Following up on the previous post Shooting the inaugural passenger flight of the ANA Star Wars livery 787-9.

Yesterday morning, I went to another nearby flight simulation shop, LUXURY FLIGHT. I flew the 737NG for an hour; I will summarize that experience slowly over the weekend. After finishing, I rushed to Haneda Airport Terminal 2, because on this day, the R2-D2 special livery aircraft began its domestic passenger operations. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to shoot the takeoff of flight ANA555 in the afternoon.

The weather was poor, with some clouds and low visibility; it was a gray, hazy day. When I arrived at the observation deck on the terminal, I was shocked to find that countless aviation enthusiasts had already occupied all the prime shooting spots! With no other option, I found a space that was barely passable and waited for the arrival of JA873A.

Since this was a flight to Hokkaido and the wind was from the east at the time, Runway 34R was in use. Around 13:50, the aircraft finally appeared. It received takeoff clearance at 13:54 and began the takeoff roll.

Continuously accelerating

Vr

Airborne, Positive, Gear up

Looking from the rear side, I really like this angle

Later, the wind shifted to the south. I wanted to shoot its landing upon return from Hokkaido. Since I guessed it would use Runway 22, I ran to Keihin Island Park and waited for two hours. Unexpectedly, JA873A requested a landing on Runway 23! As a result, the trip was in vain, and I went home empty-handed and disappointed…