A Sunny Day for a Special Boeing 757 and Aviation Museum Grand Reopening

   Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011, was a pleasant change from the prior dreary Wednesday that saw the first arrival in Lexington, KY, of Allegiant's nonstop service from Las Vegas.  Below, Flight 440 is on short final to Runway 22 at Blue Grass Airport.  Look closely and you can see the Rolls Royce turbofans spinning on N902NV.  You can click on each photo for a larger version.

   The first arrival of AAY440 on Runway 22 at LEX rolls out just after touch down.

   My friend and veteran commercial pilot Rand Peck says "the seven-five is the most beautiful, the most elegant airplane I've flown."  The big 757-200Q hangs a left onto Alpha 3 and joins Taxiway Alpha to head towards the terminal ramp.

   N902NV pulls into Gate Bravo 3 at LEX, joining Delta Connection Bombardier CL-600-2B19 N801AY on the terminal ramp. 

   While activity is going on inside the terminal and on the passenger ramp, visitors to the Aviation Museum of Kentucky are getting a treat at the museum's grand reopening in former hangars occupied by TacAir, the fixed-base operator at Blue Grass Airport.

   Among the attractions on the museum ramp are P51D Mustang "Hurry Home Honey" (413586) and Kentucky Air National Guard C-130 Lockheed Hercules "His Eminence" (#1235) of the 123rd Air Wing "Thoroughbred Express" series named after Kentucky Derby champions.

    By now, both the Delta Connection CRJ and our sunny Allegiant 757 are about ready to taxi from the terminal to Runway 22.

    Now Allegiant Flight 441 (AAY 441) awaits taxi clearance from Blue Grass Tower as the Delta push tug is detached from the 757.

    Airtran Flight 1250, a Boeing 717, from Orlando is on short final to Runway 22 as AAY 441 gets taxi clearance to the same runway from the tower.

  A few minutes after taxiing past the Blue Grass Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Center, AAY441 will receive clearance to takeoff from Runway 22.

   
    It's off into the blue yonder for this beautiful 757!

    Good luck in Vegas.

Allegiant Starts Nonstop Boeing 757 Las Vegas Service

It was a miserable, rainy Wednesday afternoon, November 16, 2011, when Allegiant Airlines Flight 440 touched down on Runway 4 at Lexington's Blue Grass (LEX) Airport.  The Boeing 757-200Q (N902NV) is the largest commercial aircraft to currently serve LEX, seating 213 passengers.

Allegiant (AAY440) taxis off Runway 4 onto Taxiway Charlie for the brief trip to the terminal ramp after its 3 hour-and-10 minute, 1684-mile trip from McCarran International Airport, home base for highly profitable Allegiant Travel.  

There will be a nearly 4-hour layover in Lexington, as Allegiant's ground crew gets acquainted with the heavy Boeing 757 (serial no. 26964, built in 1992), powered by twin Rolls Royce RB211535 engines.  Lexington ground personnel are accustomed to handling the smaller MD-80 family of aircraft that comprises the bulk of the AAY fleet.

N902NV taxis past the LEX Safety Center with a rain-equipped US Airways ramp agent looking on and a Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet, operated by US Airways Express carrier Air Wisconsin, parked at the terminal waiting to head back to Charlotte.

After the ground crew's training session, N902NV will return to Las Vegas as AAY Flight 441, departing at 7:40 p.m. after a soggy first day in Central Kentucky.  Here's the full release announcing the twice weekly nonstop service.

I'll try to catch this gorgeous aircraft on a sunny day, with some actual light to help the camera!!!