Earlier this year I made a two-week spotting trip, once again to the south western part of the United States, to enjoy blue skies, perfect winter light, mild temperatures, a beautiful desert scenery and of course some interesting aircraft.
Even in this extremely dry area near the Mexican border, the weather can be tricky this time of the year. So I monitored the weather forecast closely and booked the tickets only a few days in advance (for a surprisingly affordable price). As a result, I ended up with sunshine for about 90% of the time.
Anyway, here are some of the CIV highlights (MIL highligts will be posted in a separate topic). I focused on old, classic aircraft rather than the modern airline traffic, which meant quality over quantity. The entire photo collection as well as my trip report can be found at my website http://www.aviaspotters.nl.
1. Alamogordo - NM

2. Alamogordo - NM

3. Las Cruces - NM (OK, not an old, classic aircraft, but a great livery and scenery)

4. Santa Teresa-Dona Ana - NM

5. Santa Teresa-Dona Ana - NM

6. El Paso -TX

7. El Paso - TX

8. El Paso - TX

9. El Paso -TX

10. El Paso -TX

11. Phoenix Mesa Gateway - AZ

12. Coolidge - AZ

13. Fort Huachuca/Sierra Vista - AZ (Ameriflight new livery)

14. Tucson - AZ

15. Tucson - AZ (the only Mexican plane I managed to photograph

