So, about that photo . . .

When I first took the shot that started this, what I was looking at (and what most of you spotted right away) was the three-of-a-kind line up that featured the E170. Then I noticed that all three of these airplanes had taxied around from the south side, which highlighted what a number of you also noticed: These three represent the three remaining legacy carriers (American, Delta, and United). Then another thought occurred to me: That while each of them represents a legacy carrier, none of them actually IS that carrier: Each one of these is operated by somebody else. The Delta Connection and American Eagle aircraft are flown by Compass, while the United Express airplane is operated by SkyWest.

To recap:

1. E170 3-of-a-kind
2. Three remaining legacy carriers
3. All taxied around 
4. None are flown by the legacy carrier 

I think each of these points was called out by one or more of you who sent in comments. For the win, though, was this one, sent in by Anonymous, who is a frequent commenter:  There is a stealth bomber on short final 24R   This comment makes more sense if you go back and look at the original photo; in the opening shot above the stealth bomber bears a striking resemblance to a Southwest B737 - now that's some impressive camouflage!

Technically, each of these is actually an E175; to ATC the E170 and E175 are the same, much as the E135 and E140 are the same for us. The E175 is about five feet longer than the E170, and holds eight passengers more, for a total of 76. E170s are not new at LAX, but they were a rare sight here until the arrival of Compass Airlines a couple of years ago. Prior to Compass, the only E170s to appear at LAX were flown by Republic, either for Midwest Express or Frontier. We also have had the larger E195s in Air Canada and AeroMexico Connect livery. The Air Canada E195s used to be common here, but we don't see them any more. The AeroMexico Connect E195s used to only show up at night, but we do occasionally get one now during daylight hours.

What's special about this picture?

Many of you enjoyed the What's wrong with this picture? series back when I was able to do that, so here's a quasi-related theme. When I first took this shot, I had an idea in mind. Now, taking another look at it, I see at least three possibilities. So, what's special about this picture?

Shots of the day: Antonov departure

 

 

New box hauler

LAX has seen the addition of a handful of new cargo operators this year. This happens to be one of them. Qatar Cargo (callsign: Qatari) passes through LAX while on the way between Liege, Belgium, and Mexico City.

 

Shot of the day: Toons!

Shot of the day: Triple Play

Our newest newest Dreamliner

It was just a week ago that I showed you pictures of what was, at the time, the latest B787 operator at LAX. But that's now old news, as we have an even more recent addition to the stable of B787 users at LAX: AeroMexico brought in a Dreamliner for the first time this weekend, beginning daily B787 service between Los Angeles and Mexico City. AeroMexico is the first carrier to park a Dreamliner at Terminal Two. The shot below shows that first B787 being towed onto the gate on Sunday while airport and airline personnel monitor to ensure that it fits without complications.

Our first AeroMexico B787 gets towed onto Gate 24, between an AeroMexico B737-800 at Gate 22 and an Air Canada B767-300 at Gate 26.

I don't think I've ever shown you a Dreamliner from this perspective

The obligatory 'airplane with a truck for size perspective' shot

The two Mexican carriers at LAX; we used to have more (Mexicana, Aero California, and Aviacsa come to mind)

Speaking of carriers we've lost, this shot and the next both show something that is about to disappear from the scene at LAX. The SkyWest E120 Brasilias are in their final days at LAX; they're expected to be gone sometime next month.

This Mesa CRJ9 wears the US Airways Express livery; US Air will cease to be in another day or two. Although many of the aircraft have yet to be repainted in American or American Eagle colors, the mainline Cactus callsign will be discontinued on Wednesday or Thursday.

Dreamliner comparo

This line-up of departures waiting for runway 24 Left seemed like a perfect opportunity to show the Dreamliner's size in relation to other common airliners. From the left: United B757-300; Virgin America A319; United B787-8; Southwest B737-700 (about to touch down on Runway 24 Left); Delta B767-300; Delta (Compass) E170 (pulled up to the runway); Virgin America A320 (on the concrete pad). Meanwhile, in the foreground at Terminal Two, from the lower left: AeroMexico  Connect (Costera) E145 at gate 22; Volaris A320 at 24A; TACA A321 at 26; Air China B777-300 at gate 25; WestJet B737-700 at gate 21. Over at Terminal One, the two Southwest jets on gates 12 and 14 both appear to be B737-700s. This shot is also kinda neat in that it has a representative of each of the Boeing commercial twin-jet families: B737, B757, B767, B777, B787. And no, I didn't forget the B717, I just don't consider it a Boeing product. It's an MD95 with a Boeing nametag, and we don't get any of them here anymore anyway.

Speaking of Boeing twin-jets, here's another shot that shows all the heavy Boeing twins:

Retro - Retro paint

This is the third airline name to appear with this livery. It started life as American West, which then became US Airways. Now it flies with the new American name and logo. The US Airways name and Cactus callsign will cease operation next week when they officially become one with American.

Southwest's new alternate tail

Since I first saw Southwest's new livery (seen above), I've wondered what they were going to do about putting their name on aircraft with special paint schemes. For reference, take a look at this B733 in the Arizona livery:

 Now I know, and I think I like it better than the standard new paint. See for yourself:

B-2 Spirit visits LAX

Despite being the busiest civilian airport in the western United States, LAX periodically receives visits from military aircraft. The most obvious is Air Force One and its entourage. Not to mention the Coast Guard helicopters based here. But today we had a special treat when a Northrup Grumman B-2 Spirit gave us a low pass over the north complex. To my knowledge, this was the first appearance of the Stealth bomber at LAX, despite the fact that they were built not far from here.

Several waiting departures have a front-row view as the stealth crosses over the threshold

Straight down the runway. Rock-steady at fifty feet

What a sight! I asked around, and nobody I talked to could remember ever seeing a stealth at LAX before

As the stealth reaches midfield, the glare and haze make it hard to spot

Low pass done, it's time to run. We say goodbye as the stealth climbs away through the late afternoon haze

A little while later, another not-so-stealthy departure climbs out through the sunset