Spotting Air Force One this week in Canberra

[harvyk]

The Snows must be so proud - after years of calling it 'Canberra International Airport' I just watched a Delta aircraft arrive at CBR...

There's already a decent crowd parked outside Toys-R-Us, most with massive telephoto lenses and tripods that make it embarrassing to stand by the fence with an iPhone and take photos.

So your thinking Toys-R-U is the place to be?

 

[Flying Fox]

Didn't see the footage, but if it's the servo at the airport they'd prob need to sign the country over to afford the petrol, that place ain't cheap...

Signing the USA over? Given their debt levels, I think that cash would be better

 

[jamesatfish]

So your thinking Toys-R-U is the place to be?

It's probably one of the closest ground-side vantage points where you have line-of-sight to the apron in front of Fairbairn terminal. The fact that there have been police-types camped out on the roof of Toys-R-Us for a day or so is probably confirmation enough.

Personally I am thinking of heading to CBR terminal itself and using the Virgin anytime access to watch the aircraft land from there. Given that aircraft are using runway 17 today and the taxiway from the end of 17 runs on the commercial terminal side not the Fairbairn side, Air Force 1 (and all other POTUS associated aircraft) will have to taxi directly past the windows of the Virgin lounge.

 

[harvyk]

It's probably one of the closest ground-side vantage points where you have line-of-sight to the apron in front of Fairbairn terminal. The fact that there have been police-types camped out on the roof of Toys-R-Us for a day or so is probably confirmation enough.

Personally I am thinking of heading to CBR terminal itself and using the Virgin anytime access to watch the aircraft land from there. Given that aircraft are using runway 17 today and the taxiway from the end of 17 runs on the commercial terminal side not the Fairbairn side, Air Force 1 (and all other POTUS associated aircraft) will have to taxi directly past the windows of the Virgin lounge.

Any chance you could take a guest? I've just sent you a PM...

 

[spentan]

apparently will be coming into CBR from South

 

[jamesatfish]

Apologies again to harvyk - sadly POTUS landed as we were being subject to explosives testing at security, so we didn't get the view I had hoped. And of course between the Delta press aircraft landing and AF1 the winds shifted and they ended up coming in on 35 as spentan mentioned, so double whammy.

Big thanks to the desk staff at the VA lounge though - allowed 4 of us in under anytime access rules on one Platinum membership so we could get a slightly better view of the VC-25 as it parked over at Fairbairn.

 

[serfty]

FWIW, DJ WP are permitted 3 guests anytime.

 

[jamesatfish]

FWIW, DJ WP are permitted 3 guests anytime.

Thanks serfty - I had just assumed the rules were the same as the old QF system and made sure my wife bought her card along just in case.

 

[harvyk]

Apologies again to harvyk - sadly POTUS landed as we were being subject to explosives testing at security.

That's ok jamesatfish... Personally I blame the president for arriving 20 minutes early...

 

[trooper]

I was heading over to Majura Business Park (yep, where Toys-is-them is located) and pulled up over in that back car park just in time to get a nice view of the landing...

Sorrry... no camera with me.... but I'm sure the media will saturate the airwaves with video tonight....

The DL 772 was a nice unexpected treat... that must be a first for CBR... and the sound of the F-18's above the clouds was a nice background....

I had been at Fairbairn park just prior... the AFP on site suggested getting out of there by 3 pm if I didn't want to get stuck... Was certainly sound advice!

Have NO IDEA why Majura Rd (northbound) was closed though.... heading back to the city there was a solid jam from the Majura Park servo roundabout all the way back to the Campbell Park turn off...:shock:....damn glad I was going the other way!

 

[elbarto]

Here are some pics I took of the approach from work in Symonston and then at CBR on my way home.

http://flic.kr/s/aHsjwWuWim

 

[vertisol]

we got in at 5pm on QF957 from BNE after a family holiday. The captain did a slow cruise past the Delta plane and another Australian registered jet sitting alongside it (not sure what that was)? AF1 was a bit further away and the poor little camera on my phone couldn't do it justice from seat 4C.

 

[Carlous Moochous]

I got some good photos on Wednesday night from both the CarPark near Costco and the Brindabella Business Park area.. Havent got the time to repost them here but they are on my blog at Air Force One in Canberra

Was great to see so much activity in Canberra - If only it had this much heavy traffic on a regular basis (oh yeah and on planes we can actually book tickets on)

 

[Carlous Moochous]

The DL 772 was a nice unexpected treat... that must be a first for CBR... and the sound of the F-18's above the clouds was a nice background....

Was nice to see a Delta aircraft on the ground in Canberra - but it was a 767 (odd I know - I thought from a distance it was a 772 too but on closer inspection its a 767 - Rego N1609)

 

[serfty]

It's easy enough to tell a 777 - they have 6 wheels on each of the main undercarriages; 3 in a line by 2 wide. The 767 has 4 in a 2x2 setup.

 

[elbarto]

The winglets were a good give away that it was a 767 not a 777.

 

[serfty]

The winglets were a good give away that it was a 767 not a 777.

Not all 767 have winglets.

FWIW 777 have a raked wing tip (squarish that angles back slightly) that provide comparable drag reduction to that provided by winglets without the weight.

 

[Mal]

It seems that Brisbane had a couple of Military freighters and the backup POTUS 747 parked up near the old domestic terminal.

 

[markis10]

It seems that Brisbane had a couple of Military freighters and the backup POTUS 747 parked up near the old domestic terminal.

It was not a backup, it's the kneecap that always shadows AF1, the backup was at Richmond in the form of a Gulfstream.


http://www.airliners.net/photo/408652/M

Note the lack of markings and the fact they are not mentioned on the US government sites , one was in Cairns in 2001 just after 9/11 for ex President Bill I believe!

http://sirsteveincairns.smugmug.com.../2/1404836062_nQR2m9G#1404836062_nQR2m9G-A-LB