A Special Treat

 Like I said in my last post, I wanted to get a picture of the plane they used to do the flyover.  I didn't see it on the way over to Metro.  As I was at Metro, I was thinking that it was in a different spot than I expected, so I looked at the other side of the airport and found it.

The picture it not from my favorite angle for plane pictures but this was the only angle that I could get.

The P-8A Poseidon is the newest patrol aircraft for the US Navy.  It was developed from the 737 airframe and was meant to replace the P-3 Orion.  Studies to replace the P-3 were began in the 1980s.  Lockheed was contracted to produce the P-7 which was an improved version of the P-3 but that contract was cancelled in 1990 with the collapse of the Soviet Union.  In 2000, the Navy decided to do a second competition to replace the versatile P-3.  Lockheed submitted an even more improved version of the Orion.  British Aerospace submitted an improved version of the Nimrod but withdrew as they couldn't find a US production partner.  Boeing submitted this design.  In 2004, Boeing was awarded the contract.

In 2009, the P-8 first flew and it was introduced to the fleet in 2014.  Boeing also has contracts from the Indian, Australian and British Navies for this plane.  As of this year, 174 have been built.

This particular aircraft belongs to VP-62, which is a Naval Air Reserve squadron that operates out of Jacksonville, Florida.  It is the first Naval Air Reserve squadron to operate this plane and it was introduced to this squadron in April of this year.