When I first showed the Singapore A380 early this month, a comment was posted in which the movement of the A380 off the gate and to the runway was questioned. Specifically, the comment related to towing the aircraft all the way to the runway, since most of the photos I showed included the Supertug with the airplane. While the idea has been suggested, it has not been put into practice at LAX. However, the size of the A380 in conjunction with taxiway restrictions (and construction) at LAX means that the aircraft doesn't just push off the gate. Instead, it gets pushed off and towed to some more convenient spot for the disconnect and engine start. Until Singapore's midday A380 arrived, I couldn't really make a video of the pushback operation because the Qantas A380 flights all depart after dark.
This video shows the Singapore A380 pushing off of gate 123A at the TBIT, for departure off Runway 24 Left. The video runs about seven minutes. The video starts about two minutes
after Singapore has been cleared for the pushback - you'll notice that the aircraft is still stationary at the gate. It takes nearly twenty minutes from the time that they call for the push for the aircraft to start down the runway on its takeoff roll.
There is no sound with the video, and I apologize for the relatively poor quality: In order to keep the file size manageable, I shot at 10 frames per second. Since I was working on position at the time, I wasn't able to pan the camera to follow the action and instead had to set the field of view wide enough to catch the entire pushback operation in one frame. Thus, you'll have to look closely to see the tugs when they're separate from the airplanes. It is shot in real time, however - there's no time lapse. It really does take this long to move these big airplanes.
Here are a couple of views of the taxiway construction on the south side of the terminal complex. What's happening in this area is the tie-in of the relocated Taxiway Sierra with taxiways Bravo and Charlie.
Meanwhile, on the north side, the Taxiway Delta extension is nearing completion. The relocated Taxiway Sierra also ties into Delta.
Running concurrently with the taxiway project is the Tom Bradley International Terminal project. There are now four or five big (correction: I just counted seven - see the added shot below) cranes on site, and the new roof design is well defined.
The north end of the TBIT. This shot also shows the first framework for the new roof over the terminal's center section. Compare the new roof to the heavy jets at the gates; it's clear we won't be able to see anything on the back side of the terminal - including taxiway Sierra.
Additional shot of the entire TBIT, taken today: Count the cranes!
Here's an unusual visitor: a Short 360. We see a Shorts at LAX maybe two or three times a year; this model is different from most in that it has a single vertical tail. Seen below with an American B738.
The Orbis DC-10 arrived for maintenance, courtesy of FedEx. This aircraft is a flying eye hospital and classroom. For more about Orbis, check out their website: ORBIS.org
The late afternoon sun highlights the smoke from the tires as this Virgin Atlantic A346 touches down on Runway 24 Right.
I caught this US Coast Guard Dolphin helicopter on the ground at a local airport, where they had dropped in for a static display. This particular LAX-based aircraft is painted in a special anniversary livery, commemorating the model's 25 years in USCG service.
The Wallabies is the Australian national rugby union team. Notice the tail logo!
This is the first Continental B737-500 I've seen wearing the United name. Continental uses the B735 to Leon, Mexico, a route that was previously flown by Mexicana. Curiously, Continental opted to install winglets on their -500s, while our other B735 operator, Southwest, has not.
AeroMexico has recently brought in this B737, which they added to their fleet earlier this year. A lease aircraft (notice the US registration), it formerly flew for Air Berlin and Hamburg International. Included here because of the nonstandard paint on the tail; compare to this shot from the B737 Spotter's Guide:
