Friday Night Planewatching

I saw that there was a plane circling over the Ann Arbor Airport as I was heading out work tonight, so I decided to head over there to get some planewatching in.  I've probably said it before but I'm starting to get an appreciation for general aviation aircraft.  There is quite a variety of aircraft (although I don't get to see that when I go planewatching).

 The first plane that I saw was a Cessna Skyhawk 172.   The model of aircraft first flew in 1955 and there have been more produced than any other aircraft.  If I remember correctly, many pilots have cut their teeth on this model.

 I will have to admit, this is a pretty cool looking aircraft.

 This is is a Piper PA-28 Cherokee.  I'm pretty sure I've talked about these before.

 I think these are pretty cool looking aircraft.  One of the cooler general aviation aircraft out there.

 Another shot of the Skyhawk.

 This one is a Cessna 152 owned by the Michigan Flyers.  You can apparently rent it in order to learn how to fly.

 Another angle of that plane.

 One more pass by the Skyhawk.

 The Piper coming in for a landing.

 Another angle.

Just before I left, they switched directions and starts to take off to the east.  It was kind of nice to see a different direction.

Monday Night Wolverine

I guess one advantage of Daylight Saving Time is that I can take more pictures after work because it is still light enough.

 The evening Wolverine passes Ypsilanti at around 6:30.  I was able to catch it last week and I probably could have caught it better tonight had it not been overcast.

 Not that I really mind overcast skies because it makes for a nice backdrop.

 The trailing engine passes.

Apparently, they are not going to use the depot for the Amtrak stop in Ypsilanti.  They are going to build a platform somewhere.  It would still be cool if the stop happens though.

A Brief Stop at the Ann Arbor Airport

As I was packing up to leave work, I heard a plane buzzing over the office and I was hoping that I would be able to catch it as I left.

 Sure enough, I saw this Cessna 152 flying around in the pattern for touch and goes.  But I was still hoping that it was doing a few more.

 Which it was.  I still kind of wish that Ann Arbor had a busier airport because it's a pretty nice place to plane watch at.

 You can get some pretty good angles on the planes.

 And even the beam shot.

This was about as close as I wanted to get to the center line though.

Dinner at the Palms

I decided to eat dinner in Port Huron.

Ended up going to the Chicken in the Rough place.  I had the walleye though and it was pretty tasty.

Watching a Seaplane

As I was taking pictures of the ships, there was a plane doing touch and goes on the water.  Since I don't get to see seaplanes all that often, I decided to head over to where I could get pictures of it.

 The plane in question is a Murphy Rebel which is a kitplane built by the Murphy Company out of Chilliwack, British Columbia.

 The plane was designed by Darryl Murphy and Dick Hiscock who was one of the designers of the De Havilland Canada Beaver.  I guess that explains why it looks similar.

 I was able to get right under the approach path except it was getting late, so the pictures aren't as great.

 A shot from behind.

Landing with a splash.

Ships Resting in Sarnia

After planewatching yesterday, my friend wanted to go catch the ships that were in layup in Sarnia.  I decided that might be fun since I haven't been over to Canada in a while.  Getting across the border wasn't too bad yesterday. 

 My first stop was the Algorail.  She was tied up right next to the road and you could almost walk right up to her.  I'm not sure how many seasons she has left in her, but she looks really bad up close.  I know that she is slated for the scrap heap in the near future though.

 A closeup of her name.

 You don't usually get these angles when they are underway.

 I kind of liked the reflections in the water.

 Trying to get the full ship in the shot.  Sadly, I couldn't get a similar shot from the other direction.

 A shot of her stack.

 And her stern.

 This was built by Dow Chemical Company.  I wonder if it is filled with water in the summer months.

 Across the way was the Manitoulin.

 You never realize just how massive ships are until you are standing under one.

 The Risley tied up.  I think she will be doing buoy work soon.  There were a number of buoys next to her.

 A shot of her bridge.

 And a closer one.

 A different angle.

 If you look to the right of the Algorail, there is a seaplane.  More pictures of that in the next post.

 The Algorail's plimsoll lines.

 And her depth markers.

 After asking a nice person if I could step on the dock, I got a nice picture of the Algoma Transport.

 The CSL Laurentien docked at the grain elevator.

 the Calumet, Cuyahoga and Manitoulin in layup.  This was from a marina.

 I wanted to try my hand at evening shots.  I'm not sure about this one.

 I like this one a little better.

 I probably should have gotten my tripod out for this one.

 The Risley turned out okay.

Too dark, I think.