On the Line

This Airbus A340 taxi's to its gate after landing at Los Angeles International Airport. I can't claim credit for thinking quickly and capturing this interesting view of the aircraft. The opportunity was pointed out to me and I happily fired off about 10 frames.

Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service - AirButt Greg-380

As of the time of this posting the cost of an economy class round trip flight on this QANTAS A380 from Los Angeles, California to Sydney Australia is $1,497 USD. I recently had the opportunity to tour this aircraft and while it was huge, the economy seats were small and leg room tight for someone as tall as I am. I know this for a fact because I tried one on for size.

The aircraft itself was amazing. I was stunned by the incredibly high-tech cockpit and at its massive size.

The A380 has an range of 9,756 miles which would guarantee that I would run out of ass before it ran out of gas.

Up and Over

We were parked very near the end of one of the runways at LAX waiting for this huge KLM 747 to make its turn on to final for landing. Kevin spotted it first and I was able to use my zoom lens to confirm that the approaching aircraft had 4 engines. This meant it was either the KLM 747 or an A380. It looked like it was going to pass directly overhead so I thought that perhaps switching from my zoom lens to my ultra wide 14mm would be a good idea. The only problem was that the aircraft was rapidly getting bigger and louder. I quickly got out of he car and dug in my backpack for the lens. I could hear the engines howling, blocking out all other sounds. I managed a very fast lens swap and swung my camera skyward just as this behemoth roared overhead. I managed to fire off about 10 frames using my new Sony A99. The focus tracking function worked perfectly! What an amazing experience this was. My ears are still ringing.

Leaving a Trail for Others to Follow

This huge MD-11 cargo plane leaves impressive vapor trails in the moist early morning air during its landing at Los Angeles International Airport. It was really interesting to see the various aircraft emerge from the fog surrounding the field and touch down while displaying such grace and power. The noise was deafening in some cases.

On the Move

On the Move, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

This massive China Airlines 747-400 was being guided to the taxiway as we drove by. We were way too close for me to capture the entire jet with the 300mm lens I had mounted on the camera at that moment. So I ended up taking 5 shots that make up this panorama. The jet was moving the entire time so some of the images don't line up perfectly.

Jett Clipper Ella

Jett Clipper Ella, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Resplendent in its Quantas livery, John Travolta's Boeing 707-138B "Jett Clipper Ella" as seen parked at LAX. This is a classic jet airliner design.

Stop for Aircraft

Stop for Aircraft, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

While we were touring LAX in Kevins car we had to stop for a passing United Express twin prop going by in the fading light, destination unknown.

KLM 747 on Short Final

KLM 747 on Short Final, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

A huge KLM 747 photographed from atop the old LAX control tower.

This is Captain Jones from the flight deck...

This is Captain Jones from the flight deck..., originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Much to my surprise, here I am in the captain's seat of a Boeing 747-200.