Hello everyone!
I am back with another exciting spotting topic featuring some very interesting traffic at the Eagle County Regional airport from earlier this month! Over the holidays, I was notified that Mike Pence would be in Vail for Christmas and New Years. Unfortunately I was not able to go out and spot him coming to town. So, I made sure to keep an eye out for 98-0002; the Boeing C-32 that would come out to take him home. Sure enough after New Years, the C-32 was en route for EGE along with a C-17, so I went out to the airport with a friend (@asespotter on instagram) to take advantage of this very rare opportunity! We got to see the C-32, C-17, and much more private and commercial traffic while almost getting arrested in the process! I’ll explain more about that down below. In all, this was the craziest day spotting I have ever had and it is definitely one for the record books!
Air Force Two (98-0002) departing EGE with the mountains in the background:
Here is a close up shot of the departure:
The Boeing C-32 lifted off earlier than most of the other 757s that regularly visit Eagle:
This was the second time Pence visited Vail during his 4 years as VP. Vail has been a vacation spot for other Presidents/Vice Presidents in the past:
Here is 98-0002 on final for Runway 25:
Here is 06-6168, a Boeing C-17A Globemaster III, landing on runway 25: (Sorry the quality isn’t as good as the other photos)
After the C-17 landed, we were up on the mountainside and there was a sudden increase in police and Secret Service cars, indicating that the motorcade was coming. However, one of the cars blasted on a loud speaker that where we had parked our cars was causing problems, and if we failed to move immediately we would be subjected to arrest. Me and my friend, as you can imagine, panicked and ran down to our cars as fast as we could and left the area just as the motorcade was arriving. Despite having to leave our location, we eventually returned to watch the C-32 leave, along with other aircraft.
Here is another picture of the C-17:
Here is a United Airlines Embraer 175 (N619UX) in the new livery:
A Falcon 900EX (N615MS) departing EGE as seen from the Rental Car lot:
United Airlines flight 5490 (N135SY) departing for Denver:
All photos were taken with a Canon Rebel T6 (75/300 + 100/400mm lens)
Other Spotting Topics
King of the Hill | Spotting @KEGE 12/26/20 (part two coming soon)
Pictures You Can Hear | Spotting @Luke Air Force Base 12/9/20
Tankers, Helitack, VLATs, and Slurry Drops | Grizzly Creek Fire Air Attack Spotting AUG-OCT 2020
Golden Skies of Summer | Spotting @KDEN 6/16/20
Close Up with a HH-60 Pave Hawk!
A Change of Scenery | Spotting @KDEN 5/16/20 PART 2
A Change of Scenery | Spotting @KDEN 5/16/20 PART 1
Convincing the Colorado National Guard to Flyover my Town!
Thank You Healthcare Workers! | Special Helicopter Spotting
Private Jets Galore | Spotting @KASE 3/7/20 PART 2
Private Jets Galore | Spotting @KASE 3/7/20 PART 1
On the Hillside | Spotting @KEGE 2/29/20
A Day at Sky Harbor | Spotting @KPHX 2/13/20
Be sure to check out my Instagram! You can view more photos taken by me here: 👇
https://www.instagram.com/wattsup_jet/
Thank you for viewing my photos! If you have any comments, feedback, or suggestions, I would love to hear them! Also, comment your favorite below! Stay safe and healthy everyone!