AvGeek

11/17/24 →

More big birds from yesterday: a White Egret, a Red Tailed Hawk, and an Air India 777-2 VT-AEG flying SFO-DEL at 30,000 ft #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #WhiteEgret #RedTailedHawk #B77L #AI174 #AvGeek #Aviation #Fujifilm A white egret stands by a body of water in a marshy landscape with tall grasses. The background features distant trees and a clear sky. A red tailed hawk flying in the sky with wings spread wide. The bird’s plumage is a mix of light and dark brown patterns. A photo from below 777-200 LR Air India flight 174 from SFO to Delhi at flight level 30,000 ft. The plane has a red belly flying in a hazy blue sky.

10/20/24 →

As today is the International Day of the Controller, here’s a photo to celebrate their astonishing work. #SFO #KSFO #AvGeek View of the San Francisco International airport with a prominent torch-shaped control tower and surrounding buildings, by the bay water. A Southwest purple and red plane is taking off in the sky. Hills are visible in the background.

9/4/24 →

Today, my wife (on a business trip) photographed the Southwest “Missouri One” livery at Sacramento International #AvGeek #N280WN #PlaneSpotting #KSMF A view out an airport terminal window with a clear view of the tarmac and a jet bridge. Ground crew and equipment surround a Southwest Airlines plane in Missouri One livery near a jet bridge. The sky is clear blue.

8/31/24 →

FlightFactor 777v2 Release is “Imminent”

The FlightFactor 777v2 has been in development for a staggering period of time

I say this as someone that doesn’t want to interact with fake people, I think they spent way too much time on the crew simulation. #XPlane12 #FlightSim #AvGeek

8/12/24 →

Last Sunday, caught this Navy E6-B bird flying west of the refuge. Apparently they were on a west coast tour. #E6B #AvGeek A small white airplane flying against a clear blue sky. It is a four engine jet.

7/21/24 →

At Medford, Oregon airport, two fire fighter tanker aircraft on final approach on July 17, 2024. A DC-10 (registered N522AX/TKR512) and a C-130 (registered N382CG/TNKR138). #AvGeek #C130 #DC10 #PlaneSpotting #TankerAircraftA three engine DC-10 firefighting aircraft is about to land with its landing gear out. The aircraft is painted in bright orange and white colors with the tail number “912” and near the nose a “10 TANKER” decal. An aerial view of a Coulson Lockheed C-130 firefighting aircraft on approach with its squat looking landing gear out, with visible registration number N382CG and tanker number 138 painted on the tail. The plane has “Coulson” written on the fuselage. It’s a hazy day.

7/17/24 →

Today I’m at Medford just for the evening. So here’s a photo straight out of the camera of tanker 912, a DC-10. #TKR912 #DC10 #Fujifilm #AvGeek A large DC-10 aircraft converted as a retardant drop tanker has three engines and is positioned on a runway, with mountains in the background. The airplane is close to a hangar, and a fence with a “No Trespassing” sign is visible in the foreground.

7/7/24 →

SFGate has a good round-up of the latest at KSFO (San Francisco International Airport): "Why the pandemic was the best thing to happen to SFO's reputation” #AvGeek

6/23/24 →

A different kind of common bird one can see from the nearby refuge. An Air Tractor. The heat shimmer was super bad though. #AvGeek #AirTractor A small yellow propeller Air Tractor airplane is flying in a clear blue sky. It’s hazy with heat shimmer.

3/2/24 →

Some photos my awesome wife took at the airports she traveled through for a work trip. A319s and a 737-8. #AvGeek United A319 Airplane at airport gate with jet bridge connected, ground support equipment nearby, clear sky. A United A319 airplane parked at an airport gate during sunrise, with ground support equipment and jet bridge visible. Reflections and interior lighting elements are seen on a window. Airport tarmac with deicing ground support vehicles, a Southwestern Airlines plane in the distance, and a snow capped mountain range under a clear blue sky.

View from inside an airport terminal with large windows overlooking a United Airlines 737-800 aircraft parked at the gate with ground service equipment nearby.

2/19/24 →

This rainy President’s Day, I’m getting used to the Yawman Arrow Controller by flying patterns in Laminar’s C172. With an XBox controller, I never could fly the C172 well. It really sucked as yaw control was not easy. So far, the Yawman Arrow controller has been terrific #YawmanArrow #XPlane #FlightSimulation #AvGeek

12/17/23 →

#SilentSunday #Tempelhof #Berlin #AvGeek A snowy landscape with runway direction signs reading “27” with an arrow pointing left and “09” with an arrow pointing right, indicating runway headings at an airport. The background features a flat horizon with the sun trying to shine through an overcast sky and distant buildings. There’s a crow sitting on a bench in the foreground.

12/16/23 →

I’ve been waiting for this compact flight simulator controller for over a year. I’m pretty excited about it. Made in the USA, which for electronics, isn’t easy! #AvGeek #FlightSim #YawManArrow Orders for the Yawman Arrow begin Jan. 8 – Yawman

12/15/23 →

Love getting out of the bus at the departure stand. Returning today to SFO from Germany. #Travel #Deutschland #B77W #Fujifilm #AvGeek ✈️

United 777-300 engine on a damp tarmac 777 wheel undercarriage with a man next to them for scale.Front nose gear of the 777 with the aircraft ID of 2143. A bus is driving off on the background.

12/2/23 →

My 3-year old 777-300 ride tonight to Frankfurt. SFO gate G9 has decent views of that gate’s aircraft. Lucky me! (Not sarcasm; most gates here are awful for avgeeks) #Avgeek #B77W #Fujifilm United 777-300 parked at SFO gate G9 just as it’s towed in. It’s a cloudy day and the tarmac is wet and shiny.

10/15/23 →

KCIC (Chico Municipal) had an open house yesterday. Two BAE-146s, C-GRNT and N908AS, are stored there. Owned by Air Spray, a fire tanker company. I don’t know if they’re converted. Didn’t look like it. #AvGeek #BAe146 Two parked and stored BAE-146s with their high wings and four jet engines. They are stored so the engines are covered and doors taped off.

9/19/23 →

At KSFO, just outside BART, is a pretty great view of the west side of G terminal. It’s easy to miss coming and going. #AvGeek #KSFO #B777 #B787 #FujifilmUnited 787 (N45956) and United 777 (N796UA) parked at the KSFO G gates. and Air New Zealand 777 (ZK-DKN) is at stand in the far distance. It’s a clear day save the fog bank on the horizon to the northwest.

9/17/23 →

From the KSFO Terminal 2 Sky Terrace. I didn’t have my telephoto lens so I embraced the glass panes. Lufthansa 747-8 (D-ABYL) SFO-FRA #B748 #KSFO #AvGeek #Fujifilm

A Lufthansa 747-800 taxiing to RW28L photographed from the Sky Terrace with three visible panes of glass and a plane with long spiny leaves on the left.

7/12/23 →

Delta 767 (N1604R) SFO-JFK and flock of Brown Pelicans. #AvGeek #B767 #PlaneSpotting #BirdsOfMastodon #BrownPelican Brown Pelicans flying over quiet bay waters in front of a Delta 767 that was preparing for take-off.

7/8/23 →

Back from a relaxing day of plane spotting at SFO. Here’s a series of aircraft landing and preparing for takeoff. Dang that’s a lot of 777s. #AvGeek #PlaneSpotting #SFO #B777 #B787 #B737 A United 787 prepares for take off, while above, a Qatar 777 airliner lands on an adjacent runway. A United 787 is turning on to SFO 28L, while above it, a British Airways 777 lands on 28R. A United 777 is holding short of 28R as a Southwest 737 lands. A Korean Airlines with Our Pride livery prepares for takeoff as another United 777 lands on an adjacent runway.

6/18/23 →

I was watching BigJet TV’s Paris Airshow Preview and didn’t notice one of my E-175 gears didn’t extend. Landed at KRDD (Redding, CA) and found out pretty quick what happened... Oops. #FlightSim #XPlane #AvGeek

E175 resting on its left wing because its left gear wasn't extended.

5/28/23 →

Air Tractor N802WW was overflying rice fields this morning. I think they were practicing seeding the fields. #AvGeek #Fujifilm Oblique view of a yellow and black single propeller Air Tractor plane against a pale blue sky with cirrus. Underside of a yellow and black single prop aircraft. There’s a fan shaped seed spreader mounted under it.

3/18/23 →

Korean Air 777-3 HL7204 from ICN on approach to SFO on January 21, 2023. #AvGeek #PlaneSpotting #AviationPhotography #Fujifilm A mid-zoom of a Korean Air 777-3 HL7204 ICN-SFO on approach during a hazy day. There’s a silhouetted pier with somebody fishing at the very end if it. A hazy mountain is in the background.

2/16/23 →

On January 20 at SFO, 2023. Eva Air 777-3 Reg. B-16731 arrives from Taipei with Japan Airlines 777-3 Reg. JA734J holding for takeoff to Tokyo Haneda. #PlaneSpotting #AvGeek #SFO #B777 #Fujifilm The green tailed and white body Eva air 777 is about 30 ft from the ground while the Japan airlines jet is holding for takeoff. The Oakland hills are in the background and mud flats of the low tide bay in the foreground

2/10/23 →

Just flying an A340-600 from San Francisco International into Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport. #XPlane #FlightSim #AvGeek

A340-600 on approach to KSJC 30L, just passing over downtown San Jose at night. The freeway is all lit up and the runways are visible. It's a dark night.

1/31/23 →

On the celebrated day of the last ever delivery of a new 747, here’s a throw back to 2005. The lone Korean Air 747 was parked at LAX and the photo with three 747s at Incheon, South Korea. #avgeek #B747 Blue top and gray bottom 747-4 at LAX’s brown Tom Bradley terminal on September 10, 2005 on an overcast day. Three 747s at Inchon, South Korea, during a hazy day in late August 2005. There’s two Korean Air 747s and one Asians 747. Two unoccupied jetways stick out into the foreground.

1/28/23 →

On BigJetTV first class+ members only live stream (part 3) on YouTube, just watched an insane departure from Toronto of an Emirates A380 literally blasting snow and ice from the sides of runway 23. Insane. #BigJetTV #A380 #AvGeek

1/27/23 →

UA59 777-322 from Frankfurt landing at San Francisco on 1/20/2023United 777-322 landing at SFO with some smoking rubber. The plane is flared against the Oakland hills and, in front, a calm bay. #B77W #PlaneSpotting #avgeek #fujifilm

1/25/23 →

Emirates A380 preparing to take off from SFO to Dubai on 1/20/2023 during golden hour #avgeek #planespotting #A380 #fujifilm Face on with an Emirates Airbus 380 across a shallow bay at SFO during the golden hour where everything has a golden tint. Oakland hills are in the background on a hazy day.

1/14/23 →

I really enjoy flying the Toliss A340 in X-Plane 12. This is on approach to Oakland International. Just a short flight from San Francisco International. #flightsim #xplane #avgeek

A banking A340 on Approach to KOAK at night. The bay bridge and San Francisco skyscapers are lit up, as is the aircraft. Rain is streaking by.Top oblique view of the A340 and the San Francisco skyline with the bay bridge looming below, all at night.