Tag Archives: westjet

WestJet Air Show Takeoff!

The Abbotsford Air Show takes place on an airfield that is still open for business. At various times during the display, there will be a pause while a scheduled commercial flight arrives or departs. During the show a couple of years ago, WestJet had one of their 737-700s show up, drop off some passengers, pick up a new bunch and head out. I was thinking that a 700 would be off the ground pretty quickly so decided to get some shots of it.

I was mistaken. Instead of blasting up quickly and getting a nice shot with Mt Baker in the background, they appeared to use as much of the runway as they possibly could. Rotation was a long way down the field and the climb out seemed leisurely. Not so dramatic. I have been to a few shows over the years that have movements that break up the display and, while it is nice to get airliner shots from on the field, the amount of time it takes out of the display is probably not worth it.

737-600 – The Unpopular Variant

It seems for each generation of airliner, the smallest one from the previous generation is the one that doesn’t do so well.  The 737-500 sold reasonably well but the -600 was the unloved on of the NG range.  The -700 sold well but the Max 7 is not really attracting any love (except from Southwest).  The A320 family has the same thing.  Apparently, the small one just doesn’t age well.  The 737-600 did not end up with many airlines so I have few shots of them.  Aside from the Janets, these are the only operators I have seen.

Westjet Charter Arrival

Mark and I were on the south side of Vancouver when a Westjet plane came in.  No big deal there but this flight was a charter operation so, instead of heading to the main terminal area, it came straight to us.  They taxied straight to us where the passengers were quickly dropped off.  The crew then turned the jet around promptly and taxied back out for departure.  It was an efficient delivery and a slightly different location to see an airliner being operated.

WestJet and the House of Mouse

AE7I0543.jpgPromotional paint schemes are not uncommon – particularly with certain airlines.  Alaska has a bunch of them.  This one was a new one for me.  WestJet, a Canadian airline, seems to have a marketing tie up with Disney too.  They have painted a 737 up in an all-over shame that certainly gets your attention, if only to wonder what on earth it is.  I was pleasantly surprised to catch it having had no idea it was on its way.

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