As of Tuesday March 27, 2012 thirtythousand has moved from www.thirtythousand.wordpress.com to www.thirtythousand.us. All current email followers will be added to the new site but must confirm this in the email sent to them. Facebook followers will still receive updates of new posts via the same page. Readers wont notice much of a difference except for the web address. However, this change will allow me to eventually add many new features to the blog. Thanks for your interest in my blog and the aviation world in general. Let me know if you have any questions.
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Boeing delivered the first two 787 Dreamliner’s to Japan Airlines today. The two aircraft are the first examples of the type to be powered by the fuel saving GEnx engines from General Electric. Japan Airlines will utilize the aircraft on routes from Tokyo to Boston and San Diego starting later this year and will expand service as more aircraft are delivered. JAL has a total of 45 787’s on order, including 20 of the lengthened 787-9 types. Both aircraft left the Boeing Factory in Everett, Washington this afternoon with one example headed for each of Tokyo’s main airports, Narita and Haneda. All Nippon Airways, also of Japan, took delivery of the first 787’s a few months ago and is utilizing them on flights based out of Tokyo.
Photo from Boeing Commercial Airplanes
While visiting Houston & Galveston this past week for spring break, I had a day to go spotting Houston at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. These are some of the best shots I captured. Check out the IAH Spotting Guide I created for more information about spotting at this exciting airport.
Delta Connection CRJ-900 pulling into terminal A. (Photo by Kyle Dunst)
Air Canada Jazz CRJ in the new "Express" livery arriving at Terminal A from Toronto. (Photo by Kyle Dunst)
Cathay Pacific Boeing 747-8 on its daily Cargo Flight from Asia (Photo by Kyle Dunst)
Atlas Air Boeing 747-400 chartered by the US military taxiing for departure on 15L. (Photo by Kyle Dunst)
"Speedbird" 747-400 from London Heathrow on final to 26R (Photo by Kyle Dunst)
Houston George Bush Intercontinental is the Houston Metropolitan area’s largest and busiest airport. The airport serves over 40 million passengers per year to several domestic and international destinations. IAH is now the largest hub for United Airlines with over 800 daily departures.
The majority of the aircraft you will see when spotting at Bush are United’s 737’s, 757’s, 767’s, & 777’s as well as Turboprops and Regional Jets operated by United Express carriers. You will also see mainline and regional examples of other American domestic airlines such as US Airways, Delta, and American. In the afternoon there are several international arrivals from airlines such as British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa, Singapore, Air France, and Emirates, mostly utilizing Boeing 777’s & 747’s. Bush is also home to a fair amount of cargo airlines including UPS, FedEx, Atlas Air, DHL, Cathay Pacific, and many more. Cathay Pacific is now utilizing the new Boeing 747-8 on daily cargo flights to Bush.
Feel free to contact me for any specifics or questions you have about spotting at KIAH.
Spotting Locations
Spot 1: Lee Road Observation Area
The Lee Road location is the only official public spotting area for the airport. The area provides excellent views of aircraft on approach to Runway 27 as well as those departing Runway 09. The area is opened in the morning and closed after dark by airport security. 27 is one of the main arrival runways when winds are out of the west. 09 is occasionally used for departures when the winds are out of the east and 15L and 15R are extremely busy.
Photos from this location:
Spot 2: Airport Fire Department Entrance
This location is on a small access road off of Aldine Westfield Road on the airport’s west side. It serves as an entrance to the airport fire department. Although this spot isn’t an official viewing location, we weren’t hassled by airport security or police. The spot provides a great view of aircraft arriving to Runway 08R, the main runway when aircraft are landing to the east.
Photos from this location:
Spot 3: Terminal A & B Parking Garage
The 7th and 8th decks of the Terminal A/B Parking Garage provide some of the best views of IAH. Follow signs to terminal A/B from the airport entrance to get to this location. There is a fee for hourly parking in this garage. You MUST let airport security know by phone that you are spotting there or else you will be questioned. Their number is 281-230-1300. Once you let them know what you are doing, they will leave you alone. The North side of the garage provides great views of runways 26R/8L and 26L/8R, as well as the United Express and International terminals. Many aircraft, including most international heavies, will taxi right by the north side for departure from 15L and 15R. The south side provides views of the United mainline terminals and aircraft taxiing to 15L & 15R for departure. Departures from 15L & 15R can be photographed from the garage’s west side.
Photos from this location:
Marriott SpringHill Suites Hotel
This hotel provides great views of aircraft departing from runways 15L and 15R, which are used the majority of the time. Make sure to ask for a room on a higher floor (the hotel has 6) and facing the north. Photography can be difficult since the windows do not open, but the views are still great.
Photos from this location:
Now that the Superbowl is over and the New York Giants are once again World Champions, thousands of people are now trying to get out of Indianapolis. Hundreds of chartered and private jets are already starting to depart from Indianapolis International. Check out the departures on flightaware and listen to live air traffic control from KIND to catch the action live.
http://www.liveatc.net/search/?icao=kind
http://flightaware.com/live/airport/KIND
Here are some interesting flights I found going through KIND: (Click for links)
Air Canada is using an a320 for the flight to Toronto instead of a Jazz Regional jet
Southwest chartered 737 to Newark carrying the New York Giants
Delta chartered 767 carrying the New England Patriots back to Boston
Delta is sending a 767 to Detroit instead of the usual single aisle aircraft
Delta chartered 767 to New York’s LaGuardia
Delta chartered 767 to Los Angeles
- These are in addition to the greatly increased commercial flights and hundreds of private aircraft going through Indianapolis in the next couple of days.
A Delta 757 slid off the runway today at Detroit’s Wayne County Metropolitan Airport after arriving from Las Vegas. Delta 753 was carrying over 150 people when it couldn’t turn onto a taxiway in time, and ended up sliding into the grass. It isn’t known exactly what caused the incident but Detroit was experiencing snow at the time it occurred. The aircraft didn’t appear to be damaged at all and no injuries were reported. Passengers had to wait until the plane could be towed out of the grass and to the gate. The entire ordeal lasted just under 3 hours.
Madrid, Spain based Spanair ceased operations today after it ran out of funds and the government announced it can’t afford to help anymore. The already financially troubled airline took a devastating blow in 2008 when 154 people were killed in Spain’s worst aviation related crash in 25 years. The last Spanair flight ever landed at 10:00 PM local time today. The government said that they can no longer afford to support the airline due to increased competition regulations and the current global economy. Many passengers that had booked flights are most likely going to be out their money, as the company has already shut down its website. Spanair’s fleet of 36 aircraft will most likely be sold to other carriers.
I finally made a video of the takeoffs and landings I saw when I went to St. Maarten this Summer. Sorry the quality isn’t great. Notice how low the Insel Air MD-88 gets over the beach.
London’s Heathrow Airport is likely to experience its busiest day in history this August after the conclusion of the Olympic Games as more than 10,000 athletes try to leave at the same time. An expected 140,000 people will be departing Heathrow on August 13th, the day after the Games end. The airport is expecting so much traffic that they are building a temporary terminal to be used solely for checking in athletes and getting them out of London as fast as possible. The airport already operates at capacity and wouldn’t possibly be able to handle the extra traffic without the temporary structure. In addition to the athletes, many spectators are expected to be traveling to and from London through Heathrow to watch the Summer Games. Another problem that Heathrow is going to have to deal with is a large amount of athletes that will be carrying firearms to be used in various shooting events. This could cause major backups when it comes to baggage screening and security checkpoints. The airport has been in the news in recent years as residents close-by the airport keep fighting the addition of a 3rd runway and terminal expansion.
The Mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah has announced that the Salt Lake City International Airport will be completely demolished and rebuilt. The current terminal is very old and susceptible to seismic activity. The airport is quickly becoming a national hub, and the current terminal can’t handle much more expansion. The airport already sees about 21 million passengers a year and the airport wasn’t designed to handle nearly that amount of traffic. The project will start next year and is expected to take about 8 years to complete, costing just under $2 Billion. The largest operator at Salt Lake City is Delta Airlines, which utilizes it as a Mid-Country hub. Delta has offered to contribute funding to the project. The new airport will consist of a single larger terminal with about 75 gates. The gates will be much more efficient as they will all be able to handle all aircraft types and will all have Jetways. Salt Lake currently relies on Staircases at many of its gates, which takes a lot more time to board and deplane passengers.
Photo from Salt Lake City International Airport
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