Spotter's Log: A380 At Orlando International Airport (MCO) - 13 Nov 2007

A380, serial number F-WWJB, parked just outside of the Continental hangar.

"Hey, just letting you know the A380 will be here like the 2nd week of Nov (if you didn't know already)! "

A fellow spotter, Justin C., wrote to me about this piece of news back in October. I hadn't been following aviation forums. School and work has taken up a large part of my time.

But as soon as I read his email, I immediately researched on Airliners.net forum. Recently, they did a server overhaul and the website has been acting strange since then. Eventually I was able to find out the date and time.

And then the serial number.

F-WWJB.

I paid her a visit back in 19 March 2007, on a soccer mound en route to JFK.

Now, she is coming to my airport. Airbus wanted to check whether Orlando International can handle the A380 in the event when she had to be re-routed from Miami International.

I knew from that point, that on 13 November 2007, I will be taking the afternoon off.

Visitors

Visitors flocked to the Continental hangar to catch a glimpse of the plane that will make Airbus go down in history for making one of the most dangerous economic gamble they have ever made in their 30 years career.

After landing, the A380 taxied to the Continental hangar. The beautiful thing about this visit was that I could see her in open air. In JFK, I was only able to view her behind tinted glass from Terminal 1. This time, I climbed a small wall, sat precariously on the top and watched her from afar.

Spotters from all over the world came to see her. I was surrounded by tourists speaking in German. I was able to meet Justin C. for the first time after many months of email communication. On top of that, I was able to meet Mario, Ricardo, Stephen, and a Delta ramp rat name Mike. Throughout the day, we discussed aviation gossip and possible future for Delta Airlines.

I managed to catch a guy with a D200, trying to get a better view of her through the fence. When he finally scaled the wall and sat next to me, I found out that he is a helicopter pilot and wishes to become a medic pilot. We talked about flying in air shows as a good way of earning hours and building experience, and the latest camera models Nikon released within the past few months (D3 and the D300).

I stayed up there for a long time, staring at the A380 from afar as politicians and businessmen were given exclusive tours to the interior of the plane. It is unfair but that is how it is: People who care about her and travel many miles to greet her stay outside of the fence and see her from afar. People who don't care and are wealthy get the VIP tour.

The Arrival

On 13 November 2007, Airliners.net forum topic on the A380 Arrival to MCO was already going crazy with speculation. Earlier that day, I listened to KMCO from LiveATC.net and noted that at 7:15 AM, the arrival was northbound. While I was at work, one of the spotters mentioned that the controller will change arrival orientation to southbound just for the A380.

I asked one of my friends, who is a pilot, whether it is possible for control to change runway just for one plane. He said that it is possible if and only if the wind is oriented in such a way where changing the runway is feasible. So before I left Melbourne, I checked the wind speed for Orlando: 7 knots from heading 0.0 - dead north. I took a gamble and decided that the arrival will still be northbound, jumped on my motorcycle and headed towards the AirTran hangar near runway 36L.

When I arrived, I met Justin and Ricardo. Justin decided to try his luck for runway 18R, and left to go to the Flight Safety building anticipating a southbound arrival. Ricardo and I stayed at the AirTran hangar and waited.

This was it. No one around had a ham radio so there was no way for us to listen to what the controllers were saying.

Suddenly, one of the spotters shouted: "THERE SHE IS!!!"

I was ecstatic. The same plane that I saw in JFK was gliding in, just like the first time I saw her back in New York City on the soccer field. Everyone around me cheered, and like a dork I shouted as her landing gears touched the tarmac:

"That's right! You LAND INTO THE WIND!!!"

Full Circle

My Panasonic Lumix caught my first A380 shot back in 19 March 2007. The plane was backlit, but to this day, is still my favorite image of the F-WWJB.

Now, with my Nikon D80, I was able to give this camera a chance to capture the same plane I took many months ago.

First capture: Panasonic Lumix FZ50

Date: 19 March 2007
Airport: John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
Runway: 22L

Second Capture: Nikon D80

Date: 13 November 2007
Airport: Orlando International Airport (MCO)
Runway: 36L
Accepted by Airliners.net on 1 December 2007 - link to image

I didn't expect to see F-WWJB again after that day in JFK. Orlando Airport is not exactly a main international hub, and chances of an A380 flying into MCO again will be rare, at least in the foreseeable future. I am really glad to have the opportunity to see her again, and this time I was able to see her in the open air. On top of that, I was able to make new friends: spotters from Airliners.net who came out to greet her arrival. I was able to find a small group of people who share my interest and live within the state of Florida.

Epilogue

F-WWJB left MCO two days later, 15 of November 2007 at 6:55 AM EST. I was not able to see her departure, due the fact that I had to study for an exam and needed adequate sleep. Other spotters were able to catch her as she left that morning. They commented that upon takeoff, her engines were serenely quiet as she soared into the sky, an almost angelic presence...

Taken on 15 November 2007
Departure on runway 18R
Photo by Chris Weyer of the ATL Spotters
Link to image on Flickr