Ben's Air Blog

Big Plane, Short Flight, Flat Seat: SFO-LAX in UA 777 Business Class

2012-01-25T18:23:00.000-08:00

Flight: UA595, San Francisco (SFO) to Los Angeles (LAX) (337 miles)
Aircraft Type: Boeing 777-222 (ER)
Aircraft Registration: N794UA (built in October 1997)
Scheduled Departure - Arrival Time: 8:21 am - 9:47 am
Actual Departure - Arrival Time: 8:20 am - 9:50 am
Actual Flying Time: 53 minutes

Flightaware Tracking Data

Every morning (sinceNovember 2011), United flies a three-class 777-200 between San Francisco (SFO)and Los Angeles (LAX) as a repositioning flight for a long-haul flight from LAX later in the day.

Naturally,I chose that flight when purchasing my ticket to LAX for the airline collectible show. In addition, being aPremier elite on United, there was a chance for me to score a complimentaryupgrade that would allow me to try out, for the first time, United’s new lie-flatseats.

There wasa couple potential snags. First, an upgrade is not guaranteed. Second, only half of the United 777 fleet hasbeen converted to the new seats. It is unpredictable whether this flight woulduse the old seat or new seat aircraft. By default, the reservation system alwaysshows the old configuration seat map. (Click to see the new configuration seat map)

First piece ofthe puzzle fell in place when three days before my flight, United’s mobile flightstatus page showed aircraft number 2894 (N794UA) – a new configuration aircraft– would operate my flight. All I needednow was for the upgrade to come through.

At 24-hoursprior to departure, I attempted to check-in on-line. But I could not. I got a message stating check-in is notavailable for the flight. After somesearching on flyertalk, I found out this happens when there is an equipmentchange and seating has not been updated in the system (makes sense since theaircraft has been swapped from the old to the new configuration). Unfortunately, not checked in, I will not beable to see where I was on the upgrade list.

I arrived at SFOunder drizzly skies at 6:30 am, two hours before departure. Premier Lobby was busy but not crowded. I was able to walk straight up to an EasyCheck-inkiosk, where I was presented with the good news: “Because I am a valuedcustomer, my upgrade is complimentary today”. Yes! The second piece of the puzzle was now inplace. I brought up the seat map and washappy to see that I got the last window seat, 10K (there was still a goodnumber of middle seats left). I laterfound out that 10A/B/J/K were rear-facing seats, which I wanted to tryout. Everything worked out in my favor!

SFO's Premier Lobby, now rebranded as Premier Access.

Premium securityline at Terminal 3 was relatively short; I made it through in less than 10minutes without incident. My flightwould depart from International Terminal gate G98. It was rather appropriate that myinternational configured aircraft was leaving from the International Terminal. It felt exciting walking to my gate in the beautifulwide airy concourse G, flying on a big plane to somewhere exciting. OK, just LAX…but still exciting. Not having flown from SFO all that often, Iwas surprised to see other United domestic flights (especially a 767-300 toHouston) also departed from concourse G on this early morning. I got to G98 and confirmed N794UA (inthe now old blue/white tulip color scheme) would be operating my flight.


International Terminal departure board showed a good number of domestic destinations mixed with international.

Two views of 777-200 N794UA parked at gate G98.

The flight waslightly loaded. It was full upfront inFirst and Business, as one would expect, but about 120 or so seats remained available in Economy according to the standby screen at the gate. There was plenty of space in the hold room,not the madhouse that one normally sees on a full flight.

Boarding startedat 40 minutes prior to departure. Surprisingly, the usual elite customers queuing up at the door to beamong the first to board was non-existent. Neither was there a crowd swarming the gate. I have never seen that before! I casually walked up to the door and was the thirdperson to board the plane.

Gate G98 about 10 minutes prior to boarding

Boarding wasthrough door L2 (which meant I couldn't see the new First Class seats), and found myrear-facing seat stocked with a headset at the footstool and a large pillow anda bagged quilted blanket at the seat. Unfortunately, there was not a window next to my seat, which meant I hadto lean forward to see out of the other two windows.

Rear-facing Business Class seats 10J/K

There was not a window next to my seat. :(

I brieflyexplored the seat and got acquainted with the entertainment system. The 15.4-inch display is controlled by ahandset at the seat. The system has a largeselection of movies, video, and audio, all on-demand. For takeoff, I specifically looked for themap (found it with its own “Map” button on the main menu; not the “About thisFlight” selection) and Channel 9 (Air Traffic Control audio). Since everything was menu driven by titleinstead of channel numbers, Channel 9 was harder to find. I found it under “Audio”, and then “From theFlight Deck” a page or two down. Magazine slots next to the seat contained the usual safety card(“B777 Premium” with the new United logo), Hemispheresmagazine, and a Duty Free catalog. Therewas no at-seat storage – everything had to go up into the overhead bin.

Pre-departurebeverage choice of orange juice or water was offered – I went with the OJ. Throughout boarding, announcements were madeabout Economy Plus seats – that if you wished to sit there, you had to payextra. Apparently, Economy Plus was emptierthan standard Economy in the back.

Pre-departure beverage.

Looking aheadfrom my seat, it was the bulkhead separating Business and Economy Classes. Looking down the aisle, I face people in thefirst two center rows of Economy Plus. Lookingacross the aisle, I saw a row of people sitting in the center 4-seats, more peoplethan one normally expect to see in Business Class. Sadly, in order to maintain capacity while makingroom for lie-flat seats, something had to give. As a result, United has an economy class like2-4-2 layout in Business Class with narrow 20.5-inch wide seats (that’s only2.5 inches wider than Economy seats). Bycomparison, United’s Business Class seats on the 747 and 767 are 23.5 incheswide (incidentally, the 747 also has a sardine class 2-4-2 layout on the lower level). 4-seat middle in Business Class is just notright.

Rant modeoff.

Pushback fromthe gate was one minute early at 8:20 am. A live safety demo was performed in unison with the video safetydemo. I have never seen that! It could be the video system in Economy wasnot working properly because the live demo never faced us sitting in the rear-facingseats. I should have looked behind me tosee whether a live demo was also performed for those facing front of BusinessClass.

With the stormmoving through the area, Runway 10 was used for departures. We made our way to Runway 10R at IntersectionQuebec, a very short taxi from the gate. With just two other aircraft in front of us, hold time on the ground wasminimal.

On the runway,the triple’s twin PW4090 enginesroared to life with that familiar big-fan whine. With our light load, we made a quick run downthe runway with a very spirited rotation. From the rear-facing seat, it was a roller coaster ride. It felt like someone was pushing my backcausing me to lean forward with only my seatbelt holding me in. The at-seat magazine holder was not in theclosed position, causing all the magazines to spill out. My seatmate and I had to catch them beforethey fell on the floor. He commented hehas never flown backwards, to which I wholeheartedly agreed.

Now that we wereclimbing to our cruising altitude, I can finally give my seat adjustments atry. Seats are moved using electricmotors by pressing and holding various position buttons on the controlpanel. I got myself into a very relaxingposition where my legs were stretched out flat, the seat back slightly reclined,and my head resting on the nice soft pillow. It is amazing how comfortable a flight can be by just simply stretching andresting my legs. I looked for somethingto watch on my monitor. When browsing through eachprogram, the display showed the program run-time along with remaining flyingtime, so that you know whether you will have enough time to finish theprogram. I chose an episode of Top Gear (the good BBC version) while we climbed to ourcruising altitude of 27,000 feet. The seat belt sign went off but the pilotannounced it would come back on again in a few minutes when we descend.

There was anunexpected snack service on this short flight. When I was presented with a warm scone in a bag, I thought I would get alike-sized scone. I was disappointed tofind a miniature representation in that large bag. Later, drink orders were taken. I went with apple juice. After I finished it, I was quickly offered arefill.

The scone said: I wish I were bigger. Note seat control panel.

Beverage served in glass, even on this short flight

As with all goodthings, it came to a quick end. We made our descent and I didn’t get a chanceto put my seat in the full flat position to try out. I was too engrossed watching Top Gear – and I didn’t even finish theepisode! I put my seat back in the fullupright position by holding onto the green airplane button (as it was announced a few times), and I put my screen back on Map and audioback to “From the Flight Deck” to watch and listen to our approach to LAX.

The descend wasa little choppy. View of the clouds andthe wing going backwards certainly gave an interesting and unique perspective.

View out of my scratched window while descending for LAX.

We touched downon Runway 24R at LAX’s north complex, 53 minutes after takeoff. Just like takeoff, landing gave me a pushfrom the back, though it did not feel as urgent as the takeoff. We rolled all the way to the end beforemaking a long taxi across LAX to the south complex. We taxied past an USAF C-32A “Air Force Two”and a C-17 at remote parking (apparently the VeePee was in town), passing Tom BradleyInternational Terminal, Terminals 4, 5, and 6 before arriving at Gate 76 inTerminal 7. Short of the gate, weshutdown our engines, and the pilot announced to keep our seatbelts fastened whilewe get towed to the gate. We arrived at thegate at 9:50 am, 3 minutes late. In alittle over two hours, N794UA will be on her way again, this time from LAX toTokyo-Narita – stretching her legs, doing what she was designed to do!

While deplaning,standing up facing the back of my seat, I realized there was a light next tothe headrest. I didn’t even notice itwhile sitting (but I didn’t need it). Someonewalking past the rear-facing seats commented, “I could never flybackwards!” I would definitely do it again. Itcertainly gave a different perspective while flying and (for me at least) itwas not nauseating, as most would assume.

I have heard onthe 747, from the upper deck rear-facing seats, you get an excellent view ofthe engines and wing – that’s something I want to experience for myself while sittingthere with my legs propped up, seat reclined in comfort!

N794UA as flight UA891 to Tokyo-Narita, rotates off Runway 25R leaving LAX's iconic Theme Building behind.

Flying on the Airbus A310

2011-12-12T16:43:00.000-08:00

The Airbus A310 is a twin-engine medium to long rangewide-body aircraft built in the 1980s and 1990s as a shortened version ofAirbus’ first aircraft, the A300. Throughout years of service with world’s major airlines, such asLufthansa, Singapore, and Pan Am, I never got to fly in an A310. As time progressed, the 255 A310s builtslowly transitioned to secondary airlines, cargo carriers, and various AirForces around the world. Short ofsending myself in a FedEx package, or flying on an exotic airline such as ArianaAfghan, Biman Bangladesh, or MIAT Mongolian (see full list of current A310 operators), there was one lasteasy way for me to log an A310: an airline in Canada called Air Transat wasstill operating an 11-strong fleet of A310s. With Air Transat retiring these ‘buses in 2013, I had to startlooking at flying it soon.

Air Transat is the airline arm of a tour operator inCanada. They operate their aircraft in aconfiguration commonly known as “tour” or “charter” configuration, where seatwidth and pitch are narrower than the standard configuration in order to accommodatemore passengers. Standard coachconfiguration on a wide-bodied Airbus is 8-abreast (in a 2-4-2 arrangement),but Air Transat has their ‘bus in a 9-abreast, 3-3-3 configuration. The benefit of flying on a tour airline isthe seats are often inexpensive and incredible deals can be found during lowdemand periods.

A like-minded airline enthusiast friend came across such adeal on a flight from Toronto to Fort Lauderdale in early December. The fare was $9 plus tax! Without knowing what the future held for theA310 at Air Transat, we pulled the trigger and bought tickets. Thus begins my A310 adventure.

Although the fare was only $9, there was $167 in taxes. I also paid the $15 seat selection fee (didn't want to take chances on getting a bad seat). The grand total was CAD $191, all in.

AirTransat Airbus A310-304

Registration C-GFAT (msn 545, fin number 301)

Built in 1992 for Emirates as A6-EKG. Acquired by Air Transat in 2000.

Flight TS 538, Toronto to Ft. Lauderdale

Scheduled Departure: 7:45 am

Pushback: 7:41 am (4minutes early)

Takeoff: 7:56 am (YYZRunway 23)

Cruising Altitude: 38000 feet

Landed: 10:34 am (FLLRunway 9L)

Scheduled Arrival: 10:55 am

At gate: 10:58 am (3minutes late – held for open gate)

Flightaware flight track data

Click for Photo Trip Report

Flying in a Zeppelin

2011-10-30T23:19:00.000-07:00

Farmers Airship (Airship Ventures) Zeppelin NT N07 Eureka(registered N704LZ, c/n 04), based at Moffett Field in Mountain View, California, isone of only two Zeppelin dirigibles operating in the world today (the other isbased in Germany in Friedrichshafen on the shores of Lake Constance, the homeof Zeppelin).

Filled with non-flammable helium, Eureka is a dirigible, nota blimp. A dirigible has an internalrigid frame covered with a shell and filled with lifting gas. It has engines mounted on the sides of thehull, away from the gondola. A blimpdoes not have an internal frame, maintains its shape solely from gas pressure,and has its engines mounted on the gondola.

Having an actual Zeppelin (the same company that made theinfamous Hindenburg) operating near me is exciting. Of course I want to add that to my list of interestingand rare aircraft flown. However, price is high. The tour I want to take isa one-hour flight over San Francisco (flown out of Oakland) at $495 plustax. Nevertheless, I am on their emaillist for last minute specials. Sincejoining the mailing list in the past two years or so, nothing ever lined up forme between available dates, available departure times, departing cities, andgood weather forecast. Everything finallylined up when I received their special offer for the last weekend inOctober. It was Eureka’s first weekendback to the San Francisco Bay Area after making a six-month tour around thecountry. After confirming a good weatherforecast, I quickly grabbed the last departure from Oakland at 2:25 pm onSaturday at the special price of $380 (including tax).

My flight departed from Oakland’s North Field, parallelingI-880 and the Bay Bridge to San Francisco. We then turned north, following the piers along the Embarcadero, wentaround Alcatraz towards the Golden Gate, and then turned north again towardsSausalito. We then followed around AngelIsland before turning south back towards the Bay Bridge toll plaza, back alongside I-880 returning to North Field. Wheelsup to wheels down lasted almost exactly one hour (59 minutes to be exact).

Here is my flight track plot from Oakland’s noisetracker. N704LZ is in yellow, so it’s abit hard to see.

My flight was full at 12 passengers (three couples, me,another solo flier, and four Brazilian TV show personalities andphotographer). Captain Ben Travis wasthe pilot and Anthony was the flight attendant.

Without further ado, here are the photos and video from myflight. Being able to see the Zeppelinarrive and depart before and after my flight really added to theexperience. How often do you get to goon an aircraft and yet still see it move from the outside right next to it?

Click for slideshow.

Learning the Three “R’s” Space Shuttle Style: Rollout, Rollback, Rollover (Part 3)

2011-05-30T23:31:00.001-07:00

Where is Waldo?

I rarely have my photo taken when I am taking photos. But with cameras all around me documenting everything, I was bound to end up in an official NASA photograph. In fact, I got into five photos and one video!

My photo:

NASA’s photo:

Photo credit: NASA (link to original image)

I am near the right, on the crowd line, kneeling, wearing a dark shirt and tan pants.

My photo:

NASA’s photo:

Photo credit: NASA (link to original image)

I am second from the left, next to the orange cone, wearing a blue hat, kneeling.

My photo:

NASA’s photos:

Photo credit: NASA (link to original image)

I am in the back row, second from the left, wearing a blue hat and a geeky STS-134 t-shirt. Note in the last shot (L plus 31 seconds), I had my arms and hands down, no longer shooting.

NASA’s video from the same location.

Lovebugs

I had never heard of lovebugs until this trip. If you take a close look at them, you will know why they are called lovebugs. On my second trip to Florida, I happened upon lovebug season. They were everywhere. I drove through swarms of them. They got through the air conditioner vents in my hotel room. They made swimming pools and outside restaurant seating unusable. A line of dead lovebugs could be found on the waterline at the beach. I hate lovebugs!

Copyright 2011 Ben Wang. Photos and words may not be used without permission.

Learning the Three “R’s” Space Shuttle Style: Rollout, Rollback, Rollover (Part 2)

2011-05-30T23:17:00.001-07:00

Déjà Vu

I returned to the KSC Press Site at launch minus one day. It was déjà vu. We don’t get too many “do overs” in photography. For at least some aspects of this event – I was getting a do over.

At 6 am, I lined up my remote camera gear alongside waiting buses for bomb dog inspection. Now, armed with knowledge and experience, I felt more comfortable. We boarded buses for the mounds. With the launch time now in the morning, I now planned my remote shoot from the dike, east of the launch pad, with water reflection, tall grass, and potentially wildflowers.

Photographers setting up remote cameras at and near the mounds.

The plan to re-distribute photographers from the mounds to other spots with rovers did not materialize. After about one hour waiting at the mounds, I rode the bus back to the Press Site with photographers from the mounds done with their setup. Our media escort, as promised, returned with a van taking three of us photographers to the dike. Once there, I picked out a location with some flowers and tall grass in the foreground and set up two cameras. One wide shot, set at 35 mm to get the plume, surrounding environment, and reflection – and a tight shot (this time, shooting for a friend), set at 70 mm to get the shuttle itself coming off the pad. Tripods, stakes, bungee cords, timers – I set them up quite easily – I was getting pretty good at this.

One last check of the camera settings – manual exposure at 1/1000 second and f/10 aperture – expecting a sunny day and bright plume from the Solid Rocket Boosters. Check the remote trigger and cables - check the setting on the timer one last time – timer on “Auto?” – yes – bag the setup.

With one successful remote shoot behind me, I was now more confident.

My remote gear waiting for a ride.

My remote camera setup at the dike, about 1/2 mile away from the pad.

After remote camera set up, I went directly to the crawlerway for RSS rollback at 11 am, joining other photographers bused there from the Press Site. It was good to photograph RSS rollback during daylight – as opposed to night during the first launch attempt. It’s like getting a bonus shot!

Time lapse 8x speed video of RSS rollback.

After RSS rollback, we were done for the day. Launch day is expected to be long. Astronaut walkout is at 5 am with show time for the bus ride at 3:30 am. 7 pm bedtime was not easy for me. I tossed and turned and maybe got two hours of sleep before the 1 am alarm. I felt sorry for the lone cashier at Dunkin Donuts. There was a long line of people waiting for their coffee and doughnuts at 1:30 am and he was overwhelmed. I guess they weren’t expecting a crowd getting coffee that early in the morning on shuttle launch day!

All Over in 22 Seconds

At the Press Site, repeat scene: line up our gear behind the ladders next to the buses for bomb sniffing dogs, get on the bus, go to the O&C building, run to the crowd line to jockey for a good photo location to the van. We waited for nearly one hour for the crew to walk out. Night time made this photo shoot difficult. As opposed to RSS rollback, crew walkout was now at night instead of day. Lighting was tough – not well lit, even with my external flash (and I was not exactly opposite the Astrovan).

The NASA Huey circling tightly above the O&C building and personnel carrying helmets to the Astrovan signaled that the time was close. Then cheers and flashes went off. The scene was reminiscent of paparazzi next to the red carpet at the Oscars. The crew savored the attention and stayed in front of the Astrovan just a wee bit longer. The caravan then whisked off to the launch pad. While on the bus ride back to the Press Site, I joked: “I will keep an eye out for the Astrovan going back the opposite direction!”

Right to left: Commander Mark Kelly, Pilot Gregory Johnson, Mission Specialists Michael Fincke, Roberto Vittori, Andrew Feustel, and Greg Chamitoff.

View of the wire service remote cameras looking down the doorway where the crew walks out.

Once back at the Press Site, we set up for our photos there. I wanted to do a shot of the shuttle with the American and Endeavour flags. Unfortunately, the wind was calm and the flags were not flying. I set up my video camera with a view of the famous big clock. Sunrise revealed a bustle of activity all around: satellite trucks lined up in the parking lot, news tents everywhere, and photographers with their tripods all along the water.

The wind was starting to pick up…it looked like I would be able to get my flag shots after all. However, that wind was a sign of what was to come: clouds were moving in. Word had it though that clouds were not a concern for launch – the cloud band was expected to move on by launch time. Sunshine was coming and going – with more clouds than sun. I was starting to get concerned – not only for the potential of a launch scrub due to weather – but also for my remote camera shots looking ugly by not being sun lit.

Launch time came quickly…almost anticlimactic. After the launch scrub 17 days earlier, all that time spent waiting in line on buses for things to happen, I couldn’t believe we were inside L minus one minute and counting – it looked like Endeavour was really going to go this time. 5…4…3…2…1…zero…smoke from the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) became visible and a bright flame trail appeared as the shuttle lifted off. Within the next two or three seconds, I took my flag shots. Endeavour then began its roll program, the External Tank was now facing us. About 15 seconds after liftoff, I started to hear the launch. It was not as loud as I remembered from my previous shuttle launches.

At L plus 22 seconds, the shuttle disappeared into the overcast clouds. I stared at the sky, hoping it would re-appear behind a hole. Nothing. I looked at the big clock, well before L plus two minutes - when SRB separation would normally be visible - I put my camera down and stopped my video…disappointed. I waited 17 extra days, flew home to California and back to Florida for this?

Endeavour disappears into clouds 22 seconds after liftoff. The shot is out of focus, but you get the idea.

Straight up into the clouds.

My video of the launch from the Press Site. The camera does not pan up to follow the shuttle…but wait for the sound of the launch appearing at about L plus 15 seconds.

I went into the News Center and grabbed a seat in the audience for the launch plus one hour press conference. It ended up being standing room only. It was interesting to see the press conference in person instead of on TV – the room is actually a lot smaller than it appears on TV. During the conference, one of the NASA officials commented that the brief sighting of the launch was the shortest in memory and it was unfortunate that there were no flight rules regarding how long the launch must be visible for the spectators. In fact, during this launch, the ceiling (between 5000 and 5500 feet) was never a concern. Flight rules only specify cloud thickness and it was never a concern for this launch day.

It was time to retrieve the remote cameras. Once again, just like setup, unless you had your camera at the mounds, you had to wait for a rover to take you in a van. I flagged every van that came back into the parking lot looking for an open seat going to my destination. At launch plus four hours, I finally got a ride to the dike. As the van slowly crept down the dike, I got concerned when I didn’t see my setup. I saw the setup after mine (a giant box), but not my setup. Hmmm…did someone take my cameras? Did they fall into the water? As it turned out, I had set them up behind a tall bush, so they were not visible until we got closer.

I worked quickly, took everything down and threw them back into the van. I didn’t check the photos until I was in the van and we were underway. I got my shots, but they were severely underexposed. I expected that, since I had set the exposure expecting it be a sunny shot. I was disappointed, but not too worried. Since I shot raw, I knew that I should be able to fix the underexposure. With all the excitement now over, I went back to my hotel in Cocoa Beach and had a nice nap to recover from the long morning.

View from the dike prior to launch. My setup is on the right.

My remote shot. I had success, but it would have been better if it was sunlit.

View of the empty launch pad about four hours after launch.

Rollover

Even though Endeavour had launched, things were happening quickly at KSC for Atlantis in preparation for STS-135, the final Shuttle mission. The next day, Atlantis would rollover from Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) 1 to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). After that, on the next day, Atlantis would be lifted and mated to the External Tank (ET) and Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) in the VAB. The next two days would be new experiences for me: I had never seen a rollover or a lift. I was excited. Anything would beat that disappointing launch.

The next morning, repeat scene: line up my gear next to waiting buses. Watch the sunrise. Bomb sniffing dogs come by. We scramble and board buses to the OPF.

We lined up along the road/taxiway between the OPF and VAB. It was a gorgeous sunny morning with perfect blue skies. OPF-1 doors were open and we could see Atlantis’ tail and its three main engines. When the move started, Atlantis moved ever so gingerly as the tail cleared the door. After that, push back and movement forward proceeded at a normal (walking) pace. Halfway between the OPF and VAB, rollover paused for a few hours so workers could have a last photo op with the last Space Shuttle.

Ben and Ben: me with famous launch photographer Ben Cooper.

The four-person crew for STS-135 was also on hand to see this event. I was at the right place at the right time when the crew came up to the nose end of Atlantis and posed for photos. All around me, photographers yelled out to the crew to gain their attention so they would look their way. They also yelled things like: “do a thumbs up”, “wave”, etc. Of course the crew did whatever they wanted, ignoring the photographers. I thought that was rather humorous.

Left to right: Mission Specialist Rex Walheim, Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialist Sandy Magnus.

After lunch break, we returned to the entrance of the VAB and got shots of Atlantis completing the rollover. It was a touching moment to see workers follow the shuttle holding a “We’re Behind You, Atlantis!” banner. This would be the last time for them.

Time lapse 8x speed video of Atlantis’ rollover.

Meanwhile, back at the News Center, plans were put together to photograph Atlantis’ lift and mate inside the VAB the next day. This is where the orbiter would be lifted vertically from the transfer aisle and moved to the next bay to the waiting and already-assembled ET and SRB stack for mating. Approximately two weeks after mate, Atlantis would then rollout to the launch pad in preparation for launch. Since space was limited on the catwalk in the VAB, photographers were split into three groups of 30. Three photo opportunities were created throughout the day to view the lift at different stages from two different levels.

Photographers get briefed on plans for the lift next day.

Space Ships

We also got word the SRB retrieval ships were returning to Port Canaveral that evening. The port is offsite from KSC, so we would be on our own. I had not planned to see the ships on my trip. Truthfully, I hadn’t even considered it nor had I really cared. But, since they are part of shuttle processing as well, I decided to go see them. I was glad I did. It was quite an interesting sight! We got to Jetty Park at Port Canaveral at 7 pm, in the nick of time. As we pulled into the parking lot, we saw people running to the shore. Sure enough, Liberty Star was coming in with one of the SRBs in tow. We quickly grabbed our cameras and got our shots. There was just enough time to eat our to-go dinners before Freedom Star arrived within the next hour with the other SRB. It was funny to see all the photographers gathered there at the park – it was the same crowd from the News Center. Someone joked – where was the sign up list for buses?

The two ships would spend overnight at the port with their rocket cargoes before proceeding through Canaveral Lock the next morning to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for SRB pickup for refurbishment.

Lift

By now you can guess what happened first thing at the Press Site the next morning. Yes…line up gear next to buses, wait for bomb sniffing dogs, watch the sunrise, and get on board buses. It was not natural to see the sunrise four days in a row. Nevertheless, we were there to see something cool that will never happen again.

The bus took us to the VAB for our first of three photo opportunities. On the transfer aisle, Atlantis was still sitting on the transporter at ground level while workers attached the crane in preparation for the lift. The process progressed slowly and carefully.

Ill-fated Columbia STS-107 mission patch inside the VAB. I did not know Columbia is stored here in the VAB.

On the bus ride back to the Press Site, our guide set guidelines for the next photo op, scheduled to take place from the VAB catwalk on levels 5 and 16. We were not allowed to bring any transmitting electronics (such as cell phones and remote key fobs); we were to take only minimal camera equipment, no tripods, and we were to tether our cameras around our neck or wrist. We were warned that we don’t want to end up on the news as the one responsible for damaging the shuttle prior to its last mission and spend time in jail as a result!

At lunch, while waiting for our second of three photo ops, we found out the lift processing was running behind schedule. What’s worse, there would no longer be a third photo op because all of the escorts will have hit their duty time for the day at 4 pm. But at least by now Atlantis is already vertical and we would get to see the orbiter hanging. Inside the VAB, at level 16, we were level with the crane with Atlantis hanging below. Wow! The ET and SRB stack were visible in the next bay.

After spending around 30 minutes on level 16, we moved down to level 5 where we were eye level with the shuttle wingtip. Wow again! I was literally within spitting distance to Atlantis. While I was standing there next to the wing leading edge, I couldn’t help but think that it was the part that got damaged and caused Columbia’s demise. Leaning over the railing edge, I was so close that it was impossible to get a photo of the entire orbiter, even with my super wide-angle 10 mm lens. Everyone was just in awe of the sight of the shuttle hanging right in front of them; everyone had a snapshot of themselves taken. Just to think, this is the last time a space shuttle – any space shuttle - would be like this.

There was one event left for the day – the mating. Unfortunately, there were no more buses and tours to be had. Diehards stuck around for a chance to go on private tours in vans back to the VAB. I was not special enough for a private tour. At 6 pm, when the News Center closed shop, I packed up my stuff, said goodbye to the Press Site, and contemplated my two trips there. The trip was filled with stress, frustration, and disappointment. Not to mention added expense. But the excitement, history, and awe-inspiring sights outweighed all the negatives. Just to be part of history – that part alone – made it worthwhile. How often do you get to say, “I was there for the last (fill in the blank) of NASA’s Space Shuttle program”?

Confused about Space Shuttle processing flow? Here is a great overview diagram from the Visitor Complex:

On to Part 3.

Copyright 2011 Ben Wang. Photos and words may not be used without permission.

Learning the Three “R’s” Space Shuttle Style: Rollout, Rollback, Rollover (Part 1)

2011-05-30T16:18:00.001-07:00

No one ever said photographing a shuttle launch would be easy, nor did I expect that it would be. I should know. After all, I have worked in the space industry for the last 16 years – some of those years with the shuttle program – and launch delays are part of the business. But until I got my feet on the ground, I never realized how frustrating it would be. Frustrating. Yes, that pretty much sums it up.

Rollout

While at Cape Canaveral on a work trip in mid-March 2011, I had the opportunity to see Space Shuttle Endeavour rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to the launch pad for its final mission, STS-134. This is to be Endeavour’s last flight and the second to the last ever Space Shuttle flight. It was awe inspiring seeing powerful xenon spot beams lighting up the shuttle stack like a polished jewel against the darkness of night. This re-ignited my interest in the shuttle program. After seeing Endeavour rolling out, I thought why not make the experience whole and see the launch as well?

Endeavour after arriving at Pad 39A the next morning.

Crawler-Transporter near the entrance to Pad 39A after delivering Endeavour the previous evening.

Bonus: I also got (a not so good shot) of Discovery making its last landing on STS-133.

Anticipation

I arranged for a NASA mission media credential, with the goal of taking remote photos of the launch within the launch “danger zone” near the vicinity of the launch pad. I had previously seen and photographed two shuttle launches: STS-97 from the NASA Causeway (10 miles away from the launch pad) and STS-102 from the Banana Creek / Saturn V Viewing Area (3 miles away from the launch pad) - but I had never photographed a shuttle launch remotely.

So how does one “remotely” take photos of a launch? As I found out, there is not a single answer. Most build and design their own triggers, while others buy custom triggers. I figured perhaps camera makers make an accessory to remotely trigger a camera based on sound or maybe light. Sadly, the answer is no. After many hours spent researching and performing google searches, I settled on a custom timer-trigger made by T-minus Productions, based upon a recommendation by launch photographer Ben Cooper. This is how my particular timer-trigger works: the timer is set based upon the start and end of a launch window. At the start of the launch window, the timer turns on the camera. At this point, the trigger starts to listen for the launch at a pre-determined decibel level and then fire off the camera when it hears the launch. The camera will continue to shoot as long as there is sound and will stop when there is no longer sound.

The next question was – where to set up my camera? There are many options and areas to choose from. Based upon lighting at launch time and the photogenic quality in this shot, I decided to set up my shot there. The trigger can drive two cameras. With that being the case, why not setup two cameras and take two views…one wide showing the entire scene and one tight zoomed in on the shuttle itself?

Many sleepless nights ensued. What kind of lens should I use? Should I rent, borrow, or buy a third camera and lens? What if an alligator walks by and tips over the camera? What about debris and fallout from the launch itself? What about rain? Do I feel comfortable leaving my cameras out in the wild near a swamp for potentially a few days straight? I am constantly reminded of the story behind this shot showing the dangers of remote launch photography.

On travel day, I had two carry-ons (both camera bags) and two rolling suitcases (one with clothes, the other filled with three tripods). I was not a pretty sight arriving in Orlando in 90 degree plus heat with humidity with four bags in tow walking to my rental car.

Launch Minus One Day: Hurry Up and Wait

STS-134 was scheduled for launch on Friday, April 29^th. Remote camera setup was bright and early at 6 am on launch minus one day. There were no directions on what to do. Most, if not all of the photographers were old hands at this and I just played monkey see, monkey do. Everyone lined up their cameras and associated gear alongside waiting buses for bomb-sniffing dogs. As I later found out, buses take everyone to the same location first, and then rovers driving vans take photographers to other locations. This first location is known as the “mounds”, and it is a popular and favorite photo location for most. The mounds are located to the east of the launch pad immediately outside of the fence. Few mounds dot the area affording a clear view over the fence line. After arriving, photographers scramble to play “king of the mounds”.

A sophisticated Associated Press remote setup with antenna. Supposedly the setup transmits photos back to the Press Site immediately after launch, eliminating wait time for camera retrieval post launch.

View of Pad 39A from the mounds. The Rotating Service Structure (RSS) still has the orbiter itself covered up.

Rovers driving vans spend most of their morning shuttling higher priority photographers for wire services, such as AP or Reuters. Us amateurs wanting to setup from other locations had to wait patiently for a ride. While waiting, I ran into an old friend and fellow photographer Jean and his wife, Kanoko. Jean had photographed many shuttle launches and he was a sight for my sore eyes. Jean gave me pointers and explained how the whole thing works. It was a relief to finally gain some insight.

After showing our escort the shot I wanted, I found out the spot I needed to go to is known as the “pipeline” (who knew all of these spots had names?). Another group was waiting to go to the “dike”, across the swamp on the eastside. Yet another spot, on the backside of the pad, known as the “tracks”, was easy to get to and the journey was easily accommodated. I waited four hours at the mounds in the hot Florida sun before a van was able to take me and three other photographers to the pipeline.

Jean and I at the mounds.

Taking cover in the bus shade while waiting for the rover.

My remote shoot gear.

It was show time. We ducked under the nitrogen pipeline (so that’s where the name came from!), and ventured behind bushes and made a quarter mile hike to the shore of a creek. It was dry and muddy closer to the pad, where I wanted my camera angle. I could have positioned further down to the water, but the angle to the launch pad would have been too oblique. I chose the better pad angle instead. I set up my tripods, stakes, and cameras. It was easy, just like how I practiced the setup in my backyard.

Put the cameras on manual exposure and manual focus. Pre-focus. Tape the focus rings. Connect the timer-trigger, double check the launch windows on the timer, turn on the trigger, test fire the cameras. Click, click, click – both cameras go off – good. Turn off the trigger, making sure the timer is set on Auto. Double check – timer on Auto, right? Otherwise no photos! Bag the cameras.

The forecast called for rain that evening, so it was looking like my rigs would get their feet wet. I taped a garbage bag around my camera and tripod legs, leaving only the lens exposed. From my previous experience, I knew I could not leave the UV filter on my lens, otherwise I would get a nasty reflection from the bright rocket plume on the photo. Having a cup or hood around the lens is also not a good idea, because it would collect rainwater, creating a pool over the lens. So literally, the camera lens is totally exposed to the elements. After they are all set up, I walked away thinking: “did I forget anything?”

I had chosen white trash bags because they were the cheapest I could find. I later found out that white bags are better than black bags because animals and birds get into black bags looking for food (thinking they contain real trash).

View from my wide angle remote camera, about 0.6 miles from the pad. Lighting would have been better at launch time later in the day.

By noon, I was back at the Press Site where I met up my friend Sagar, a fellow photographer from my area. We explored the Press Site, toured the Lockheed Martin Orion display, and checked out the fancy Tweetup tent (all I got to say is those Tweeter winners received a nice prize from NASA – gift bags and fancy tours and all).

Sagar and I at the Press Site in front of the famous “big clock”. Pad 39A can be seen three miles away to the right of the clock.

NASA News Center at the Press Site.

Inside the News Center. When you are a noob like me, you sit on the floor!

Resident osprey nest in the parking lot at the Press Site.

Rollback

The next big event of the day was Rotating Service Structure (RSS) rollback. The RSS normally protects the orbiter (and obstructs the view of it) while the shuttle is on the pad. One day before launch, the RSS is rolled back, “unveiling” the orbiter and the entire shuttle stack. The rollback was scheduled to take place at 7 pm, right at dusk for some interesting lighting for photography. We joined the crowd lining up next to buses for a 5 pm scheduled departure. Then dark clouds moved in. We were told there was a phase 2 lightning warning. Everyone had to take cover either indoors, inside their cars, or on board buses. People tracked the passing storm on their iPhones and we could see the thunderstorm approaching from Titusville, to our west. Some hardcore photographers decided to ignore the lightning warning and setup their tripods outside to take lightning photos. The one thunderstorm cell became two. Two became three. All work on the launch pad stopped. We waited and waited. Us hearty souls waited in one of the buses and exchanged stories. We didn’t want to leave the Press Site for dinner in case the buses were ready to roll to the pad when the thunderstorms stopped. So we waited and waited. Dinner that night consisted of Snickers and trail mix from the vending machine with drinking fountain water. I would have had a Coke except the machine ran out. In the mean time, I was worried about my remote cameras. Did I tape the bags securely? What if the wind blew the bags off? Did the water level in the creek rise?

The VAB after one of the thunderstorms.

Finally, at 10:30 pm, everyone boarded buses and departed for the pad for RSS rollback, now scheduled for 11:30 pm, about 4 hours later than originally scheduled. There was a bit of jostling at the photo line across the crawlerway. If you didn’t get there fast enough, you wouldn’t get to set up your tripod in the front. Slowly, the RSS opened. Initially, it was barely perceptible, but it moved quickly after the RSS cleared the orbiter. I tried to take time elapsed shots, showing motion blur with the RSS moving. The entire rollback took around 30 minutes.

By the time my bus arrived back at the Press Site, it was after 1 am (by now – launch day). I got back to my hotel in Cocoa Beach at 2 am. I had been at the Press Site that day from 6 am to 1 am.

Motion blur shot of the RSS rolling back.

Since my good wide-angle lens was being used on the remote camera, I had to use my not-so-great backup lens with my backup camera (a 20D). I was not happy with the result. Frustrated, I put my S95 point-and-shoot on the tripod…and it got better photos than the 20D. Go figure.

Launch Day That Never Was

When I arrived at the Press Site at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) a couple days prior, I noticed a queue of ladders next to the bus boarding area. The number of ladders grew throughout the two days I was there…I had no idea what they were for until launch day. As it turned out, the ladders were in line for the astronaut walk out. Astronaut walk out is where the crew walks out of the Operation & Checkout (O&C) building, gives a wave to the crowd, and boards the Astrovan for the trip to the launch pad. The entire event is over in less than one minute. The ladders are used by photographers to get a view over the massive crowd looking towards the doorway where the astronauts walk out.

I was perfectly content with my front row view about 10 feet ahead of the Astrovan, away from the doorway. But near the doorway, it was a madhouse with a sea of people and ladders. After about 30 minutes of waiting with anticipation, the crew walked out, stopped in front of the van, waved for about 30 seconds, and hopped aboard the famous Airstream Astrovan. The motorcade was led by an unmarked police cruiser, the Astrovan itself, and followed by a NASA swat team armored vehicle. A security NASA Huey helicopter followed the motorcade.

Ladders waiting in line next to buses.

Crowd waiting for the crew to walkout of the O&C building to the Astrovan.

Helmets come out first.

Followed by the crew.

Right to left: Commander Mark Kelly, Pilot Gregory Johnson, Mission Specialists Michael Fincke, Roberto Vittori, Andrew Feustel, and Greg Chamitoff.

View looking towards the doorway where the crew walked out , and wire service cameras mounted in between pillars.

Mission stickers surround the doorway leading out the O&C building.

While on the bus heading back to the Press Site, I received a text message from a friend also attending the launch saying the launch had been scrubbed and they were detanking. I thought it was a joke. How can that be? I just saw the crew walk out; they are on the Astrovan headed to the pad.

On board the bus (I did not see this myself) someone noticed the Astrovan going the opposite direction back to the O&C building. After arriving back at the Press Site, we heard the official word that the launch had been scrubbed due to a hydrazine fuel line heater failure. It was unknown whether they would reattempt launch in 24, 48, or 72 hours. It was all dependent on the resolution of troubleshooting.

President Obama and the First Family had scheduled to come to KSC to watch the launch. Word had it that the President was still coming to tour the facilities despite the launch scrub. Hoping to get a photo of Air Force One landing, we tried to see if we could still make it. But we were told that we missed the sign up and it was not possible to go. We ended up watching Air Force One (C-32A, Boeing 757 variant) arrive from Alabama and land at the Cape Canaveral Skid Strip live on NASA TV. Two Marine One helicopters and two Sea Stallion helicopters ferried dignitaries from the Skid Strip to the Shuttle Landing Facility where they were picked up by motorcade to be taken to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). I was disappointed that they didn’t use the helipad next to the Press Site where I had positioned myself. Disgusted (after waiting all that time in the sun), I went back inside the News Center and didn’t bother to wait for the motorcade to come by. A couple hours later, again on NASA TV, we saw President Obama step aboard Air Force One (this time, a C-25A, Boeing 747 variant) and depart the Skid Strip for his next event in Miami. This caught everyone off guard – apparently the President had made an aircraft equipment change there at the Cape.

Presidential entourage flying over Pad 39A.

Presidential movement.

I went back to my hotel thoroughly disappointed – all that planning and setup and then a big let down. I found my travel partner friends (who also came out to watch the launch) enjoying themselves on the beach. I was glad they were able to have a good time despite the disappointment.

My friends Dave, Trevor, and Mark made the trek to Florida with me for the first launch attempt. Only I returned for the second attempt.

Waiting for the Unknown Ensues

The next morning, Saturday, it was still unknown whether the launch would be Sunday or Monday. Us remote photographers were allowed to go back to the sites to check up on our camera gear. It is known as “bagging”, where photographers bag their gear to protect their camera while waiting for the launch delay (my cameras were already bagged as part of my normal setup).

Remote cameras being bagged due to the launch slip.

Upon arriving at the pipeline, I was happy to see both of my cameras survived the thunderstorm the previous night. There was no water or residual moisture inside the bags. The tripod legs had some dried mud splatter and lenses had water spots. I cleaned off the lenses, checked the battery levels (still good), checked the timer (still had good times) and ensured the trigger still worked. I walked away relieved.

On Sunday afternoon, it was announced that the heater problem was caused by an electrical short in the aft load control assembly, a switch box in the shuttle’s aft compartment. The switchbox itself was to be replaced and retested, and new wiring installed to bypass the suspect wiring. This would be an extensive repair. The launch was now delayed one week to at least the following Monday, eight days later. The next morning, I retrieved my remote cameras. I stayed at the Cape to photograph an Atlas V launch on Friday. On that day, I found out STS-134 had been delayed officially to no earlier than May 16, ten days later.

I was able to setup a remote camera for the Atlas launch on the pad, about 500 feet away from the rocket. I had success…I was stoked! This boosted my confidence level that my remote shots were actually going to work for the shuttle!

After the Atlas launch on Saturday (itself delayed one day due to weather), I went home with plans to return for the next shuttle launch attempt.

On to Part 2.

Copyright 2011 Ben Wang. Photos and words may not be used without permission.

Hike to Axalp

2010-10-23T00:36:00.001-07:00

Getting there (and back) was really part of the fun!

Fliegerschiessen Axalp or Air Force Shooting Axalp is a two-day airshow where the main draws include Swiss Air Force fighter jets performing live fire demonstrations and the Swiss Air Force’s Patrouille Suisse demonstration team performing aerial acrobatics amidst the beautiful Swiss Alpine environment.

Of course we all have seen incredible photos from Axalp. What you never hear about is the arduous effort required in order to make the journey. This is that story.

Located in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland, Axalp is near the southeastern shore of Brienzersee (lake); about 9 miles east of the famous touristy city of Interlaken.

There were hints of what is to come. The official map posted on the Swiss Air Force website prior to the event notes the trip up to Axalp requires a combination of bus, ski lift, and hike. After the ski lift (“A” on the map), a one to two hour hike is required to reach the spectator areas (Spots 1, 2, and 3 on the map). Alternatively, you may skip the ski lift entirely and hike the entire way for two to three hours, noted as route “B” on the map. Buses start running at 5 am from the park and ride and 7 am from the train station in the town of Brienz (where we stayed). The actual flight demonstration starts at 2 pm and runs for 90 minutes.

Obvious questions. Why do buses start running at 5 and 7 am for a 2 pm airshow? Why is there a need for an alternate hike for the ski lift? The one hour hike after the ski lift should be easy, right? After all, this is a major public airshow, attended by thousands of people.

We shall find out.

Our journey started at the Brienz train station (elevation 1850 feet) at 7:30 am, where we purchased our CHF 35 (equivalent to USD $35 – the Swiss Franc and the US Dollar are about even) bus and ski lift ticket for the day. Earplugs and a map were issued. It was cold and the sun was not quite up yet and the entire region was overcast.

Waiting for the bus.

After waiting for about 15 minutes, we boarded the special Post Bus “Extrafahrt” and made the 40 to 60 minute journey to the mountain village of Axalp. The road up had switchbacks and was mostly single lane. Buses had to stop at pullouts to let opposite direction traffic pass.

Post Bus dropped us off in Axalp village at elevation 4800 feet, right at the tops of the cloud cover. It was sunny the rest of the way up. After a short ½ mile stroll, we got to the ski lift. There we stood a hour in line. A lot of people didn’t want to wait and decided to hike “Route B” all the way up. We decided to save our energy and wait in line for the ski lift. While waiting, we noticed a lot of people had walking sticks or ski poles. Hmmm.

Some people decided to walk all the way up (seen from the ski lift).

View towards the north, a cloud was covering Brienzersee.

The ski lift took us from 5050 feet to 6250 feet elevation over a straight-line distance of 0.6 miles. Straight-line distance doesn’t sound too impressive, but it was the elevation gain that mattered.
As our ride on the ski lift was coming to an end, the sheer cliff of Tschingel (Spot 2) was right in front of us. We could see a helicopter tail sticking over the edge at the top. We need to hike all the way up there??? To our right, about ½ mile away, we saw a line of people dotting a really steep mountainside. OMG…what are we getting ourselves into?!

From the top of the ski lift. Rest of the way to the cliff top would be by foot.

People dotting the moutainside, making their ascent.

Another 1000 feet of elevation gain was needed to get to the top. The hike would have been relative easy if it wasn’t for the uneven terrain, ankle busting potholes, and loose rocks everywhere. On day two, we hadn’t even made it to the steep climb and we saw an injured hiker being airlifted out by a Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopter.

The initial ascent was most difficult and it covered a distance of ¼ mile with a 500 feet gain. The slope started out at 30%, reaching to a maximum of 55% near the top. Many rest breaks had to be taken while on this climb.

On day two, while we were hiking this steep portion, we were greeted by F/A-18s and F-5s making their morning live fire practice runs. It was not easy climbing a steep mountain while fighter jets are shooting live ammo above you and trying to shoot video and not fall down the mountain.

Once at the top of this climb, we were at 6900 feet elevation and Spot 3 on the map, known as Brau. The famous orange shooting targets can be seen. We were greeted by the savory smell of food tents grilling sausages and music playing on loudspeakers. I couldn’t help but laugh. After going through that hike, how did they get all of this stuff up here?

At Spot 3. People are continuing their climb to Spot 2. Note orange targets at right. Spot 1 is in the distance at top center.

View of Spot 3.

But, our hike was not over yet. To borrow a term from my friend Bill, this spot is where the daisy pickers hang out. We needed to get closer to the top! We continued our ascent up to Spot 2, known as Tschingel, at elevation 7200 feet. The distance was relatively short at 0.3 miles, but the elevation gain was about 300 feet with a maximum slope of 40%.

Hike from Spot 3 to Spot 2.

People setting up camp at Spot 2.

Spot 1, known as KP Ebenfluh, was another 0.2 mile away and another 100 feet up at 7300 feet elevation. There is a building here containing a control tower and a heliport where the VIP transport helicopters arrived and departed. Emergency and rescue helicopters from Swiss Air Force SAR and Rega were parked in between Spots 1 and 2.

View of Spot 1. Note rescue helos.

VIP Super Puma helo transport arriving at Spot 1. Note control tower.

Spot 1 food tent and view towards Spot 2.

It only took about one hour to hike from the ski lift top up to the spectator area. Seemed a lot longer due to the high elevation and the difficult climb. After we claimed our spot on the hillside among thousands of other people, it was lunchtime. A lot of people brought picnics with them. Fondue was the most popular picnic. I guess some people rather carry their camping gas and stove up the mountain instead of a camera bag like me. You got to have your priorities!

Food stands and portable toilets (TOI TOI) were plentiful at each of the spectator spots. Of course one wonders how food was stocked at these stands? This was not your normal airshow after all. They can’t run back to the commissary or have the beer truck drive by to restock. Soon, this mystery was solved. A Swiss Air Force Eurocopter EC635 showed up with a crate underneath. It started making multiple trips from Spot 1 to Spots 2 and 3 delivering supplies to the food tents. If you happened to be near the food tent…take cover from the rotor wash! The leftover crates made for nice tables while eating.

Toilets and open air urinals with a view.

EC635 making food deliveries.

How much do you think lunch cost given the fact that it was transported up to the mountain by a helicopter? Not as much as you think! Bratwurst cost CHF 6 and beer cost CHF 4. So reasonably priced - it was the cheapest I have ever paid for airshow food!

Primary and backup cameras…check! Lunch…check!

The crowd line also doubled as clothline to dry off sweaty clothing from the climb.

There was plenty of time for napping before show start.

Massive hill side crowd at Spot 2.

The airshow started promptly at 2 pm with two F/A-18s making a low flyby and dispensing flares.

This was followed by F/A-18s and F-5s live fire demonstrations (supposedly unique in the world).

Click here for my video of the live fire demo (watch it in HD on full screen!).

Next, PC-21 trainer demo,

Super Puma helicopter demo (with flares),

F/A-18 solo demo (with lots of condensation),

and parascout demos.

The Patrouille Suisse closed the show with even more flares. I love these European airshows where flares are liberally used!

The airshow ended after 90 minutes. You can either stay and watch the VIP Super Puma helos depart or join the mass exodus down the mountain. We chose the former on day one, the latter on day two. On day one, as we trekked down on the steep incline from Spot 2 to Spot 3, we came across the SAR helo airlifting someone out. Since it was steep, the helo could not land; it had to lift the victim up by cable. We were caught in the rotor wash and I got a nice layer of dirt and dried grass in my partially opened camera bag and on my jacket.

After enjoying our bonus air rescue demo and thanking the Swiss Air Force for the pelting, we continued our journey down the same 55% slope we came up. Going down was a lot harder. Loose rock and holes were more treacherous going down. We had to take more breaks going down. It was not fun. By the time we got to the ski lift, the line was extra long. We decided to continue down the mountain to the village by foot. Luckily that part was on paved road. The entire walk down took two hours.

View down the mountain. Note a long line at the ski lift.

On day two, we decided to follow the other half of the crowd and take a different route down. It had a more gradual 20 to 30% gradient drop but took a longer route. It was 3.3 miles all the way down. Going the long way around also did not give us the option to use the ski lift if the line was short (since the trail does not go by the lift station). We had to commit walking all the way back to the village. Since we couldn’t use the lift the previous day and had walked all the way, we figured we could do it again. The trip down on the longer route also took two hours. It was an easier walk in term of the incline, but the trail near the top still had difficult terrain to navigate.

Passing by the shooting target on the way down.

At Axalp village, we were back in line again. Among the masses, we waited for an hour for the “Extrafahrt” Post Bus to take another one hour ride down the mountain through the switchbacks back to Brienz.

On day one, we were slower and took our time at the top after the airshow. We got back to Brienz at around 8:30 pm, about 13 hours after departure. On day 2, we were more efficient and returned at 6:30 pm, making it only an 11 hour day.

Our hotel in Brienz. We had room with a view of the Lake. Too bad we weren’t there during the day.

Set in an unique environment, Axalp is definitely a worthwhile trip for the aviation enthusiast – only if one has the physical stamina. If I ever go back, I will be taking a ride up on the Super Puma VIP helicopter!

Google Earth plot and elevation profile from our GPS track.

Collection of Other People’s UA 737 Trip Reports, Videos, Photos

2009-11-09T23:26:00.001-08:00

Cranky Flier’s Trip Report
Cranky Flier’s Videos
Trip report from “ORDnHKG” at flyertalk
Two excellent YouTube videos from “United737522”:
- Landing at SFO
- Final water cannon salute
Collection of water cannon salute photos by Kevin Marshall

Flying on United’s Last 737 Flight

2009-10-31T21:37:00.001-07:00

On October 28, 2009, I joined scores of enthusiasts and airline employees and flew on United Airlines’ last Boeing 737 flight (appropriately with flight number UA 737) from Los Angeles (LAX) to San Francisco (SFO). UA 737 farewell flight flew on an east to west routing stopping at United hubs along the way. The flight started the day in Washington Dulles (IAD) with stops in Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Denver (DEN), Los Angeles (LAX), before final destination of San Francisco (SFO).

As an aside - the 737 is affectionately known by pilots as the “guppy” due to the squat and pudgy appearance when compared against its contemporaries like the DC-9.

I arrived at United’s Terminal 7 at LAX with plenty of time to spare, as I wanted to get flight UA 737 arriving from Denver. There were some worries earlier in the day regarding her flight status due to Denver being hit with a large snow storm. Apparently this did not deter the flight from being on time, even with the deicing process.

Arrival screen:

Showing an on time departure to SFO:

Ground staff was still setting up the Gate 70 area when I arrived. When compared to other gates, Gate 70 was a good location in terms of lighting and views to the ramp. Some forethought was made in choosing this gate, I’m sure.

The reception table at the gate was set up with cookies and drinks along with 737 photos. People got a big kick out of the crab figurine on the table.

Flight UA 737 arrived at Gate 70B shortly after 3 pm. I managed some good photos as N331UA taxied up to the gate. Excitement was felt all around - both on the ramp and at the gate. Rampers, gate agents, and other employees gathered to have their photos taken in front of the old guppy.

The ORD-DEN-LAX-SFO segments were flown under the command of Captain Robert Russo. Capt. Russo, who loves the hand-flying qualities of the 737, had decided long ago that whenever United retires the 737, he would retire as well. As a result, this flight will also be Capt. Russo’s last commercial flight.

Departure monitors displays at the gate noted this special occasion for both the 737 and for Capt. Russo. There was an aura of excitement all around. Since flight UA 737 was offered for sale by United just like any other flight, some passengers did not realize that they had booked on a special flight and had to be explained of the significance of this flight.

21 standbys were trying to fill 18 remaining seats. I’m pretty sure all of them were employees trying to be part of their company’s history.

Of course, I had to get my photo taken in front of the guppy!

Boarding commenced on time at 4:37 pm, 30 minutes prior to departure. Boarding was done in the same order as any other United flight: Global Service/1K/First Class followed by Premier Executive followed by Seating 1, when I boarded.

Next to the boarding door, there were stickers from each hub signed by employees. People stopped to take photos of the stickers.

After speaking briefly with Robin from United Media Relations, I made my way on board to take photos of the pilots, Capt. Russo and First Officer Fletcher. I introduced myself to Capt. Russo and told him I was working on an article for Airliners Magazine. The captain perked up and said he was a charter lifetime member of the magazine. He enthusiastically posed for my photo!

I made my way to my seat 18F. A memorabilia packet consisting of a 737 trading card, 737 factsheet, and 737 last flight certificate had been placed at each seat. The cabin and seat condition on this aircraft was surprisingly clean and nice, as opposed to some tired and worn out United 737s I had flown previously. The audio system was working and sound quality and volume were actually nice and clear, absent of the buzzing typically heard on my other United 737 flights (when it was working, of course). United had to be commended for using elbow grease spiffying up this aircraft for the last flight. I had only two complaints about my seat. One of the windows had dried water spots inside the window pane, making photography out the window difficult to impossible. The other complaint, the bottom back seat fabric of the seat in front of me did not stick on the seat, creating a “skirt” in my foot and carry on space.

Throughout the boarding process, the purser made announcements about the significance of this flight for both the 737 and Capt. Russo. Shortly before departure, Capt. Russo made a routine announcement about the flight time and weather to San Francisco (one hour four minutes, 70 degrees, clear skies). This was followed by a formal remark by another Captain regarding Capt. Russo’s retirement and the 737s retirement, which concluded with applause from the passengers.

Channel 9 (Air Traffic Control radio on the in-flight audio entertainment system) was available, as one would expect on this historic flight.

At 4:38 pm, we pushed back from gate 70B, one minute behind scheduled departure time. A “real” safety demonstration was performed by the flight attendants - something unique on the 737 since United guppies do not have a video system. Rampers took photos of us as we taxied out. We were given instructions to taxi on the north route to Runway 24L. As I later found out, this disappointed many spotters staked out at Imperial Hill (at the south complex) hoping for a Runway 25 departure.

We made a long taxi to 24L, riding the “50 yard line” parallel to Tom Bradley International Terminal and then passing north terminals 3 through 1.

At 4:51 pm, we taxied on to 24L. An Air France 777-200 zoomed past us landing on 24R. The guppy then made a spirited run down the runway, rotating next to the Air France triple holding short for us.

We turned right to the north towards San Francisco.

We had light turbulence on the way to cruising altitude and the flight attendants were asked to stay in their seats a bit longer.

The first officer announced that we would be receiving a water cannon salute upon arrival at SFO. He explained the tradition behind this and told everyone not to be concerned.

Along the way, other flights heard our flight number on the radio and recognized the significance of our flight from newspaper articles. They offered us best wishes.

Cabin service started from the rear. It was beverage service only, as one would expect on the shuttle flight. There was no special snack or meals to mark the special occasion.

The mood was festive. Photos were clicking off everywhere and people were mingling around.

Plaques were awarded to two passengers – one for the most ~~annual~~ miles (one million plus miles lifetime ~~in one year~~) and another for most SFO-LAX segments (31 segments in one year). The winners were thanked for their loyalty to United. Three random seats were chosen where the winners received the Age of Flight history book about United. One of the winners sat in the row behind me – darn – so close! Members of the travel forum flyertalk were also asked to identify themselves where they received an additional small momento from the flight.

The drink cart made its way to the back to the rear galley with flight attendants offering “last call” along the way.

Final cruising altitude was 28,000 feet. We slowly made our descent over Monterey Bay, towards the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Norcal Approach then told us to expect a 45 minute delay into San Francisco. There was a moment of silence followed by a question of the reason. The approach controller then told us it was a joke and just wanted the Captain to hear that one last time. This was met with laugher all around!

We are chasing the setting sun, appropriately so.

Descending over the Sunnyvale, Mt. View, and Moffett Field:

Over San Francisco Bay and the Dumbarton Bridge:

At SFO’s Runway 28L, an airport mobile unit along with United photographers was told of our approach progress. At 5:55 pm, we touched down on 28L, rolling past the Super Bay and large tanks marked “S F O” for the last time. Everyone on board applauded. SFO Tower gave us some words of congratulations before handing us off to Ground.

Above photo copyright Mark Durbin

Click for Flightaware track of UA 737 from LAX to SFO

We taxied around the “finger” at Terminal 3 to the back side between Terminal 3 and International Terminal G. We held short of the awaiting fire engines presumably for more photos. We then slowly taxied up to find not just two fire engines but FOUR giving us our dousing! I have never seen (or heard of) a quadruple water cannon salute! Everyone applauded once again. The Ground controller remarked “that is now one clean 737!”

Above photo copyright Mark Durbin

All four fire trucks leaving ramp after spraying us off:

We pulled into gate 72 and wheels stopped at 6:02 pm, three minutes behind schedule.

Announcements were made for passengers to thank Capt. Russo for his service. The purser thanked everybody for their enthusiasm making this flight so memorable. She remarked not all flights go like this.

Passengers slowly made their way off the aircraft. The real travelers just wanted to get off into the terminal, while enthusiasts just got in their way. Finally, the crowd thinned out. Good number of diehards remained on board to get Capt. Russo to sign items or to take photos of the last passenger off the plane (who himself was taking photos with the flight attendants in the rear galley).

Flight attendants were accommodating handing out fresh Safety Cards and additional last flight certificates as souvenirs. I, along with others, posed for photos next to the door stickers and waited for the crew to finish up and gather for a group photo.

Capt. Russo and the crew finally made it off the plane. The captain signed next to the ORD sticker next to the door, shook hands and made his way to the gate.

At the gate, he was met with an enthusiastic chant “Russo, Russo…” by the crowd gathered at there. Capt. Russo made a short speech, cut two cakes – one in honor of him and the other in honor of the 737. The good captain was unable to enjoy the cake as he was busy shaking hands and signing people’s stuff.

In the end, N331UA sat all by herself at the gate, unattended.

The next day, she and another sistership would be ferried to Victorville for desert storage, ending 41 years of 737 service at United Airlines.

I thoroughly enjoyed this flight and thank United Airlines putting on this event celebrating a milestone in their history. The guppy can go down in history with dignity. Kudos goes out to the United ground and in-flight staff for accommodating the enthusiasts. A personal note, though – I won’t miss flying on the United 737s. :)

Happy trails, Captain Russo!

Unless otherwise noted, all photos copyright Ben Wang, and may not be used without permission.

Memorabilia from Flight UA 737

2009-10-31T20:18:00.001-07:00

Collection of memorabilia from flight UA 737, United’s last 737 flight.

737-300 safety card, boarding pass, last flight certificate, and 737 trading card, all signed by Capt. Russo.

Last flight certificate.

Last flight dispatch paperwork signed by Capt. Russo.

Unless otherwise noted, all photos copyright Ben Wang, and may not be used without permission.