Met a plane spotter at LOWI

[Steve Dra 7,588]

So I flew from Zurich to Innsbruck and was able to unload my cargo at one of the main gates.
As I was grabbing a bite to eat I saw this spotter with a huge camera snapping away like crazy on my DC-6.

He said this was a very rare bird at LOWI, and he was fascinated by it and especially the big radial engines. 
He showed me the pic he snapped thru the LCD screen on his camera....I was impressed:

He said "Man I wish I could get closer to it and get some interesting angles of those engines!" I said "Let me see what I can do", hehe.
I got him admitted to the ramp with me as an escort, and he went nuts on the pics. 

He said "I wish I could get up in the cargo hold and snap some from in there"....Being the pilot I had some pull in getting that request fulfilled. 

He even squeezed around the cargo we were still unloading to get this great pic from the other side


He then went back outside and continued snapping...this one was my favorite...managed to get the moon in frame. 


Great shot of #4


#3 against the fuse as the background...


Finally, the crew was doing some maint. on #3 and had the ramp up to her....he looked at me, motioned his head towards the top of the ramp....I hooked a safety belt to him and up he went.

 

He thanked me for letting get some great shots of this very photogenic bird, and I told him it was my pleasure and look forward to seeing these shots on all the popular aviation spotter's websites. 

[John F 2,420]

Always fun to tag along when your imagination takes off.

John

[Steve Dra 7,588]

18 minutes ago, John F said:

Always fun to tag along when your imagination takes off.

John

Hehe.....yeah I was panning around the excellent Obrx Lowi scenery (had it since it came out....this one always gets bought they day its released...in this case for MSFS. Got a ton of other Orbx stuff at the sale this weekend).

Anyway, went inside the building and saw this guy with a huge camera, and by happenstance where I parked, it looked as though he was snapping my plane.  So......well the rest of my imagine is seen above as you commented. 😉

Was a fun trip and fun series of shots to showcase...this plane is great, and that paint is outstanding!  That painter must really know his stuff! 🤔

[ryanbatc 12,850]

Nice story...  I could see that actually happening!  When I used to work in Duluth I'd frequently run out to the ramp on break and talk to pilots of cool planes that just came in...and usually take some neat pics.

[johnbow72 2,722]

I’m jealous of our plane spotter , it was his lucky day for sure . Awesome shots BTW Steve . 

[out 769]

Awesome shots with an amazing repaint, Steve!
My eyeballs keep rolling on the floor. Where are they...? 😲

[bernd1151 5,855]

Great story, great pics, Steve.

But I assume the spotter was most impressed with the livery, before he realized it was a DC 6. Now, who on earth might be the one responsible for that paint job? I have not the foggiest 😀

[P_7878 6,603]

All I can say is these pictures simply look fantastic and wonderful... (I've seen and flown ("2D") DC6s for decades..."JBK" some of you may recall...🙂...but this DC6 with such textures are by far the best in the SIM world...) ...

Plus, yes, you've a good and healthy dose of (virtual) flyers' (self-aggrandizing) daydreams to boot...🙂..."Being the pilot I had some pull in getting that request fulfilled...."...

Steve's Metal, here, are probably too much for my eye having undergone cataract surgery recently...supposed to stay away from bright and shiny things.... oh well...couldn't resist...🙂...

[Steve Dra 7,588]

On 11/30/2021 at 9:59 PM, ryanbatcund said:

When I used to work in Duluth I'd frequently run out to the ramp on break and talk to pilots of cool planes that just came in...and usually take some neat pics.

I hear ya Ryan!  Did my fair share of plane spotting in my short stint as a rampee. 🙂 I used to fuel Elton Johns' G2 (or was it a G3 can't recall) hoping to catch a glimpse of him one day....nope.  It was parked and stored at KRYY where I worked, and I found out that he never went there to get on board...he had them fly it to KPDK a few miles away because it was closer to his estate in Atlanta.  Oh well...to be that rich, hehe

On 12/1/2021 at 12:47 AM, johnbow72 said:

I’m jealous of our plane spotter , it was his lucky day for sure

Thanks John.   I agree....in the fact that I hope to one day visit this magical place....want to stand on the mountain where Julie Andrews did in the Sound of Music. 🙂  (I know it not in Innsbruck, but its not far, hehe...want to tour all around there) 

On 12/6/2021 at 3:44 PM, Rafal said:

Awesome shots with an amazing repaint, Steve!
My eyeballs keep rolling on the floor. Where are they...?

Thanks Rafal.  My eyeballs have been lasered into my head after my cataract surgery, LOL.

On 12/7/2021 at 9:52 AM, bernd1151 said:

But I assume the spotter was most impressed with the livery, before he realized it was a DC 6. Now, who on earth might be the one responsible for that paint job? I have not the foggiest 

LOL thanks Bernd!   This one has become my favorite paint on the DC-6, and would have never existed had another simmer over at SImouthouse had not seen my other USAF paint and asked for this one.   It happens that way sometimes when you paint...your favorite livery on a model may had never been on you personal fav list... then another simmer requests one and you start flying it. 🙂 

55 minutes ago, P_7878 said:

Plus, yes, you've a good and healthy dose of (virtual) flyers' (self-aggrandizing) daydreams to boot

Thanks P_7878.   LOL....the 1st pic was a fluke as I was just panning around the great Orbx LOWI scenery and saw this guy with the camera...and I just happened to park in such a way that it looked as if he was snapping pics of my plane...then my imagination ran wild for a bit. 🤣

..."Steve's Metal, here, are probably too much for my eye having undergone cataract surgery recently...supposed to stay away from bright and shiny things.... oh well...couldn't resist...🙂..."

ROFL....yeah I've always had sensitive eyes to bright light, its now worse (but better overall of course) after the surgery.  Just got darker sunglasses. 😉   I swear that even though the overall brightness in the sim is not any greater than looking at this white Avsim page...I find myself squinting when I see the sun hit that metal just right...quite the optical illusion. 

 

Edited December 19, 2021 by Steve Dra

[pmplayer 9,459]

Fine shots with nice view points around the plane..

cheers 😉