 |
| Sunrise: 6:42 am |
 |
| Snoopy2 |
 |
| There are two special airplanes in this picture. Can you spot them both? Meanwhile . . . |
 |
| Thar be dragons! Well, one anyway: Smaug has arrived at LAX courtesy of an Air New Zealand B777, seen here on its way to the Imperial Terminal ramp . . . |
 |
| . . . where the photo crews await. Note the red carpet! |
 |
| Did you spot the second special airplane? How about now? |
 | |
| Emirates began their A380 service at LAX today, operating nonstop between Los Angeles and Dubai. We now have seven carriers operating the A380 at LAX, for a total of nine A380s per day most days. This may make LAX the best place in North America for A380 spotters. |
 |
| Uncommon visitor: the Coast Guard passed through with a C-130. |
 |
| Water salute for the inaugural Emirates A380 arrival. |
 |
| Everybody wanted a look at the dragon! |
Coordinating that many A380s, 747s, and long A340s can't be easy. When I'm at Clutter Park I usually see only small to midsize planes landing on 25L and taking off from 25R (with some exceptions). Might we see more large planes moving to the south runways in the future?
ReplyDeleteShort answer: No. Long answer: Pretty much all of the A340s/A380s/B747s are trans-oceanic international flights. Most of their initial routes of flight favor the north side runways. The exception will be the Emirates A380, which we've been told will require runway 25L for departure. We've also been told that the new Emirates service between Dubai and LAX is currently the longest A380 flight in the world. Runway 25R is not usable by the A380 and B747-8. Things could get ticklish if the planned closure (again) of 25L for pavement repair takes place next year.
DeleteVery interesting, thanks. I didn't know that the relatively small distance between north and south runways could make such a difference to a flight plan.
DeleteI wish there were a convenient spotting location on the long side of the north runways. The park by In and Out is excellent for landings but not so much for takeoffs.
It's not the distance between the runways that's a problem; it's what the airplane does once it's airborne that determines the preferred departure runway. Airplanes whose departure procedure takes them to the north we try to put on the north side of the airport, and vice versa.
DeleteThanks for your dragon photos. I saw the article in today's weekly wind and hoped that you'd have a bit on her. I love the way jet blue makes their planes cute. The sunrise photo is gorgeous. We can only hope that CIS can keep up with the crowds now that we've got so many A380's coming in. What time does the EK flight come in?
ReplyDeleteThe Emirates A380s I've seen arrived just after lunch: Between 12:30 pm and 2 pm.
DeleteBeautiful sunrise shot
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteBeautiful sunrise.
ReplyDelete