68 Votes (4.57 Average) and 38,638 Views  

Airbus A320neo (N316FR) - Frontier's "Shelly the Sea Turtle" (N316FR) is snapped here in an extremely rare capture; a view of a commercial passenger jet taking off toward the camera's position with Slide Mountain in the background. This unusual photo was actually "caused" by the COVID virus -- because the Frontier jet was almost completely empty, its lack of weight allowed it to rotate less than 3000 feet down runway 34L and climb so rapidly that it was high enough that Slide Mountain could be seen and photographed in the background. Most pictures that show Mt Rose and Slide Mountain are one of two types: they show aircraft on short final approaches as they are about to land on either 34L or 34R ... or .. they are photos showing jet airliners from the rear view angle as they are climbing after taking off from runways 16R or 16L. This "head-on' view of a commercial pax aircraft departing Reno with Slide in the background is only possible if the departing airliner rotates quickly and climbs rapidly, as the nearly empty Shelly did here.
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Airbus A320neo (N316FR)

Submitted

Frontier's "Shelly the Sea Turtle" (N316FR) is snapped here in an extremely rare capture; a view of a commercial passenger jet taking off toward the camera's position with Slide Mountain in the background. This unusual photo was actually "caused" by the COVID virus -- because the Frontier jet was almost completely empty, its lack of weight allowed it to rotate less than 3000 feet down runway 34L and climb so rapidly that it was high enough that Slide Mountain could be seen and photographed in the background. Most pictures that show Mt Rose and Slide Mountain are one of two types: they show aircraft on short final approaches as they are about to land on either 34L or 34R ... or .. they are photos showing jet airliners from the rear view angle as they are climbing after taking off from runways 16R or 16L. This "head-on' view of a commercial pax aircraft departing Reno with Slide in the background is only possible if the departing airliner rotates quickly and climbs rapidly, as the nearly empty Shelly did here.

Comments

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Gary SchenauerPhoto Uploader
There was one additional factor that made this photo possible. The thinner air at RNO usually means that departing commercial aircraft must make longer takeoff rolls in order to rotate and get airborne, so even though this FFT was nowhere near as heavy as it normally would have been, it still would have had to stay on the runway to get up to Vr speed. However, the wind was blowing so intensely directly toward aircraft departing on the 34s that this Frontier obtained added lift so as soon as it came off 34L it climbed very rapidly and from my location the snow-capped mountains came into view behind it.
trembo A
awesome capture!
Gavin Hughes
Great capture Gary. From your comprehensive comment it seems all things came together but if you don't add skill, you get zilch or poor. Neither of the latter apply here.
Darryl Sarno
Great shot Gary!
Tom Vance
I see G-man is out dusting us off the charts again....you forgot to add " extremely rare",,,I've never seen a photo of Slide Mtn in this type of view from RNO! 5 Sliders and Calendar shot!
ken kemper
Great Capture Gary............

Interesting add on about how the pic was "made".
JM32
WOW !! I mean really WOW. This is an awesome picture. Well done Gary. 3 thumbs up
Dale Docken
Totally magnificent, Gary!!
Qatar123
Awesome shot Gary!
ACTIVITY LOG
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Date Aircraft Origin Destination Departure Arrival Duration
30-Aug-2025 A20NSan Diego Intl ()San Francisco Int'l () 11:10PM PDT 12:16AM PDT (+1) Scheduled
30-Aug-2025 A20NHarry Reid Intl ()San Diego Intl () 07:31PM PDT 08:19PM PDT 0:47
30-Aug-2025 A20NSan Diego Intl ()Harry Reid Intl () 08:38AM PDT 09:23AM PDT 0:45
29-Aug-2025 A20NHarry Reid Intl ()San Diego Intl () 09:51PM PDT 10:36PM PDT 0:45
29-Aug-2025 A20NHartsfield-Jackson Intl ()Harry Reid Intl () 07:37PM EDT 08:35PM PDT 3:57
29-Aug-2025 A20NNorfolk Intl ()Hartsfield-Jackson Intl () 04:29PM EDT 05:49PM EDT 1:19
29-Aug-2025 A20NHartsfield-Jackson Intl ()Norfolk Intl () 01:46PM EDT 02:52PM EDT 1:06
29-Aug-2025 A20NBaltimore/Washington Intl ()Hartsfield-Jackson Intl () 10:23AM EDT 11:47AM EDT 1:23
29-Aug-2025 A20NHartsfield-Jackson Intl ()Baltimore/Washington Intl () 07:37AM EDT 08:58AM EDT 1:21
28-Aug-2025 A20NNew Orleans Intl ()Hartsfield-Jackson Intl () 01:50PM CDT 03:51PM EDT 1:00
28-Aug-2025 A20NHartsfield-Jackson Intl ()New Orleans Intl () 11:43AM EDT 11:53AM CDT 1:09
27-Aug-2025 A20NMiami Intl ()Hartsfield-Jackson Intl () 03:54PM EDT 05:27PM EDT 1:33
27-Aug-2025 A20NHartsfield-Jackson Intl ()Miami Intl () 12:51PM EDT 02:15PM EDT 1:24
27-Aug-2025 A20NWashington Dulles Intl ()Hartsfield-Jackson Intl () 09:40AM EDT 11:00AM EDT 1:20
26-Aug-2025 A20NHartsfield-Jackson Intl ()Washington Dulles Intl () 08:03PM EDT 09:14PM EDT 1:11
26-Aug-2025 A20NChicago O'Hare Intl ()Hartsfield-Jackson Intl () 02:47PM CDT 05:06PM EDT 1:19
26-Aug-2025 A20NHartsfield-Jackson Intl ()Chicago O'Hare Intl () 12:18PM EDT 12:51PM CDT 1:33
26-Aug-2025 A20NChicago Midway Intl ()Hartsfield-Jackson Intl () 08:03AM CDT 10:26AM EDT 1:23
25-Aug-2025 A20NTampa Intl ()Chicago Midway Intl () 05:50PM EDT 07:06PM CDT 2:15
25-Aug-2025 A20NBaltimore/Washington Intl ()Tampa Intl () 01:53PM EDT 03:50PM EDT 1:56
25-Aug-2025 A20NChicago Midway Intl ()Baltimore/Washington Intl () 09:07AM CDT 11:30AM EDT 1:22
24-Aug-2025 A20NDallas-Fort Worth Intl ()Chicago Midway Intl () 10:07PM CDT 11:56PM CDT 1:49
24-Aug-2025 A20NMiami Intl ()Dallas-Fort Worth Intl () 06:51PM EDT 08:26PM CDT 2:35
24-Aug-2025 A20NDallas-Fort Worth Intl ()Miami Intl () 01:41PM CDT 05:32PM EDT 2:51
24-Aug-2025 A20NCincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport ()Dallas-Fort Worth Intl () 10:34AM EDT 11:29AM CDT 1:54
24-Aug-2025 A20NDallas-Fort Worth Intl ()Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport () 06:54AM CDT 09:42AM EDT 1:47
22-Aug-2025 A20NHarry Reid Intl ()Dallas-Fort Worth Intl () 09:00PM PDT 01:13AM CDT (+1) 2:13
22-Aug-2025 A20NSacramento Intl ()Harry Reid Intl () 06:34PM PDT 07:38PM PDT 1:04
22-Aug-2025 A20NHarry Reid Intl ()Sacramento Intl () 04:34PM PDT 05:38PM PDT 1:04
22-Aug-2025 A20NAustin-Bergstrom Intl ()Harry Reid Intl () 02:27PM CDT 02:46PM PDT 2:18
22-Aug-2025 A20NHarry Reid Intl ()Austin-Bergstrom Intl () 08:23AM PDT 12:43PM CDT 2:19
22-Aug-2025 A20NOntario Intl ()Harry Reid Intl () 06:15AM PDT 06:57AM PDT 0:42
21-Aug-2025 A20NSan Francisco Int'l ()Ontario Intl () 10:20PM PDT 11:18PM PDT 0:57
21-Aug-2025 A20NHarry Reid Intl ()San Francisco Int'l () 07:38PM PDT 08:45PM PDT 1:07
21-Aug-2025 A20NSeattle-Tacoma Intl ()Harry Reid Intl () 03:43PM PDT 05:47PM PDT 2:03
21-Aug-2025 A20NHarry Reid Intl ()Seattle-Tacoma Intl () 11:57AM PDT 01:55PM PDT 1:57
21-Aug-2025 A20NWashington Dulles Intl ()Harry Reid Intl () 07:59AM EDT 08:57AM PDT 3:57
20-Aug-2025 A20NHarry Reid Intl ()Washington Dulles Intl () 10:54PM PDT 06:05AM EDT (+1) 4:10
20-Aug-2025 A20NOntario Intl ()Harry Reid Intl () 08:02AM PDT 08:42AM PDT 0:39
19-Aug-2025 A20NHarry Reid Intl ()Ontario Intl () 03:12PM PDT 03:51PM PDT 0:38
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