So as you may have noticed from the theme that this blog has, I'm a huge fan of aviation, particularly commercial aircraft but I do also like a little bit of military of aircraft as well. I've been "spotting" at Calgary Airport now for over 3 years and over that time I've come to dub myself "The Cowboy Spotter", mainly because almost every time I'm out at the airport you'll catch me in my black Cowboy hat. I think both the guys in the Tower and Security at the airport know who I am since they have seen me countless times up at the airport. So if you are ever up at the Calgary Airport and you see a red Ford truck (also lovingly dubbed by me as the "Spirit of Taylor Swift") and a guy standing in the back wearing a black Cowboy hat, that is most likely me out enjoying my passion.
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| A WestJet Boeing 737-800 landing at YYC |
Over those 3 years of being at the airport, I've seen a lot of different kinds of planes, different operators and even heard things over the radio that gives you quite a good chuckle. With Calgary being both a hub for Air Canada and WestJet, you do get a little bored seeing that same colours over and over again. A typical traffic sequence in the morning there can be 4 WestJet B737'S in row or 10 aircraft shared between Air Canada, Jazz and WestJet. But with that I've turned it into a little challenge, try to catch every aircraft registration that each airline has. WestJet I've caught all except 8 aircraft and between Air Canada and Jazz, I caught 1 photo of all their Embraer 190's, Airbus A330's and CRJ-705's and very close to finishing of the Dash 8-300's, the Airbus A319's, A320's, A321's and the CRJ 100/200 fleet.
But we still get a wide variety of airlines here in Calgary. Many American carriers fly here on a daily basis. Most legacy and mainline airlines from the US fly direct from their hubs to Calgary; United from Chicago, San Francisco, Denver and Houston; Delta from Minneapolis and Salt Lake City and so on and so on. We even have quite a few international airlines who fly to Calgary; KLM, British Airways and Thomas Cook just to name a few. Lufthansa did serve Calgary for a few years, but made its last flight here back in February and no longer serves our city.
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| Air Caraibes Airbus A330 lining up on Runway 34 |
Over my 3 years of spotting, I've come across some unique aircraft. From the massive cargo carrier, Antonov 124 to an Air Caraibes A330, its been amazing some of the planes that have to Calgary. My most recent catch was a C-17 Globemaster from Canada's military rotating off of Runway 16 and when those planes takeoff, they don't mess around. Within just a few thousand feet, the monster had already rotated and was already airborne, quite a spectacle to watch this massive plane takeoff right in front of you.
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| A C-17 Globemaster rocketing off of Runway 16 |
So what can I expect for the future of spotting at Calgary Airport? Well with the opening of the new international terminal and runway in a couple years, my hope is we see a few more carriers operating non-stop flights into Calgary, particularly those who operate larger aircraft such as the B777 or A380. My hope is also once construction activities are complete, it will open up some new spotting areas. I have goal of getting out spotting at the airport at least once a month and I have to admit its been tough because of the closure of some key areas, including the southeast field and the north access road (way too many construction vehicles in that area). Mother Nature isn't always a great help, either the winds are in the wrong direction or its too cloudy or rainy. But somehow I've done good, 5 months down and actually have done close to 10 trips so far this year. With still have half the year to go, who knows what I'll catch in the coming months. But if you are ever up at the airport and see a little red Ford Explorer, come on by and say hi, I'll be more than happy to tell you stories of my spotting adventures or answer your questions about pretty much anything flying or airline related.
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