Topic: 4/23: Shuttle Enterprise's ferry flight to New York
MarylandSpace Member
Posts: 1336 From: Registered: Aug 2002
posted 04-26-2012 11:56 PM
I wonder if there will be a final Washington DC flyover on Friday morning.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42986 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-27-2012 02:04 AM
According to NASA, there will not. The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with Enterprise will depart Dulles and head directly to New York.
genemiller New Member
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posted 04-27-2012 05:32 AM
What time will the shuttle ferry leave Dulles this morning?
crowe-t New Member
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posted 04-27-2012 05:39 AM
When will there be a confirmed flight path?
genemiller New Member
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posted 04-27-2012 05:59 AM
Does anyone know the ETA for the first pass at the Verrazano Bridge? I plan to take a few photos at the bridge, and then drive to Cross-Bay Blvd. to photograph the low altitude flyby, and later the landing. Will I have enough time to reach Cross-Bay Blvd? The drive is about 15-20 minutes.
crowe-t New Member
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posted 04-27-2012 06:06 AM
Is the low altitude fly by over JFK confirmed yet?
I live in Howard Beach and am not sure if I should head out somewhere else or stay where I am.
Ben Member
Posts: 1896 From: Cape Canaveral, FL Registered: May 2000
posted 04-27-2012 06:25 AM
The Verrazano should be the first flyover, so estimate 45-50 minutes after takeoff most likely. Takeoff is still set for about 9:30am EDT.
Might be cutting it close to get all the way to CB Blvd in time, if they head that way right after the Hudson. (Esp if there is any traffic).
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42986 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-27-2012 06:39 AM
Enterprise is targeted to leave Dulles at 9:30 a.m. but is subject to airport traffic.
NASA and the FAA will not be releasing the flight plan.
The low flyover over JFK is confirmed and will occur about 10 to 20 minutes before landing.
I'm now at JFK, checked in as media, and tentatively confirmed for a bus out to the runway.
Per NASA public affairs:
The weather has cleared out as forecast. Any windy conditions do not affect the fly-by and landing (not a crosswind issue).
Glint Member
Posts: 1040 From: New Windsor, Maryland USA Registered: Jan 2004
posted 04-27-2012 07:04 AM
A comical artistic rendition of Enterprise's flyby of the Statue of Liberty, well worthy of intense belly laughing ridicule, has been published on Gothamist.
astro-nut Member
Posts: 946 From: Washington, IL Registered: Jan 2006
posted 04-27-2012 08:00 AM
Will NASA TV show live coverage of the departure and flyover and landing at JFK?
Glint Member
Posts: 1040 From: New Windsor, Maryland USA Registered: Jan 2004
Posts: 42986 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-27-2012 08:15 AM
NASA did not have plans to provide live NASA TV coverage. CNN.com has a live video stream out of Washington, D.C.
Also, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with Enterprise will taxi to Dulles Runway 30 for departure to the west, then turn out to the north.
Jay Chladek Member
Posts: 2272 From: Bellevue, NE, USA Registered: Aug 2007
posted 04-27-2012 08:47 AM
Looks like Enterprise has just left Dulles. She took off and disappeared into the cloud deck. Glad to see her get air under her wings for one last time.
Glint Member
Posts: 1040 From: New Windsor, Maryland USA Registered: Jan 2004
posted 04-27-2012 08:55 AM
quote:Originally posted by Robert Pearlman: CNN.com has a live video stream out of Washington, D.C.
Thanks for the link, Robert.
Just saw Enterprise over Gaithersburg, Maryland — heading north-to-south! — from the parking lot outside, minutes after takeoff from Dulles. Grabbed a pair of 7x50 Fujinons out of the car to watch. Very grandiose low pass, maybe 2-3,000 feet up. No T-38 escorts observed today.
On edit: The video now shows what appears to be a T-38 escorting Enterprise. Must have rendezvoused later, after passing over the town here.
posted 04-27-2012 09:46 AM
CNN has been running some pretty good coverage today. Guests included Joe Engle in a live interview rom JFK and via telephone Eileen Collins.
posted 04-27-2012 10:40 AM
Thank you NASA for deciding to bring the Enterprise to New York. The office building that I work in is near Teterboro Airport, NJ so I got to see it fly up and down the Hudson and then the fly over of the above mentioned airport.
As a Northeasterner I never thought I would I would see such a thing as a "shuttle" piggybacked to plane.
Murph Member
Posts: 108 From: New York, NY USA Registered: Jan 2005
posted 04-27-2012 11:29 AM
Just got back from JFK where I was on the flight line, on a crystal clear day, for the fly-by and the landing of the Enterprise. The fly-by was spectacular, low and slow... you could read the name on the side of the shuttle clearly as they flew along the runway, Enterprise shadowed by a T-38.
Simply awesome to see the Enterprise coming to its new home. An experience I will never forget. Thanks NASA!
astro-nut Member
Posts: 946 From: Washington, IL Registered: Jan 2006
posted 04-27-2012 12:30 PM
Shame on NASA TV for not showing live coverage of Enterprise's last "flight".
Hart Sastrowardoyo Member
Posts: 3445 From: Toms River, NJ Registered: Aug 2000
posted 04-27-2012 12:52 PM
Didn't make it to Intrepid like I wanted to but had a great view of it from Liberty State Park. Realized it was kinda windy, and somewhat disappointed no flyby of the Freedom Tower, but a great day nonetheless!
crowe-t New Member
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posted 04-27-2012 12:54 PM
My wife and I got back from JFK a short while ago and the fly over and landing were magnificent. The weather was perfect.
As Murph said above, the fly-by was nice and slow. Something I never thought I'd get to see.
WAWalsh Member
Posts: 809 From: Cortlandt Manor, NY Registered: May 2000
posted 04-27-2012 01:24 PM
Caught Enterprise going past Battery Park three times this morning. Impressive to watch and sad as well. Hope I got a decent photo of it.
onesmallstep Member
Posts: 1310 From: Staten Island, New York USA Registered: Nov 2007
posted 04-27-2012 01:33 PM
Just came from the Circle Line tour boat pier next to Intrepid, and it was a show not to be missed! Enterprise and her 'mother hen' took a lap over the Hudson River, passing twice in front of Intrepid, then came back around over Weehawken, New Jersey across the river after her downtown flyby before heading to JFK.
A spaceship has landed in New York! Thanks to NASA and the tireless SCA flight and support crews for making this memorable day possible.
MikeSpace unregistered
posted 04-27-2012 01:56 PM
A slideshow of some of the snaps I got of the shuttle Enterprise as it flew above New York City and surrounding area, taken from Liberty State Park, Jersey City.
RocketmanRob Member
Posts: 268 From: New York City USA Registered: Mar 2005
posted 04-27-2012 02:24 PM
Just got back from spending the morning at JFK to watch the arrival of Enterprise with my two sons and brother. What a show! Fantastic!
The staff the the Intrepid and JFK airport did a great job with the event. We had a fantastic opportunity to see Entprise off in the distance over Manhattan, then a direct view as she flew right by our viewing stands at JFK and then the landing.
What a sight to see Enterprise parked right in front of us. We also had the opportunity to meet and have a photo taken with Joe Engle in front of Enterprise which was one of the highlights of the day. To top it all off he also signed my photo of his ALT flight.
Great day! Welcome to your new home Enterprise!
GoesTo11 Member
Posts: 1309 From: Denver, CO Registered: Jun 2004
posted 04-27-2012 02:33 PM
quote:Originally posted by MikeSpace: A slideshow of some of the snaps I got of the shuttle Enterprise as it flew above New York City and surrounding area, taken from Liberty State Park, Jersey City.
Fantastic shots, Mike! Thanks for sharing.
frank3si Member
Posts: 20 From: Blackwood NJ Registered: Aug 2011
posted 04-27-2012 02:45 PM
Nice photos! You must have just been to my left. Amazing how windy it was, but what a sight!
Mike Isbell Member
Posts: 551 From: Silver Spring, Maryland USA Registered: Aug 2003
posted 04-27-2012 04:00 PM
I saw the Enterprise fly over North Bethesda, Maryland about 7 minutes after takeoff from Dulles. The mated aircraft were to the North heading from West to East, in the general direction of Baltimore, as they passed over I-270.
I took a few photos of them from the upper level of a parking garage at Montgomery Mall. As they continued Eastward and became dots in the sky, I lost sight of them while putting my camera away and was unable to spot them again. Seeing the 747 in the air ferrying the Enterprise was a magnificent event to view.
MikeSpace unregistered
posted 04-27-2012 04:19 PM
When the shuttle was far away I switched from photo to video and got this pass; only about 40 seconds, but if you watch fullscreen 1080 HD; you can make out a fair amount of detail of the Shuttle/747, as well as the chase plane. And how low and slow it was flying.
Also gives some idea of the wind, which I thought was going to violate some flight rule.
Tom Member
Posts: 1597 From: New York Registered: Nov 2000
posted 04-27-2012 04:19 PM
What a fantastic sight from Long Island, New York as the Enterprise/747 with T-38 alongside flew over in a kind of salute to the former Grumman facility below.
Pretty amazing sight!
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42986 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
Space shuttle Enterprise, the prototype for NASA's orbiter fleet, is now a New Yorker.
The original test space shuttle, Enterprise flew into the Big Apple on Friday (April 27) atop a modified Boeing 747 jumbo jet. The air- and spacecraft duo touched down at New York's John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport at 11:22 a.m. EDT (1522 GMT) following a photogenic flyover of some of the metropolitan area's most famous sights, including the Statue of Liberty and the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, which Enterprise will soon call home.
"Today is a great day for New York," said Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who was on hand at JFK to witness the orbiter touch down. "Welcome, Enterprise — you're going to love it in New York, and we're glad to have you."
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42986 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-27-2012 09:21 PM
It's great to read (and see!) that so many cS'ers had a chance to see Enterprise take flight one last time.
Of the three museum delivery ferry flights, this was the one I looked forward to most. Not only was it headed to New York — a city I once called home and a frequent day-trip destination growing up in New Jersey, but it was a chance to see NASA's original prototype shuttle as more than a static exhibit. It was history come alive.
Together with my colleagues from SPACE.com, I arrived at JFK early on Friday morning and set about getting a lay of the land. The Intrepid had invited 1,500 guests (including our own RocketmanRob) to witness the landing and had set up an educational tent and stands for the post-arrival ceremony.
For the flyover and touchdown itself, I had the opportunity to be bused out to Runway 31L — the longest runway at JFK — to see Enterprise make its Big Apple arrival. The landing strip remained active until the shuttle approached, providing some terrific close-up views of an Airbus A380 touching down, one of NASA's T-38 jets taking off, and a few American Airlines flights departing with the classic red, blue and silver livery that NASA 905 used to adorn.
Enterprise put on quite the show. We spotted it flying over the city in the distance and circling the airport, before it did a low flyover at JFK and the came in for a final landing. It was then quickly towed over to the ceremony site as we, the media, were bused over to join the festivities.
We pulled up to the ceremony with it already underway, but I was able to see and photograph most of it, including Leonard Nimoy's surprise appearance and Joe Engle, who I was very glad was able make it (we had been told earlier in the week that due to the weather delays, his participation was tentative).
Afterwards, I had a brief opportunity to talk with Bill Rieke, who served as chief pilot of Friday's ferry flight. He said it was a bit of a bumpy ride at times, due to wind gusts, but otherwise a smooth trip. He said he didn't have a lot of opportunities to look out the window, but that it was a special experience to fly around the city and its landmarks.
It was a great day, quite memorable, and I look forward to following Enterprise on its continuing journey to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.
Skyforce1 Member
Posts: 200 From: Vineland NJ, USA Registered: Aug 2009
posted 04-27-2012 10:40 PM
I stepped out the front door of my condo and was lucky enough to see the Shuttle Trainer fly directly overhead. I stayed outside with my binoculars and 15 minutes later saw the Enterprise and 747 pass directly over my condo!
I live here in Galloway, NJ and what a great sight to see one last time!
Hart Sastrowardoyo Member
Posts: 3445 From: Toms River, NJ Registered: Aug 2000
posted 04-28-2012 07:50 AM
For someone who grew up during the shuttle era - I still have the copy of National Geographic with the "When the shuttle finally flies" cover story which I um, "liberated" from my sixth-grade class - seeing Enterprise fly one last time really meant a lot to me. I still remember reading a newspaper article with an illustration of a space shuttle docked to a huge solar-power array and the caption, "That's Enterprise docked above."
I've never had to see Columbia or Challenger in person, but seeing Atlantis in February at the OPF, Enterprise and Discovery last week at Dulles, and now Enterprise in flight... wow.
Unsure whether I'll see Endeavour at KSC, but never say never. And anyway, my wife wants to visit California again, and she's already been forewarned there'll be a side trip to see that shuttle should we go.
I'm already looking forward to seeing Enterprise barged up and lifted onto Intrepid. Should somehow I be on that barge, I already know where to leave my car in long-term parking at JFK and which subway to get back to it!
ilbasso Member
Posts: 1522 From: Greensboro, NC USA Registered: Feb 2006
posted 04-28-2012 11:08 AM
Enterprise's "career" parallel my own professional life. She first took independent flight in the June 1977 ALT test flight. At that time, I was between my junior and senior years of college as a Federal Summer Intern, working one block from NASA HQ in Washington. I spent a LOT of lunch hours at NASA HQ that summer! She came to Washington in November 1985, when I was working for Boeing on what became the Space Station Freedom program. I remember seeing her several times from an airplane window as she sat on a parking apron at Dulles Airport off of the south end of Runway 1L/19R, before they moved her into a hangar. Now, she's being "retired" yet again, as my own retirement gets underway.
As Apollo was the space program of my childhood, Shuttle has been the space program of my adult life.
413 is in Member
Posts: 628 From: Alexandria, VA USA Registered: May 2006
posted 04-28-2012 11:52 AM
New York, NY. If Enterprise can make it there, she can make it anywhere, except space of course. May she have a long and happy retirement.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42986 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-28-2012 01:18 PM
Here's one time where being second in line to use the runway paid off...
APG85 Member
Posts: 306 From: Registered: Jan 2008
posted 04-28-2012 08:12 PM
Neat stuff. If only they could have found a suitable place for Enterprise in the Great State of New Jersey!
I guess we'll just have to stare across from Liberty State Park.
Jay Chladek Member
Posts: 2272 From: Bellevue, NE, USA Registered: Aug 2007
posted 04-28-2012 10:15 PM
quote:Originally posted by Hart Sastrowardoyo: For someone who grew up during the shuttle era - I still have the copy of National Geographic with the "When the shuttle finally flies" cover story which I um, "liberated" from my sixth-grade class - seeing Enterprise fly one last time really meant a lot to me.
I can empathize Hart. I have the exact same National Geographic issue in my stash and I can remember glancing at it for the better part of a year until Columbia flew. Those pictures of Enterprise on the pad at KSC and landing at Edwards excited my imagination. That issue and the one that covered Columbia's first flight are two of my most prized possessions.
Somewhere on some of my photo CDs I've got a ton of images I shot of Enterprise. When I visited Udar-Hazy in 2006, I of course walked around the whole place and shot photos of several of the planes on display. But Enterprise naturally got the highest number of photos shot of it.
I can still remember seeing that first tailcone on glide flight from 1977. Shuttle was a new thing for me and it captivated my young imagination back then. Even though I am sad to see these birds in retirement, I think once I visit the museums and see them on display, it will likely still ignite that spark of happiness once again.
Hart Sastrowardoyo Member
Posts: 3445 From: Toms River, NJ Registered: Aug 2000
posted 04-29-2012 06:46 AM
Heh. I hated metal shop in junior high school. But that didn't stop me, when we were asked as a homework assignment, to bring in pictures with three different views of what we would like to make, of cutting out of Newsweek or Time photos of the space shuttle, gluing it onto a sheet of paper and bringing that in....
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42986 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 05-01-2012 02:57 PM
Here's the Intrepid's newly-released highlight video from the ferry flight and delivery of Enterprise:
posted 04-26-2012 11:56 PM
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