Totally Jacked Up Aircraft Photos: November 2012

Monday, November 26, 2012

Mistaken Identity - Will The Real N642SW Please Come Forward.

There is nothing wrong with your computer screen. See, while "The best of the rest" aviation photos are our stock in trade, this photo is extra-special. And, here is why.

See, while this happy Boeing 737 is plowing the skies innocuously registered N642SW, it is in fact, really N642WN. N642SW is actually a Piper PA-24-250 Comanche registered to the Georgia Corporation.

What makes this even more interesting is if the cops caught you doing this on your vehicle, they would assume it is stolen, and take your car away.

Thanks to Michael Dawson for the info and the photo from our very own, sunny LAX.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Long Live The Dobbs Lot!

Memories of The Way It Once Was. Photo by "CL"

Not that long ago, at an airport which seems like a Billion miles away now, there was once the spotting Mecca of Los Angeles International Airport for those "In The Know." The Dobbs Lot.

This parking lot belonged to the now defunct inflight-catering company Dobbs, and it was right up against the fence, allowing totally unobstructed, close-up viewing of all the movements on the North Complex (Taxiway Alpha-Alpha, AA, had not been built yet). You got to watch every takeoff, and every arrival had to taxi-back right in front of you, so you saw absolutely EVERYTHING.

The Dobbs Lot was a hit with aviation fans of all types, from children, to the curious, to the registration collectors, to the photographers. I myself spent many a days spotting from The Dobbs. It was a destination unto itself.

I don't recall the year it died, but an era did indeed pass when some City Idiot figured the lot would be a fine place to park all of the Los Angeles World Airport (LAWA) shuttle buses. It was, as we all experienced, the beginning of the end of creative spotting at LAX.

And, in the Post 9-11 world, we witnessed the rise of an army of complete assholes known as the Airport Police.

True story, folks.

Dobbs Lot - R.I.P.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Another Tick Of The Clock - Another Birthday.

Out Bicycling In An attempt to Remain Ever-Young, Carpinteria, California, 2012

Yes, it's our Founder's Birthday again. One small tick of the calendar, one giant tick of the Hobbs Meter on the old airframe, um, body.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Our Salute To The Magnificent Lockheed L-1011 And The United States Marine Corps.

Pilot's Overhead Panel

One cold night in January 2007, American Trans Air (ATA) L-1011, registration N164AT, arrived with a load of Marines from HNL. Being the ATA maintenance staff at the time, we were thrilled to finally get our hands on one of their Lockheed's, since to that point, we had been subsisting on a steady diet of Boeing 737-800's, 757-200's and 757-300's.

The flight crew were gracious enough to give us the V.I.P. tour of every part of the Old Gal, from tip to stern. We crawled through spaces in the fuselage we never thought we could, and yes, you pretty much can move the whole length of the plane completely under the floor. From a maintenance standpoint, she is a dream.

Also, the young lads deplaning were all in full uniform with packs and weapons. It was kinda' cool to see a whole plane load of armed passengers for a change.

Shot location: ONT