@EastMidRailway hi guys, I'm travelling on 170505 on the 14:26 Crewe to Lincoln Central service.
This rattle is very distracting, are you able to report it please?
Over 40,000 lightning strikes were recorded from yesterday's thunderstorms that travelled through Wales, southern Ireland and western parts of England. It seemed to be a more active day than anticipated!
A huge thank you to everyone who's sent in their storm pics, they've been wonderful to look at โก๏ธ
NOBODY IS TELLING YOU HOW FUCKED THE SPIRIT AIRLINES SITUATION ACTUALLY IS RIGHT NOW.
Everyone is watching Duffy's press conference. Nobody is connecting what the government actually did here.
Here's what you need to understand:
โ Spirit was bleeding cash in 2022 โ JetBlue offered $3,800,000,000 to save it
โ The Biden DOJ sued to block the deal in March 2023 โ argued it would "raise prices for consumers"
โ A federal judge sided with the DOJ in January 2024 and killed the merger
โ Elizabeth Warren went on camera and called it a "Biden win for fliers"
โ JetBlue walked away in March 2024 and paid a $69,000,000 breakup fee just to escape
โ Spirit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2024
โ Spirit filed for bankruptcy AGAIN in August 2025
โ The airline the government "protected" no longer exists
They're showing you a Transportation Secretary losing his temper on camera.
They're NOT showing you that the government blocked a $3,800,000,000 rescue deal to "protect competition" โ and now there is no airline AND less competition.
โ Spirit is gone
โ JetBlue lost $69,000,000 in breakup fees
โ Every Spirit route is now either dead or absorbed by larger carriers
โ The price-sensitive travelers Warren claimed to protect have fewer options and higher fares
The DOJ argued the merger would harm consumers.
The merger dying harmed consumers.
"History has judged the denial of the JetBlue-Spirit merger under Biden as a MASSIVE MISTAKE."
That's not a political opponent saying it. That's the sitting Transportation Secretary. On the record. In public.
It's a collapse.
Many people will regret not following me sooner, trust me.
๐บ๐ธ โ๏ธ Spirit fleet overview
โ๏ธ Airbus A321neo
๐บ๐ธ In fleet: 77
๐บ Seats: 228
๐ Range: 3,500 nm
๐ In service since: 2022
โน๏ธ The largest aircraft in the fleet. More seats, lower emissions, built for efficiency.
โ๏ธ Airbus A320neo
๐บ๐ธ In fleet: 44
๐บ Seats: 182
๐ Range: 3,400 nm
๐ In service since: 2019
โน๏ธ The backbone of the fleet. Advanced technology for lower fuel burn and more reliability.
โ๏ธ Airbus A320ceo
๐บ๐ธ In fleet: 15
๐บ Seats: 182
๐ Range: 3,300 nm
๐ In service since: 2010
โน๏ธ Proven performance and reliability on short- and medium-haul routes.
โ๏ธ Airbus A319ceo
๐บ๐ธ In fleet: 2
๐บ Seats: 156
๐ Range: 3,100 nm
๐ In service since: 2007
โน๏ธ Versatile and efficient for smaller routes and markets.
๐ซ Total aircraft: 138
๐ Average fleet age: 6.3 years
๐ Destinations: 80+ (across the U.S., Caribbean, Latin America & more)
This is the shot you canโt get from the press site. This camera was sitting a few football fields from the SLS rocket at Pad 39B for days before launch, baking in the Florida sun, surviving rain, humidity, and whatever else the Cape threw at it. No photographer behind the viewfinder. Just a camera, a sound trigger, and a bet.
The way pad remotes work: you set your camera up days in advance, dial in your composition, lock everything down, and walk away. You donโt touch it again until after the launch. The shutter fires on sound activation
with a @MiopsTrigger smart+ trigger. With SLS, the four RS-25 engines ignite six seconds before the solid rocket boosters, so the camera is already firing before the vehicle even leaves the pad. You get home, pull the card, and find out if you nailed it or if a bird landed on your lens two days ago and left your a present and you got 400 photos of soemthing crappy.
Thereโs no formula for protecting your gear this close. Some photographers build wooden boxes with doors that pop open. Some use plastic bags and tape. Some do plastic or metal barn door rigs on hinges. I tend to leave mine open just in plastic rain covers because boxes limit my composition and setup time, but that means your cameras are more exposed to the elements and whatever energy and debris comes off the pad. Youโre basically gambling a camera body every time you set one.
Thatโs what I love about this genre. Thereโs no playbook. You make it up as you go. Every time is an adventure.
๐ธ credit: me for @SuperclusterHQ - Artemis II pad remote | ~1,000 ft from Pad 39B | Kennedy Space Center
Itโs no flight deck view but weโre found our video from the skies!
A great capture by darthjav of Artemis II launching from Florida!!
#aviation#artemis2#avgeek