My First Post: Minneapolis to San Francisco!

This is my first post, and I look forward to many more!

This weekend I am preparing for a trip to Hawaii next weekend. This will be my first journey across the Pacific. I have many hours built up over the North Atlantic, but I am looking forward to something a little different. Tonight, we are flying NW357 from Minneapolis (MSP) to San Francisco (SFO). The weather is a little soggy in the Minnesota region as we prepare to METAR and push off of F12. Here is a shot from the ramp crew, just after pushing us back onto the tarmac.

Shortly after this we taxi across 12R then to 17 for departure. After a slight wait to cross 12R, we're ready and in position on 17. Tower clears us for takeoff, and just prior to clearing us over to departure turns us right to a heading of 215. Here we have just been cleared direct to our first waypoint, HUGIR on the SCHEP2 Departure. As we are climbing, we are finally peaking out on top of the cloud layer with the sun straight ahead.

We have now completed our climbout and are at 36000ft. We are turning over our SID transition of O'neill VOR (ONL). We have passed beyond the weather over MSP, and have a beautiful view of Nebraska and Colorado.

We are now somewhere over Nebraska. We requested 38000ft moments before I took this shot, but it was denied due to this cargo 747 at that altitude. This is perfectly legal, as we are at 36000 and they are at 38000. This is always great to get a nice picture of an aircraft going the same direction.

Here is a beautiful shot as we cruise along the Wyoming/Colorado border just north of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The cloud formations make a great foreground with the rocky mountains!

We are now cruising at 38000 over Utah. The sun is getting close to setting, as we race it to the west coast.


Here were are now on the Modesto3 (MOD3.OAL) arrival via the Coaldale VOR. We just finished our approach briefing. It may be beautiful now over the San Bernandino mountains, but earlier in the bay area, they had 800foot ceilings, which has caused the Close Parallel LDA 28R approach to be what we will be using tonight. Typically, we use the Quiet Bridge Visual that brings us in over the San Mateo bridge over the bay.


A beautiful shot with the sun a little lower. Here we are over the Modesto VOR (MOD). You can see the Modesto Airport and city down below.


Here we are with a view view of the Bay, but I am looking out my window to see a company A319 from MSP inbound for San Jose (SJC).


We are now on short final into SFO and have broken out of the clouds. Just ahead a company 757 just took off, before our arrival. The sunset is making the bay look very shinny and white at 7:30 this evening local time. You can also see a FedEx DC-10 holding short of our runway, as well as a line short of 28L.

We have vacated the runway, and waited to cross the parallel, and are finally on our way into the ramp for gate 45B.


Here is a shot from the main terminal after we shut the aircraft down and were on our way to the hotel for some shut-eye. This aircraft will be leaving in about 2 hours on the red-eye back to MSP.

I will leave you with some pictures of a trip I took last June from Anchorage- Minneapolis- Baltimore (ANC-MSP-BWI). Coast to coast in one day!

Taking off on 30R out of Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) over the city as we are bound for Baltimore.

Here is the view as we are cleaning and re-boarding the aircraft in Minneapolis after arriving from Anchorage. We are getting ready to go to Baltimore for the continuation of Northwest flight 846.

Feel free to post comments and suggestions.
Have a good day, I'll be in the skies again shortly!
Joe

Also, if anyone knows how to allow you to click on the pictures and enlarge them, your help would be much appreciated. Thanks, Joe.