I love the smell of Jet A in the morning

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 02/16/2017 at 13:44 • Filed to: planelopnik

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I’ve been so damned busy, and the winter weather has been so lousy, that it’s been 4 month since I squeezed a shutter down at Austin-Bergstrom Int’l. I rectified that this morning. Have some airplanes, Oppo.

Boeing 737 Next Gen N806NN

Cessna 750 Citation X N84EA

Boeing 757-232 N698DL

Dassault Falcon 900 N62NW

Dassault Falcon 900 N62NW

Hawker 900XP N848QS

Boeing 737 Next Gen N467NW

Boeing 737 Next Gen N467NW

Boeing 737-7H4 N208WN

Boeing 737-7H4 N411WN

Boeing 737-7H4 N700GS

Embraer ERJ 170-200 LR N82338

Embraer ERJ 170-200 LR N82338

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 02/16/2017 at 13:47

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I do like that Citation. Perfect size for my personal getaways in the alternative universe where I own such things.

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 02/16/2017 at 13:50

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The Falcon is one of my all-time favorites. And, it had a woman pilot, or at least a woman working the radios. It was an interesting change in all the male chatter. ABIA has at least one female controller, and she was notable for not talking so damned fast and having a very nice voice.

jimz > ttyymmnn 02/16/2017 at 13:57

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does Southwest have anything other than 737s?

Mercedes Streeter > ttyymmnn 02/16/2017 at 13:59

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Ummm...so I knew Dassault was a company, but I didn’t know they made gorgeous 3 engine jets!

Here’s a 7x

BRB, going to research all I can about the 900 and the 7x... :D

Mercedes Streeter > jimz 02/16/2017 at 14:03

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They used to, though not anymore! They have over 700 737s in service!

I had to Google that back in December when I had the same question. lol

ttyymmnn > Mercedes Streeter 02/16/2017 at 14:08

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Dassault has been making tri-jets for a very long time. They are very popular with the trans-atlantic crowd. I shot this Falcon 7X during the F1 weekend here in Austin back in 2014. Note the Isle of Man registration.

OPPOsaurus WRX > ttyymmnn 02/16/2017 at 14:13

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Is there a reason the nose and windshield dont form one smooth shape?

like this:

Tazio, Count Fouroff > ttyymmnn 02/16/2017 at 14:19

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Thanks man

Internal combustion ftw!

ttyymmnn > OPPOsaurus WRX 02/16/2017 at 14:22

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I’m probably the wrong one to ask, since my answer would only be a guess. However, I would guess that it’s a more a tradition/visibility issue. Remember, the 737 took its first flight in 1967, and the overall shape has remained mostly unchanged since (new engines, significant lengthening, etc. over time). The windscreens are all flat panels, and I think all of Boeing’s planes use a similar flat-panel windscreen. I imagine it’s much cheaper and easier to replace that way. I think it may also help with glare issues. Of course, that all changed with the 787, and its nose bears a striking resemblance to the Caravelle you posted.

EL_ULY > Mercedes Streeter 02/16/2017 at 14:23

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Almost every morning on my way to work, the FedEx DC10 takes off to my right. Once I get the toll road, it either loops the opposite direction in front of me or t0 my left. 6:30am Mon-Fri I see this thing takeoff on its way to work like me :]

Mercedes Streeter > ttyymmnn 02/16/2017 at 14:24

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I wonder how in the world I never knew that? Then again, I didn’t get really into researching planes until like, a few months ago or so after I took my first ever flight.

ttyymmnn > Mercedes Streeter 02/16/2017 at 14:27

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I’ve been an aviation enthusiast for all my life, and have been writing about airplane history for more than two years, and I still have a lot to learn.

whoarder is tellurium > ttyymmnn 02/16/2017 at 14:35

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Finally, I’m not the only one that likes the smell of Jet A in the morning. (Or anytime of the day.)

Ash78, voting early and often > ttyymmnn 02/16/2017 at 14:42

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Yep, it’s mostly visibility, though I remember reading it also has a lot to do with the size/shape of the pressurization chamber. The radome isn’t pressurized, so between those two things, I suspect a little extra aero isn’t worth the safety and design compromise.

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 02/16/2017 at 14:43

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Women’s voices do seem to cut through better.

Ash78, voting early and often > Mercedes Streeter 02/16/2017 at 14:44

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Yeah, it ’ s getting kind of archaic to have anything with 3 - 4 engines anymore, since today ’ s engines are several times more powerful than when the 727, L1011, and 747 first came out. Basically those jets have all gotten so good with safety and redundancy, having 3+ engines is mostly just appealing to the overly - safe people with a lot of extra money to burn for fuel and maintenance (I ’ ll make exceptions for the 747 and A380, which are both quickly becoming dinosaurs). But tri - jets just look so damn cool.

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 02/16/2017 at 14:49

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I have heard, though I don’t know if it’s true, that the US military and others use recorded female voices for cockpit alerts because the male pilots react to them better.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitching_Betty

ttyymmnn > Ash78, voting early and often 02/16/2017 at 14:50

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I would also think that a curved glass would be more susceptible to glare, which is also why control towers have flat panel glass that is angled down.

Ash78, voting early and often > ttyymmnn 02/16/2017 at 14:54

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General aviation tends to have curved windscreens and they can have some distortion — but they’re also much weaker (remember Mythbusters shooting the dead chickens into the Beechcraft?). The big birds have to be able to smash into...well...big birds at high speeds and deflect most of the energy.

Mercedes Streeter > ttyymmnn 02/16/2017 at 14:58

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Unlike our favourite cars, at this point in my learning I don’t think I’ll ever know every inch of a plane like I do my car (and it took 9 years of learning to do that). And I’m happy with that, I love learning new things about vehicles!

I think I was on a huge train binge when I first joined Oppo years ago. :)

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 02/16/2017 at 15:00

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I remember reading the same thing when Star Trek went with a female computer voice.

Mercedes Streeter > Ash78, voting early and often 02/16/2017 at 15:09

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Learning about the 1970s era of airliners is part of what has gotten me so addicted to planes today. :)

You made me laugh with the description for the A380. It’s a younger entry than the 747, but it came during a time when airlines were beginning to downsize. I guess our aviation future might look like our current car future. :O

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 02/16/2017 at 15:11

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That was Majel Barrett, Gene Rodenberry’s wife. That may well have played a part in her getting the gig.

Ash78, voting early and often > Mercedes Streeter 02/16/2017 at 15:16

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The 747 was originally just supposed to be a cargo plane, but (I’m too lazy to research this) some of the deals didn’t work out, so converting it to passenger duty was a way to recoup some cash on it. It worked better than expected. Otherwise it never would have made sense to have that silly hump in the front, but they kept it. The A380...just bad timing. It’ll be around for a long time because some Asian routes carry 500+ people on regular flights and it’s cheaper than taking two planes. But for most of the world, a 777/787 is just the right size/cost for almost anything you need to do. They’re like the Volvo XC90 of airliners. They may be a compromise, but they just do almost everything well.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > ttyymmnn 02/16/2017 at 15:34

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These are from December, but have been sitting on my camera roll and it seems to make sense to leave them here. C-5 over my next door neighbor’s house while we were out walking the doggos.

ttyymmnn > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com 02/16/2017 at 15:38

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Nice catch! Don’t see many of those in Austin, but they are pretty common in San Antonio.

Mercedes Streeter > Ash78, voting early and often 02/16/2017 at 15:40

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Huh, I didn’t know that factoid about the 747. Apparently the 747 started out as a proposal to the military as a strategic cargo lifter. That’s kinda amazing how some of our largest planes (the 747, the An-225, and some others) started out for the military.

f86sabre > ttyymmnn 02/16/2017 at 16:14

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I like planes.

Great shots. What does one call that purplish color on the top of the SWA jets?

It looks like a group of us will be out there around August 11. Blondie and Garbage are playing together. We should try and do lunch or something.

ttyymmnn > f86sabre 02/16/2017 at 16:29

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I like planes.

So I’ve heard! Your 757 looked nice today. It would have been my largest sighting, but I also spotted a plain white Kalitta 767, but it landed on 17R and was on the wrong side of the airport to photograph.

Do you mean the color on the old SWA livery? They call it “canyon blue.” Though now it’s quite faded, and looking a little tired. I’m still a fan of the old “desert gold,” and not very crazy about the new “blue” livery, which they call “Heart” because of the heart painted on the underside of the fuselage. Neither one photographs very well. I still like shooting the old AA livery. The polished aluminum was awesome. The new AA livery is meh.

I have no idea if I’ll be in town on 8/11, but I think I will be. We’re going to Universal Studios right after the end of school, and we’re planning a drive north through St. Louis to Chicago at some point for our annual family Big Drive. Drop me a line when it gets closer. I’d love to see you.

Thomas Donohue > ttyymmnn 02/16/2017 at 16:36

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Great shot of the Falcon straight on! The engines look like hair curlers.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > ttyymmnn 02/16/2017 at 16:41

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Yeah they operate out of Lackland AFB. Over where I work we see them on approach daily. Even after living here 8 years it is still unnerving to see them coming in because they seem like they just look like they are going so slow like they are about to fall out of the sky. I realize it is just an illusion because they are so big that your brain doesn’t really have a frame of reference, but they just seem like they are going lingering at 50 knots and 1000 feet for damn near a minute.

ttyymmnn > Thomas Donohue 02/16/2017 at 16:43

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Thanks. Once you see it..... I re-cropped the final UAL Embraer photo. Not sure which one you saw. Originally, it had the whole airplane in the frame. But I think cropping it tighter helps emphasize the pilots that are visible in the cockpit. That’s the best part about getting out there early in the morning. If the sun is low enough, it lights up the inside of the cockpit. These are from September of last year.

Talk about curlers! This gives a good idea of just how big the engines are on the Citation X.

ttyymmnn > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com 02/16/2017 at 16:47

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I have seen them often from Six Flags. That’s actually a pretty good place to spot. They probably wouldn’t like me dragging my camera up to the top of the water slide, though. There’s an air show coming up in November at the JRB. I plan to be there, cameras in hand.

Thomas Donohue > ttyymmnn 02/16/2017 at 16:48

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Nice!!!! When it warms up I gotta get back to Teterboro.

ttyymmnn > Thomas Donohue 02/16/2017 at 16:55

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Here’s a bunch more , if you’re into this sort of thing. AUS has a dedicated observation spot, and it’s pretty good. It’s tough to shoot over the barbed wire fence, though. And you only have access to the shorter runway, which means a healthy diet of 737s, RJs and GA aircraft. The other runway is much longer (AUS used to be a SAC base back in the day), and all of the heavies always land over there, as well as all the planes from the west coast, like Frontier. Unfortunately, it’s too far away for photography.

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 02/16/2017 at 17:45

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Yes, she also did the voice of the STTNG computer, too, and all the movies.

RedlineZ bought an SV (And is getting rid of the z) > Mercedes Streeter 02/16/2017 at 19:30

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Not only do they manufacture gorgeous tri jets they also have some of the best customer support out there. If you have a min check out the video about the falcon response team on YouTube. They’re based out of the airport I work at and will fly parts anywhere in the world within a few hours of a reported issue.

f86sabre > ttyymmnn 02/16/2017 at 19:37

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Will do.

The 757 always looks good. It just has great lines.

sonicgabe > ttyymmnn 02/17/2017 at 00:33

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Very nice. I’ve been super busy and haven’t bothered to ask my airport friend to help facilitate shooting there. Won’t have time until maybe mid-March. But today, I stumbled across a great vantage point to catch planes coming in to land at TIA. Due to construction, incoming flights have been rerouted over part of the city to land on the back-up runway. This has them flying low and slow right near a parking garage, which is where I just happened to be for a few minutes today. I’m definitely going back soon with the camera and tripod.

ttyymmnn > sonicgabe 02/17/2017 at 00:39

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Thanks. I look forward to seeing your shots.