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Spotting in airplane paradise: Hong Kong!

 
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jbalonso777
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 04, 2014 10:02 pm    Post subject: Spotting in airplane paradise: Hong Kong! Reply with quote

Hey all
This will be a 4 part thread, with plenty of pictures of aviation!
Do let those comments / criticisms drop in! Very Happy

EVENING SPOTTING FROM THE SKYDECK - 23RD AUGUST
So while Mum was being 'social' and Dad was watching 'Rush' on their tablets, I ran up to the Aviation Discovery center. A HK$15 ticket to the SkyDeck. I had my smaller 18-105 mm lens that evening, so the pictures might not be all that good, I do apologize...

Anyways, as the lift door opened, I certainly did enter.....heaven! The mammoth HKIA structure had oh so many planes around! The first plane I saw was a red tail with yellow stripes on it - yes, the Air India B787! Very Happy
There was also the customary ANNOYING UL plane. An A332 to BKK and of course, CMB.
Also, there were so many people, all with massive lenses! And tablets, tracking the planes' arrivals. I sure felt underpowered....
Now, let the pictures do the talking Smile


So I was saying....


Isn't this such a lovely feast to the eyes?!




B-6096, A333 of Shanghai Airlines from...come on Wink (FM837)


Such variety.....


B-HLJ, A333 of Dragonair from Nanjing (heavily delayed flight KA811)


N725AN, B77W of American from Dallas (AA137). Curiously, she went and parked at a remote stand. Jet doesn't do that in HKG.....just saying.


Bus, taxi, MTR...


B-HLP, A333 of Cathay Pacific from Sydney (CX162)


3 A380s! One off to CDG, one off to DXB, one off to BKK and then to DXB


B-HSK, A320 of Dragonair from Haikou (KA693)


Mismatched cowling much?


All of a sudden, there were a million camera clicks when she arrived!
VH-OQK, significantly delayed A380 of Qantas from Sydney (QF127)


Oh, look who tried to hide!


Cargo arrivals on the other side...everyone ran that way!


B-HLN, A333 of Cathay Pacific inbound from Taipei (CX405)


Quite a scene!


B-LAA, A333 of Dragonair from Naha (KA379)


Destroyed the colors a bit to get the tails Neutral


PAL A343 to Manila...must be!


N222UA, B772 of United from ORD, later to SIN (UA895)


Maybe the first McDonnell Douglas aircraft....surely not the last! Wink


Oh, I see you!


The sun is setting for the Boeing 747 Sad


Yeah, please go away Smile I'm so happy Smile


B-5219, B73G of Xiamen Airlines from Jinjiang (MF8001)


Head to head!


Wow....



Maybe the second McDonnell Douglas aircraft....surely not the last! Wink


Our soon to be hotel! Very Happy


9N-ACA Nepal Airlines B752 from Kathmandu. Perhaps, I was on this plane in 1996...or on ACB. (Since the other 757s were delivered in 1998..)


Beautiful, isn't it?


N178UA, B744 of United from San Francisco. UA869. Fantastic bird!


B-LAX, A333 of Cathay Pacific from Bangkok as CX654. She'd later fly to BOM...


Well, well, well! Very Happy
B-16408, Boeing 747-400M operating flight BR871 from Taipei! Will this be my bird in a few days? Or will it be sister bird B-16409? Or will it swapped to something else? Crying or Very sad


Don't fly into the sunset, 747 Sad


B-18303, A333 of China Airlines from....Taipei. CI919 is quite late....


Oh, aren't you too cute?
RP-C3275/6 A320-200 of Cebu Pacific from Manila as 5J118

And the last but not least....

9V-SQN, Boeing 777-200ER of Singapore Airlines from..you know this Razz as SQ872.

It got really dark now, and it was almost 1900 hours, so it was time to check in for the flight to Taipei Smile

More to come!
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sumantra
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 04, 2014 10:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for such a lovely part 1! I am still not done with reading all the TRs I had missed (which include three of yours), but I just could not resisit looking up this post. I presume that the SkyDeck is at T1, close to the MTR station. I did not know that there was a spotting paradise right outside. I think I'll try this out some time. It would also be time well spent, since the Air India counter for instance, opens 3 hours before the scheduled departure only. I am also curious as to what parts 2, 3 and 4 will contain, given that it got dark here. Of course, this may be a stupid question, since I do not have the background on the trip, from your TR.
Cheers, Sumantra.
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sabya99
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 04, 2014 11:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jishnu, you have a strong potential to be a good photo journalist. Keep posting all your picture, we will enjoy.
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vivekman
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 05, 2014 9:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice set of pictures, Jishnu!

HKG is truly a spotter heaven. Can't wait to go back there... Very Happy

Cheers,
Vivek
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Nimish
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 05, 2014 12:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

sabya99 wrote:
Jishnu, you have a strong potential to be a good photo journalist. Keep posting all your picture, we will enjoy.


Sabya has accurately summarized my feelings as well - brilliant pics and commentary to go with them. Thanks for sharing!
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jbalonso777
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 05, 2014 5:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you ALL for your quick replies! Its really very encouraging! Very Happy

sumantra wrote:
I am still not done with reading all the TRs I had missed (which include three of yours), but I just could not resisit looking up this post.

Even if you do take your next sabbatical (PLEASE DONT!), I do hope its after you've read all my TRs...I really need to cut down on the content, so that its easier for all of you to read...

sumantra wrote:
I presume that the SkyDeck is at T1, close to the MTR station. I did not know that there was a spotting paradise right outside. I think I'll try this out some time.

SkyDeck is located in the Aviation Discovery Center, which is located in the SkyPlaza of T2. But yes - very close to the MTR Airport station. I do suggest you (and anyone else!) to visit this, although I'd say be prepared for the heat, since there is no shelter from the sun...and bad luck if it rains Sad One can spend hours and hours here...worth it for the HK$15!

sumantra wrote:
I am also curious as to what parts 2, 3 and 4 will contain, given that it got dark here. Of course, this may be a stupid question, since I do not have the background on the trip, from your TR.

As every professor/teacher (Wink) has told me: there is no such thing as a 'wasted' or a 'stupid' question! Frankly, I haven't mentioned anything much about the trip in detail right at the beginning, I'm just going with the flow by posting these one at a time! To (probably) burst your bubble: the next parts are day time pictures from 3 different locations. For that, I need you to wait Very Happy
Thank you for your support, I do hope you reach my TRs soon! Very Happy

Nimish wrote:
sabya99 wrote:
Jishnu, you have a strong potential to be a good photo journalist. Keep posting all your picture, we will enjoy.


Sabya has accurately summarized my feelings as well - brilliant pics and commentary to go with them. Thanks for sharing!

Sabya, Nimish, thank you ever so much for your comments! I really do appreciate these a lot! Very Happy And yes, there is plenty to come, so do stay tuned!

vivekman wrote:
Nice set of pictures, Jishnu!

HKG is truly a spotter heaven. Can't wait to go back there... Very Happy

Cheers,
Vivek

Hey Vivek, thank you for your compliment! Very Happy

Let me tell you - I honestly feel I did not make most of the situation I had in Hong Kong airport. In 2010, it was raining heavily, so I really did not take too many pictures.
Here are some which I took back then:






Clearly, not much done back then. And despite the better weather, more spotting sessions, better photography equipment AND a cleaner image sensor (Rolling EyesEmbarassed) in 2014, I'm still hungry for more! That's the avgeek kicking in, lol.

Thank you all for your support!
I will post the rest of the parts very soon!
Keep the comments coming! Very Happy

Regards
Jish
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sumantra
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 05, 2014 7:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jbalonso777 wrote:
...I really need to cut down on the content, so that its easier for all of you to read
No, please do not, under any circumstances. We all want the quality...in quantity! Please do not cut down on anything, Sir.

jbalonso777 wrote:
SkyDeck is located in the Aviation Discovery Center, which is located in the SkyPlaza of T2. But yes - very close to the MTR Airport station. I do suggest you (and anyone else!) to visit this, although I'd say be prepared for the heat, since there is no shelter from the sun...and bad luck if it rains Sad One can spend hours and hours here...worth it for the HK$15!
Jishnu, I think I confused T2 with the Satellite terminal, and now given your directions, I think I know the place you are talking about. This wasn't there on my first visit (2001), but it was definitely around on my 2010 visit, and then, my 2011 transit while going to Beijing. I never suspected this to be a spotter's paradise, and more so, given the over-priced and over-hyped attractions in Hong Kong, I had thought the Aviation Discovery Centre as just `one of those'.

jbalonso777 wrote:
To (probably) burst your bubble: the next parts are day time pictures from 3 different locations. For that, I need you to wait Very Happy
Thank you for your support, I do hope you reach my TRs soon! Very Happy

No Sir, this does not burst any bubble, it makes me look forward to keeping a close eye on this thread, even more! Wow - 3 different locations! I guess you may have studied all spotter-related documents on the Internet in great detail, and done some great spotting. Your Papa is a grand aviation photographer himself: please share gems from his camera, as well.
Thanks, Sumantra.
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jbalonso777
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 07, 2014 5:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sumantra sir, thank you for your words of encouragement!
Unfortunately, these cut downs are inevitable, however, I'll try my best and ensure that they won't be obvious! I have to do this because of demands in school: university application processes are underway!

T2 is an exact replica of T1 check in area, without the Wright Flyer mock up and lesser check in areas. T2 is used by a handful of airlines (including 9W), only for check. Then the Automated People Mover takes them to T1, and the awesome airside! The satellite terminal is connected via a shuttle bus from T1, more on this in the BR1852 HKG-TPE TR.

Dad? Wow, he was a life saver! He did a fantastic job in Session 2, more on this when I post it Smile

Regards
Jish
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sumantra
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 07, 2014 6:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jbalonso777 wrote:
I have to do this because of demands in school: university application processes are underway!
All the best, Sir!

jbalonso777 wrote:
The satellite terminal is connected via a shuttle bus from T1, more on this in the BR1852 HKG-TPE TR.
I have experienced this once Sir, with an awesome feeling of being close to the sea-side runway while boarding, and descending from an Air China A320.
19. North By Northwest...er, AI and CA: Beijing, 2011 Part 1
http://airlinersindia.s4.bizhat.com/airlinersindia-ftopic12348.html
21. Eats, Shoots, and Leaves: Beijing, 2011 Part 3
http://www.airlinersindia.s4.bizhat.com/airlinersindia-ftopic12452.html
Those unique shuttle buses, which can go either way, `forward; or `backward'! I have experienced this only once though, in 2011.
The satellite terminal itself is not very impressive, at least, the areas that I saw.

[quote=jbalonso777"]Dad? Wow, he was a life saver! He did a fantastic job in Session 2, more on this when I post it Smile[/quote]
Sir, it will be great to hear from your Papa again! We are missing him on this forum.
Cheers, Sumantra.
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jbalonso777
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 6:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

sumantra wrote:

Sir, it will be great to hear from your Papa again! We are missing him on this forum.
Cheers, Sumantra.


Sir, the contribution from Dad in the upcoming part is unbelievable. I shall put up the next part, very soon! Very Happy

Regards
Jish
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 7:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

MORNING SPOTTING FROM THE COMFORTS OF A HOTEL ROOM - 26TH AUGUST
It will be a lie if I said - I was sick of the airport life. Living this life, albeit for 3/4th of a day was some experience! The airport was there as our restaurants, convince stores, business centers, etc, while the airport hotel was there for our accommodation and shower. Entertainment? The view through the massive window of the hotel room! It was simply staggering! God, what I would've given to stay in that room for a few more days! I was living the perfect airport life of a traveller - something we all avgeeks love and dream of!

I woke up the next morning, around 0800 hours. I heard a rather faint mooo of the GE90s. This was Singapore Airlines' SFO-HKG-SIN SQ1 flight, preparing to head back to SIN. A significantly delayed EK A332 took off from Runway 7 Left, so that meant, the plane would go just above the hotel room - not good! With the SKyDeck opening only at 1100 hours, this weren't looking rosy. However, 7L became the key landing runway, which I preferred, while 7R became the take off runway. Good so far. I slept for another half an hour before actually waking up - this time to see that my camera battery was only at 68% - not enough for 3 spotting sessions and 2 flights! I put that for charge, and used Dad's much heavier camera. It took me quite some time to cope with it. Enough with the jabber, here are the pictures! Very Happy


DL A332 to SEA


CX plane - different one from last night. She came in from MXP and would later go off to JFK!






Macau ferry - the TurboJet

Soon, it was time for the first Indian plane of the day. 9W78 from DEL, the A332 made me smile




After the NZ 772 picture, disaster struck as my fingers on the left hand started to get constant cramps due to handling of a heavy camera (heavier than mine) and an even heavier lens! Dad took over. Dad took the pictures while I updated him on the incoming birds using FR24 on my laptop. Mum was a spectator as at the end of the day, she managed to identify: An A320, A321, A330-200, A330-300, A340-600, A380, 737-800, 747-400, 777-200 and a 777-300! Come on, props to Mum, she did an amazing job when she told me - Jish, Jet Airways A330-...er..200 is turning in! (That was the BOM flight!) This is what happens when you spend a night in the hotel room with avgeeks Razz


No prizes for guessing where she came from!


One from TPE arrives, another one leaves


How much would I love walking over there?!



Always fun to catch special liveries! Smile




The longest! Smile






That's from Taichung, the 747 is from Taipei Smile


Only Dad can think of images like this..



From Saigon




Face off!


From Kota Kinabalu




This is SQ857..the bird comes in from SIN at night, stays in HKG overnight before going back to SIN at 0905 in the morning




Living the airport life Smile






That KLM cargo bird was only a sign of things to come Smile




CX bird landed in from Chennai!


THERE'S SO MUCH!!!!!


In the midst of the excitement, Mum said to me - the Jet A332 is turning in! Smile



Wait a minute, there are no ground vehicles next to the 77W...does this mean....













YES! She goes! Off to JFK, the long flight!
And when she went, it was all quiet in the room as the majestic GE90s were brought into life!



That angle? I never would've thought. Only Dad can.



747 - done!
380 - done!
767 - next on the list


She's still beautiful, even if they are hairdryers Smile




First BR MD90 of the day!


And then the BR 77W pops in Rolling Eyes


Still have to pinch myself - I have been on a similar plane! Very Happy




Where will you be parked?
Dad and I became 5 year olds mentally as we saw this beauty taxi in..right in front of our hotel room! Very Happy












HKG is Mecca for all 747 fans! Very Happy




UA 772 from SIN, would later fly to ORD




Who needs beautiful scenery, when there are beautiful airplanes?! Very Happy




Korean Air blue of KLM blue?
KLM for me Smile






Quick check of the time - it was 1030 already!
A very productive spotting session came to a close as I packed my stuff, organized everything and got ready for the day: which will now include 2 more spotting sessions, and 2 flights!
In the next part - I'm back at the SkyDeck!

Regards
Jish
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Last edited by jbalonso777 on Tue Oct 07, 2014 8:27 pm; edited 1 time in total
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sumantra
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 12:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sir, thanks for yet another mesmerising session to view the goodies from you and Mr. Basu Senior, whom we miss on this forum after his one exotic trip report, and the sneak-peak pictures you show us from his photographic equipment! You are lucky to have Aviation geeks in your family: the fact that your Mummy can identify so many different types of planes speaks volumes about the aviation-related interest in the family. This is really amazing. You had us glued to the screen, waiting for the action to envelope before our eyes. You also had some interesting breaks, which added to the anticipation of the beholder. Amazing, and looking for ward to much more!
Cheers, Sumantra.
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jbalonso777
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 4:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sumantra sir, thank you so much for your reply! I remember Dad has quite a backlog to complete too, he's flown way too much since the TR he wrote, including 12-13 flights in a week, and then a few flights on AI and 9W here and there, there's easily 30 odd flights....there is plenty to go through, wow!

Yes, we've converted Mum into an avgeek, next up is the most disinterested person in aviation: big brother. This will be a huge effort for all of us, so we might as well give up even before trying. He said the 787 (flew that on DEL-CCU-DEL) was too darn quiet - now if he criticizes even the most comfortable aspect of flying...what can one do? Razz

Once again, thank you so much for your lovely and kind words! Very Happy

Regards
Jish
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Nimish
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 4:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Amazing pictures Jishnu - what a treat! Thanks for sharing Smile
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jbalonso777
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 8:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks so much, Nimish...sir! Very Happy
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 9:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Continued here: http://airlinersindia.s4.bizhat.com/viewtopic.php?p=140605#140605
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 4:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Shocked Shocked Shocked Shocked Shocked

wow
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