KCLT 4/29/12

[moose135]

I'm down in Charlotte for work this week, and spent an hour spotting at Charlotte/Douglas Airport this afternoon. They have a neat airport overlook park next to the approach end of Rwy 18C - looking at Google Earth, it's literally 850 feet from the park to the runway centerline, it has nice light all afternoon, with the tower and Charlotte skyline in the background.

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Charlotte-Douglas-Airport/i-5NvPLBQ/0/XL/JM20120429N105UW001-XL.jpg

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Charlotte-Douglas-Airport/i-WML73nm/0/XL/JM20120429N109UW002-XL.jpg

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Charlotte-Douglas-Airport/i-zdthZzX/0/XL/JM20120429N128HQ002-XL.jpg

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Charlotte-Douglas-Airport/i-BsJ6ZSD/0/XL/JM20120429N237PS001-XL.jpg

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Charlotte-Douglas-Airport/i-SJNDBSX/0/XL/JM20120429N277AY001-XL.jpg

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Charlotte-Douglas-Airport/i-W8xcsw7/0/XL/JM20120429N277AY003-XL.jpg

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Charlotte-Douglas-Airport/i-J4x77xG/0/XL/JM20120429N406US001-XL.jpg

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Charlotte-Douglas-Airport/i-jdfTMvV/0/XL/JM20120429N703PS001-XL.jpg

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Charlotte-Douglas-Airport/i-sKfmwqC/0/XL/JM20120429N742PS002-XL.jpg

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Charlotte-Douglas-Airport/i-9NZMQN9/0/XL/JM20120429N909FJ001-XL.jpg

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Charlotte-Douglas-Airport/i-kZH25VQ/0/XL/JM20120429N8674A001-XL.jpg

Are you noticing a trend here? Yes, about 98% of the operations were US Airways...and heat haze is a little bit of an issue, but all in all, it's a great spot. All I brought on the trip was a 28-200 lens, and that was plenty. It was mostly departures on 18C, but we did get some arrivals - most arrivals came in on Rwy 23. I just missed the LH A340 arrival (on 18C) - that was the big catch of the day, and a Sky King 732 arrived on Rwy 23, but the shots I got of him on the ground were distant and heat-hazed.

It's not all US at CLT...

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Charlotte-Douglas-Airport/i-ht2Fzht/0/XL/JM20120429N9413T001-XL.jpg

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Charlotte-Douglas-Airport/i-KtN2ZGv/0/XL/JM20120429N9413T002-XL.jpg

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Charlotte-Douglas-Airport/i-dJhGFFd/0/XL/JM20120429N918AE001-XL.jpg

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Charlotte-Douglas-Airport/i-QGLcNjx/0/XL/JM20120429N770NC002-XL.jpg

Here's a peak at part of the park. There is a large parking area, benches facing the runway, and picnic tables in a tree-covered area. It was a sunny, warm afternoon, and there had to be 50 people out there, many families with kids watching the airplanes, a few people with scanners, and a couple of other photographers.

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Charlotte-Douglas-Airport/i-H22m8KJ/0/XL/JM20120429CharlotteAirportOver-XL.jpg

In the cargo area, there are two Roush-Fenway Racing 727s, as well as an old 727 which once belonged to MGM Grand Air (N504MG), none of which were in a good spot to shoot. The MGM 727 has been on the ramp, minus the outboard engines, since at least 2003, based on photos I saw on JP.net.

[jerslice]

Nice set!

[Zee71]

I wish we had a hill like that at JFK.

[En11RVC]

oh I like this spotting location， that hill same as egcc

[Roush6NY]

Great shots Moose !

[threeholerglory]

Nice catch on US Moose!

[adscram14]

Welcome to CLT! I hope you enjoy it down here! Great catch on PSA, that's my favorite of the US retro schemes. If you head back again, you might see a woman that screams about Lufthansa, she also sings and howls--it's quite...interesting.

[moose135]

Thanks, Adam! I knew there was someone from NYCA down here, but in the scramble last week, I forgot to check who it was. I head back to NY on Thursday, but i will be back to CLT before long...

[Ari707]

Nice to see a US B737

[adscram14]

Thanks, Adam! I knew there was someone from NYCA down here, but in the scramble last week, I forgot to check who it was. I head back to NY on Thursday, but i will be back to CLT before long...

Awesome, let me know when you'll be back down! If you have time, I'd pay a visit to the aviation museum--they have the US 320 that went down in the Hudson along with a bunch of other cool planes. What part of CLT are you in?

[cowens727]

Nice to see a US B737

Amen to that!

[cowens727]

It's not all US at CLT...

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Charlotte-Douglas-Airport/i-ht2Fzht/0/XL/JM20120429N9413T001-XL.jpg

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Charlotte-Douglas-Airport/i-KtN2ZGv/0/XL/JM20120429N9413T002-XL.jpg

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Charlotte-Douglas-Airport/i-dJhGFFd/0/XL/JM20120429N918AE001-XL.jpg



Too bad that the rest are AA MadDog's and junglejets.... ;-)

[moose135]

Too bad that the rest are AA MadDog's and junglejets.... ;-)
Hey, I flew JetBlue down, so I know there's other stuff there! I didn't see any operating when I was out Sunday, but still.

[cowens727]

Hey, I flew JetBlue down, so I know there's other stuff there! I didn't see any operating when I was out Sunday, but still.

Yeah, but to snag some rare (by my standards, at least) US metal, CLT looks like a place I need to put on my list...right after everywhere else I've never been...

[steve1840]

Great set Moose. I love seeing the view from the spotting park. I gotta head there one of these days.

[nssd70]

CLT is one of the airports that I'd like to get to either this year or next.

Doug

[gonzalu]

Moose, why must you rub it in with the Picnic Tables, shaded area, parking, blah blah? We do not have such luxuries around here :tongue:

[captmjk16]

What I'd give for just a hill, just a simple mound of dirt that got me above the level of the fences, let alone one with actual creature comforts and apparent police tolerance. Great shots Moose!