Tag Archives: airplane

Cathay Pacific 747-8F Freighter

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C59F9777.jpgI saw this Cathay Pacific 747-8F making an approach to the opposite side of the airport at LAX while I was waiting for a friend’s flight to arrive.  The freighters tend to use the southerly runways since that is where the freight area is located and it cuts down on taxi requirements.  Therefore, I wasn’t surprised that it went that way.  Later in the day I was up on Imperial Hill when it made its departure.  I was actually having something to eat and not really paying attention.  It had rotated before I even realized so grabbed the camera quickly to get some shots.  I’m glad the camera was close by or I would have been really annoyed.

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Watching the World Drift By

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B11I7481.jpgAs previously mentioned in another post, the great location at the back of the Harpoon.  On the trip back, this was where I spent much of my time.  I was checking to see whether anyone else wanted to be there but apparently not.  Consequently, I relaxed there a lot while the central valley passed beneath me.  Whether it was the patterns of orchards or the cattle feed lots, there was always something to see.  As we got closer to Stockton, it was housing developments and the shapes that come with them – sports fields, schools, malls, parking lots.  A very relaxing way to see the state.

Cathay Pacific Go-Around

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C59F9450.jpgYou don’t see a lot of go-arounds at major airports but they do happen.  I was down at LAX awaiting the arrival of a friend when a Cathay Pacific 777 came on to the approach.  As I looked back at it, the approach did not appear to be too stable.  It seemed to start off a little high, then it got back on glide path but it adopted a rather nose high attitude.  At this point I thought something seemed amiss but it then resumed a more normal approach angle and I figured they had got it under control.  It was at this time that they powered up and climbed away.

C59F9479.jpgThey were tucking up the gear as they came across the top of me.  They flew the missed approach procedure and then came around for a second go which went fine this time.  I don’t know what the issue was but I did talk to some other pilots that had flown the approach that day and they mentioned that construction work was underway that had meant some of the approach aids were out of service.  Maybe this was a factor.  Since airlines have strict procedures about going around if they are not stabilized by a certain point, maybe they were just too late getting it back and stable and had to follow the procedure.

The Highway Patrol Can See You

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B11I6721.jpgThe California Highway Patrol brought not one but two aircraft to the Heli Fest.  One was an Astar helicopter and the other was a GA-8 Airvan.  Sadly, the airport management team was not feeling very flexible and they would not allow anything fixed wing to be on show by the museum.  Consequently, the Airvan crew was made to park on the other side of the field and they had to be driven across.  Meanwhile, the Astar crew had their helicopter on the line and so was able to answer questions from the visitors.

AE7I7161.jpgThe Airvan crew may have been feeling a bit left out but they certainly made their presence felt when they departed.  The aircraft is equipped with a PA system and it had the siren going as it took off.  Everyone was in no doubt who they were.  I am glad they didn’t get completely left out.  The Astar also headed out.  The CHP operations are pretty interesting so I shall be trying to do a bit more with this operation soon.

Palmdale Day Out

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C59F9459.jpgA few years ago, I was in the LA area with my mate Paul.  We decided to try our luck with a visit to Palmdale.  Home of Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale has a history of interesting aircraft.  The Blackbirds were assembled here as were the Space Shuttles.  The B-2 bombers were also assembled on site.  It is home to some NASA aircraft and continues to support a variety of types.  Consequently, you can see some really interesting stuff.  Alternatively, you can have a day with nothing going on.  It is the luck of the draw.

C59F9444.jpgWe decided to try it out anyway and see what we could get.  One of the NASA ER-2s had been active so there was hope that it might be up and about.  One thing we hadn’t anticipated was that the weather was not going to be great.  We had figured it was likely to be clear but actually there was a fair amount of cloud cover all day.  Not ideal but it did keep the temperature down.

QB5Y2449.jpgWe did have success with the ER-2.  Unfortunately, we did not choose well for our locations.  It took off and landed on the runway that we were not close too.  Consequently, we got some shots but they were a bit distant.  We discussed a rapid change of location but, fearing we would get nothing by being in the car at the wrong time, stuck with it.

QB5Y2489.jpgOur location was not a total bust though.  We did get a sister ship.  A USAF U-2S came in and we got some shots of that.  It was not alone.  A B-2 also made some approaches.  We figured it was coming from Edwards and heading back there again.  Sadly, shooting black aircraft against a cloudy sky is a bit tricky.  Still, we might have done worse.  After a while, the local movements of Northrop Grumman shuttles had been enough so we decided to get on the road back to LA.

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Wow (and I Mean That Literally)

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AE7I1195.jpgYes, no exaggeration in this case.  It really is Wow!  Of course, Wow is an airline, not something so unusual.  They are a low cost airline operating out of Iceland and they have started direct flights to San Francisco.  I hadn’t managed to see them since they started service.  They come in on certain days and later in the afternoon but had not been helped by air traffic delays in Iceland which had meant the flights were arriving late on a regular basis.  I did finally get to see one of their A330s come in – late but not as late as had sometimes been the case.

AE7I1233.jpgThe light at this time of year is not so easy.  At the end of the day, the sun angle actually moves sufficiently far around to be on the nose and then even slightly backlit.  The late arrival exacerbates the issue but the sun was still slightly on the right side when they came in.  It does result in quite some contrast between the nose and the fuselage sides which, with a dark color like they have, makes for a more difficult exposure.  I want to visit Iceland at some point so having a direct flight is definitely something to consider for me.

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Arizona’s F-16s

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B11I6356.jpgThe home team at Tucson International are the Arizona ANG F-16s.  The Iraqi and Dutch jets may be of interest but the local jets are still worthy of attention.  I didn’t get as much time to shoot them as I would have liked but there were still a few chances to catch some of them departing and recovering so here are a few from those times.

Trying to do Something Different with a Southwest 737

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AE7I9870.jpgIf you want to go with a rather easily achieved photo, a shot of a Southwest 737 would seem to be about as common as they get in the US.  I was staying in a hotel near Midway recently and, after dinner, I decided to see if I could get something a little different to my normal shots of a plane I spend a lot of time sitting inside!  I wasn’t hampered by some rather helpful weather conditions.

AE7I9950.jpgI was close to the approach path so I wandered off to find what line worked best.  My best results came from two spots.  One was directly on the flightpath.  The other was slightly offset to one side.  At this location, the planes are just short of the field so are pretty low.  I include a couple of shots that show the rooflines of some of the houses to give you an idea of the surroundings.  The shots from under the nose are interesting but there is only so much you get from that angle.  I was pleased with a few of the, but I did not spend a lot of time in this spot.

AE7I9526.jpgBeing offset provided a more interesting angle.  I only had one lens with me so I was a little limited in what I could try by having a longer focal length.  Being full frame does now give me a bit more width at the short end of the zoom though.  Therefore, I could get some shots from almost underneath that provide a slightly more dynamic angle.

AE7I9890.jpgSince it was evening, the light was getting better and better.  What certainly helped was that there was a hint of storm activity in the distance and some clouds were bubbling up.  They made for a far more interesting backdrop than the empty sky.  Overall, this was a pretty satisfying evening.  I did get some other arrivals that while I was there and I will possibly give them their own post at some time.

Tucson Corporate Activity

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AE7I4695.jpgI don’t know whether the timing was favorable or whether there is just a lot of traffic but I saw quite a few corporate jets on the move at Tucson during my short time shooting there.  Corporate stuff is always a nice break from the regular airline traffic although it can be harder to shoot.  The jets are usually smaller and the bigger ones are often performing well within their capabilities so get airborne really quickly and are way too high by the time they get to you.

B11I5681.jpgEven so, we did okay.  A couple of Hawkers were heading out and I was particularly pleased to get a Global Express.  It did look a touch anonymous but maybe I can pretend that means there is an interesting story behind it.

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Sweating on the Range

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B11I4723.jpgWhile watching the arrivals for Hawgsmoke was a lot of fun, the main focus was the range work on the first day of exercise.  The Air Force put us on a bus for the drive out to the Barry M Goldwater Range south of Gila Bend.  This is about a two hour drive.  The temperatures were above 100F and the bus was a bit lacking in air conditioning terms.  We were toasty as we traveled out.  Standing on the range is another thing.  It is rather warm standing out in the sun.  However, you soon forget how hot it is when the jets arrive.

AE7I5828.jpgThe four ships for each unit have a range slot.  They start with the various bomb missions so they are quite a way off while this is underway.  You can just see the little practice bombs as they are released if you look closely and then the impact on the target out on the range.  They try a few different profiles.  Then they move on to the strafe work.

B11I4342.jpgLong range strafe is first with the jets firing from quite a way out from the target.  They then move on to low angle strafe where they are firing from very close to our location on the range tower often firing until alongside us.  The first experience of the A-10 firing is quite something and it is good to see someone react to their first shoot.  After the firing pass, the jets turn overhead our location so you get a great topside view of the jets.

B11I4982.jpgWith the different units taking their turns on the range, you can get shots from different perspectives.  Close in shots, wider shots, a bit of video – all of this can be done in the available time.  Sadly, we have to head off again before too long and it is back on the bus for the return journey.  I spent the day drinking a ton of water.  The bus was hot, the range was hot and the bus was hot again so I needed every drop I drank.  The shower when I got back to the hotel was definitely welcome.  I wouldn’t hold this against the visit though.  It is a ton of fun and the time is spent with some good people too so you can’t go wrong.