), Frösundavik, Solna, near Stockholm, seating configuration CY150, on December 16, 2009, re-registered; ferried Oslo Airport, Gardermoen (OSL), Gardermoen, Ullensaker, Norway–Keflavík International Airport (KEF), Keflavík, Iceland–Bangor International Airport (BGR), Bangor, Maine–Kingman Airport (IGM), Mohave County, Arizona on March 10 & 11, 2010; delivered to Allegiant Air on March 16, 2010; converted to MD-83; N429NV, “429”, Allegiant Air, Enterprise, near Las Vegas, Nevada on November 15, 2010, re-certificated.

Flight 212 just arriving (late) from Bellingham, approaching Gate 5, Palm Springs International Airport (PSP), Palm Springs, California on Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 6:05 pm.

Our Flight 213, non-stop Palm Springs–Bellingham, scheduled 6:35 pm departure, 9:25 pm arrival, in the midst of refuelling while the checked baggage of Flight 212 is unloaded, Gate 5 at 6:19 pm.

Again, my wife and I were some of the last passengers to board as we were part of Open Seating. And again, we were fortunate to locate two seats together, row 18, myself in seat D and my wife in seat E. Cabin crew were one female Flight Attendant and three male Flight Attendants. We departed at 7:02 pm. The flight was uneventful.

[Casio Exilim EX-Z20 point-and-shoot 8.1 MP digital camera, 38–114-mm f/3.1–5.9 lens]

1985 McDonnell Douglas MD-83, c/n 49385/1244, N429NV, “429”, Allegiant Air

Flight 212 just arriving (late) from Bellingham, approaching Gate 5, Palm Springs International Airport (PSP), Palm Springs, California on Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 6:05 pm.

[Casio Exilim EX-Z20 point-and-shoot 8.1 MP digital camera, 38–114-mm f/3.1–5.9 lens]

1986 McDonnell Douglas MD-83, c/n 49424/1284, N420NV, “420”, Allegiant Air

1986 McDonnell Douglas MD-83, c/n 49424/1284, N420NV, “420”, Allegiant Air (Allegiant Travel Company), Enterprise, near Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; powered by two 21,000-lbs thrust Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 low-bypass turbofan engines; crew of two (pilot and co-pilot), seating configuration Y166, medium-range, mid-size, narrow-body airliner; built by McDonnell Douglas Corporation, Douglas Aircraft Co. Division, Long Beach, California at Long Beach, California; built as MD-82; first flight on June 12, 1986; SE-DFX, Ring Viking, SAS—Scandinavian Airlines System, Stockholm-Bromma Airport (BMA), Stockholm, Sweden, seating configuration Y156, on June 20, 1986; SE-DFX, Nordic East Airways, Stockholm, seating configuration Y156, on January 5, 1992, leased from SAS—Scandinavian Airlines System; SE-DFX, Scanair, Stockholm-Bromma Airport (BMA), Stockholm, seating configuration Y156, on October 2, 1992, leased from SAS—Scandinavian Airlines System; SE-DFX, Ring Viking, SAS—Scandinavian Airlines System, Frösundavik, Solna, near Stockholm, seating configuration Y156, on October 31, 1992, returned; N840RA, Reno Air, Reno, Nevada on February 18, 1993, leased from SAS—Scandinavian Airlines System; SE-DFX, Ring Viking, SAS—Scandinavian Airlines System, Frösundavik, Solna, near Stockholm, seating configuration Y156, on February 15, 1998, returned; LN-ROU, Ring Viking, SAS—Scandinavian Airlines System, Frösundavik, Solna, near Stockholm, seating configuration CY150, on December 10, 1999, re-registered; LN-ROU, Snowflake (Scandinavian Airlines System), Stockholm on March 15, 2004, transferred; LN-ROU, Ring Viking, SAS—Scandinavian Airlines (SAS Scandinavian Airlines Norge AS), Fornebu, Baerum, near Oslo, Norway, seating configuration CY150, on January 26, 2007, returned; SE-DFX, Ring Viking, SAS—Scandinavian Airlines (SAS Scandinavian System AB), Frösundavik, Solna, near Stockholm, seating configuration CY150, on December 21, 2009, re-registered; stored at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport (ARN), Sigtuna Municipality, near Märsta, Sweden in December 2009; ferried Stockholm-Arlanda Airport (ARN), Sigtuna, near Märsta–Akureyri Airport (AEY), Akureyri, Iceland–Bangor International Airport (BGR), Bangor, Maine–Kingman Airport (IGM), Mohave County, Arizona on April 27 & 28, 2010; delivered to Allegiant Air on April 30, 2010; converted to MD-83; N420NV, “420”, Allegiant Air, Enterprise, near Las Vegas, Nevada on July 17, 2010, re-certificated.

Boarding Flight 210, non-stop Bellingham–Palm Springs, scheduled 9:00 am departure, 11:45 am arrival, Bellingham International Airport (BLI), Bellingham, Washington on Saturday, March 17, 2012 at 8:48 am.

My wife and I were some of the last passengers to board as we were part of Open Seating. We were fortunate to locate two seats together, row 17, my wife in seat D and myself in seat E. Crew were a Captain Miller and a First Officer Lowrie plus three female Flight Attendants and one male Flight Attendant. We departed at 9:13 am in cloud and light rain. Estimated flight time was 2 hours 29 minutes. We reached 33,000 feet altitude. We arrived at 11:50 am with wind gusts and overcast skies at 61°F, after experiencing some turbulence during the last half hour of flight and a bone-jarring, rough ride bouncing up and down, swaying between port and starboard, in the last ten minutes of our descent, landing somewhat hard. I exclaimed with a “Let’s do the WestJet thing!” and applauded with hand clapping. Some fellow passengers then followed suit.

At Gate 5, Palm Springs International Airport (PSP), Palm Springs, California on Saturday, March 17, 2012 at 12:07 pm.

Spring Break in Palm Springs, California, USA from Saturday, March 17 to Saturday, March 24, 2012.

[Casio Exilim EX-Z20 point-and-shoot 8.1 MP digital camera, 38–114-mm f/3.1–5.9 lens]