Driving along I-97 near KBWI about 1:30 PM today I noticed 2 aircraft taking off from rwys 15R and 15L VERY close together. The larger aircraft looked like a B727 with the usual smokey engine exhaust and, I think, a cessna jet. I watched them for a while climbing together. Anyone aware of this event? I checked the flight tracker and did not find a B727. It seemed very strange.
emb145
What exactly did you find odd about that?
The best i could find was a C550 and a 717/md95 departing withing like three minutes of eachother. i dont find anything unusual here, if maintaining visual separation from eachother or on a SID. theres no danger in fact it happens all the time.
There were 3 things that seemed unusual to me. First, both aircraft were side by side within about 100 feet of each other when they passed overhead. Second, the "B727"was to the left of the small GA jet. Assuming the small GA jet took off from 15L, which is what typically occurs at BWI, why was it to the right of the larger “B727?” Third, I was curious as to why a B727 was at BWI?
I thought that perhaps someone here could check a little deeper into the BWI departures around that time to provide an explanation.
emb145
according to the departure log there were no 727 departing baltimore thursday between 1230 and 200 EDT, there were three or four 717-200 in that timeperiod. There are a few possibilities, 1) You mistakenly identified the A/C 2) Less likely is that a 727 departed VFR and picked up there clearance in the air, And i havnt found any airborn 727 all day, i dont know how many of them are still flying, I do know there is a sports team, (cant remember which one) has a 727.
Stop right there…I’m calling shenanigans on that, sorry.
its easy to misgudge distance.
Controller: united # whatever, your number three following a 777 on a 25 mile straight in to 16L
Captain: roger number three following 777 in sight, They seem closer than three miles away? (minimum distance) how close are they?
Controller: United #… he’s 1.5 miles from you and youre 1.5 miles from him, so thats three miles away.
[quote=“deef1999”]
Yes, “100” feet is not plausible. The wingspan alone of a 727 is around 110’ IIRC. If the two airplanes would’ve been that close we certainly would be seeing it in the news.
15L and 15R @ KBWI are over 4,000 feet apart…
While driving, I once saw a UPS 747 practicing go-arounds at KFWA. I remember pointing it out to my kids saying “This is probably the biggest airplane you’ll ever see up this close!” as it flew over our heads (or so I thought).
After I went home and found the flight track and stared at the runway diagram for a while, THEN looked on Google Earth, there was NO way I could reconcile what my mind remembers seeing with reality. No amount of Kai Tak hot-rodding could have had that plane in the place I remember it at any time, at least not without crashing.
Maybe (just maybe) you “saw” something you didn’t see.
It could have also been a 727 that is blocked from tracking.
N604S, a Learjet 35, took off at 1:09pm for KORF.
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N604S/history/20090821/1635Z/KBWI/KORF
N612FK, a Learjet 45, took off at 1:12pm for KACK.
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N604S/history/20090821/1635Z/KBWI/KORF
The next tracked departure is an FL B717, which departed at 1:33pm.
There are no (shown) 727s that have departed KBWI in the last 48 hours.
N698SS is a 727, former aircraft for the Dallas Stars/Texas Rangers. It has been replaced with N757SS, a B752.
N698SS is currently running sports charters for other teams in an effort to keep Tom Hicks out of personal bankruptcy. The Stars/Rangers logos have been removed.
N698SS has been blocked, so it wouldn’t show on any tracking here. It could have been at BWI.