Timing......is everything

On the BANYO4.FLG departure off runway 03 (Flagstaff transition) cruising through about 10,000 feet. The sun is about an hour from truly rising as we departing in smooth and cool conditions out of Scottsdale. I was hoping that I could make up for the lack of pictures on arrival due to the cloud cover from FL280 to 4000 feet but this is the best aerial I can get of the Phoenix area. This photo was taken by the co-pilot.

Now sometimes when something receives a lot of hype it usually is overrated and when you actually get to see it first hand you are disappointed. From what I can see in the air the Grand Canyon is for sure a wonder of the world and is probably the most beautiful thing I have seen (geographically speaking :) As the sun was slowly rising I could see the glowing red/orange hues in the vicinity of the Grand Canyon. I was so excited to take some pictures I went to manual mode and started doing test shots to get the least amount of noise with the most representative shots. This is a time when I really wish I had a Digital SLR that could give me the image quality to be able to get every crevasse and hue that I could see passing over top.

The order of these shots are not as actually flown. This is on the north east side of the canyon but its not really important the order because they all show the true beauty and splendor of this wonder of the world. The glow that was being given off was amazing. I didn't think rock could give off such a hue and now I want to see the Ayres Rock in Australia. It appears to glow and change colour with the different stages of sunrise and sunset. It looked as though the top of the Canyon was pure gold with the reflection and was very happy that the camera captured the scene I was getting from FL240.

Simply amazing !! Folgers has nothing on waking up when you get to see this at 0630 !

Just to be sure that I captured the colour I zoomed out to give a comparison of the wing and the ground, I was not disappointed with the results. One day I would love to be on the south rim of the Canyon with a tripod and taking time lapsed pictures to catch each different colour. One day.

Rant Warning

The mighty Colorado River. It has taken the river around 6 million years to cut through layer upon layer of stratified rock to get to where it is. We humans are nothing but a tick on the geological clock of the world but with the pace we are consuming resources and polluting our home we are an "erosion" process never seen by the Earth. I am definitely guilty especially as I am taking this picture. Not only am I flying empty creating 645 KG (1420 lbs) of CO2 emissions (see page 3) per hour,but all the energy (coal, nuclear..etc) that went into building the aluminum structure, interior (oil for that on its own) and the support network required to keep us running. The 4 R's Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink cover most problems but personally I think throwing away recyclable items should be illegal. I mean the only reason not to do it is because of laziness. I guess that law would fall right beside the no littering and how well it's enforced and its cause is also lack of respect for your environment (IE crapping in your own kennel). Not saying I am not guilty at one point for these offenses and it takes more effort then usual to make sure recyclables make it into the blue box but we need to do our part otherwise natural wonders such as this will be fighting an uphill battle.

Almost looks like a satellite shot from directly overhead. This is what it looks like directly above the Colorado River at 24,000 feet. We banked it nice and sharp to get this view and it was well worth it. The low light made it hard to get lots of contrast but I am satisfied with it.

Picture of the north rim area. Grand Canyon airport is just behind the wing to the left. Too bad there is no golf courses or ski hills in the park otherwise I might get the opportunity to fly someone there :) One of my most memorable flights ever.