I'd already posted about the only Alaskan BAe-146 operator, AirPac, that routinely operated a 146-100 into Dutch Harbor back when its runway was still gravel. ⁣ ⁣ Routine rough field operations in the 146 was something envisioned from the get go in the 146 program but it was never fully realized except by niche operators. Like, only two. One was AirPac, the other was Australian operator Cobham (formerly National Jet Systems) that used its 146s to support the mining industry in Western Australia. ⁣ ⁣ The top part of this image is from BAe and is a striking photo of a 146-100 during rough field testing. It's likely (thanks to Brian's guidance when I asked him) G-OPSA which was LN2 and was leased to PSA for crew training. Three 146-100s flew with PSA and could be identified as the PSA cheatlines were straight across the nose whereas the 146-200s, the cheatlines curved under the nose. ⁣ ⁣ The lower half of this image and is from Cobham showing one of their 146-200s operating from a gravel strip at a remote mining site in Western Australia. On 4 November 2021, the final Cobham 146 flight touched down in Perth after a fly-in/fly-out charter flight to a mining site at Murrin Murrin for Minara Resources. Their mining operation at Murrin Murrin extracts nickel and cobalt. ⁣ ⁣ Beginning in 1990, Cobham operated a total of 33 BAe-146s in Western #Australia with some of the aircraft fitted out for rough field operations to support the Australian mining industry. At its height, Cobham had 16 146s operating in the region. ⁣ ⁣ Cobham has replaced the BAe-146 with the E190 and Q400 to serve the mining industry, but I'm not aware of any rough field capability for those aircraft unless the runways at the mining sites have been paved. ⁣ ⁣ #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #instaplane ⁣ #BAESystems #BritishAerospace #BAe146 ⁣ ⁣ #Cobham #NationalJetSystems⁣ ⁣ #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce9uOM1vvh3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

“Five Gold Rings...” #Vienna #Christmas #Travel #AvGeeksAero #12DaysOfChristmas (at Vienna, Austria) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqmmkKmg0mL/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1uvm8nhskvdnj

Here's a rare bird these days- a non-winglet equipped Boeing 737-900. Not a -900ER, but a straight -900, of which only 52 or so were built before being replaced by the more capable 737-900ER. Alaska Airlines has 12 737-900s in its fleet compared to 76 active 737-900ERs (3 parked as of 4Q2021). ⁣

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This particular aircraft departing Sea-Tac early in the morning is N305AS, one of the three former prototype aircraft used in the 737-900 flight test program- all three are now operated by Alaska- N302AS, N303AS and N305AS and were the first three -900s built. ⁣

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The lack of winglets is due to having an earlier style of wing structure that would make retrofitting winglets a lower return on investment compared to the early 900ERs that were retrofitted with winglets. ⁣

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In Alaska's fleet, the -900s are still very useful on routes where range is not as critical- primarily non-transcon trunk routes and up and down the West Coast. ⁣

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The 737-900 had its origins as an aircraft with the 737-800's capacity but with more leg room. In a two-class configuration, the limitations of the -900 were mininal but for the European inclusive tour operators flying single class configurations, the -900 was limited by the emergency exits. Additionally, in the wake of the 2003 Air Midwest crash in Charlotte, the standard passenger weight was revised for weight and balance purposes (170 in the summer, 175 in the winter, to 190 in the summer, 195 in the winter) which had the effect of shortening the range of all passenger aircraft. ⁣

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For Alaska, this meant the -900 couldn't do transcons with a full load and the 737-800 was ordered to fill that role until the arrival of the 737-900ER with featured a beefed up structure and modifications to the wing and flap scheduling to improve its field performance (the first big change to the 737NG wing).⁣

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#Boeing #737 #Alaska #AlaskaAirlines #N305AS⁣

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#instagramaviation #splendid_transport #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⁣

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#AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation

Tous les jours, de nouveaux #events aéronautiques sur notre #agenda Plus de 65 à ce jour. https://t.co/6lVi1YGDuE #avgeek #avgeeksaero #avgeeks #aviation #formation #recrutement #Emploi #meetings https://t.co/gHAemPmpGm https://t.co/6lVi1YGDuE

Tweeted

RT GRossSharp: Its #InternationalPodcastDay ! Amazingly, #Aeronautica, an #aviation #podcast, is now heard in 15 countries. Enjoy! https://t.co/XFScxHcOw4 #avgeeks AvgeeksAero Daedalians aircadets RAFAssociation #history #aircraft AncientSubHunt varga… pic.twitter.com/eSclWxlWek

— 段东升 (@dds0201) October 1, 2019

On a Facebook aviation group a map image from around 1981-82 of the area around the old Greater Southwest International Airport was posted. I overlaid it on a current Google Earth screen shot and labeled some salient features. ⁣ ⁣ I didn’t move to the DFW area until 1989, so it’s kinda cool that GSW/Amon Carter Field lasted into the 1980s (even though closed) years after DFW International Airport opened in 1973.⁣ ⁣ The east-west freeway is SH183 (Airport Freeway). There used to be a tunnel where it crossed under 17/35 of GSW/Amon Carter Field. Spur 459 on the upper right is International Parkway and the south entrance to DFW. The DFW Rental Car Center is visible in the upper right. ⁣ ⁣ Runway 17/35 is now Amon Carter Boulevard, but the very north end of 17/35 and it’s associated taxiway/hold pad you can still see when you fly into and out of DFW. If you're on the ramp going to SH360 south from SH183 westbound or coming south out of International Parkway, you can see it on your right as well. The old American Airlines HQ complex is on the west side of Amon Carter Boulevard.⁣ ⁣ For years the trees that lined the GSW access road were still visible well into the early 2000s until some commercial buildings were built in the area. Satellite images of when the SE corner of 183/360 was an empty field you can see traces of Runway 13/31. The new Skyview 8 HQ complex is south of the CR Smith Museum. Skyview 3/4 are north of the Museum and American Airlines Integrated Operations Center (IOC) is Skyview 2. (For those curious, Skyview 1 is the AA Reservations Center) ⁣ ⁣ The ZFW ARTCC is near the CR Smith Museum as well.⁣ ⁣ The rail line south of the airport perimeter is the commuter rail line now that connects downtown Fort Worth to downtown Dallas. Just to the west of where the threshold of 35 is Centerport Station for the Trinity Railway Express. ⁣ ⁣ #avgeek #aviation #DFW #DallasFortWorth #Texas #airport ⁣ ⁣ #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⁣ ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation https://www.instagram.com/p/CeqvjLbuhG1/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Emirates 221 Heavy nears the end of its 14.5 hour flight from DXB to DFW. ⁣ ⁣ You can clearly see the complex-shaped swept blades on the fan of the massive GE90-110B1 engines. ⁣ ⁣ When the second generation of GE90 engines for the 777-300ER and 777-200LR were under development, GE looked using conventional "radial" blades like that used on the GE90-94B used on the 777-200(ER), but using advanced computational fluid modeling techniques, found that the complex-shaped swept blades were more efficient and increased the air mass flow through the engine. This translates into a thrust gain of 1000-2000 lbs *just* from the fan blade shape- that excludes the improvements made to the GE90 core. ⁣ ⁣ #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #DFW #dfwavgeek #airport #planespotting⁣ #Boeing #777 #A6EWI #Emirates #Airlines #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation #TeamAvGeek (at DFW Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgp4gd3sgZR/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

N754AN, one of American's 46 active Boeing 777-200ERs, gets prepped for its flight at Terminal D at DFW. ⁣ ⁣ Note the inboard ailerons just aft of the engines- the right one is drooping but the left one is not. Technically those inboard ailerons are flaperons- they also droop to supplement the trailing edge flaps during takeoff and landing. ⁣ ⁣ When Flaps 5 is selected, the flaperons droop 10 degrees trailing edge down. The flaperon droops 20 degrees down with Flaps 15/20, and then 31 degrees down when the flaps are set for landing- Flaps 25/30. Depending upon the speedbrake position, the primary flight computers on the 777 remove the droop to "dump lift" at landing. ⁣ ⁣ Interestingly there is a takeoff bypass on these flaperons- when takeoff thrust is selected, the flaperon floats free, drooping due to gravity, then rising as speed increases. Once 80 knots is reached, power to flaperon actuators is restored and it assumes its proper "droop" configuration. ⁣ ⁣ This is done to reduce fatigue on the flaperon actuators- imagine having to maintain a specified droop angle with a big turbofan engine in front of it at takeoff thrust. So the flaperon is allowed to float free briefly on the takeoff roll. ⁣ ⁣ Earlier generation airliners like the 747 and DC-10, the inboard aileron did not have a flap function. That gap in the flaps behind the engines where the inboard aileron is located is sometimes referred to as a thrust gate. Discontinuities in the trailing edge flaps like thrust gates detract from their overall efficiency, so newer generation airliners had features to eliminate or lessen the impact of the thrust gate. Transforming the inboard aileron into a flaperon is one approach. ⁣ ⁣ #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #DFW #dfwavgeek #airport #planespotting⁣ ⁣ #Boeing #777 #N754AN #American #Airlines #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⁣ ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation #TeamAvGeek (at DFW Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfCPYm4JVRx/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

In my prior post about Cobham in Australia being the only BAe-146 operator besides AirPac that had routine rough field operations, the fine folks at @avgeekery (thanks Jeff!) pointed out that Aerovías DAP also operates on gravel runways in Antarctica routinely. ⁣ ⁣ DAP is a Chilean airline that does charter and scheduled flights from its base at Punta Arenas and is a consortium made up several air operations- Aerovías DAP, AeroRescate, Antarctic Airways, DAP Antarctica, DAP Helicópteros and Mineral Airways. The airline was established in 1980 and is owned by the Pivcevic family- "DAP" is the initials of the founder, Domingo Andrés Pivcevic. ⁣ ⁣ Its first flights were with a Twin Otter and they began flying to the Chilean research base on King George Island in 1989. The Twin Otter was augmented by a King Air and then two Dash 7s in 2003. The airline began BAe-146 operations in 2007 and through its brand Antarctic Airways, they carry 76% of tourist traffic between Antarctica and the Americas using two BAe-146s and a King Air 300. ⁣ ⁣ DAP has two BAe-146-200s, two 146-200QTs (currently parked), four RJ100s (two parked) and two RJ85s. A two day trip across the Drake Passage by ship now only takes two hours by jet. And yes, Aerovías DAP is featured in "Fighting to be Heard".⁣ ⁣ (Photo sources: Wikimedia, LUTE Loves travel blog)⁣ ⁣ #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #instaplane ⁣ #BAESystems #BritishAerospace #BAe146 ⁣ ⁣ #AeroviasDAP #DAP #AntarcticAirways ⁣ ⁣ #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #instaaviation #aviationlovers #flight⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce-W80bunTn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

N915AK, one of Alaska's Boeing 737 MAX9s, sits at the gate at Concourse C awaiting its final loads. You can't tell from my photo, but this is the Seattle Kraken 737. ⁣ ⁣ It's immediately apparent from the front just how much bigger the LEAP 1B engine is on the MAX compared to the CFM56-7 used on the 737NGs. ⁣ ⁣ The LEAP 1B has 18 carbon-fiber reinforced polymer fan blades compared to the 36 titanium fan blades on the CFM56-7. Resin transfer moulding (RTM) was used to produce the LEAP 1B fan blades which is basically forming and curing the carbon fiber in a mould under moderate pressure with resin and other curing compounds "injected" into the mould. ⁣ ⁣ The 18 LEAP 1B blades weigh a total of 168 lbs where as the 36 titanium blades used on the CFM56-7 weigh a total of 330 lbs. ⁣ ⁣ As the LEAP 1B blades are lighter (but each blade is strong enough to support the weight of a 787 Dreamliner!), this means there is less kinetic energy to manage in a blade-out situation and as a result, the fan blade containment structure can be made lighter, further reducing the weight of the engine. The LEAP 1B's fan containment case is 30% lighter and is made of carbon fiber compared with the aluminum/carbon fiber containment case used on the CFM56. ⁣ ⁣ The complex 3-D shape of the LEAP 1B fan blades reduces the noise from the front of the engine caused by fan rotation. ⁣ ⁣ #avgeek #aviation #airlines #aircraft #planeporn #SEA #Seattle #SeaTac #Washington #airport #planespotting #instaplane ⁣ ⁣ #Boeing #737 #MAX9 #Alaska #AlaskaAirlines #N915AK⁣ #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⁣ ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation (at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeU6K25MhC9/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Got this photo of Tanker 104 resting between sorties at the Redmond Air Tanker Base (RDM) in Oregon this past week while one of the US Forestry Service's Shorts 330 heads out with a load of smoke jumpers for a fire south of the Redmond/Bend area. The Erickson Aero Tanker MD-87s were working a fire near Lake Billy Chinook on the perimeter of the reservation of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. ⁣ ⁣ The Warm Springs tribes are one of the Columbia Plateau tribes of the Inland Northwest I work with on my day job and that's what had me in Central Oregon the past 2 weeks. That's beautiful area where the MD-87s were working the fire this particular day. Like the day prior, it was very hazy due to the wildfires. I had gone hiking earlier in the day up in the Cascades before things got really hot and hazy. ⁣ ⁣ There were also some SEATs (Single Engine Air Tankers) staging out of RDM as well. ⁣ ⁣ #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #RDM #Redmond #USFS #airport #planespotting⁣ #McDonnellDouglas #MD87#N294EA #Tanker104 #Erickson #EricksonAeroTanker ⁣ #Shorts #Shorts330 #smokejumper #N145Z⁣ #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation #TeamAvGeek (at RDMRedmondAirport) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg54Vvlsrtd/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I took this one this past Sunday at the Redmond Air Tanker Base of N295EA, Tanker 105, waiting between fire taskings. There were two or three fires going on south of the Redmond/Bend area and it was very hazy with the smell of smoke in the air. You could barely make out the snow-capped peaks of the High Cascades, it was so hazy from the wildfires in southern Oregon. ⁣ ⁣ My work trip got extended a few days and it give me the opportunity to observe the comings and goings of the tankers at the Redmond base as they worked the wildfires in the area. ⁣ ⁣ Tanker 105 was originally delivered to Iberia in June 1991. It flew for a few months with SAS before it was picked up by Erickson in September 2012 for modification work into a wildfire tanker. It started flying missions for the US Forestry Service in June 2014. ⁣ ⁣ Don't forget to give my other aviation feed, @lajeteepress, a follow. Twice a day I post aviation history subject matter. ⁣ ⁣ #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #RDM #Redmond #USFS #airport #planespotting⁣ #McDonnellDouglas #MD87#N295EA #Tanker105 #Erickson #EricksonAeroTanker #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation #TeamAvGeek (at Redmond Air Tanker Base) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgyJZiZsIi4/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

JA865J, one of Japan Airlines' 22 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, gets ready to turn into its gate at DFW's Terminal D. JAL also has 24 of the 787-8 variant as well. ⁣ ⁣ The GEnx (General Electric NeXt generation) engine first ran on a ground bench test in March 2006 and had its first flight on GE’s 747-100 testbed in February 2007. The GEnx engine is the replacement in the GE turbofan portfolio for the CF6-80C2, the ultimate evolution of the CF6 engine that debuted on the DC-10 in 1971. The GEnx is an advanced evolution of the GE90 turbofan used on the Boeing 777. It uses a high pressure compressor (the core) based on the smaller core of the GE90-94B variant used on the 777-200ER.⁣ ⁣ The GEnx is used on both the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the 747-8F and 747-8 Intercontinental⁣, but the 747-8 variants use a slightly smaller fan than the fan used on the 787.⁣ ⁣ With significant aerodynamic and materials improvements, the GEnx engine has a 15-20% better fuel burn than the CF6-80C2. Since its production launch, the GEnx engine has become the fastest selling engine in General Electric’s history. Much of the advanced technology and materials science that went into the development of the GEnx engine is also used on the CFM LEAP-1A engine of the Airbus A320neo family and the LEAP-1B engine of the 737MAX family. Much of the GEnx technology also crossed over back into the GE90 program in the development of the GE9X engine used on the Boeing 777-9.⁣ ⁣ If there's one area in aviation that is on the cutting edge these days, it's aircraft engines. ⁣ ⁣ #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #DFW #DallasFortWorth #Texas #airport #planespotting #instaplane ⁣ #Boeing #787 #Dreamliner #JapanAirlines #JA865J⁣ #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⁣ ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation (at DFW Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cehx5OvMvUC/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

The new Terminal B at New York La Guardia offers some great vantage points for photographing the action on the ramp. Here a Southwest 737 gets ready to pass under one of the passenger skyways that connect the landside terminal with the gate areas. ⁣ ⁣ There’s an old saying about the prior “Big Three” American large airframe manufacturers from years ago- Lockheed was into systems, Douglas was into structures, and Boeing was into aerodynamics. ⁣ ⁣ If there’s one thing that proves Boeing’s abilities in aerodynamics, it would have to be the wing of the 737NG- in fact, I’d argue that the 737NG’s wing is one of the most unheralded aerodynamic marvels of modern transport, not because of what it can do but how it transformed what was a slow, small, short-haul jet in the 737-100/200 to the performer that the NG line is today, capable of transcontinental and transoceanic flight.⁣ ⁣ Contrary to common belief, compared to the Classics, the NG’s wing is all new with a supercritical airfoil derived from the same work that led to the 777’s wing. It’s deeper in chord, longer span with lower wing loading. The inspar wing box is larger as well which allows more fuel. ⁣ ⁣ Over the 737-300, the 737-700 gains 4000 feet in service ceiling and depending upon where you look and the flight profile, 800 miles more range and all for a higher speed and less drag. When the 737NG was developed, it was stuck with a handicapped engine- the short landing gear meant that the new CFM56 versions for the NG couldn’t be as efficient as possible from larger fans like the CFM56s on the A320 family. ⁣ ⁣ This handicap I’d argue was offset handily by the 737NG wing design.⁣ ⁣ #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #LGA #LaGuardia #NewYork #NYC #airport #planespotting #instaplane ⁣ #Boeing #737 #Southwest #Airlines #SWApic⁣ ⁣ #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation (at La Guardia (LGA) - New York City) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf-mVZbMCTu/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Got to check off a box on my avgeek card on this current work trip by finally getting to ride one of the rarest Boeing 737 variants currently in US commercial service, the 737-900. It was on Seattle-Spokane run. ⁣ ⁣ The Boeing 737-900 should not be confused with the more common (and better performing) 737-900ER. Only 52 737-900s were built, less than the 737-600 (of which 69 were built). Alaska launched the 737-900 program in 1997 with orders for 10 aircraft with a first flight on 3 August 2000 and first delivery to Alaska Airlines 15 May 2001. ⁣ ⁣ Compared to the 737-800, the -900 has a 5 ft 2 in/1.57m fuselage plug ahead of the wing and a 3 foot 6 in/1.07m plug aft of the wing. Though stretched, the -900 has the same exit configuration as the 737-800 and is thus limited to the same number of maximum passengers as the -800, 189. ⁣ ⁣ Why was this? ⁣ ⁣ The original idea was to get the same number of passengers as the 737-800 but with more legroom as a minimal change derivative, but changes in the airline marketplace have meant that capacity was more important than comfort. Alaska’s -900s can only do ¾ of the way transcon and can’t do West Coast-Hawaii. They are now used primarily for trunk routes that don’t require range, like SEA-GEG, I was on a near-full flight. The European inclusive tour operators drove the design of the -900ER as they wanted better performance and more capacity. Alaska has 12 737-900s, I was on N303AS. ⁣ ⁣ By comparison (as of 2Q2022), Alaska has 77 -900ERs, 57 -800s, 23 MAX9s, and 14 -700s. ⁣ ⁣ #avgeek #aviation #airlines #aircraft #planeporn #SEA #Seattle #GEG #Spokane #SeaTac #Washington #airport #planespotting #instaplane ⁣ ⁣ #Boeing #737 #Alaska #AlaskaAirlines #N303AS⁣ #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⁣ ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation (at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce2ackMLYlS/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Moment of lift off for N887DN, one of Delta's 127-strong 737-900(ER)s. ⁣ ⁣ Delta's -900ER fleet is considerably larger and younger than the 70 -800s they have, with an average just over six years. By comparison, the -800s at Delta have an average age of 20.9 years. ⁣ ⁣ The first -900ER was delivered to the airline in 2013 and the youngest one in 2019. The airline also has 31 -900ERs parked, they appear to all be ex-Lion Air aircraft. ⁣ ⁣ Be sure to give @lajeteepress a follow on Instagram. I'm the one developing the social media content there on all aspects of aviation history with an emphasis on commercial aviation. ⁣ ⁣ #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #ATL #Atlanta #Georgia #HartsfieldJackson #airport #planespotting #instaplane⁣ ⁣ #Boeing #737 #Delta #AirLines #N887DN⁣ #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight⁣ ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation (at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgm7LjyuiOy/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=