Final approachToronto, ON, March 2011
About this photo: Thematic continues to explore aerial-themed photography, and you're invited along for the ride. Just click here to share your own. We'll be doing this through the weekend, with a new theme launching Monday.Inevitably, every flight comes back down to Earth. If luck is on your side, it does so in a controlled, gentle manner. The routine nature of modern aviation makes this a virtual certainty whenever you board a plane, of course, but that doesn't stop me from musing about the magic that makes the entire process possible. It'll never get old for me.
The particular plane I had boarded this day was - and presumably still is - a Dash-8. This twin-engine turboprop-powered commuter aircraft was originally designed by deHavilland before that company was bought by Montreal-based Bombardier (they make Ski-Doos, Sea-Doos and the Challenger business jet, among others.) Now known as the Q-Series, this plane has a longstanding reputation as a robust, efficient example of Canadian aviation ingenuity.
One of the neat things about this design is the landing gear. The entire assembly folds out of a position under the wing-mounted engine. Unlike a regular jetliner, where the gear comes out from under the fuselage, this allows passengers to see the machinery at work. Most folks are usually too busy surreptitiously e-mailing their buddies on their iPhones and BlackBerrys to notice, but that doesn't make it any less neat.
It was neat on this day, too, as I held my breath in the final seconds before this magnificent flying machine returned to earth once more. Routine, I know, but still...
Your turn: Something seemingly mundane...that isn't. Please discuss.
What a coincidence! We flew to Cornwall and back recently in a Dash 8. What's more I put up a blog post entitled 'Mundane Planes' with the first photo a Dash 8 on the ground in Japan.
ReplyDeleteLOVE this shot. It perfectly captures the movement/speed while the subject itself is wonderfully clear.
ReplyDeleteI think MOST mundane things aren't really, when you stop to think about them ... that the reason we consider them mundane is because we DON'T stop to think about them. Breathing, for instance, or electricity, or even fire.
Something as simple as a Bic lighter is really a pretty intricate device if you stop to think they fit a tiny piece of rock in there to strike a spark in a precise place to ignite fluid that remains harmless until exposed to the spark etc, etc.
Nice shot! The 11yo talked about joining a group of boy scouts to see the big airshow this weekend at the local Air Force Base, but his dad offered a better "carrot": a hike up a mountain. They had a lovely time touching the planet.
ReplyDeleteWayyyy cool.
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