So, yesterday I went to Dulles to catch the first A220 to ever land in the DC area, a Delta A220-100 (CS100 as it said in front of the nose gear door) from Orlando. It was operating as a cargo flight for Delta, number DL8910. It was a guessing game for me, as there was no way to know until about 10 minutes from landing what runway she’d take, either 1R or 1C. I was between the spotting location for 1C/19C, Daily Parking Garage 2, and the spotting location for 19L, Daily Garage 1. I would have a hard time getting her if she went to 1R, but I knew that she would land on 1C for three reasons:
- Cargo flights generally land on 1C at Dulles because it is closest to the cargo apron, though I had no idea until I saw the aircraft that she was a cargo flight
- The arrival gate was TBA, which usually meant parking on the remote apron or in the cargo area
- Previous Delta flights operating under a 88XX or 89XX flight number to Dulles have all parked in the cargo apron.
I heard on frequency that the pilot wanted to land on 1C, so my prediction was correct, and I ran up to the top of the Daily 2 garage (you can’t park in it because the number 2 garage is for employees only), expecting to see a lot of people like when I went to spot the AN-124 a month ago, only to find that my mom and I were the only ones there. We waited for a few minutes, and during those few minutes, I got pictures of some aircraft with my new Canon T7 Rebel with a 70-300mm lens.
N26FE, a Bombardier Challenger 300, banking left off of 1R to an unknown destination (possibly Memphis).
OE-LPD, a special Austrian Airlines aircraft in the ‘My Sound of Austria’ livery, loading up at gate B51 for flight OS94 back to Vienna
HZ-AK31, a Saudia 777-3FG(ER) which had just arrived from Jeddah
So, we waited a bit more, and finally, I saw the A220 in the difference. I was listening to the frequency when the A220 had just tuned into Approach, and the controller was confused by the callsign and aircraft type, with the Delta Airlines callsign, and an aircraft that he thought was a helicopter:
Approach: “And… 8910… what is your aircraft type?”
Delta 8910: “An Airbus A220, sir.”
Approach: “Ah, ok. I didn’t recognize the aircraft type.”
Another aircraft on frequency: “It’s made in Canada!”
That last part cracked me up when I heard it. It was so random.
So, the aircraft touched down in the 95 degree heat, hence the heat haze from hell in many of these pictures.
Delta 8910 not quite greasing on 1C, but it was a good landing.
The aircraft passing by a large group of stored United 767s and 777s on an apron between 1C and 1L, as well as the weekly UPS 767 that stays parked for a couple of days at a time.
The aircraft, N124DU, perpendicular to me on top of the garage.
She is taxiing to the cargo apron as I thought!
So, we finish on the top of the garage and walk back to my mom’s car, and I ask her to take me to a parking lot near the apron, with a fence between the two, and we park and I get to see her in all her glory from just a few feet away! Also one of the ground workers waved at me while I was taking pictures!
Please let me know which photo was your favorite! Also, are any of these ok for jetphotos? I know the first bunch are definitely not, but any of the photos on the ramp?
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0 voters
