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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)

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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.

53 of N316FR 5262 of A20N 2203 at KRNO
Gary Schenauer
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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.
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trembo A
awesome capture!
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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.
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Darryl Sarno
Great shot Gary!
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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!
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ken kemper
Great Capture Gary............

Interesting add on about how the pic was "made".
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JM32
WOW !! I mean really WOW. This is an awesome picture. Well done Gary. 3 thumbs up
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Dale Docken
Totally magnificent, Gary!!
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Qatar123
Awesome shot Gary!
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ACTIVITY LOG
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Date Aircraft Origin Destination Departure Arrival Duration
17-Oct-2025 A20NDallas-Fort Worth Intl ()Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl () 10:00PM CDT 10:22PM MST Scheduled
17-Oct-2025 A20NCharlotte/Douglas Intl ()Dallas-Fort Worth Intl () 06:58PM EDT 08:40PM CDT Scheduled
17-Oct-2025 A20NDallas-Fort Worth Intl ()Charlotte/Douglas Intl () 02:34PM CDT 05:53PM EDT Scheduled
17-Oct-2025 A20NJacksonville Intl ()Dallas-Fort Worth Intl () 11:47AM EDT 01:19PM CDT Scheduled
17-Oct-2025 A20NDallas-Fort Worth Intl ()Jacksonville Intl () 07:40AM CDT 10:37AM EDT Scheduled
16-Oct-2025 A20NBaltimore/Washington Intl ()Dallas-Fort Worth Intl () 09:55PM EDT 12:09AM CDT (+1) Scheduled
16-Oct-2025 A20NDetroit Metro Wayne Co ()Baltimore/Washington Intl () 07:33PM EDT 08:48PM EDT Scheduled
16-Oct-2025 A20NDallas-Fort Worth Intl ()Detroit Metro Wayne Co () 03:06PM CDT 06:29PM EDT Scheduled
16-Oct-2025 A20NMinneapolis/St Paul Intl ()Dallas-Fort Worth Intl () 11:23AM CDT 01:38PM CDT Scheduled
16-Oct-2025 A20NDallas-Fort Worth Intl ()Minneapolis/St Paul Intl () 08:07AM CDT 10:00AM CDT 1:52
15-Oct-2025 A20NLos Angeles Intl ()Dallas-Fort Worth Intl () 07:19PM PDT 11:46PM CDT 2:27
15-Oct-2025 A20NDallas-Fort Worth Intl ()Los Angeles Intl () 05:03PM CDT 05:51PM PDT 2:48
14-Oct-2025 A20NPhoenix Sky Harbor Intl ()Dallas-Fort Worth Intl () 04:44PM MST 08:42PM CDT 1:58
14-Oct-2025 A20NSan Diego Intl ()Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl () 02:34PM PDT 03:20PM MST 0:46
14-Oct-2025 A20NPhoenix Sky Harbor Intl ()San Diego Intl () 12:06PM MST 01:10PM PDT 1:04
14-Oct-2025 A20NSan Francisco Int'l ()Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl () 12:07AM PDT 01:44AM MST 1:37
13-Oct-2025 A20NLos Angeles Intl ()San Francisco Int'l () 09:57PM PDT 10:54PM PDT 0:57
13-Oct-2025 A20NPhoenix Sky Harbor Intl ()Los Angeles Intl () 05:56PM MST 07:08PM PDT 1:11
13-Oct-2025 A20NChicago O'Hare Intl ()Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl () 02:55PM CDT 04:35PM MST 3:40
13-Oct-2025 A20NPhoenix Sky Harbor Intl ()Chicago O'Hare Intl () 07:36AM MST 12:18PM CDT 2:42
12-Oct-2025 A20NDallas-Fort Worth Intl ()Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl () 10:39PM CDT 10:49PM MST 2:09
12-Oct-2025 A20NOntario Intl ()Dallas-Fort Worth Intl () 04:24PM PDT 08:43PM CDT 2:19
12-Oct-2025 A20NDallas-Fort Worth Intl ()Ontario Intl () 02:22PM CDT 03:12PM PDT 2:50
12-Oct-2025 A20NRaleigh-Durham Intl ()Dallas-Fort Worth Intl () 11:22AM EDT 12:39PM CDT 2:17
12-Oct-2025 A20NDallas-Fort Worth Intl ()Raleigh-Durham Intl () 06:40AM CDT 10:01AM EDT 2:21
11-Oct-2025 A20NDetroit Metro Wayne Co ()Dallas-Fort Worth Intl () 08:32PM EDT 09:38PM CDT 2:05
11-Oct-2025 A20NDallas-Fort Worth Intl ()Detroit Metro Wayne Co () 03:55PM CDT 07:09PM EDT 2:14
11-Oct-2025 A20NCharlotte/Douglas Intl ()Dallas-Fort Worth Intl () 12:30PM EDT 01:33PM CDT 2:03
11-Oct-2025 A20NHartsfield-Jackson Intl ()Charlotte/Douglas Intl () 08:50AM EDT 09:32AM EDT 0:41
10-Oct-2025 A20NEppley Airfield ()Hartsfield-Jackson Intl () 12:36PM CDT 03:12PM EDT 1:36
10-Oct-2025 A20NHartsfield-Jackson Intl ()Eppley Airfield () 10:26AM EDT 11:25AM CDT 1:58
09-Oct-2025 A20NKansas City Intl ()Hartsfield-Jackson Intl () 02:27PM CDT 04:57PM EDT 1:29
09-Oct-2025 A20NHartsfield-Jackson Intl ()Kansas City Intl () 09:58AM EDT 10:48AM CDT 1:49
09-Oct-2025 A20NBaltimore/Washington Intl ()Hartsfield-Jackson Intl () 06:17AM EDT 07:51AM EDT 1:34
08-Oct-2025 A20NHartsfield-Jackson Intl ()Baltimore/Washington Intl () 10:05PM EDT 11:30PM EDT 1:25
08-Oct-2025 A20NOrlando Intl ()Hartsfield-Jackson Intl () 06:50PM EDT 07:50PM EDT 1:00
08-Oct-2025 A20NCharlotte/Douglas Intl ()Orlando Intl () 04:31PM EDT 05:42PM EDT 1:10
08-Oct-2025 A20NLaGuardia ()Charlotte/Douglas Intl () 01:43PM EDT 03:12PM EDT 1:29
08-Oct-2025 A20NOrlando Intl ()LaGuardia () 09:49AM EDT 11:56AM EDT 2:07
08-Oct-2025 A20NLuis Munoz Marin Intl ()Orlando Intl () 03:45AM AST 06:12AM EDT 2:27
07-Oct-2025 A20NOrlando Intl ()Luis Munoz Marin Intl () 11:47PM EDT 02:15AM AST (+1) 2:27
06-Oct-2025 A20NBuffalo Niagara Intl ()Orlando Intl () 07:45PM EDT 09:49PM EDT 2:04
06-Oct-2025 A20NOrlando Intl ()Buffalo Niagara Intl () 04:32PM EDT 06:41PM EDT 2:08
06-Oct-2025 A20NTrenton Mercer ()Orlando Intl () 12:54PM EDT 03:02PM EDT 2:07
06-Oct-2025 A20NOrlando Intl ()Trenton Mercer () 09:49AM EDT 11:50AM EDT 2:00
06-Oct-2025 A20NDenver Intl ()Orlando Intl () 12:26AM MDT 05:29AM EDT 3:03
05-Oct-2025 A20NSan Antonio Intl ()Denver Intl () 08:38PM CDT 09:47PM MDT 2:09
05-Oct-2025 A20NDenver Intl ()San Antonio Intl () 04:26PM MDT 07:08PM CDT 1:42
05-Oct-2025 A20NHollywood Burbank Airport ()Denver Intl () 12:19PM PDT 03:06PM MDT 1:46
05-Oct-2025 A20NDenver Intl ()Hollywood Burbank Airport () 09:48AM MDT 10:59AM PDT 2:10
05-Oct-2025 A20NMinneapolis/St Paul Intl ()Denver Intl () 06:43AM CDT 07:29AM MDT 1:46
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