Random aviation photos

Back in late April I was sat at my usual spot at the reservoirs trying to get shots of the House Martins and Swallows skimming over the water, when I heard an approaching "Heavy". There was a big bank of clouds at varying levels in front of me but overhead and behind me was almost clear sky. I spotted a Thai Airways A380 coming through the clouds to the front and tracked it as it approached and as it emerged from from the cloud into sunshine, it was dragging it's own cloud along, which then illuminated in the sunshine.

One of those "right place, right time" shots!

a reply to: Britguy

Chemtrails!

Great shot.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I thought it was the anti gravity device causing a haze

a reply to: Woody510

You're not supposed to talk about that.

a reply to: Woody510

You'd need one BIG anti-gravity device for that sucker!

Plasma distortion...Cant you see the three lights

I'm getting some shots at Moses Lake today. So far a C-130J, P-3, and brand new Aeroflot 737. Going to the Fairchild airshow tomorrow.

If the aeroflot supporting its rumored new livery?

a reply to: FredT

It's only got the rudder and winglets painted. Based on them, it'll be this livery:



I caught another new one after, I'm not sure who it belongs to.

Came across the following pictures on twitter today. Not sure of the airline but the pilot managed to land the plane in Istanbul with zero visibility after a hail storm.

Double post

I am absolutely wasted, and won't be able to post pics until tomorrow, but I got to play with the new lens at the Fairchild airshow today. I still have to look them over, and there's a LOT of pictures.

originally posted by: Woody510
Came across the following pictures on twitter today. Not sure of the airline but the pilot managed to land the plane in Istanbul with zero visibility after a hail storm.

Is that bird strikes?

a reply to: Forensick

Went through thunderstorm and got hit by hail.

Spain I think.

a reply to: Woody510

Balls of pure Titanium-Diamond alloy!!

The stress level is just off the chart in that situation!!

I know a retired left seater for NWA who got into a similar situation over Lake Michigan ferrying a 747-200 from MSP to DTW. It was what they called an 'overflow' flight due to WX. There was a butt in every single seat that had a seatbelt.

Grapefruit sized hail.

Busted all the windscreens, obliterated the nose cone, leading edges were all smoked. Entire upper side and leading edges of the skin was stripped and pounded. They got hammered so hard it even gouged most of the composite out of the wing roots! Airframe left DTW in pieces on trucks over to the Detroit River where they loaded them onto a barge.

Said it was the most terrifying flight he'd ever made...and he was a former Navy carrier pilot with extensive combat sorties over Viet Nam too! One of the guys riding jump-seat up front had a mild heart attack and left the flight deck on a gurney.

I can't even imagine it!

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Oh haven't they just I mean I've had tiny stones crack my windscreen on the car at like 30mph. Those guys are flying at 20x times that speed into grapefruit sized hail stones.

Left seat is just updating Facebook on his iPhone!

Productive last day at Moses. Now if I can just get a connection to post pics. I caught a white tail 747-8 yesterday, a 787BBJ (I think) today, Air India 787, Hainan 737-800, and an MRJ. In addition to almost 1500 pics from the airshow on Saturday.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Damned well better be, since I couldn't go with to see all the good stuff!! Instead, I was doing plumbing. Guess which I'd rather have done??