KRIC- 21 February 2012

Hey Guys,


Only two jets today, but it includes a significant one for me.

This post gets a little backstory, as lord only knows it has been years in the making. I have been stalking (and yes, that is the correct word) a Kalitta 727 for almost 2 years now. It comes and goes, without rhyme or reason, and he will file a flight plan 30 minutes prior to departure. If I was sitting in car with gear ready, I could not make it to the field inside of 35 on a good day in all likelihood. Suffice it to say, it had eluded me.

Today, I was eating lunch with a good friend at a restaurant about 20 minutes from the house when I got a text alert that he was departing in a hour. My friend understood (Thank God) as I promptly sprinted to my car, and broke the land speed record home to get my gear. As the bag was already packed for my abortive trip to IAD, I was in and out inside of 120 seconds :). My low fuel indicator had been on for about 15 miles of driving, but getting fuel wasn't an option. I made it to KRIC 3 minutes ahead of her departure, and somehow didn't run out of gas.

So, the pics, everything I had hoped they would be:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/6...5c44151f_b.jpg



http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7064/6...751be765_b.jpg



What a gloriously loud and smokey beast she is. Worth every second of sheer panic on my way there for sure. And to boot, I discovered a place I had never shot from before.


Oh, and this other guy also departed while I was there, so he can get featured to I guess :)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6...222d7ab7_b.jpg





Nick

727 flies as good as she looks,my first jet at the late and lamented ChampionAir, nice shots ,my sister company KCII has 5 or 6 of these on line still and earning their keep,the rumor is they will be replaced by 767s !!!

I wish she was still a daily sight at airports nationwide, but sadly, she isn't. It's a shame they are looking to replace 'em with 767s. No offense to the 767, but it is rather bland in comparison.

Well I never thought I would say 'great catch' about an a/c I was used to seeing all the time, but great catch! The 727 is one of the sweetest designs ever

Isn't it nice when stalking a loved one pays off

It most definitely is.

Just think, in 30 years, we'll all be clamoring to catch the last Jet Blue A320s. We'll be losing the AA MD-80s even sooner than that :(

Glad to see you got your bird! Also glad to hear you didn't run out of gaas in the process. Nice shots.

That's why you always keep your camera with you...

Nice catch, Nick!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by moose135

That's why you always keep your camera with you...

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Quoted for truth! Nice catch. Never seen the that bird here at KMSP

I was surprised to catch one coming into Des Moines back in January.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7008/6...8f942af8_z.jpg
Approach Runway 13 at DSM by Doug Lambert, on Flickr

Doug

That's N726CK, right? I shot it at FRG back in November - those are their new colors.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by moose135

That's N726CK, right? I shot it at FRG back in November - those are their new colors.

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Yeah,that's the one I caught in DSM.

Doug

Yeah, that is the one. A Former Emirates and Qatar passenger bird I learned. She's a bit far from home now.