Heh. When we flew into San Francisco last year, we didn't realize they have parallel runways. We had another plane come in for their landing right next to us. It was cool, but the pilot should have let us know we weren't in a sort of "life or death drag race" for the runway... (And for what it's worth, we beat them down by about 5 seconds.)
Used to travel 15-16 weeks a year, usually 2 planes on Sunday out and 2 late Friday back, with an occasional flight mid-week. Saw this a lot. Worse was taking off in a 747 on the short runway at Newark, NJ, over the Turnpike and straight at the Budweiser beer sign. Waited for the pilot to ask us all to lean back so the plane could lift off... OldeForce
Olde Force, that's US-22 between EWR and the Budweiser plant. The Turnpike parallels the runways, more or less. All my takeoffs from there went north, not south.
There is a route from EWR to ATL that passes over the Appalachians, and on a not too hazy day you can simultaneously see the Delaware Memorial Bridge, the Baltimore Inner Harbor, and the National Mall and Washington Monument from a port-side window as you cross the Mason-Dixon Line.
Just like the folks who invented "near beer", I'm a poor judge of distance, but I think the FAA would classify that as a near miss. East/West should have a greater separation in altitude and vector.
Heh. Reminds me of the story, ATC calls up to a pilot and asks him to come to 35,000 feet for noise abatement. "I'm already at 32,000 feet, nobody on the ground can hear me! What sort of noise am I supposed to be abating?" ATC replied "ever near the sound made when two 747's collide?" Pilot made the altitude change.
Ian, Yeah, the Turnpike is to the east, between the airport and the Hudson River. The N/S runways will give you a good look at the NY skyline and Lady Liberty on a clear night/day. But it's Rts 1 & 9that sit just to the west,with 22 further out, and there is a short runway the points you west at the brewery. What seems to be a very, very short runway on a very windy day. We flew from CO [family business] on one of the first flights after 9/11. Most on board were flight crews. We got to EWR well after dark and it was very quiet as we picked up the lights at the site. I don't fly much anymore. OldeForce
The first time I drove through Denver, 1985 in 5pm rush hour traffic, I was about to go under a highway overpass when a 747 rolled across it. On a taxiway of the old airport, of course.
My first thought was that Denver had much worse traffic problems than I had ever heard about.
Yes it is.
ReplyDeleteGerry
Heh. When we flew into San Francisco last year, we didn't realize they have parallel runways. We had another plane come in for their landing right next to us. It was cool, but the pilot should have let us know we weren't in a sort of "life or death drag race" for the runway...
ReplyDelete(And for what it's worth, we beat them down by about 5 seconds.)
Used to travel 15-16 weeks a year, usually 2 planes on Sunday out and 2 late Friday back, with an occasional flight mid-week. Saw this a lot.
ReplyDeleteWorse was taking off in a 747 on the short runway at Newark, NJ, over the Turnpike and straight at the Budweiser beer sign. Waited for the pilot to ask us all to lean back so the plane could lift off... OldeForce
Yep. Southwest 737; burnt orange with a blue tail.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if anything ever came of the "Arabic graffiti" scare involving Southwest planes last year.
ReplyDeleteYep, Cactus...
ReplyDeleteOlde Force, that's US-22 between EWR and the Budweiser plant. The Turnpike parallels the runways, more or less. All my takeoffs from there went north, not south.
ReplyDeleteThere is a route from EWR to ATL that passes over the Appalachians, and on a not too hazy day you can simultaneously see the Delaware Memorial Bridge, the Baltimore Inner Harbor, and the National Mall and Washington Monument from a port-side window as you cross the Mason-Dixon Line.
Just like the folks who invented "near beer", I'm a poor judge of distance, but I think the FAA would classify that as a near miss. East/West should have a greater separation in altitude and vector.
ReplyDeleteHeh. Reminds me of the story, ATC calls up to a pilot and asks him to come to 35,000 feet for noise abatement. "I'm already at 32,000 feet, nobody on the ground can hear me! What sort of noise am I supposed to be abating?" ATC replied "ever near the sound made when two 747's collide?" Pilot made the altitude change.
ReplyDeleteIan, Yeah, the Turnpike is to the east, between the airport and the Hudson River. The N/S runways will give you a good look at the NY skyline and Lady Liberty on a clear night/day. But it's Rts 1 & 9that sit just to the west,with 22 further out, and there is a short runway the points you west at the brewery. What seems to be a very, very short runway on a very windy day.
ReplyDeleteWe flew from CO [family business] on one of the first flights after 9/11. Most on board were flight crews. We got to EWR well after dark and it was very quiet as we picked up the lights at the site.
I don't fly much anymore. OldeForce
The first time I drove through Denver, 1985 in 5pm rush hour traffic, I was about to go under a highway overpass when a 747 rolled across it. On a taxiway of the old airport, of course.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought was that Denver had much worse traffic problems than I had ever heard about.
Dammit, you're right; and I used to commute on that part of 1&9, too, and currently live off of (a different part of) US-22. Mea culpa.
ReplyDeleteNB: the restaurant at the Elizabeth Ikea is a great place to plane-spot.