KGSO - 4/6/2013 Piedmont Triad International Airport, Greensboro, NC

[moose135]

I took a ride up to The King's place - the Richard Petty Museum, in Randleman, NC today, and afterwards I took a quick trip up to KGSO - Piedmont Triad International Airport - in Greensboro. Unlike CLT and RDU, there isn't an observation area, and there really isn't much activity, but there are a few interesting things to see. TIMCO Aviation Services is located at GSO, and often has commercial or military aircraft undergoing maintenance or overhaul parked out on their ramp. Unfortunately, there was not a thing outside at TIMCO today...

Making a lap around the airport, I saw something large and dark on final, and I thought "That looks like a C-17!" I pulled into a parking lot with a view of the runway, and realized it was a C-5! I only had a short lens on the camera, but was able to catch this through the fence.

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Piedmont-Triad-International/i-TztFD35/0/XL/JM_2013_04_06_C-5A_68-0222_001-XL.jpg

It's 68-0222, a C-5A out of the West Virginia ANG's 167th Airlift Wing, based in Martinsburg, WV. They did a touch and go, and entered the pattern. I raced around for a spot where I could shoot it. On the road along the departure end of the runway, right next to the "No Parking" signs, I found 20 or 30 cars pulled over to watch. I pulled in and grabbed a long lens for their next trip around the pattern.

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Piedmont-Triad-International/i-vJn7k6t/0/XL/JM_2013_04_06_C-5A_68-0222_002-XL.jpg

Unfortunately, looking down the runway, it was heat-haze city!

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Piedmont-Triad-International/i-kF2MvGc/0/XL/JM_2013_04_06_C-5A_68-0222_004-XL.jpg

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Piedmont-Triad-International/i-r2cHBc8/0/XL/JM_2013_04_06_C-5A_68-0222_003-XL.jpg

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Piedmont-Triad-International/i-dvLdBSX/0/XL/JM_2013_04_06_C-5A_68-0222_005-XL.jpg

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Piedmont-Triad-International/i-D3p2fFt/0/XL/JM_2013_04_06_C-5A_68-0222_006-XL.jpg

After four trips around the pattern (that I saw) they hit the road.

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Piedmont-Triad-International/i-dc5XXj2/0/XL/JM_2013_04_06_C-5A_68-0222_007-XL.jpg

FedEx has a big facility at GSO, and there were a pair of A300Fs on their ramp, but again, heat-haze city. There's also an old FedEx 727 at the Guilford Technical Community College campus on the airport as well.

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Piedmont-Triad-International/i-hWtqJqp/0/XL/JM_2013_04_06_N149FE_001-XL.jpg

I took a ride past GSO a few months back, and was able to catch this United (ex-Continental) B767 on the TIMCO ramp.

http://www.moose135photography.com/Airplanes/Airliners-and-Airport-Spotting/Piedmont-Triad-International/i-CBvpZVt/0/XL/JM_2012_09_23_N76151_001-XL.jpg

[LGA777]

Nice pics Moose, that underneath shot of the gear retraction is sick, never realized that's how the C-5's gear works. In my 4 years with Piedmont prior to the merger GSO was a huge station for us so made many flights in and out of there, I think at our peak it was around 80 flights a day. CO also had a very short lived hub there in the days right after their acquisition of People Express, Frontier, NY Air and I forget who else.

LGA777

[captmjk16]

Very nice shots Moose, it's always a treat to be in the presence of a C-5!

[Gerard]

The C-5 shot with the heat haze on the runway is NASTY!!