Hey all! As promised in last year’s review, I am once again reviewing the year in spotting. This year has truly been a roller coaster for not just me personally, but for everyone. I am truly thankful for the opportunities and chances I’ve had to spot this year, and even for the chance to finally fly on a plane after nearly three years from being absent from the skies. This year, especially after last year, helped me rekindle the fire and passion I have for aviation, and it’s been a pleasure taking pictures and sharing them with you all on the IFC. Special thanks to @AndrewWu and @den.aviation for all the advice over the past year. I hope to see you again in a cornfield again @den.aviation sometime soon. Here’s to a happy holidays for all, and a pleasant start to 2022. Without further ado, let’s get into the pictures! (Note: I edited them slightly from their (if present) original edits in my topics.)
Number 10: N256JX at BJC, January 17th
This was actually the first “good” shot I got with my new style this year. Thanks to @AndrewWu for the “constructive criticism” that you provided to me that was able to make this shot possible. BJC is almost always backlit, making it awful for spotting, but when a rare JSX E135 charter to San Jose popped up on the board, I went anyways to see what I could get. Thankfully the positioning of the sun wasn’t awful and I got Downtown Denver in the back too.
Number 9: G-VIIK at DEN, September 5th
The first widebody in the topic was BA’s second flight back to Denver since March of 2020, and it was operated by one of their 777-200ER aircraft.
Number 8: N36272 at DEN, November 26th
I’ve been seeking United’s Star Wars livery ever since it was introduced two years ago, and I finally was able to see it this year. I accidentally spotted it in June from the window of one of my flights but I actually was able to get it with proper spotting equipment.
Number 7: Various Frontier/Delta Aircraft at DEN, June 18th
Another one of my spotting goals this year was to visit DEN and spot there from inside, which I did do, and also to spot on the Concourse A pedestrian bridge, also known as (at least to me), “Denver’s second zoo”. The three Delta jets in the back are kinda photoboming the mostly Frontier frame. Normally, the only times where you can see the “full” lineup is either at night or early morning (hence why I took this shot at 5:50 in the morning), making your shot have more variety.
Number 6: N943FR at DEN, April 11th
Don’t worry, this won’t be the last Frontier A319 in this topic. Cloe was later retired around six weeks after this shot, but it was still awesome to finally add the tail to my collection of over 70. It’s unfortunate that I wasn’t able to fly on every A319 that came out of “retirement” but I was still able to get on one.
Number 5: N941FR at DEN, February 21st
The next shot is once again another Frontier A319, this one being the first sighting of the year for me of the type. His name? Lobo the Wolf. “Lobo” means wolf in spanish, so if you were to translate that to his full name, it would be Wolf the Wolf. Very creative, right? Lobo was also the oldest Frontier A319 at the time, and had only been flying for around two weeks since he left Roswell.
Number 4: D-AIGW at DEN, November 26th
My first time seeing the A340 was a special one, especially with the presence of both @den.aviation and the Star Alliance Livery. I would have probably gone spotting a couple of days prior but the weather was bad, so I went on this day anyways and had much better results than I could have gotten before.
Number 3: N7740A at DEN, June 16th
As is the norm for my topics, a Canyon Blue is required for my personal satisfaction and potential success for a topic. The yearly example is of course N7740A, which was the one and only Southwest aircraft I flew on this year. The Canyon Blue livery is continually decreasing in size, and it will truly be a shame when the last one is painted into the Heart livery, as it’s probably my favorite livery of all time personally. I’ve also been able to spot N7740A at both my September and November sessions at DIA.
Number 2: N949FR at FAT, June 16th
It seems only appropriate to include a picture from the 1 unique airport I flew to and from this year, that being the wonderful Fresno Yosemite Int’l Airport. FAT, with also having the funny airport wifi that contains no fat (FAT FREE WIFI) (please help me). Fresno was also the prime airport to fly on the Frontier A319 with. Thankfully, I was able to get a very nice picture of my ride back to Denver.
Number 1: N949FR at DEN, September 5th
This is most definitely my favorite shot of the year. Unfortunately, N949FR would only fly 10 more revenue flights with Frontier after I took this shot, which would then lead to Erma’s ceremonious retirement as the last Frontier A319. The proud A319 served Frontier for two decades, and it was truly sad to see an aircraft type that has been around longer than me be retired. This shot also represents the twilight as the sun sets on one era of Frontier closing, as Erma is appropriately landing at the conclusion of golden hour. These A319s are now gone, but I’ll never forget the awesome memories I’ve had on them over the past decade and how they have shaped me into who I am today.
Thank you all for viewing my topics throughout the year! The IFC is a great platform to spread pictures like these, and I’ll continue to share pictures here throughout the year. Happy Holidays!
Jetphotos:
Previous Spotting Topics
2021 Topics
Black Friday shopping - KDEN Spotting, November 26th, 2021
Off into the sunset - KDEN Spotting, September 5th, 2021
I do the spotting thing - Denver and Fresno, June 16th, 2021
Goodbye, Old Friend - Spotting @ KDEN, April 11th, 2021 (Part 1)
New style, who dis? - Spotting at KDEN, February 21st, 2021 (Part 2)
New style, who dis? - Spotting at KDEN, February 21st, 2021 (Part 1)
2020 Topics
Luke’s Spotting Year in Review
Frigid Spotting - @ KDEN - December 12th, 2020
A busy, pre-turkey day - KDEN Spotting, November 22nd, 2020 (Part Two)
A busy, pre-turkey day - KDEN Spotting, November 22nd, 2020 (Part One)
Smoky Spotting @ KDEN - October 17th, 2020
Planes, Planes, oh, did I mention planes? Spotting at KDEN - September 12th, 2020 (Part 1)
My return to Denver - KDEN Spotting, July 25, 2020 (Part One)
Vintage Aircraft + others - @ KBJC - May 14, 2020
Some pre-lockdown spotting - @KDEN - March 24, 2020
Some other Airport other than BJC or DEN! Spotting at KAPA - February 15, 2020