Doughnuts On The Mound – To the Mound and to the Planes! (with Travel Technology: Using the Canon 100-400L and lots of planes)
Editors note: This is a repost, as something was very glitchy with the old post. This should fix it….
In this epic day trip (and it t’was epic)
- Spotting for the day? Why not?
- Morning Manoeuvres at Birmingham Airport
- EI263 Birmingham Airport to Dublin Airport
- Doughnuts on the Mound… and a LOT of planes
- Back to Dublin Airport
- EI3276 Dublin to Birmingham Airport
- Cheap ride home sir?
- Community
WARNING: Lots of plane pictures – you’ve been warned!!!
With me being slightly behind, I accelerated my way through some of the crowd, and met up with Pete who was on the same flight as me.
It’s like I’ve gone back in time to T1.
Together, we headed from the 300 gates over to the 400 gates (or what the rest of the world would call – Terminal 2).
Immigration was handled with a glance of the passport – done and dusted in under 30 seconds.
Drive on the left. Like civilised countries do.
To the customs area!
That done (as well as the joy of customs), it was out into the public area, where our friends were waiting for us. This included British #avgeeks who had flown in from the day as well as locals.
With a few minutes to do what we need to do (including comfort breaks, liquid pick-up and other things), it was time to head off to to the mound to watch planes.
Because – Planes.
One of the things that struck me straight away that there no cliques, no bunches – rather people talking, sharing and enjoying their love of planes. And yes, there were women there too.
To some of you – this will be a shock. I know. But there is a commonality here – PEOPLE LIKE PLANES.
Let’s see some of the traffic that was going on.
So to shoot planes, I’ve once again got out my lens that makes me look like a paparazzi – A Canon 100-400L.
The Canon 100-400L, extended and mounted on a Canon 6D. Taken in Washington DC.
For those who are interested in a full review, head here first for my thoughts on it.
Truth be known, I probably could had got away with a Canon 70-200L f4 or something similar. There are distinct advantages with this lens – and not just the extra range throw. This lens has image stabilisation which if you have shaky hands… is just a bonus.
Alas, the biggest problem this lens is its sheer weight. And with the lens weighing 1380g (3.04lb) and the 6D coming at 770g (1.69lb) – a combined weight of over 2.15kg (4.73lb), it does become heavy on the shoulder and hand after a while.
The trick I’ve learned is to ditch the camera strap you get from Canon (it’s a waste of time, effort and energy… as well as advertising to the world what camera you have), and go for a neoprene style one which has a little give/bounce in it. It also means when moving, not all the weight is transferred straight away up the strap.
How is the 100-400L performing? Well is the answer…
Lufthansa Airbus A321 landing
Ryanair Boeing 737-800 taxing in.
Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800
United Airlines Boeing 757-200 landing at Dublin Airport
Aer Lingus A320 heading into the sky
Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-300
Norwegian Air Shuttle Boeing 737-800
Swiss International Airlines Airbus A321
Aer Lingus Regional ATR72-600
Aer Lingus Airbus A330-300
One of the Aer Lingus A320 “Green Spirit” taxing in.
American Airlines Airbus A330-300 taking off
Aer Lingus A330-300 rotating
Emirates Boeing 777-300ER taxing in
CityJet Avro RJ85 “Leinster Rugby Club”
Air Canada Rouge Boeing 767-300ER
Delta Air Lines Boeing 767-400ER
Aer Lingus Airbus A330-300
Sunwing Boeing 737-800 flying for Thomson Airways
United Airlines Boeing 757-200 departing
Aer Lingus A320 “Green Spirit” departing
To actually fly – British Airways Airbus A319 (Mixed Fleet Crew were striking when this photo was taken)
Emirates Boeing 777-300ER taking off
Air Transat Airbus A330-200
LuxAir Boeing 737-800
Eithad Airbus A330-200
CityJet Sukoi SuperJet 100
AlbaStar Boeing 737 Classic
Irish Coast Guard Sikorsky S-92A
There was time for snacks and of course – doughnuts. Of course, which idiot left his lactose tablets in Birmingham as opposed to bringing them with him. Yes – that would be me.
There were cheers for bigger planes taking off… and people mostly ignoring Ryanair 737s taking off. And Dublin has a variety of traffic for those who like to watch planes take off and land.
But more than that – there’s the people on that hill to enjoy at take photos with.
Great day at the avgeek DUB “donuts on the mound” meet up 😎✈
CC: @Wall3gurl @EconomyBeyond @clarekelly @ailbhegavin pic.twitter.com/5Cjg4fReUJ
— Essiejosie ✈ (@Essiejosie) July 1, 2017
The Canon 100-400L is one heck of a lens – but it is heavy. Take that into consideration that if you’re going pictures all day – your shoulders and arm will begin to hurt eventually holding that thing pointed at the sky.
Overall: Spotting planes is more fun with friends – I’ve known this for ages. But to be with a community of friends – it makes it great fun.
Next: Back to Dublin Airport
Bonus: Gallery of the day
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