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Thanks!

It was completely unexpected, though. I saw the news stations with live video as it tootled around the bridges and stuff, and I had *zero* hope of catching it live.

So, I just pulled into the parking lot at work, got out of the car, and started crossing the lot.

As a quick aside, there was *zero* air-traffic to/from KLGA, it was absolutely quiet both at home and then later in that lot, but all of a sudden I hear a *big* bird coming at me. I can usually tell from compressor-whine if a plane's a twinjet like a recent 737 or A320, or has older engines like on an MD-80 series, or is a turboprop like a Dash-8, etc., and this was clearly different.

I look, and up over the buildings, almost the same perspective as in Clouds, I see a big honkin' 747 with something strapped to its back! It's the USS Star Track! :D

I literally *dropped* my bag, unzipped my camera case, also literally just dropped the lens cap, and turned on the camera, no time to even check its settings. For all I knew, it could've been on "M"[anual] and all the pix might've just turned out black! I just started snapping away like a maniac, practically shaking as I'm trying to aim'n'frame in the precious few seconds left before it'd be gone forever.

Actually, the camera *was* set wrong, as at some point it was switched to 'P', which I *never* use. But at least it shot at f/6.3 and 1/1250sec or something like that, which is *close* to what I'd shoot on A[perture-priority]. What's scary is that the settings are M/A/S/P, so it switched through *2* settings/modes.

And thank B'harni (pbuh!), the shots came out kinda nice!


What a difference, though, in what a few seconds can make, as the first pic was when the plane was still somewhat in-shadow thanks to a cloud, and then emerged into bright sunlight just a second or two later.

Thanks!

Jesus smiled on me that day... :D

Hey, thanks, all y'all!

Thanks!

Thanks, all y'all!

I was as shocked as anyone when it came up on me. :D

Oh, forgot to mention...

On the shuttle itself, you can see "NASA" between the shuttle's wing and the bumpy-thing (??) in back, and "Enterprise" between the shuttle's wing and the 747's wing.

Teeny letters, shows up fine on the normal pic (as does the 747's tail#), but it's hard to see on the shrunk-down pic.

Thanks and thanks!

And I think that's what made it all the more "special", that given the teevee coverage, and my own "Feh, I'll never see it up-close, even if I stay home and hang out in the backyard 'til it landed for sure" attitude, that I had *zero* expectation of seeing it, and then all of a sudden it almost drops right in my lap, well, that just made it that much sweeter, y'know? :D

Thanks, thanks, and thanks!

Thanks much!

Thanks, all y'all!

(Still don't think it quite "sunk in" yet, though. :D )

Thanks, J!


And if anyone's interested, I posted the fullsize pic on FlightAware, but can't find a persistent link to the landing page for the pic.

If anything, click on "Aviation Photos", and search for N905NA, and just, well, *find* my pic there. :D

The closest I can get, with minimal grubbling around, is this.

Crossed in the mail... Thanks, W!

Thanks and thanks!

I *wish* I could've gotten some shots as it was approaching, but... :\

:D

No worries. Plenty of leftover snacks here... :D