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Concorde Landing Shot at JFK YESTERDAY 11/10/03

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  • Concorde Landing Shot at JFK YESTERDAY 11/10/03

    Look what I spent three rolls of film on yesterday!
    Is this unloadable being history and all? Last Landing of Concorde in U.S.



    Click Here to view my aircraft photos at JetPhotos.Net!

  • #2
    Sweet Fred!!!!!

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    • #3
      Thanks Tom, I had the %#$#$@ camera in high speed mode not knowing that it was going to give me grain. (I think this is what happened). Will post more with the story soon


      Click Here to view my aircraft photos at JetPhotos.Net!

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      • #4
        I head out to MacDonald’s with a friend to meet others that have shown interest to see the last Concorde landing at JFK. It is a relatively short hop and takes a little over an hour because I was scratching my head looking for film that would not give me grain like my last shoot.

        Arrive at MacDonald’s around 12:10. I only know that she is supposed to be airborne by now and my friend “The Man” will try to let me know when she is leaving by calling David Hilditch who will call my cell. The World Wide E-mail/Phone ring has its benefits (This is a super secret society that I can not talk about because of fear…lolol).

        We sit to eat a light lunch and meet my new friend from Bayside Queens whom I will call Mo. He is a really nice guy full of rich aviation knowledge and an overwhelming excitement about aviation that is like looking in a mirror. I can see out of the corner of my eye, a man with a Concorde shirt on with a young slender guy. I make mention of the nice shirt and head to the line. I then ask him from across the restaurant, “Want to tag along for a good time?”. “Derf???” Yep, it is two others from Brooklyn that wanted to meet me for the trip. I sit down to eat my chicken sandwich and Monica arrives with her two children. She is a nice person who loves aviation and was looking forward to watching history with us. My friend David calls and says that she will be arriving around 2:10 pm.

        All are looking at some of my pictures I took along just in case we get stopped by the police, we talk about where we are going to be and the likely runway change at 1:50PM from 31R to 13L. I decide that it is time to go and see what we can see before the runway change so we go to our cars when I get a call from Mo. “Fred, My car will not start… Ummm, I think that I left the lights on”. A quick jump and we are on our way. We head out to the customs bldg to take some shots before the big LOUD show.


        Arrival at this area make me a little nervous because about 75% of the people that pass by are wearing full uniforms and badges. I am sticking out like a sore thumb with a 300MM zoom lens when we start getting questioned by a person that is there. One in my group is bitching about the spot and keeps asking where we will go after the runway change, this spot sucks, etc… I do everything short of telling him to shut up! I do not want attention or any b!tching because that will only piss others off and we would be asked to leave!


        I am now looking at a very cute girl with a badge hanging from her neck and say to her “going to be a great show huh?”. She tells me that there will not be a runway change and picks up her phone. I am looking away but listening very carefully and hear “So do you have a strip on her yet?” I about drop my jaw to the hood of my car! I look at my friend and ask “did you hear that?” and he does hear because he is still listening to her (can’t blame him). She gets off the phone and says “we have her coming in on this runway” when one of the people I am with start moaning “well, that is not for” I cut in right away “WE…Did you here her say WE???” and she continues to tell us more info.

        A couple of minutes pass and we are approached by a man wearing a brown jacket telling me “YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TAKE PICTURES HERE! You may look but not take pictures because it is illegal.” The same guy in my group starts murmuring about how he is full of cr@p and I stomp on it “Shut Your Mouth… Do not say anything because he CAN kick us out”. We really are not supposed to be there. I told him just to keep the cameras down until the Concorde arrives and then let hell break loose. We wait until I hear somebody say… I think that is her back there! I jump on my car putting dents on the roof for the first and last time and fully extend the 300MM zoom and see the small triangle with smoke! “CONCORDE IN SIGHT, Its her!”.

        Watching her come in, I take a few shots far out because I am wound sooo tight. She is getting closer and closer when








        That is where I run out of film! I dive in my car and start grabbing film with my hands trembling sooo hard that I could barely get it in!


        Click Here to view my aircraft photos at JetPhotos.Net!

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        • #5
          I run up to a guy getting out of his customs car and yell, “Can I go in the restricted area to take pictures? His reply took too long so I asked another, and the same hesitation.
          I run to my new friend who was giving us the info and she says “I can’t see why not!” (OK, I know she had absolutely no authority what so ever but it was a YES!)

          I run in the restricted area in TOP SPEED with a huge camera and let the high speed spit of 5 shot before I could take a breath.








          I shoot the rest of the roll and run back to the car at top speed for another roll (I am not used to using film, so keeping another roll on me was not on my mind!)



          <IMG SRC=http://www.airdisaster.com/user-uploads/745705-R1-10A.jpg



          I will put the rest of the story up at a later date


          Click Here to view my aircraft photos at JetPhotos.Net!

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Derf
            I run to my new friend who was giving us the info and she says “I can’t see why not!” (OK, I know she had absolutely no authority what so ever but it was a YES!)
            Smooth, Fred. Real smooth :P

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            • #7
              I did not tell that to the Port Authority Police Department when we were questioned on why we were in a restricted area. but I will leave that for another thread on another day. P.S. The Police were nice considering the circumstances.


              Click Here to view my aircraft photos at JetPhotos.Net!

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              • #8
                Nice shots Derf! Very nice to see you also got some shots of Concorde next to another BA aircraft! Well worth the risk id say!
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                • #9
                  Thanks, I agree 100%! What a wonderful yet sad day.


                  Click Here to view my aircraft photos at JetPhotos.Net!

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