Planes, trains & automobiles

[TrainNut]

How many different forms of transportation can you spot?

[cnw1961]

Where are the boats? I can see no boats! ......... Interesting aerial shot. Where is it?

[Steamtrains]

Is this an "original" shot, or has it been "shopped"..?? I ask because, not only is it unusual, but because the plane is not casting any shadows....

[TrainNut]

Boats! There's no water in Arizona! I was doing some aerial research of RR industries and as I was panning down the tracks, I came across this gem. It is in south Phoenix, AZ. It was not Photoshopped. I found another airplane shot like this one one somewhere on the California/Mexico border real close to the beach.
Find the shadow... that would be an interesting challenge... lessee, the sun's coming from the East. Now if we could determine the altitude of the aircraft and if the corresponding picture was taken at exactly the same time, it may be possible to find it...

[ezdays]

OK, you're saying that the plane is on its approach from the west which makes sense with all those trashy business below. Looks like probably Broadway Rd where a lot of those auto junk yards are. There could be a boat there, just that maybe it's been crunched up into bits for recycling and you can't tell.

[Dave Harris sctchbld]

That is indeed the approach to the airport in phoenix --Sky Harbor I think it's called . Used to go into there from Las Vegas at least once a month in the 80's.

[Sumpter250]

Boats? no, the only thing that surprises me is that you could be that close to an aircraft, on final approach, without violating a number of federal laws !, or causing an air controller heart failure ! :o
I'd guess the airplane's shadow is just about on the road that runs top to bottom of the photo, and off the bottom of the picture.
I'm not even going to try to guess the number, I couldn't begin to see the motor scooters, or bicycles, roller skates, pogo sticks, or little red wagons, from that height.

[shortliner]

Normal approach glideslope is 300 feet / mile, so if you know how far that is from the the runway touchdown point you can work out the altitude. From the size of the aitliner, the one taking the photos was a good bit higher. Done my share of talkdowns!

[yellowlynn]

Done a bunch of GCA talkdowns myownself.

Lynn

[Sumpter250]

Normal approach glideslope is 300 feet / mile, so if you know how far that is from the the runway touchdown point you can work out the altitude. From the size of the aitliner, the one taking the photos was a good bit higher. Done my share of talkdowns!

That's an old picture, 55th Ave. no longer crosses those tracks ( according to satellite photos on Google maps )
The industry to the upper left is Home Depot distribution center, lower left Charles M Schayer & Co., the "field" in the upper right is FMJ Metals, and the area to the lower right is nothing like what's in the photo.
That liner is 9 (+/- a few feet ) miles west of Sky Harbor, and is lined up pretty much with the runways to the North side of the Terminal complex.
So @ 300 feet/ mile he's close to 2700 feet- - - most definitely on final approach, and I don't think the plane the photo was taken from, was a whole lot higher above him. Not being in that line of business, I do not know the minimum vertical separation between aircraft, but I still think they're a bit too close.

Those tank cars look to be 50' cars, That plane had better be well under 200 feet long, or it's sitting just about right on top of them. I'll amend my last guess about the shadow......the tail's shadow is just to the right of the road, and off the bottom of the picture. ( regardless of height, the angle of the shadow doesn't change ).

[SantaFeDu]

NOW IT'S REALLY HARD TO BELIEVE THIS IS HO GAUGE TRAIN NUT!!! HA HA

How many different forms of transportation can you spot?