Remarks: I had to change my pants after I shot this one. Never seen one before, and in an entire day of spotting at founders plaza, only 2 landed over here.
Remarks: Coming in from DENVAH! The terminal in the background is almost finished as of late 2009 with several gates open, being used by WN. United has since turned SJC into mostly a Skywest station. 2, maybe 3, of United's flights to SJC are mainline these days. The 737 was retired from United's fleet on October 28, 2009.
Remarks: Not as small an airport as you would think, though there is never much airline activity going on. Allegiant, Delta, Comair, ASA, Skywest, Mesaba, Pinnacle, Expressjet, Chautauqua, Freedom, PSA, Piedmont, and Air Wisconsin all serve the airport. There is also a museum with an F-14 parked outside. But whats more exciting than that is Air51, the FBO that gives you the keys to a Porsche Boxter just for parking your rotting Cessna 172 out front. Note runway 8/26 which Comair 191 mistakenly took off of in 2006 is currently being dug up in favor of a new runway, runway 9/27. The Comair flight crashed just out of the frame past the last remains of the old runway.
Remarks: Just before the sunrise Southwest is about to kick off its new start. It had been 10 years since the last WN plane took off from SFO. The inagural flight to MDW prepares to push back while I sit inside the 2-week old 737, dedicated to the Tuskegee Airmen, for the inagural flight to SAN. Note the Tranny in the background.
Remarks: And they're off to topless paradise! Thanks to Tim for showing us around the museum, but I dedicate this photo to none other than Mr. Ike Chiladze of Comair who will one day be flying PPT-LAX again and agin for the last 25 years of his career. Note the UA 744 at the TBIT. Yes, that is a UA 744 at the TBIT. And no, its not photoshopped, rather it was at the time wet-leased to Air Pacific.
Remarks: So SFO-LAX didn't work out for Frontier, and Republic got the boot. Of course, Republic wasn't going anywhere until they gave American "The Goat" on the way out. However, it was Republic who would get the last laugh after buying Frontier itself.
Remarks: The Eskimo lets out one final roar and then all is quiet. A sight which will never be seen again, for after after a party at the gate and a water cannon salute, the aircraft would make its final flight to SEA. Around the same time, another mad-dog departed SMF also bound for SEA. These would be the final two flights of the Polar Mad Dogs. Hope the Eskimo packed some shorts, it don't snow in the desert.
