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AirTran
Boeing 717-2BD
N969AT
5:37pm-8:05pm(landed) 8:35pm(deplaned) 10:45pm(received luggage)
We left the house around 3:00pm because I wanted to be able to have some spotting time down in the D concourse before we left. We had checked in the night before and I got seat 19F, a seat right in front of the leading edge of the wing. We got into the line to check our luggage and we immediately helped as AirTran's line had about 3 people in it with about 6/7 positions open. We checked our luggage and they tossed it onto the conveyer and we proceeded over to the security line. This time the line didn't stretch all the way back to the Int'l. terminal. We got through it in about 10 minutes or less. We walked down to get D23 and took or seats. I set my stuff down and wandered over to the other brach of the D pier where UAL and NWA have their gates. [photoid=129720] I got a picture of 666UA, an ominous start to my trip. I also saw another UAL 763 but the window glare on the shots is nasty. I walked back over to the gate and saw an ex-TWA 717 now with AT pull up to adjacent gate. [photoid=129731] I was sitting down and waiting to board when they cam over the PA and said the flight was delayed because of weather in ATL. I continued sitting there looking out the windows seeing if I could catch anything interesting when I saw a NWA new tail gliding along. I couldn't see what type of plane it was but I grabbed my camera and ran over to the window. i figured it was taxing out but it continued heading my way. it rounded the corner and I could see the fuselage. I said to myself "752, hmmm... haven't seen any of those in the new livery yet" so I snapped a bunch of shots of it. [photoid=126359] I returned to my seat happily just as our plane was pulling up to the gate. Once the passengers from ATL got off they started boarding the plane. It took only about 5 minutes as the plane was only half full. I took my seat and was delighted to find the NWA 752 parked 3 gates away from us. I took a few more pictures and scavenged the inflight magazine. We then pushed back and began our taxi to the runway. I saw A USE DHC-8 and an old friend, 700LE. We got to the runway and waited for a Dl 757 to depart and a DL 767 in ooc to land. We took off and I was quite surprised at the quietness of the BR715. We took off and climbed quite shallowly until were almost over Virginia. I had picked the right side of the plane because I gambled that the clouds would be cool looking with the sun on them. I was correct. I ate my sandwich from home, and ate AT pretzels and had a coke while looking out at the wonderful clouds and listening to my CD player. It was great, the kind of moment where you can kick back and not worry about school approaching or AP English assignments still not done yet. We flew pretty far out over the ocean to avoid T-storms. We made it to Florida but had to skirt some impressive storms. [photoid=128554] The reflections were surreal as we started our descent to MCO. We crossed the beach and I looked back and snapped a picture. [photoid=128559]. We turned and headed south over Florida. The pilot told the F/A's to prepare for landing and they told the passengers to put tall our stuff away when we stopped descending and began making large circles over downtown orlando. the pilot came on and said that there were 'showers" over the airport and we couldn't land for awhile. (The next day the paper said MCO had gotten 5+ in. of rain :P) We circled and watched the clouds grow larger. We started seeing lightning from the clouds we were flying through (
) We eventually started he approach again but we still had lightning hitting the ground on both sides of the plane. We then entered the rain but my window stayed mostly dry so I got some cool looking shot out the window. Just before we touched down there was a lightning bolt that lit up the sky like it was day and you could here the thunder over the engines. :O I saw a FedEx DC-10 holding short in the light but we were past it before I could lift my camera. We touched down and went into full reverse. We turned off the runway and it started to rain even heavier. The passengers gave a round of applause (twice) and it would have been a standing ovation if the seat belt sign was off. We got almost to the gate when we stopped and the pilot said that that we couldn't get to the gate till the lightning stopped. We waited another 30 min. before we could get off. We went to the baggage. claim and no luggage came. they then told us that the ramp workers weren't allowed out until the lightning stopped. It did 2.5 hours later. We finally made it to my grandparents house at 12:30am. what a day.
Boeing 717-2BD
N969AT
5:37pm-8:05pm(landed) 8:35pm(deplaned) 10:45pm(received luggage)
We left the house around 3:00pm because I wanted to be able to have some spotting time down in the D concourse before we left. We had checked in the night before and I got seat 19F, a seat right in front of the leading edge of the wing. We got into the line to check our luggage and we immediately helped as AirTran's line had about 3 people in it with about 6/7 positions open. We checked our luggage and they tossed it onto the conveyer and we proceeded over to the security line. This time the line didn't stretch all the way back to the Int'l. terminal. We got through it in about 10 minutes or less. We walked down to get D23 and took or seats. I set my stuff down and wandered over to the other brach of the D pier where UAL and NWA have their gates. [photoid=129720] I got a picture of 666UA, an ominous start to my trip. I also saw another UAL 763 but the window glare on the shots is nasty. I walked back over to the gate and saw an ex-TWA 717 now with AT pull up to adjacent gate. [photoid=129731] I was sitting down and waiting to board when they cam over the PA and said the flight was delayed because of weather in ATL. I continued sitting there looking out the windows seeing if I could catch anything interesting when I saw a NWA new tail gliding along. I couldn't see what type of plane it was but I grabbed my camera and ran over to the window. i figured it was taxing out but it continued heading my way. it rounded the corner and I could see the fuselage. I said to myself "752, hmmm... haven't seen any of those in the new livery yet" so I snapped a bunch of shots of it. [photoid=126359] I returned to my seat happily just as our plane was pulling up to the gate. Once the passengers from ATL got off they started boarding the plane. It took only about 5 minutes as the plane was only half full. I took my seat and was delighted to find the NWA 752 parked 3 gates away from us. I took a few more pictures and scavenged the inflight magazine. We then pushed back and began our taxi to the runway. I saw A USE DHC-8 and an old friend, 700LE. We got to the runway and waited for a Dl 757 to depart and a DL 767 in ooc to land. We took off and I was quite surprised at the quietness of the BR715. We took off and climbed quite shallowly until were almost over Virginia. I had picked the right side of the plane because I gambled that the clouds would be cool looking with the sun on them. I was correct. I ate my sandwich from home, and ate AT pretzels and had a coke while looking out at the wonderful clouds and listening to my CD player. It was great, the kind of moment where you can kick back and not worry about school approaching or AP English assignments still not done yet. We flew pretty far out over the ocean to avoid T-storms. We made it to Florida but had to skirt some impressive storms. [photoid=128554] The reflections were surreal as we started our descent to MCO. We crossed the beach and I looked back and snapped a picture. [photoid=128559]. We turned and headed south over Florida. The pilot told the F/A's to prepare for landing and they told the passengers to put tall our stuff away when we stopped descending and began making large circles over downtown orlando. the pilot came on and said that there were 'showers" over the airport and we couldn't land for awhile. (The next day the paper said MCO had gotten 5+ in. of rain :P) We circled and watched the clouds grow larger. We started seeing lightning from the clouds we were flying through (
) We eventually started he approach again but we still had lightning hitting the ground on both sides of the plane. We then entered the rain but my window stayed mostly dry so I got some cool looking shot out the window. Just before we touched down there was a lightning bolt that lit up the sky like it was day and you could here the thunder over the engines. :O I saw a FedEx DC-10 holding short in the light but we were past it before I could lift my camera. We touched down and went into full reverse. We turned off the runway and it started to rain even heavier. The passengers gave a round of applause (twice) and it would have been a standing ovation if the seat belt sign was off. We got almost to the gate when we stopped and the pilot said that that we couldn't get to the gate till the lightning stopped. We waited another 30 min. before we could get off. We went to the baggage. claim and no luggage came. they then told us that the ramp workers weren't allowed out until the lightning stopped. It did 2.5 hours later. We finally made it to my grandparents house at 12:30am. what a day.