It looks like they forgot to finish the fuselage. Wayyyy to short for 'dem big sharkie things.
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It looks like they forgot to finish the fuselage. Wayyyy to short for 'dem big sharkie things.
It's a cloudy Saturday, with on and off showers (more on than off this afternoon) but the Giants headed to town to play the Panthers on Sunday afternoon. Like last year, they flew in on a UAL 764, unfortunately they landed on Rwy 18L, so it was a reach from the overview.
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...060_001-XL.jpg
They parked down in the cargo area, and I headed over, hoping to catch them leaving the airplane. Problem is, the cargo area is on the exact opposite side of the airport from the overview, and following a Charlotte PD cruiser much of the way, I didn't make any time getting there. I did see their convoy of buses, with a PD escort, driving away. I settled for a couple of shots of the aircraft on the ramp.
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...060_002-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...060_003-XL.jpg
Took a ride to the Overview after work this afternoon. Ops were on 36C, so it was mainly departures going past.
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...7UW_001-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...2AU_001-XL.jpg
I'd love to catch LH on 36C when they bring the A340 - I'd probably be shooting down on the aircraft when it goes by!
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...IKQ_001-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...IKQ_002-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...4US_001-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...7EA_001-XL.jpg
As Adam posted above, we now have the new AA A319 (with Sharklets!) operating into CLT. They started revenue service last week, and I finally had the chance to catch one.
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...01N_001-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...01N_002-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...01N_003-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...01N_004-XL.jpg
The A319 may be the new kid on the block, but there's still some life left in this Old Dog...
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...47A_001-XL.jpg
Nice stuff as always Moose. Those AA A319 shots are sweet!
Thanks, Don!
Not CLT, but the B-17 Memphis Belle is spending the weekend at nearby Concord Regional Airport (JQF) It's actually closer to my place than CLT, and home to much of the NASCAR Air Force, so I need to get over there a little more often.
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...lle_002-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...lle_001-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...lle_003-XL.jpg
Meanwhile, back at CLT...
I hadn't really planned on spending time at CLT today, but FlightAware was listing a FedEx 777 making a hop from ATL, which got the CLT spotter group excited. Turned out to be a false alarm, but while I was there, I caught these three TH-57C Sea Rangers (based on the Bell 206 Jet Ranger) out of TAW-5 in Florida.
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...679_002-XL.jpg
At the overview, Southwest's Maryland One arrived. I think this may be the first WN special that I have caught - it's certainly the first time I've gotten one in CLT.
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...4WN_002-XL.jpg
Insel Air continues to mock me...arrived behind me on 36L the departed 36R. Fortunately I had the long lens on, but it's still a reach.
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...MDC_001-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...2AY_001-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...5AY_001-XL.jpg
New A321 for US, delivered three weeks ago.
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...8UW_001-XL.jpg
How does an A340 climb? Get into ground effect then wait for the curvature of the Earth...
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...IFC_002-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...IFC_004-XL.jpg
Nice to see a quality shot of Insel in CLT! nicely done! ... but where are the quality dahs8 shots?! :-D
Here you go...departed on 36R, so it took every bit of the 400mm to get him.
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...4EX_001-XL.jpg
It was a warm, sunny afternoon, and I slipped out of the office a little early - LH brought the A346, and CLT was departing Rwy 36!
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...1AY_001-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...1AY_002-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...4UW_001-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...8SW_001-XL.jpg
Yes, I know the guy in the Ops truck. No, he didn't stop by the overview to pick me up...
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...IHR_002-XL.jpg
84 degrees, a heavy airplane, and the stunning climb performance of the A346 - put it all together, and you use most of the runway, and offer some good photo ops for those of us at the overview.
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...IHR_005-XL.jpg
I was shocked this afternoon - for the first time since I've been down here spotting, the LH Lady wasn't out at the overview for the departure. I don't know if she was somewhere else, or if she was there for the arrival, but it sure seemed strange not having her accompanying the LH departure this afternoon.
Great recent shots John. The Insel Air is a great capture. Get well soon, Lufthansa Lady! (I presume she reads this thread):cool:
An-124 arrived this afternoon, carrying a new tail assembly for a US Airways A321. They landed Rwy 36C, and there isn't a "usual" spot for those arrivals, so there was much discussion as to where we would try to shoot from...
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...044_001-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...044_003-XL.jpg
Great catch and nice shots on the An-124, Moose !! :cool:
The Antonov departed to Fort Bliss Tuesday afternoon...
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...044_003-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...044_004-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...044_007-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...044_008-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...044_009-XL.jpg
Very Nice shots of the Big Bird Moose!
Rich B
http://asheinhaus.smugmug.com/Aviati...2044full-L.jpg
Better late than never...
Thanks for sharing that nice dash8 & Clt tower photo! I've shot 36R departures from the overlook too and I know what a stretch it can be with the lenses. But you came away with a nice photo!
Any news on 23 OPs? im still hoping to make a visit while 23 is shut down. Drink in all the 18C action from the overlook with 23 closed :)
Rwy 23 can only be used late nights, and there aren't any plans to change that from what I've heard - the issue the FAA has is with the potential conflict if someone goes missed on 23 when there is a departure on 18C. That's not going to change. I don't know that we will ever see 23 operations during normal daytime hours.
Got home from a few days in Charleston this week - and no, I didn't do any spotting there - and spent a little time at the overview this afternoon.
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...5HQ_001-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...01N_001-XL.jpg
Citation owned by the Coca Cola Bottling Company in Charlotte.
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...1FH_001-XL.jpg
Finally got some decent shots of the FedEx A300F.
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...1FE_001-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...0AY_001-XL.jpg
I really like the reflections in the fuselage.
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...1UW_001-XL.jpg
Reports are LH switches to the A330 for the winter starting on Sunday.
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...IHZ_001-XL.jpg
Excellent shots Moose!
Rich B
Went out yesterday for the first time in awhile.
Eagles from the overlook
http://asheinhaus.smugmug.com/Aviati...09UWfull-L.jpg
A321 departing 36C
http://asheinhaus.smugmug.com/Aviati...61UWfull-L.jpg
Then I decided to try a new spot a fellow spotter found...
SWA arriving 36L
http://asheinhaus.smugmug.com/Aviati...01WNfull-L.jpg
Followed by Star Alliance
http://asheinhaus.smugmug.com/Aviati...02UWfull-L.jpg
This is one of my favorite liveries on any plane, wow
http://asheinhaus.smugmug.com/Aviati...004Ffull-L.jpg
Some West metal arriving
http://asheinhaus.smugmug.com/Aviati...80AWfull-L.jpg
A319
http://asheinhaus.smugmug.com/Aviati...24UWfull-L.jpg
CLT running simultaneous 36R/36C/36L approaches
http://asheinhaus.smugmug.com/Aviati...34AWfull-L.jpg
Not too many of these left
http://asheinhaus.smugmug.com/Aviati...44USfull-L.jpg
7,000th Airbus
http://asheinhaus.smugmug.com/Aviati...52UWfull-L.jpg
It was a busy morning at CLT. Vice President Biden spent the night in Charlotte, and was due to leave around Noon. Also this morning, an Atlas Air 744F arrived. It was picking up relief supplies for the Philippines, arranged by Samaritan's Purse, an international relief organization headquartered near Charlotte.
Caught this NCANG C-130 departing while waiting on VPOTUS
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...457_001-XL.jpg
Ugly, heat-hazed shot of the C-32 from across the runway...
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...002_001-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...002_002-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...6MC_001-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...6MC_002-XL.jpg
Very Nice Moose
Thanks, Fred! Not the best conditions out there today, but sometimes you do what you have to...
All the really cool stuff came in yesterday, but the CLT Spotters Facebook group was going to get together at the overview today, so I spent a couple of hours out there, chasing some in and out sun...
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...2HQ_001-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...4UW_001-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...9MJ_001-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...530_001-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...4AY_001-XL.jpg
New paint and an old radome...
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...5AE_001-XL.jpg
Delta 737-700, not often seen in these parts.
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...3DQ_001-XL.jpg
This is N504MG, an old 727. Over the years, it has seen service with Frontier, Braniff, MGM Grand, and several other small operators, finishing up with Roush Racing. It's been parked on the cargo ramp at CLT for several years, and I've read that it was used for parts for the other Roush 727s. According to the FAA database, the registration expired at the end of September, and sometime between the Atlas 747 departing Friday evening, and late this afternoon, it was moved for the first time in ages. I wonder if it is finally the end of the road for this old gal?
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...4MG_001-XL.jpg
Nice shots.
That AmEagle CRJ looks like a clown.
It was a cloudy, rainy afternoon, but we were expecting a visit from a Delta 763, bringing the NE Patriots to town for the Monday Night Football game against the Panthers. We don't ever see anything that big from Delta in these parts, so there I was, shooting in the dark...
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...8DL_001-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...8DL_002-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...8DL_003-XL.jpg
Great Stuff Moose but where are the pics of NC ANG Herc's thanks Derek
Nice shots CLT is a must on my radar
Short days and long work weeks don't make a good combination for spotting, but when it's 55F at 8pm, you head out to the Overview to see what you can do in the dark...
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...2US_001-XL.jpg
The light streaks are from a landing FedEx MD-10...
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...ght_002-XL.jpg
And here's the MD-10 unloading. FedEx brings this in for extra capacity during the holiday season.
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...2FE_001-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...3US_001-XL.jpg
I tried to do a little panning...ISO 6400, 1/100 second, f/2.8...not spectacular.
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...ght_003-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...ght_005-XL.jpg
First shot of the night, and my favorite of the batch.
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...10R_001-XL.jpg
Nice work on these night shots Moose, I love the AA baby bus as well....
Rich B
Great shots! I love the one with the city in the background. I had no idea the overlook was open after dark, is that always the case?
Awesome night shots Moose!
Thanks, guys! Kiffy, the overview is open until 10:30pm every night. I was back again for a little bit last night - it was 68F at 8pm, and there had to be two dozen cars out there.
Great shots, Moose. I'll have to join you one night. You planning on going out at all this week?
Thanks, Adam - I may go out later in the week, depending on weather. I thought about going up to the parking deck to shoot some of the Express ramp, but there were about a million cars trying to get to the terminal...holiday travel!
Last shot is stunning!
I was up before dawn to meet a certain nomadic photographer traveling through CLT, and while we didn't get too many photo ops, we did manage a few...
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...2UP_002-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...5FE_001-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...8FJ_001-XL.jpg
http://moose135.smugmug.com/Airplane...7EN_001-XL.jpg
Happy Holidays!
Great shots Moose! Happy holidays my friend