"Anywhere in the World!"
Great shot! Thanks. Are you military? I didn't think "anyone" was allowed that close to the Pentagon these days? Either that or you're using a *really* long lens! Cheers, Ian
I've flown that close to it doesn't seem off to me. Suh a funny airport with the approach and departure moves.
Hey Ian- No, not Mil. When leaving DCA, you fly right by the Pentagon. On arrival, if it is the River Approach, you fly even lower, closer, but normally I am on the other side of the plane getting monument/capitol pics. And that photo was iPhone6 with some light touchups to show the inner layers of the Pentagon. Here is a river approach video, though you can see the Pentagon, if you're not sure where you're looking its tough to see. Around 2.15, there is a body of water off to the right of the Potomac, the Pentagon is just to the right. htts://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfM7TQf6dtA Cheers- Rich
OK, thanks for the info. Given the (somewhat understandable) "paranoia level" around such places, I was just a little surprised. But I guess moving an airport (or the Pentagon!) isn't trivial! Cool vid too, once I corrected the link; [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfM7TQf6dtA[/ame] Cheers, Ian
PC-12 over Teterboro enroute EWR on Wed. Just passed my FAA test this AM, so one step closer to sitting (way) up front! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
The old Washington airport covered the space where the Pentagon is now in the photo. To the right one can spot the Lee-Custis mansion up on the hill west of the pentagon. After the Civil War the government turned the mansion's grounds into a cemetery for Union troops. Still visible. To the left , south, there was a coal tipple where coal cars were emptied into the yards of the Griffon Coal Co. for the heating furnaces of homes in the city. It was 50 feet tall and located at the end of the runway. I remember that an airplane hit it one wintery day. The road that went to the Lee mansion cut across the airport"runway" and had a stop light when an airplane was taking off. Of course, there were no big buildings there then, just swamp and saw grass.
A few photos (including a shot of the stoplight) and some info here: Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Virginia: Arlington County
Great pics! The closeness together of the paired runways at SFO definitely allows for some unique photo opportunities.
I remembered that the new Washington Airport on the Potomac was opened in 1940 . My dad was was commissioned to do a low level aerial perspective of it and he had to consult with me about what kind of airplanes would be sitting on the ramp. So, in some indirect way, I had a small 14 year old hand in it when I sketched a DC-3, a Lockheed Model 10, and a Boeing 247. That airport is now Reagan National.
In 1945 when I was stationed at Langley Field I went to the new airport to watch airplanes and I had the chance to watch the paint removal from an o.d. painted C-54 that was positioned south of the terminal. A paint remover had applied and they backed a fire truck up to the airplane and hosed the O.D. paint off the airplane in huge blankets. I have no idea what they used but it was bizarre to see the blankets of paint flying off the airplane. On one visit I was able to see a War Bond drive episode of a flight of WW2 fighters, a Spitfire, ME-109, P-40, FW-190, and a Mosquito. The FW-190 and Mosquito were down with mechanical problems but it was nice to see those who could attend. It was astonishing to see how small the ME-109 was compared to a P-40. The Spitfire landed and immediately had a flat tire. Five or six ground crew went out to the airplane and got under the wing , lifted it up with their backs and walked the airplane in to the ramp with the engine running as if it was normally taxiing.
Bob, stories like this are why you need to write another book! Maybe you ought to emulate Mr. Gann and call it "Bob Parks' Flying Circus"!
Jim, I'm humbled that you think my little stories are comparable to what Gann did and wrote about. First,he was a gifted writer. First, he had flown and sailed all over the earth and had done many things that I could never achieve. First, he started out rich and ended up rich. And last of all , he was a helluva lot smarter than I am. Yeah, I know that I have too many "firsts" mentioned here but Ernie was all ways first in his scheme of things and I don't criticize that. After all he helped me to get a start on aviation art. At that time in 1970 aviation art wasn't looked upon as real art and I was lucky to get 300.00 for a painting that took two to three weeks to complete. At the time, I was teaching my self how to paint the most difficult of all subjects, airplanes, and in the most difficult medium, gouache. I was working in an old garage that I turned into a "studio". It was uninsulated and in the hot summers powder-post beetles kept dropping down from the ceiling and I was perspiring on the work sometimes. So, I painted at night from 2000 until 0300-0400. In the winter, I worked during the day with a hot chunk stove near by. All of that happened on San Juan Island, Friday Harbor Washington between 1972 and 1976. We returned to the mainland when my young wife had a stroke and after a year, I was able to get back to Boeing and we gradually got back on our feet. After another year I was able to get into engineering PD where I spent the next 24 years in the best job I ever had. Now, I have contracted Blabber-of-The -Mouth disease and there is no hope for me.
A little landing practice today. 1 good, 1 OK, 1 so so. I should have only done 1. Lots of slip to see the runway. Head and eyes level with the hozizon. Image Unavailable, Please Login