As I was driving to school/work yesterday (sunday) just before 10:00am PST, guess what I saw:
Quantas 744 on steep climbout to the east!
I did a double take, and confirmed it before it flew into the fog. I was pissed that I hadn't gotten on the 405 yet, but when i got to work i confirmed that it was cleared for takeoff on runway 7L (might have been right). You can catch the position and hold on the archive a few minutes before the end of the 1730Z for the 11th.
Definitely a weird sight, let me tell you! One of these weekends I may try to catch that guy's take off from aviation blvd in case he uses the 7's...will probably be amazing.
I can believe it. But I think that might have either been an operational request by QFA. I know that for the past couple of days, 25R/7L has been closed, so you might have seen a VERY rare 7R departure. But IIRC, QFA's gates may be at the north side of the Int'l terminal so you may have seen a 6R departure.
If weather required the 6s and 7s to be used, I could believe it. From the most socked in from the past 36 hours, according to NOAA:
KLAX 121421Z 10004KT 1/2SM R25R/1000V1400FT FG FEW001 SCT150 12/11 A3002 RMK AO2 $
KLAX 121050Z 02003KT 1/4SM R25R/1800V4000FT FG VV001 12/12 A2999 RMK AO2 SLP154 T01220117 $
KLAX 121047Z 04004KT 1/4SM R25R/1200V4000FT FG VV001 12/11 A2999 RMK AO2 $
KLAX 120950Z 03004KT 1/4SM R25R/1200V1600FT FG BKN001 BKN010 12/12 A2998 RMK AO2 SLP149 T01220117 $
KLAX 120946Z 03004KT 1/4SM R25R/1200V1800FT FG BKN001 BKN010 12/12 A2998 RMK AO2 $
Even with the glideslope from the ILS, with RVRs that variable, it could be operationally safer to land and depart to the east. Winds would dictate normal ops, but if it's that socked in, landing and departing to the east would be the safer play.
Either way, the guys at SCT had to get out their cheat sheets to handle that!
BL.
