Pop Quiz: Where am I?

TangoWhiskey

Touchdown! Greaser!
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3Green
My 777 pilot friend likes to send me photos of the panel or destination with quiz questions. He told me he was going to have to "crank it up a notch", and sent me this doozy. He wanted me to tell him where he was.

Using ONLY the clues in this photo, and some internet research online (I didn't have access to his crew scheduling records, or anything like that), I was able to tell him not only WHERE he was (what airport), but exactly WHERE on the airfield.

This is NOT an airport I've ever been to before, so it was not due to any intimate knowledge of the area.

Anyway, thought it would be fun to try here. Look at this photo... first person to guess correctly where my 777 pilot friend is, and explain how they arrived at the answer, wins!
 
I'm going to guess LAX. There's a US flag in the background and Aeroflot only has 5 US destinations, New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Seattle and Los Angeles. Of these, only LAX has palm trees.

What I think is odd is that the name on the side is that of a Ukranian novelist.

Way too much time on my hands today!
 
I guess "on the other plane" doesn't count?
 
Is that another plane? Hmmm...

But I'm standing by my guess. :yes:
 
Everskyward said:
I'm going to guess LAX. There's a US flag in the background and Aeroflot only has 5 US destinations, New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Seattle and Los Angeles. Of these, only LAX has palm trees.

What I think is odd is that the name on the side is that of a Ukranian novelist.

Way too much time on my hands today!

Good job!

OK, you're part way there! I did the same thing; saw the US Flag on the building or billboard, realized he was not in Russia. Aeroflot.com showed 4 destinations in the US (you got them wrong: It's Seattle, LAX, JFK, and Dulles in Washington).

LAX it is... but where on the airfield? Can you figure that out? I got it down to the runway/taxiway, even though I've never been to the field.

Troy
 
sierra said:
I guess "on the other plane" doesn't count?

He he he... nice try. I could have said "you're in a 777, taking a photo of an Aeroflot airliner." I'll try that next time, and see what he says! :)

Here's phase II... route is from DFW to LAX. He wants to know the geographical features pictured here, and their names:
 
Everskyward said:
I'm going to guess LAX. There's a US flag in the background and Aeroflot only has 5 US destinations, New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Seattle and Los Angeles. Of these, only LAX has palm trees.

What I think is odd is that the name on the side is that of a Ukranian novelist.

Way too much time on my hands today!

Aeroflot services San Francisco??

I'm going with a guess of LAX also. Here's why.
1. The American flag (which appears to be painted on a building or sign?).
2. Searched until I found Aeroflot for USA (and still had to click "English"!)
Found they only listed LAX, JFK, Tacoma and Dulles.
3. Went to Air Nav and looked at maps of all 4 (LAX, JFK, Tacoma and Dulles to see if any showed freeways which could be elevated).
4. IS that a palm tree? Thought so at first, then discounted it.
5. Went to Airliners.net and viewed overviews/pics of each (starting with Tacoma and Dulles, fewer pics....)
6. JFK showed an elevated freeway nearby, but on closer examination, the pier caps for the support collumns are quite different than those on the pic (being in construction, and having built many bridges, including a half mile long double decker bridge at KDTW, you sort of notice these things....)
7. Pics of LAX show elevated roadway with collumns/pier caps that appear to be the correct configuration..... and, that's as far as I'm going here. B)

Afterall, I don't have too much time on my hands today. I'm just using it frivolously! :D
 
T Bone said:
Aeroflot services San Francisco??
That's what it says on their site.

Aeroflot

Go down to "Fares" and click on "North Atlantic".

I've been to SFO lots of times both commercially and myself and I've never seen Aeroflot but they might not have that many flights.
 
Troy Whistman said:
Here's phase II... route is from DFW to LAX. He wants to know the geographical features pictured here, and their names:

I so want to say a fogged in Golden Gate with Mt Tam just to the north, but that peak looks like it has snow...

EDIT: It's Tehachapi Pass looking east. I see flat land further to the east which corresponds with southerly extension of Mojave Desert(vicinity of Edwards/Palmdale). Winter months based on snow on the 7900' unnamed peak in the picture and that much fog in the pass.
 
Last edited:
Richard said:
I so want to say a fogged in Golden Gate with Mt Tam just to the north, but that peak looks like it has snow...
If they're going from DFW to LAX Mt. Tam would be a long way out of the way! I'm guessing the area near Palm Springs.
 
Everskyward said:
If they're going from DFW to LAX Mt. Tam would be a long way out of the way! I'm guessing the area near Palm Springs.

True...usually, for I have known flights to go north (LAX -> OAK) to arrive at DFW, as example. Anyhoo, see my edit.
 
T Bone said:
Aeroflot services San Francisco??

I'm going with a guess of LAX also. Here's why.
1. The American flag (which appears to be painted on a building or sign?).
2. Searched until I found Aeroflot for USA (and still had to click "English"!)
Found they only listed LAX, JFK, Tacoma and Dulles.
3. Went to Air Nav and looked at maps of all 4 (LAX, JFK, Tacoma and Dulles to see if any showed freeways which could be elevated).
4. IS that a palm tree? Thought so at first, then discounted it.
5. Went to Airliners.net and viewed overviews/pics of each (starting with Tacoma and Dulles, fewer pics....)
6. JFK showed an elevated freeway nearby, but on closer examination, the pier caps for the support collumns are quite different than those on the pic (being in construction, and having built many bridges, including a half mile long double decker bridge at KDTW, you sort of notice these things....)
7. Pics of LAX show elevated roadway with collumns/pier caps that appear to be the correct configuration..... and, that's as far as I'm going here. B)

Afterall, I don't have too much time on my hands today. I'm just using it frivolously! :D


You and Richard are right. He's at LAX... taxiway Bravo, holding for runway 25R, to be exact. The Aeroflot plane is on a runway, taking off (assumption), so he'd be on a parallel taxiway waiting his turn. At first I thought the Aeroflot was on 25L, since I see only ramp area past the 767. BUT... there is no taxiway between 25R and 25L, and it's unlikely LAX would have aircraft back-taxi on 25R to take off on 25L, especially since 25R is longer. So I guessed (correctly) that they were on Bravo, paralleling 25R, holding for takeoff, and the Aeroflot flight just started his roll.

A check of the taxiway diagram showed that 25L would not be visible from 25R's departure end, as it extends further east.

As far as the overpass/viaduct in the background, that was the final clue for me... a check of maps.google.com, and toggling back and forth between map view and satellite view at LAX and JFK made it clear that LAX had to be the right answer.

I also saw the palm tree, but wasn't CERTAIN it was one, even when zoomed in it was too fuzzy to be sure.

Good job everyone! This could be a fun kind of thread to start doing with each other. Just make sure the photos have enough clues to make it a fun and fair contest.
 
Richard said:
I so want to say a fogged in Golden Gate with Mt Tam just to the north, but that peak looks like it has snow...

EDIT: It's Tehachapi Pass looking east. I see flat land further to the east which corresponds with southerly extension of Mojave Desert(vicinity of Edwards/Palmdale). Winter months based on snow on the 7900' unnamed peak in the picture and that much fog in the pass.

Not sure about the "winter months" thing; this was from his trip 2 days ago.

Does that change your answer?

Troy
 
Richard said:
True...usually, for I have known flights to go north (LAX -> OAK) to arrive at DFW, as example.
Ouch. No wonder the airlines are losing money. :eek:
 
Everskyward said:
Ouch. No wonder the airlines are losing money. :eek:

It would seem that way, but such a circuitous routing wouldn't necessarily be the indication of fiscal instability. (Maybe I should write quarterly reports?)

Airline RPM and all that rot I know next to nothing about. But I do know something about moving perishable seafood products; talk about a whacked industry. Stay with me, this is germane to your assumption.

In the transportation of fresh seafood it is not unusual to move, say, Maine lobster from the original producer to Seattle and back to an east coast restuarant. Or, to ship Monterey Bay Salmon to LAX, then to a San Francisco consumer. Dang, most Blue Point Oysters have crossed the country often enough they could cash in their FF miles.

My point is that transportation is crazy and seemingly aimless wandering paths sometimes make the most sense or cents.
 
Troy Whistman said:
Not sure about the "winter months" thing; this was from his trip 2 days ago.

Does that change your answer?

Troy

He's in the mid-20s so if he departed LAX he's still in CA. That's my final answer. After that, I cry UNCLE!
 
Richard said:
My point is that transportation is crazy and seemingly aimless wandering paths sometimes make the most sense or cents.
OK, I know nothing about the transportation of seafood but I know something about flight planning and I would be shot (or fired) if I planned my LAX to DFW leg through OAK. :eek:
 
I'm still standing by my "near Palm Springs" answer. The mountain on the right is San Gorgonio Mtn and the one on the left is Mt. San Jacinto. I think.
 
Everskyward said:
I'm still standing by my "near Palm Springs" answer. The mountain on the right is San Gorgonio Mtn and the one on the left is Mt. San Jacinto. I think.


I thought that looked like smog, not fog. ;)

Judy
 
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