Tag Archives: air france

Heavy Departures from SEA

I have had plenty of chances to shoot the departures from SEA when they are on a northerly flow and the afternoon light provides a good option for the jets.  Previously, I have used the 500mm since it gives good reach but, for the larger jets, as you get the jet abeam your position, it will be too large for 500mm.  The arrival of my 200-800 provided a great new option.  800mm provided a tighter view on the jets after rotation (provided the heat haze is not negating any focal length benefit) and the ability to zoom out means that you can keep the aircraft fully framed throughout the climb out.  I took the lens down when I first had an open afternoon and the right conditions and here are some of the results.  As fall moves towards winter and the heat haze and high sun become less of an issue, this combo should get even better.

Air France Tries Everything At SEA

Airlines seem to be consolidating their fleets these days with less and less types showing up.  I am sure that this is true for Air France too but, recent experience at SEA feels like the opposite.  We seem to have been the destination for a lot of the Air France long haul fleet.  We have had 777s coming in here for a while.  I imagine that they will be the ones we won’t see much of again but you should never bet on that.  The 777-300ERs are likely to be around for a while, even if the -200ERs go away.

Then we have had the A330s and the A350s.  I like the look of the A350 so was pleased to see them bringing that on this route.  I had wrongly assumed that, with the A350 being deployed here, that was going to be a regular feature.  Instead, we have now got 787s coming in.  I was north of the airport when I got to shoot a 787-9 lining up for approach.  When I have looked more recently, that is the jet showing on the schedule.  Who knows what we will get next?  I am pretty certain it won’t be the A380!

Battle Of The Alliances

The creation of the airline alliances has allowed airlines to serve a wider range of routes than they could sustain themselves.  Part of their obligation as a member of the alliance is to have some of their aircraft painted in alliance colors.  Sadly, these liveries are not that exciting but I suppose it is some variety.  I was quite surprised to get an Air France 777-300ER in SkyTeam colors vacating the runway at the same time a United 777-200ER in Star Alliance colors was taxiing the opposite direction.  I felt like the scene for a stand off but no such thing occurred.

Air France A350

Regular readers will know I am quite a fan of the Airbus A350.  Getting a new operator of the jet in Seattle is nice for me and the Air France service has swapped from the 777 to the A350.  It started a while ago but the conditions have been so bad for a while, I didn’t even bother trying to get out and shoot it.  I was coming through the area when it was due in so made a diversion to get a few shots.  Not too nice a sky but still okay and I will hopefully get better conditions at some point before too long.  They arrive at lunchtime so the light is not ideal anyway at that time.

Air France A380

The Air France A380s have gone away.  Their retirement had already been identified prior to the COVID-19 outbreak but it accelerated their departure.  I had shot them on a few occasions with SFO and LAX being regular destinations.  Since I won’t be seeing them again, here is a farewell tribute to the Air France A380.  Hope one or two of the airframes find a second life.

Air France to Test the Angle

I was at SeaTac one Saturday afternoon for the impending arrival of an AN-124.  The Ruslan was due in later but I was checking out the flightpaths for the inner runway.  An Air France A330 was due in so that was my test aircraft.  The light was nice and the angles worked well.  I was pretty happy with the result.  Sadly, the light wasn’t hanging around for the Antonov and conditions were not as good when it came in.

777 Freighters at O’Hare

Nothing terribly timely about this post.  These shots were taken quite a while ago during a visit to Chicago.  (At least they are so old that they are from when I lived there.)  There was a time when the 747 was the freighter of choice.  There are still missions for which the 747 is still required but few loads require the nose loading and the most versatile of the big freighters these days is the 777.  (It seems that the 777 is taking over everything that the 747 used to do.)

One afternoon at O’Hare included a couple of 777 freighters.  AeroLogic had one of theirs in town.  I saw it coming in and also got so see it head out again.  I don’t know where it was coming from or going to.  Meanwhile, Air France also had one of their freighters making an appearance.  It’s a shame that the 747 is not so prevalent anymore.  It is a cooler looking jet and the 777 freighter is barely distinguishable from the multitude of 777s on passenger duty.  However, that is the way it is these days.

A380 Gear Sequence

B11I1197The jets approaching SFO have their gear down long before they reach Coyote Point.  However, if you look into the distance, you can see them lower the gear somewhere around the San Mateo Bridge.  The A380 has a gear sequence that involves the outer gear coming down first followed by the body gear.  I figured I would shoot at long range and then animate the sequence.  Heat haze was not great but I think it shows the way things work.  Maybe in the winter I will try this again and see if I can get a cleaner image.

Another 747 Operator Bites the Dust

QB5Y1360.jpg There is a steady stream of Boeing 747 fleet retirements right now.  This month another one occurred when the last Air France 747 flight took place.  I have not seen a huge number of their Jumbos over the years but they have cropped up from time to time.  It turns out that the best shots I have got have all been at SFO although these were mainly taken long before I moved here.

QB5Y0652.jpgAnyway, farewell Air France 747s.  I wonder which operator will be next?

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Closest Yet on the 777-300ER Gear

AU0E9795.jpgYou might not think a really windy day was going to be a great time to head out and take photos with a long lens hand held. This certainly is not ideal but there are some advantages that a really windy day can bring. The purpose of the trip was to catch the new Virgin 787-9 service coming in to SFO on a Sunday afternoon when I didn’t have anything else planned. While the wind was very strong, the light was nice so I gave it a go. What I didn’t realize was that, while it was windy at home, it was really windy at SFO! Everything was operating on the 28s because the wind was above 30kts and gusting to well over 40kts. This also meant that departures got airborne quite quickly given that they started with over 30kts after zero takeoff roll!

AU0E9781-EditThe heavy jets were frequently airborne before the intersection of the runways and this included an Air France 777-300ER. Consequently, I was able to get a clearer view of the gear during rotation than I have managed before. Above are a still of the gear during rotation and also an animated GIF of the rotation in progress. I think I shall consider myself happy with this. It is the best I have got. Unless I get to spend some time out by the runway while one is departing, I doubt I will get a better chance than this.