Former Texas Air National Guard Convair C-131B 

It has been almost sixteen full years years since I made a magical trip  from New Hampshire to Fairbanks, Alaska. My main reason was to report on the Indian Air Force’s first deployment to Alaska, to participate in the 2004 Cooperative Cope Thunder exercise. Of course, there was ample time in my trip’s itinerary to go plane spotting at a new airport, and Fairbanks International Airport didn’t disappoint.

Curtiss C-46F in the foreground was once operated by the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force

Back then, there were many old propliners and former military transports still flying in interior Alaska...

As we wrap up our look into a recent spotting trip to Chicago O’Hare International Airport, we take a closer look at the narrow body and regional traffic. Chicago O’Hare International Airport is an important hub for both American and United and a focus city for Frontier and Spirit, naturally you will see a good portion of traffic from them.

It is quite common to see their Airbuses, Boeings, Embraer’s, and Mitsubishis arriving and departing in a variety of color schemes. Several other Domestic, Canadian, and Mexican airlines also serve O’Hare with a variety of aircraft types in several different color schemes. Chicago O’Hare never disappoints the spotter, pandemic or no pandemic as there is no shortage in interesting movements to be seen.

Until next time, “Blue Skies to All!”...

The tumultuous year of 2020 has ended, leaving many dreams shattered, lives changed forever, and the aviation world a very different place than it was just one year ago. The so-called global pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus has led to nationwide quarantines, mass commercial passenger reservation cancellations and corresponding airline flight eliminations – changing many fortunes in commercial airline operations. Reductions in staffing, including customer service employees, cockpit and cabin crews, and even air traffic controllers have been caused by both illness or lack of demand as commercial aviation ridership plummets. General aviation, business aviation and the air show industry have seem big impacts too, but not as bad as the airlines have.

Here are some of the changes we’ve n...