Want a hint?

Guest video: Why I Fly

I have mentioned before that several of the controllers at LAX tower are pilots. A couple of them are even flight instructors. One of the guys at the tower is currently working on his pilots license and made this video, which he asked me to share with you. It's a nice piece; enjoy!

What's special about these pictures?

Just in time for the weekend! These two shots were taken several weeks, maybe even a month, apart. They appear in chronological order; the earlier one is the opening photo. They show different views of the south side of the airport but yet there is a common theme. So what's special about these pictures? Reveal early next week.

Recent arrival

I can't really claim that this is a new arrival, since they've been flying here for a couple of months now, but Qatar Airways now serves LAX from its home base in Doha, Qatar. This is a fifteen hour flight in B777-200LRs that are configured for 259 passengers. We actually started receiving Qatar freight flights last year, ahead of the passenger service which just started up in January. The freighters fly a different route, though: they arrive from Mexico City, and then depart for Liege, Belgium, also in B777-200s that wear the same livery as the passenger haulers. This has, on one or two occasions, caused some confusion when a ground controller has attempted to take the passenger arrival to the air freight ramp. Before the arrival of passenger or freight service, we have seen this identical livery at LAX in the form of Qatar Amiri Flight, which serves the government and royal family, although not actually part of the airline.