Francois_Dumas Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, is one of the few airports in the world that lay beneath sea level. For Schiphol that is some 24 feet actually, submerging even the piers should the Haarlemmermeer polder be flooded again.... Just the cockpits of the 747's and a bunch of tails, and the large buildings, would remain visible. Today the weather promised to be good once more, not much wind, no rain.. and I wanted a few pictures with the sun in my back for once.... Unfortunately the wind was wrong, so the were not landing at the runway I would have wished.... oh well.. another excuse for another ride. Another day, another ride ! I just made a compilation of some of the shots I like.. knowing there are a few 'aviation fans' among the readers...... ----------------------- Schiphol ower and the main buildings in the distance..... my vantage point is the 'Spotters Place' along Runway 24/6. All of Holland today was either blue or green ;-) Turkish Airlines landing..... probably half empty. The main groups of tourists fly on Saturdays of course.... This guy had his van parked, AND brought his own kitchen stairs.... He must be a 'pro spotter' .. came all the way from Munich, southern Germany !! Not such a great picture, but 'special' to me nonetheless. I haven't been to the airport much lately and this is my 'first' 777 !! I focussed on the bike (of course!) with the Croatia Airbus fuzzy in the background... An old DC-10.. ooops, MD-11, from NorthWest, KLM's first partner ! These are Big Things and I like to seem them land..... actually much more impressive as the new 777, which is somewhat of an anit-climax in landing. I have always thought, and still do, that this guy has the BEST JOB in the world ! Imagine.... he gets to ride in a COOL Toyota Landcruiser..... the thing is litterally LOADED with electronics and communication equipment.... he has almost no traffic regulations to contend with (just do NOT cross the runway when a 747 is doing so as well !!), and he gets to see ALL the aircraft up close, ALL day long !! I knew one of his colleagues many years ago, and accompanied the man an entire day. That was one of the best the days of my life !!! THIS is what I was waiting for... the venerable and majestic Boeing 747 landing !!! ... and get all them wheels firmly on the ground !!! A bit of noise and racket behind me...... and a motor club showed up. Now I know of all the 'gripes' in the US about HD and such.... but isn't all that chrome nostalgic !!?? Remember the days when all the cars were like that too !!?? I do ! Took another picture to emphasize that most motorclubs here do NOT stick to anyone brand..... here were 25 bikes, almost all different brands and models..... And these people have one thing in common... love for riding !! We waved at each other, too ! I liked this close-up of the new NWA livery.... nose wheel still up in the air... Time to go home for lunch.. at least I bagged a few new planes and liveries, and had a great ride..... morning well spent !! Link to comment
John Ranalletta Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 Francois, thanks.. It sparked memories of my turns through the "Ships hole" as a business flyer, typically on a NWA 747, upper or business class in the early/mid 80's. Typical trip: Land at Orly, work near Versailles, TEE to Brussels, work Brussels & Luxemborg, train to Rotterdam port for work, train to Amsterdam and out of Schiphol to ORD. Next trip just reverse, but throw in side trip to Lisboa. Oh, those were the days. Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted May 10, 2006 Author Share Posted May 10, 2006 Heh.. similar for me for the past 17 or so years... glad to be standing on the side now...... less stress ! Link to comment
Bob Palin Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 Boring small planes! I used to work on B52 simulators at the Boeing factory in Kansas and got see the real thing land and take off all the time at the US Air Force base across the road. Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted May 10, 2006 Author Share Posted May 10, 2006 I hope you weren't responsible for the navigation equipment and/or air crew training there? Last year we had a B-52 'bombing' and unwitting English village, mistaking it for the Farnborough Air Show !!! They were only 50 miles off course..... Link to comment
Paul Mihalka Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 Great pictures! I love airplanes, but the smaller the better. Traveling today by planes is like traveling in a bus. Most buses are more comfortable (talking coach). Again one of my old stories: About 1938. Budapest. Father takes us (brother and I) to the airport to see the plane that pulls it's wheels up after takeoff. A KLM Douglas DC2 making a stop-over on it's flight from Amsterdam to Cairo. Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted May 10, 2006 Author Share Posted May 10, 2006 To an aviation buff that is SO COOL, Paul ! The first thing I ever saw with my father were Connies in Amsterdam.... Perhaps that DC2 is the one we still have hanging from the ceiling in our museum now.. who knows !! And yes, personally I go for the Piper Cub's, Jodels and Cessna's too... something I can control and have fun in ! But, they don't get you across the pond Link to comment
John95KLT Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 Francois, I've flown in and out of the Schiphol Airport many times but I've never seen it from your perspective. Nice shots! Thanks for sharing. I'm a F172 pilot and I'm jealous of anyone that gets the chance to fly the real thing. While waiting for a flight in Albuquerque I met a military jet fighter pilot and his family. I made the mistake of asking what it was like to fly a F16 and all he could do was smile. I realized to late that it was about the same as asking Bill Gates what it's like to be wealthy. Link to comment
BereIsland Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 Francois, Last time I was at Heathrow I thought I would grab a pic of a plane as it was passing over my head, guess I shouldn't have wasted my time Steve Carter Link to comment
Patallaire Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 If you were shooting pictures like that here, someone would arrest you fearing that you were a terrorist with a plan. Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted May 10, 2006 Author Share Posted May 10, 2006 If you were shooting pictures like that here, someone would arrest you fearing that you were a terrorist with a plan. I know..... many paranoid people since 9/11.. the terrorists won ! Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted May 10, 2006 Author Share Posted May 10, 2006 Francois, Last time I was at Heathrow I thought I would grab a pic of a plane as it was passing over my head, guess I shouldn't have wasted my time Steve Carter Steve, that cracked me up ! Don't worry, I haven't shown you the thousands of bad shots..... Link to comment
Carnadero Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 An old DC-10.. ooops, MD-11, from NorthWest,.. That is not an MD-11. The MD-11 is about 18ft longer, the end of the fuselage behind the tailplane looks "pinched" (read: UGLY), and the drag-reducing wingtips look slightly different than that available on Boeing and Airbus planes. Additionally, as far as I can recall, Northwest never bought any MD-11s. Link to comment
grizzly660fan Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 ahh I used to fly there for business couple times a year. I have not been for 2 years and miss it. I sure would like to sit and have a dutch indonesian rice table!!! thanks for the memories! Garry Link to comment
John Ranalletta Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 aah... Rice tafel Let's go. I'm in! Then a little casino action in Scheveningen. Link to comment
GelStra Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 Francois, I love the shot of the 747 on approach! I really think it's a blast to just watch planes come in. We used to summer in a little island off the coast, Catalina, and the seaplanes used to come down through the canyon on approach into the harbor. It would pass "inches" from my grandfather's house that we stayed in. Here's a shot from my brother's site from the harbor viewpoint. canyon shot As always, thanks for the shots. Link to comment
Kitsap Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 Boring small planes! I used to work on B52 simulators at the Boeing factory in Kansas and got see the real thing land and take off all the time at the US Air Force base across the road. If you've ever seen them install a 777's engine (nacelle the dia. of a 737) you wouldn't think they're small. During flight tests a hot touch and go with noise abatement manuever makes one realize what a hotrod the 777 is. Link to comment
Marty Hill Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 Francois, While working my way thru college, I pushed stairs up to eastern airline connies and said welcome to miami. wonderful old birds. Flew over on the tripple 7, very comfortable. Rain today in umbria. Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted May 11, 2006 Author Share Posted May 11, 2006 An old DC-10.. ooops, MD-11, from NorthWest,.. That is not an MD-11. The MD-11 is about 18ft longer, the end of the fuselage behind the tailplane looks "pinched" (read: UGLY), and the drag-reducing wingtips look slightly different than that available on Boeing and Airbus planes. Additionally, as far as I can recall, Northwest never bought any MD-11s. So I was right then to begin with.. an 'old' DC-10 ? (I finished my 'spotters career' 25 years ago.. it shows... <grin>). Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted May 11, 2006 Author Share Posted May 11, 2006 Francois, I love the shot of the 747 on approach! I really think it's a blast to just watch planes come in. We used to summer in a little island off the coast, Catalina, and the seaplanes used to come down through the canyon on approach into the harbor. It would pass "inches" from my grandfather's house that we stayed in. Here's a shot from my brother's site from the harbor viewpoint. canyon shot As always, thanks for the shots. Paul, that is a FABULOUS website !!! Thank you !! We are actually in the process of developing a 'Mallard' for Flight Simulator and this site will be interesting in that sense too ! Excellent !! Kindest regards, Francois Link to comment
FerdiWan Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 Planes and bikes combine to make a great day! Thanks for sharing! Link to comment
Firefight911 Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 I just love planes. After serving in the Marine Corps for six years and working on quite an assortment of military aircraft, I appreciate any opportunity to ogle airplanes. I used to have book after book of aircraft, both civilian and military. Almost every ride I take involves a trip to a local airport to see what's there. Thanks for sharing. Link to comment
Carnadero Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 So I was right then to begin with.. an 'old' DC-10 Yep, and Northwest is probably the last U.S. airline, if not the only one, to still be using it in passenger service. Link to comment
Kitsap Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 So I was right then to begin with.. an 'old' DC-10 Yep, and Northwest is probably the last U.S. airline, if not the only one, to still be using it in passenger service. Actually according to my data various airlines in Columbia, The Congo, Australia and some private U.S. firms are still using them including line unit #2 delivered on June 3rd, 1977. Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted May 11, 2006 Author Share Posted May 11, 2006 I think our Martinair still has them too...... Link to comment
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