The Wandering Disciple

Orlando, Florida: On Christmas Day we took a ride through Central Florida and with that came a stop at Orlando International Airport. Spotting options are always a challenge at MCO, there are not approved locations and spotting from the garage is frowned upon by law enforcement. I have found plenty of spots off airport however the winds were not favorable for those spots. Typically with this wind pattern, I have spotted from B-52 Park however because today was a holiday, the gates were locked. So I punted and tried the North Cell Lot. It was not a bad spot, it is positioned between the runway complex and were within range of my 250mm lens. Runway 36 was a little further away and a little backlit at this time of day with Runway 35 closer and good lighting, however the action was on 36 during this trip. We were only here for about 15 minutes but that brief time gave us two heavies and two special livery. Here is a look at what we saw today: C-FTCA – Boeing 767-300 (Air Can...

The Queen of the Skies approaches Orlando International Airport on a rainy afternoon. The Boeing 747 nicknamed the Queen of the Skies, has been transporting passengers since 1969. It was the first wide-body jet produced and held the passenger capacity record for almost 40 years. The 747 has versions in the passenger industry, cargo industry and even serves as Air Force One transporting the president. (Photo: July 4, 2019)

Orlando, Florida: On a recent trip to the East Coast, we made a brief stop by Orlando International Airport to see the arrival of a few international heavy flights. It was raining and stormy so we were not going to stay long, but there was an A350 and a 747 both inbound so I braved the elements for a few minutes. We found a spot along the approach to Runway 17L at a corporate park and watched the arrival of a few aircraft. In the shot time at the field, I photographed: N202FR – Airbus A320 (Frontier Airlines)  PR-XTE – Airbus A350 (LATAM)  G-VROM – Boeing 747-400 (Virgin Atlantic)  N643JB – Airbus A320 (JetBlue Airways)  N560UW – Airbus A321 (American Airlines)  As you can see, Airbus was the big winner today. You can see these aircraft and all my photos from MCO at my Orlando International Airport photo gallery .

Orlando, Florida: On a recent trip to Disney, I was able to get away to Orlando International Airport for some plane watching before heading to the parks. The winds favored Ruway 18 as the active runway.  This is one of my favorite traffic patterns since it allows for viewing from the pier on the lake at Airport Lakes Park.  Here you can watch planes and wildlife at the same time while enjoying the shade by the lake.  It was a slow morning by Orlando standards but here is a list of what I saw today: Boeing 757-200 - N676DL Airbus A321 - N197UW Boeing 737-800 - N8312C Boeing 737-700 - N570WN Boeing 737-700 - N428WN Boeing 737-900 - N39415

A Delta flight passes over Airport Lakes Park as it arrives at Orlando International Airport, welcome a plane full of passengers to the Sunshine State.  Orlando International is the gateway to Central Florida, connecting passengers from around the world to Florida.  Airport Lakes Park, located just outside the airport, is a great place to relax and watch the arrivals to the airport and enjoy the wildlife found around the lake.  (Photo: February 12, 2013)

The B-52 Stratofortress nicknamed the Buff, is the oldest aircraft still in operation by the United States Air Force.  Entered into service in the 1950's, Boeing built 744 of these massive bombers for operation by the USAF.  Today, the Air Force continues to operate the B-52 due to the low cost of operation and continues to provide payload delivery in combat missions across the globe.  Thanks to upgrades to the aircraft, it is expected to remain in operation until 2040 or beyond. The B-52 pictured here has been retired to the B-52 Memorial Park at Orlando International Airport.  (Photo: September 29, 2012)

A special livery WestJet aircraft featuring Mickey Mouse lands at the gateway to Walt Disney World, the Orlando International Airport.  The plane was debuted in 2013 to celebrate the partnership with the Canadian airline WestJet and the Walt Disney World Resort in sunny Florida. It is currently one of two planes in the fleet that are painted to reflect the partnership, the second plane features Disney's Frozen. (Photo: December 31, 2016)

A retired B-52 Stratofortress sits on display at the B-52 Memorial Park at Orlando International Airport. The B-52 was once assigned to the McCoy Air Force Base which once operated at the present day Orlando International Airport. (Photo: September 29, 2012)

Arizona One flies high over Orlando International Airport as it departs the airport. Arizona One is one of several special edition aircraft flown by Southwest Airlines. (Photo: February 15, 2014)

A B-52 Stratofortress is the centerpiece of the B-52 Park at Orlando International Airport. The B-52 spotlights the airports history as McCoy Air Force Base. (Photo: February 14, 2014)

An Airbus A320 operated by Air Canada Jetz approaches Orlando International Airport.  Air Canada Jetz is a premium charter service for Air Canada.  Operating a fleet of six aircraft, Jetz provides charter service for Canadian sports teams, musician, corporations and more.  (Photo: February 12, 2013)

Southwest Airline's tribute to the great state of Texas lands at Orlando International Airport.  "Lonestar One" is one of several special livery Boeing aircraft operated by Southwest.  (Photo: February 12, 2013)

Lake Buena Vista, Florida: An early morning awaited us as we decided to try and cram a visit to Epcot into our busy schedule. We woke up early and quickly broke down camp so we could take advantage of the Morning Magic Hours at Epcot. Since we didn’t have a lot of extra time, we opted to drive over to Epcot. What a great decision. We secured a great parking spot in the first row. As we headed to the gates, we hit a mass of resort guests also taking advantage of the early opening for resort guests. This was the first time we tried to use the magic hours, we typically avoid them to avoid crowds. In the future, I’m sure we will continue to avoid them because other than us working on a tight schedule it wasn’t worth the crowds. We headed straight to Test Track as soon as the park opened. It had already accumulated a 20 minute wait by the time we got through the turnstile. The ride was completely renovated from the last time we visited the park. While the ride track remaine...

Lake Buena Vista, Florida: After several failed attempts, we finally made it back to Disney World to renew our passes and visit the parks. This is our first trip back to Disney since my wife fell and injured herself at Hollywood Studios in January. We decided to go to the Magic Kingdom for the day. We originally planned on renewing our passes back during the January trip, but after having to depart early due to the fall, we did not get it done. But the staff of Disney worked with us on getting the renewal accomplished and honored our original passes. They reinstated our passes, gave us the renewal rate and transferred over our credit from the previous account. They truly showed that they are there to serve their guests. The day trip to Disney is a rarity for us. Because of the three hour one way drive, we typically make a weekend out of it. But finances and scheduling prevented that from happening at this time. So I had forgotten how inconvenient it is to go to the Magi...