BWI: 6/15/13-DC-8 at Long Last

[NickPeterman]

Hello All,

Been a while since I've had any photos to share here, so I figured I was do a spotting outing. After years of failed attempts, and in light of the rather imminent retirement of ATI's DC-8s, which are now the last left in commercial service here in the US, I decided that I was due for a final attempt to catch the DC-8, a type that I had honestly never seen in person, static or flying. After some consultations with the Washbalt spotting group, getting up at 4AM, a trek through some nasty, thorny, wet, spider infested woods, and some lingering in places I would not choose to linger in ever again, the mission was an unmitigated success.

First, some of the other BWI regulars, and my first WN 738

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7351/9055111916_e349b3bc55_b.jpg



http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3774/9052887229_dd4e9fe2bd_o.jpg



and my 2nd WN 738!

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3688/9052887173_e75c70f0ff_o.jpg



Okay, WN 737s get boring really fast...

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5348/9052887133_8c2550b034_b.jpg



http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3754/9052887081_3f794b6956_b.jpg



http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3797/9052887055_d0bd912d20_b.jpg



And now, for the star of the show

The moment I first saw a DC-8

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2808/9055111802_3776890519_b.jpg


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7358/9052887003_3949731019_b.jpg


http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2882/9052886899_ed9828c8b3_b.jpg


And the moment I last saw a DC-8

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3723/9052886865_110e912ea8_b.jpg



Hope you enjoyed, and beg pardon if they are slightly over-exposed. I have been up for almost 20 hours and need sleep, and edit poorly when fatigued.


Cheers!

Nick

[moose135]

Very nice, Nick! After all that, it's good that you remembered to remove the lens cap when the DC-8 came in... :biggrin:

[NickPeterman]

With how sick I have been lately, and how long it'd been since I shot, I am glad I remembered that the lens faces the plane :biggrin:

Thanks Moose!

[moose135]

Hey, what does "No CF Card" mean?

:confused:

[nssd70]

Nice catch,I would love to catch a DC-8 again.

Doug

[NickPeterman]

Thanks Doug, I wish they were still more prevalent than they are. I believe the worldwide fleet is in the single digits by now, or at least very close to it, sadly.

[JZ]

Nice catch. The weather is perfect, too.

[josciak]

Nice photos !!! Where did you end up shooting from in the morning?

[Aviation.High.Guy]

Great shots Nick. That DC-8 brings back some great memories. I bet she sounded as great as she looks.

[NickPeterman]

Thanks all, and Don, she certainly did sound awesome.

Joe, I was in the general vicinity of the Arundel Golf Park, but as I couldn't get any good vantage points from within it, I dd a little hiking to find an angle that I liked.


Nick

[megatop412]

You caught the Combi! Bravo Nick. I've been tracking that bast*rd for a while now to try to catch her going in/out of WRI, saw it was coming in last Friday but with only 18 mins to spare and a 40 minute drive it wasn't happening

[NickPeterman]

Thanks William! Get out there soon, she goes away real fast. She flies into and out of WRI every week, so get 'er done!

[NWA DC9]

Very nice! You could have seen my dad. Since the Southwest and Airtran merger he switched over and is now a 737 Co-Pilot based in Baltimore!

[mgwsy]

The one time I was able to get one of the ATI DC8's he was a tad to far away for a good pic, lol.

http://mgwsy.smugmug.com/Airplanes/Misc-Planes/i-fxmV7ZC/0/X2/DC8%2011-18-2011%20%2810%29-X2.jpg

[NickPeterman]

Thank you both! It seems like the era of the DC-8 has finally ended. This weeks flights have been operated by the new 757 Combi's

[727C47]

saw her at WRI on Fri., the best was watching her take off out of OBBI last year,unfortunately i was sans camera.