9 Votes (4.44 Average) and 922 Views  

— — - I was just gazing out and marvelling at the cloud show Mother Nature was displaying when a bit of motion caught my eye. I snapped a quick shot and the jet came out nice and sharp, but because it is backlit by the bright white cloud behind it I can't tell if it is a Delta or a United fleetbird. I've tried oversizing the original pic and I'm fairly certain it is a Delta jet. What amazes me is how tiny it looks as compared to the clouds all around it.
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Submitted

I was just gazing out and marvelling at the cloud show Mother Nature was displaying when a bit of motion caught my eye. I snapped a quick shot and the jet came out nice and sharp, but because it is backlit by the bright white cloud behind it I can't tell if it is a Delta or a United fleetbird. I've tried oversizing the original pic and I'm fairly certain it is a Delta jet. What amazes me is how tiny it looks as compared to the clouds all around it.

Comments

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Gary SchenauerPhoto Uploader
I'm not trained in any aspect of flying, but I know that air traffic heading in the opposite direction would be either 1000 feet or 3000 feet or 5000 feet, etc., below us. But I'm no good at estimating altitude differences so I can't be certain if this one is just 1000 feet lower or 3000 feet or perhaps 5000 feet lower. I suppose a pilot could view this and make a very good guess because pilots see aircraft passing them all the time. All I do know is we were headed east so that jet was headed west.
Patrick Slayton
Interesting perspective. Nice shot.
Gary SchenauerPhoto Uploader
Hi, Patrick, and Thanks. I've got many hundreds of "enroute to somewhere" pics, and I take them because I can look at them and be "in the sky" again. I don't share them here because they really are just scenery shots, but I posted this one because the clouds are so awesome in it and also because lately I've noticed that folks post most anything now (upside down, cockeyed, teeny tiny specks, contrails with a dot in front, etc.) so this pic is no worse than all that type stuff. This was clicked over Lake Erie and I'll be flying back over this same stretch again next week going to Buffalo. Glad you liked this snap. Those storm clouds with the small-looking Delta full of passengers heading toward them was unique enough to put into my folder.
Lonnie Penner
I agree with Patrick. Nice and clear shot. Usually the aircraft’s windows are so scratched and smudged it would be tough to get a clear photo.
Viv Pike
Nicely done, Gary. Difficult to accurately judge the separation, as the lens focal length could well distort the perspective. That said, using the angle and distance (relative size of the aircraft), I would have a guess of 3000 feet below you.
a mentor
@Gary notes: " I've noticed that folks post most anything now (upside down, cockeyed, teeny tiny specks, contrails with a dot in front, etc.) so this pic is no worse than all that type stuff."

Quite agree :)
Tom Vance
Actually Gman is wrong. 5 "NEGATIVE" stars this time for 'bad' acting, LOL :) for posting such an awesome photo - I'll never be even close to getting this type of shot.( yes, the computer is fixed and I am back) :)
Gary SchenauerPhoto Uploader
Lonnie, A Mentor, and Alien >> Thanx for the comments. Much appreciated. Viv >> TY for the guesstimate. I'd figured that if it was more than 5000 feet below us I'd never have been able to photograph it, and I probably would not have even detected it flying past. Thanks, Viv. (Wave)

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