67 Votes (4.57 Average) and 37,779 Views  

Airbus A320neo (N316FR) - Frontier's "Shelly the Sea Turtle" (N316FR) is snapped here in an extremely rare capture; a view of a commercial passenger jet taking off toward the camera's position with Slide Mountain in the background. This unusual photo was actually "caused" by the COVID virus -- because the Frontier jet was almost completely empty, its lack of weight allowed it to rotate less than 3000 feet down runway 34L and climb so rapidly that it was high enough that Slide Mountain could be seen and photographed in the background. Most pictures that show Mt Rose and Slide Mountain are one of two types: they show aircraft on short final approaches as they are about to land on either 34L or 34R ... or .. they are photos showing jet airliners from the rear view angle as they are climbing after taking off from runways 16R or 16L. This "head-on' view of a commercial pax aircraft departing Reno with Slide in the background is only possible if the departing airliner rotates quickly and climbs rapidly, as the nearly empty Shelly did here.
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Airbus A320neo (N316FR)

Submitted

Frontier's "Shelly the Sea Turtle" (N316FR) is snapped here in an extremely rare capture; a view of a commercial passenger jet taking off toward the camera's position with Slide Mountain in the background. This unusual photo was actually "caused" by the COVID virus -- because the Frontier jet was almost completely empty, its lack of weight allowed it to rotate less than 3000 feet down runway 34L and climb so rapidly that it was high enough that Slide Mountain could be seen and photographed in the background. Most pictures that show Mt Rose and Slide Mountain are one of two types: they show aircraft on short final approaches as they are about to land on either 34L or 34R ... or .. they are photos showing jet airliners from the rear view angle as they are climbing after taking off from runways 16R or 16L. This "head-on' view of a commercial pax aircraft departing Reno with Slide in the background is only possible if the departing airliner rotates quickly and climbs rapidly, as the nearly empty Shelly did here.

Comments

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Gary SchenauerPhoto Uploader
There was one additional factor that made this photo possible. The thinner air at RNO usually means that departing commercial aircraft must make longer takeoff rolls in order to rotate and get airborne, so even though this FFT was nowhere near as heavy as it normally would have been, it still would have had to stay on the runway to get up to Vr speed. However, the wind was blowing so intensely directly toward aircraft departing on the 34s that this Frontier obtained added lift so as soon as it came off 34L it climbed very rapidly and from my location the snow-capped mountains came into view behind it.
trembo A
awesome capture!
Gavin Hughes
Great capture Gary. From your comprehensive comment it seems all things came together but if you don't add skill, you get zilch or poor. Neither of the latter apply here.
Darryl Sarno
Great shot Gary!
Tom Vance
I see G-man is out dusting us off the charts again....you forgot to add " extremely rare",,,I've never seen a photo of Slide Mtn in this type of view from RNO! 5 Sliders and Calendar shot!
ken kemper
Great Capture Gary............

Interesting add on about how the pic was "made".
JM32
WOW !! I mean really WOW. This is an awesome picture. Well done Gary. 3 thumbs up
Dale Docken
Totally magnificent, Gary!!
Qatar123
Awesome shot Gary!
ACTIVITY LOG
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Date Aircraft Origin Destination Departure Arrival Duration
18-Jul-2025 A20NDallas-Fort Worth Intl ()Chicago O'Hare Intl () 09:04AM CDT 11:27AM CDT Scheduled
18-Jul-2025 A20NChicago O'Hare Intl ()Dallas-Fort Worth Intl () 05:30AM CDT 07:48AM CDT Scheduled
17-Jul-2025 A20NPhiladelphia Intl ()Chicago O'Hare Intl () 08:49PM EDT 09:26PM CDT Scheduled
17-Jul-2025 A20NChicago O'Hare Intl ()Philadelphia Intl () 04:50PM CDT 07:35PM EDT Scheduled
17-Jul-2025 A20NCancun Int'l ()Chicago O'Hare Intl () 11:15AM EST 02:33PM CDT Scheduled
17-Jul-2025 A20NSt Louis Lambert Intl ()Cancun Int'l () 06:52AM CDT 09:38AM EST Scheduled
16-Jul-2025 A20NOrlando Intl ()St Louis Lambert Intl () 10:24PM EDT 11:23PM CDT Taxiing
15-Jul-2025 A20NTampa Intl ()Orlando Intl () 11:34PM EDT 12:02AM EDT (+1) 0:28
15-Jul-2025 A20NLong Island MacArthur ()Tampa Intl () 08:03PM EDT 10:20PM EDT 2:17
15-Jul-2025 A20NTampa Intl ()Long Island MacArthur () 12:59PM EDT 03:25PM EDT 2:25
15-Jul-2025 A20NBoston Logan Intl ()Tampa Intl () 08:12AM EDT 10:52AM EDT 2:39
15-Jul-2025 A20NTampa Intl ()Boston Logan Intl () 01:09AM EDT 03:42AM EDT 2:33
14-Jul-2025 A20NCincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport ()Tampa Intl () 09:10PM EDT 11:01PM EDT 1:51
14-Jul-2025 A20NOrlando Intl ()Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport () 05:43PM EDT 07:35PM EDT 1:51
14-Jul-2025 A20NCincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport ()Orlando Intl () 02:11PM EDT 04:01PM EDT 1:50
14-Jul-2025 A20NTampa Intl ()Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport () 09:11AM EDT 10:51AM EDT 1:40
14-Jul-2025 A20NCincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport ()Tampa Intl () 05:58AM EDT 07:42AM EDT 1:43
13-Jul-2025 A20NAustin-Bergstrom Intl ()Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport () 04:15PM CDT 07:19PM EDT 2:04
13-Jul-2025 A20NCincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport ()Austin-Bergstrom Intl () 01:28PM EDT 02:51PM CDT 2:23
13-Jul-2025 A20NHouston Bush Int'ctl ()Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport () 08:52AM CDT 11:49AM EDT 1:56
13-Jul-2025 A20NCincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport ()Houston Bush Int'ctl () 06:25AM EDT 07:23AM CDT 1:57
12-Jul-2025 A20NOrlando Intl ()Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport () 04:41PM EDT 06:37PM EDT 1:56
12-Jul-2025 A20NCincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport ()Orlando Intl () 12:29PM EDT 02:12PM EDT 1:43
12-Jul-2025 A20NTampa Intl ()Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport () 09:22AM EDT 11:11AM EDT 1:48
12-Jul-2025 A20NCincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport ()Tampa Intl () 06:16AM EDT 08:00AM EDT 1:43
11-Jul-2025 A20NDenver Intl ()Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport () 09:22PM MDT 01:51AM EDT (+1) 2:29
11-Jul-2025 A20NRaleigh-Durham Intl ()Denver Intl () 05:37PM EDT 07:04PM MDT 3:27
11-Jul-2025 A20NDenver Intl ()Raleigh-Durham Intl () 11:21AM MDT 04:20PM EDT 2:58
11-Jul-2025 A20NLos Angeles Intl ()Denver Intl () 06:35AM PDT 09:27AM MDT 1:51
11-Jul-2025 A20NDenver Intl ()Los Angeles Intl () 01:07AM MDT 01:57AM PDT 1:49
10-Jul-2025 A20NNashville Intl ()Denver Intl () 09:14PM CDT 10:45PM MDT 2:30
10-Jul-2025 A20NDenver Intl ()Nashville Intl () 04:56PM MDT 08:13PM CDT 2:17
10-Jul-2025 A20NMinneapolis/St Paul Intl ()Denver Intl () 01:56PM CDT 03:36PM MDT 2:40
10-Jul-2025 A20NDenver Intl ()Minneapolis/St Paul Intl () 10:04AM MDT 12:32PM CDT 1:27
10-Jul-2025 A20NCincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport ()Denver Intl () 08:04AM EDT 08:45AM MDT 2:41
09-Jul-2025 A20NDenver Intl ()Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport () 09:31PM MDT 01:44AM EDT (+1) 2:12
09-Jul-2025 A20NSalt Lake City Intl ()Denver Intl () 08:23AM MDT 09:22AM MDT 0:58
08-Jul-2025 A20NDenver Intl ()Salt Lake City Intl () 11:30PM MDT 12:33AM MDT (+1) 1:03
08-Jul-2025 A20NDane Co Rgnl ()Denver Intl () 09:22PM CDT 10:13PM MDT 1:51
08-Jul-2025 A20NDenver Intl ()Dane Co Rgnl () 04:08PM MDT 06:51PM CDT 1:43
08-Jul-2025 A20NIndianapolis Intl ()Denver Intl () 06:04AM EDT 06:23AM MDT 2:19
07-Jul-2025 A20NDenver Intl ()Indianapolis Intl () 08:15PM MDT 12:22AM EDT (+1) 2:07
07-Jul-2025 A20NRaleigh-Durham Intl ()Denver Intl () 05:31PM EDT 06:55PM MDT 3:23
07-Jul-2025 A20NDenver Intl ()Raleigh-Durham Intl () 11:11AM MDT 04:01PM EDT 2:49
07-Jul-2025 A20NSan Francisco Int'l ()Denver Intl () 06:43AM PDT 09:44AM MDT 2:00
06-Jul-2025 A20NOntario Intl ()San Francisco Int'l () 10:26PM PDT 11:18PM PDT 0:51
06-Jul-2025 A20NHarry Reid Intl ()Ontario Intl () 08:49PM PDT 09:28PM PDT 0:38
06-Jul-2025 A20NSan Francisco Int'l ()Harry Reid Intl () 06:05PM PDT 07:15PM PDT 1:10
06-Jul-2025 A20NPhoenix Sky Harbor Intl ()San Francisco Int'l () 03:08PM MST 04:41PM PDT 1:33
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