20100824

Unplanned photos are the best

My major project at work is starting to wrap up - so I have some more free time to get out and take pictures. There were rumors of a unique plane coming through Phoenix on the 2nd, so I took the day off to take pictures at the airport.

The rumored plane didn't show - but I stuck around to see what else went on during a weekday (since normally only get out to the airport on weekends or in the evening).

I was rewarded almost immediately when one of the Air National Guard KC-135's took off - right past my vantage point in the Terminal garage. [click any of the pictures below to see the image at full size].

Arizona Air National Guard Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker-9387

Then I caught the daily Hawaiian Airlines flight to Honolulu (this is the 2nd largest passenger airplane that regularly operates in and out of Sky Harbor).

Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 767 just lifting off

But the airplane I was the happiest to see flying - was the Honeywell 757 Engine Test bed. It took off and flew racetrack patterns for a couple of hours before returning to Phoenix.

Honeywell Flight Test Boeing 757

I had gotten fleeting pictures of this plane before - but never its right hand side - where the extra test engine is mounted. The slideshow includes some of these older pictures - as well as pictures of the Boeing coming back into its parking place (directly off the runway).



Definitely a great way to spend a day taking pictures.

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