KLIA Plane Spotting

I’ve become an avid fan of plane spotting since April this year. Unfortunately, I don’t get to travel by air much so most of the time I just go by KLIA’s weather station to spot airliners in action. These photos were taken on Friday, 08/08/08. They were using Runway 14R for take-offs this time. Great. I love take-offs. Landings are a little quite because the engines are normally idle. I used the 400D and 70-200mm f/4L IS USM and dad had the 5D and 24-105mm f/4L IS USM but 105mm is a little short so no photos from the 5D here. That 70-200mm can get really sharp I can see the pilot in some photos

In the beginning, it was just the popular AirAsia Airbus A320 and Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737-400 you can see anywhere. Things get more exciting, don’t worry. 14 planes took-off today when I was there. There was my favourite combination of aircraft/airline too, Singapore Airline’s Boeing 777-200ER. It’s takeoff and engine noise was smooottthhh unlike those smaller fellas. It’s also pretty big. With only 70mm on my 400D I can already fill the frame up with it as it passes by whereas with the A320, I can’t even with about 150mm. Well, here are the photographs.

The famed “Now Everyone Can Fly” planes kick things off.

Malaysia Airlines’ Boeing 777 (left) and Airbus A330 (right) not taking off. Probably under maintenance or in storage. I love these twinjets.

Click away for more great planes!

Oi! Wait up!

Boeing 737-400. Soon to be outphased by MAS with newer 737-800s.

Competitor to the 737, the A320. Competitor to Malaysia Airlines’ 737, AirAsia’s A320. What rivalry.

These 737s go right to the end of the runway and catapult down real fast and takes off right at the place I was standing. Perfect take-off point for photographic reasons. This photo is also one of the few ones that I got the frame filled with a full body shot in-camera without cropping. Just that I screwed the colour tone in Photoshop.

New livery? Looks kinda garish. I’d prefer the one in a later picture you’ll see.

Singapore Airlines’ Boeing 777-200ER! I spazzed when I saw it. It’s my favourite plane-airline combo and I always fly the same one in Flight Simulator X.

I will one day, one day fly you (: I WILL.

Neatly lined up MASkargo 747-200s. I spotted the one right in front, TF-ATX taking off the last time I was there. The 2nd 747 from front/back took off later.

Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330 taxiing for take-off. Of all 3 times I’ve been to plane spotting, I saw this plane and a week ago, dad went on it to Jakarta. Another of my favourite twinjets. The KLM dude is just behind it still picking up passengers from the satellite terminal.

And the A330 meets the much smaller A320.

But the A320 gets the permission to take-off first.

And off it goes!

Another AirAsia. They almost exclusively only use the A320. They of course, have a few Boeing 737s and one A330 on lease to Goldcoast with another few A330s on order.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Asia Boeing 747-400 Combi taxis past a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 747-400B to take off heading for Jakarta. I see at least one KLM plane everytime I come for plane spotting here. They’re pretty active here in KLIA.

The same KLM plane.

Take-off!

MASkargo 747.

Last but not least…

Bwahahahah I like the paint scheme. I’ve been on this particular plane in December last year en route to Singapore for the cruise (:

Well, that’s all. I hope you’ve enjoyed that super-duper-uber long post about… planes. Hahahah