Trip to Pakistan 2024: places

I’m an aviation geek. That means I don’t just take photos of people, I also take photos of the places I go to. Or, well, go through :)

Melbourne Airport

Ground staff member waiting for the luggage containers to turn up

Photo of an airport apron that has a wide-body aircraft parked on it. The aircraft is in the process of being loaded with catering supplies. A roller ramp has been parked to the side of the aircraft. A member of the ground staff is sitting on the corner of this roller ramp, waiting for the luggage containers to arrive so they can be loaded into the aircraft hold.

The Etihad Boeing 777 that flew us from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi

Wide-angle photo of a wide-body Boeing 777 aircraft parked at the gate of an airport terminal.

Abu Dhabi Airport

This corner of Terminal A at Abu Dhabi Airport is quite empty at 2am

Wide-angle photo of large, high-ceiling, shiny, brand new airport terminal building. One one side of the building are windows that go from the ground to the fourth floor. From the angle the photo is taken you can see parts of all four floors, all of which are connected by escalators and elevators.

Waiting at at empty departure gate at Abu Dhabi Airport Terminal A

Photo of a large, heigh-ceiling, mostly empty airport departure gate. This section of the building is at least two storeys high, with a wide, elevated walkway running through the centre. In the departure are are several round-backed single-seater sofas for waiting passengers to sit on.

Walnut crescent cookie shaped lights at Abu Dhabi Airport Terminal A departure gates

Wide-angle photo looking up at a large, crescent shaped, white-and-cream coloured light fixture. This light fixture is mounted on a tall pillar along a first-floor walkway in a high-ceiling airport terminal building.

Walnut crescent cookie shaped lights at the new Abu Dhabi Airport Terminal A

Photo looking up at a large, crescent shaped, white-and-cream coloured light fixture. This light fixture is mounted on a tall pillar along a first-floor walkway in a high-ceiling airport terminal building.

Etihad Airways Airbus A320 aircraft taxiing to its gate at Abu Dhabi Airport

This was the Airbus A320 that flew us from Abu Dhabi to Karachi.

Photo of a narrow-body Airbus A320 aircraft in Etihad Airways livery taxiing to its gate.

Airbus A320 approaching Abu Dhabi Airport Terminal A gate 640

Photo of a narrow-body Airbus A320 aircraft in Etihad Airways livery slowly approaching a terminal boarding gate.

Airbus A320 getting settled at Abu Dhabi Airport Terminal A gate 640

Photo of a narrow-body Airbus A320 aircraft in Etihad Airways livery parked at a terminal boarding gate. The passenger boarding bridge (aka air bridge) from the terminal is in the process of being extended towards the front-left door of the aircraft and there are several ground operations team members walking around below the aircraft. And ‘Airside Operations Leader’ car is parked in front of the gate at which this aircraft has parked.

The Boeing 787 that took us from Abu Dhabi to Melbourne

Photo taken through large floor-to-ceiling windows of an airport terminal building of a wide-body aircraft in Etihad Airways livery parked at a gate. In the background you can see the airport’s weather radar and control tower.

The Boeing 787 that took us from Abu Dhabi to Melbourne

Photo of a wide-body aircraft parked at an airport gate. It is connected from its left side to the terminal building via a passenger boarding bridge (aka air bridge). On its right side luggage is being loaded onto it. In the background are the other terminal buildings of Abu Dhabi Airport Terminal A.

Karachi Airport

Heading from Karachi to Islamabad

Photo of an airport apron taken from inside a passenger boarding bridge (aka air bridge). The gate next to this one is empty.

Islamabad Airport

The Fly Jinnah Airbus A320 that took us from Islamabad to Karachi

Photo of a narrow-body Airbus A320 aircraft in Fly Jinnah livery parked on the apron at an airport. Several ground staff are walking around the aircraft, getting it ready to start deplaning its passengers and cargo.

Trip to Pakistan 2024: people

Nadia and I took three weeks off to go visit friends and family in Pakistan. Naturally I took several photos as we travelled from one place to the next :)

Selfie at Melbourne Airport before heading off on our holiday

We had an almost-10pm flight out of Melbourne, so we had dinner at Melbourne Airport right after we checked-in.

Selfie of a man and woman, both wearing black t-shirts, backpacks, and face masks, standing in an airport terminal.

All set to fly from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi

Neither of us minds having seats near the bathroom and neither of us minds sitting right at the back of the plane, so we picked seats in the second-last row of this Boeing 777 since that row has just two seats on the window side :)

Selfie of a man and woman, both wearing black t-shirts and face masks, seated in an aircraft. The two are giving a thumbs-up to the camera.

Selfie along the C-gates arm at Abu Dhabi Airport Terminal A

Abu Dhabi Airport’s brand new Terminal A is quite roomy (having been built for future growth) and is a surprisingly comfortable place to hang out for a ten-hour layover.

Selfie of a man wearing a bright orange jacket standing in the middle of a long terminal corridor, between gates C28 and C29.

Selfie to celebrate our arrival at Karachi Airport

Yay Karachi!

Selfie of a man and a woman, both wearing black t-shirts and face masks, standing next to their luggage at the international arrivals gate of an airport.

Ready for the first of our three flights back to Melbourne, this one from Islamabad to Karachi

It took us almost forty hours to get back from Islamabad to Melbourne (via Karachi and Abu Dhabi). This was the start of our first leg.

Selfie of a man and a woman, both wearing black t-shirts and face masks, seated inside an aircraft cabin during boarding.

Ready for the second of our three flights back to Melbourne, this one from Karachi to Abu Dhabi

This was the start of our second leg, waiting in the international departure lounge.

Selfie of a man and a woman, both wearing black t-shirts and face masks, seated in a departure lounge at an airport.

Waiting for breakfast at Abu Dhabi Airport Terminal A

This is towards the end of our twelve hour layover in Abu Dhabi.

Photo of a woman, wearing a black hoodie and face mask, leaning on a restaurant table in an airport. Behind her is a floor-to-ceiling window that looks out onto and airport terminal apron.

Selfie before boarding our flight to Melbourne

We’re making sure to stretch our legs and stand as much as we can before our non-stop, thirteen hour flight to Melbourne.

Selfie of a man and a woman, both wearing black tops and face masks, standing in a departure lounge at an airport.

Ready for the third of our three flights back to Melbourne, this one from Abu Dhabi to Melbourne

All aboard and ready to boogie (aka sleep) on this lovely Boeing 787 (yay!).

Selfie of a man and a woman, both wearing black t-shirts and face masks, seated inside an aircraft cabin during boarding.

We hadn’t been back to Pakistan since late 2019, so this trip was very much overdue and it was a great way to start the year.

Avalon Airshow 2023: Super Galaxy

There were a bunch of cool civilian and military aircraft you could walk into at the air show. One of the coolest was the Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy II.

Super Galaxy whale tail

Low-angle photo of the tail of a massive military transport aircraft (the Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy) at an air show. There are lots of people walking around the event, and several dozen people are making their way into the aircraft from its rear loading ramp.

Walking into the Super Galaxy

Photo of dozens of people walking up the loading ramp of a massive military transport aircraft (the Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy) at an air show. The aircraft’s cargo space is large enough to carry tanks and helicopters.

Walking through the Super Galaxy

Photo of dozens of people walking through the cargo space of a massive military transport aircraft (the Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy) at an air show. The aircraft’s cargo space is large enough to carry tanks and helicopters.

Walking out the front of the Super Galaxy

Photo of dozens of people making their way through the cargo space of a massive military transport aircraft (the Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy) at an air show. The aircraft’s cargo space is large enough to carry tanks and helicopters.

USAF Super Galaxy flight crew ready to take questions

Photo of two US Air Force flight crew of the Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft wait at the front of its cargo area. They are ready to answer any questions that visitors to the air show might have.

USAF Super Galaxy flight crew talking to the visiting public

Photo of a US Air Force flight crew member standing in the cargo area of a Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft during an air show. The crew member is answering a question that he’s been asked by one of the air show visitors.

USAF Super Galaxy flight crew taking questions from the visiting public

Photo of a US Air Force flight crew member standing in the cargo area of a Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft during an air show. The crew member is answering a question that she’s been asked by one of the air show visitors.

Explaining the intricacies of the pumps along the Super Galaxy nose door

Photo of a man in a Federation University (Ballarat, Australia) cap points to a series of hydraulic pumps attached to the nose door of a military cargo aircraft (the Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy). The man is explaining the intricacies of this pump to another man standing next to him.

Open nose door of the Super Galaxy

Photo of the open nose door of a massive military transport aircraft (the Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy) at an air show. The entire nose section at the front of the aircraft has been separated from the rest of the airframe and raised up on massive hinges. There are dozens of visitors walking out from the cargo space at the front of the aircraft. There are also hundreds of people walking around the event, looking at the dozens of aircraft parked at the air show.

Avalon Airshow 2023: Black Eagles flying display

At this year’s air show we were treated to a aerobatics flying display from the Republic of Korea Air Force’s Black Eagles aerobatic team. Here are some of the photos I took of that display.

Black Eagles in diamond formation

Photo of eight black-and-yellow jet aircraft (specifically, KAI T-50 Golden Eagle jet trainers) from the Republic of South Korea Air Force Black Eagles aerobatic team. The aircraft are flying in a diamond formation across the sky.

Black Eagles looping in formation

Photo of eight black-and-yellow jet aircraft (specifically, KAI T-50 Golden Eagle jet trainers) from the Republic of South Korea Air Force Black Eagles aerobatic team. The aircraft are flying upside-down towards the ground as part of a loop manoeuvres they are performing. The aircraft are all emitting white aviation smoke to show their flight path.

Black Eagles breaking their loop formation

Photo of eight black-and-yellow jet aircraft (specifically, KAI T-50 Golden Eagle jet trainers) from the Republic of South Korea Air Force Black Eagles aerobatic team. The aircraft have just broken formation after completing a loop manoeuvres in the air. The aircraft are all emitting white aviation smoke to show their flight path.

Two Black Eagle jet aircraft flying at each other

Photo of two black-and-yellow jet aircraft (specifically, KAI T-50 Golden Eagle jet trainers) from the Republic of South Korea Air Force Black Eagles aerobatic team. The aircraft appear to be flying in to each other head-on, as part of an aerobatic manoeuvres. Both aircraft are emitting white aviation smoke to show their flight path.

Two Black Eagle jet aircraft that have just flown past each other

Photo of two black-and-yellow jet aircraft (specifically, KAI T-50 Golden Eagle jet trainers) from the Republic of South Korea Air Force Black Eagles aerobatic team. The aircraft have just flown past each other head-on at close range, as part of an aerobatic manoeuvres. Both aircraft are emitting white aviation smoke to show their flight path.

Avalon Airshow 2023: Lots to do

The biennial Avalon Airshow is back after four years! (The 2021 show got cancelled due to the pandemic.)

Here are some of the photos I took at the event.

Display aircraft

No push

Black-and-white photo of the nose of a medium sized, turbo-prop aircraft (a Beechcraft Super King Air). Printed in all-capital letters at the very tip of the aircraft’s nose is the phrase “no push”.

Beware of blast

Photo of a jet engine mounted below the wing of a transport aircraft. A large sign with red, all-caps text on a white background painted on the back of the engine reads “beware of blast”.

Do not grab

Photo of pilot’s seat of a Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. The cockpit canopy doors are all open. On various surfaces around the inside of the cockpit are signs in all-caps text that read “do not grab”.

Do you want to touch the nose too?

Photo of a man at an airshow carrying a little girl in his lap. The man is standing in front of a military transport aircraft and both the man and girl have one hand placed on the aircraft’s nose. The man is looking down at a child who you can’t see because there is a woman standing between the girl and the photographer. He is asking the child if they too want to touch the nose of the aircraft.

I want to touch the nose again!

Photo of a man at an airshow carrying a little boy in his lap. The man is standing next to the nose of a military transport aircraft. On the ground, next to the man, is a little girl (from the previous photo) who wants to be picked up so she can touch the nose of the aircraft again.

CH-47 Chinook

Photo of the front half of a large, dark olive coloured, twin-rotor military transport helicopter (specifically a CH-47 Chinook) at a public air show. The helicopter has ‘Republic of Singapore Air Force’ written in large, all-capital letters on its side.

Checking out the inside of a CH-47 Chinook

Photo of the inside of a military transport helicopter at a public air show. Several people are walking into the helicopter from its rear ramp, while several others are walking off.

Taking a peek at the belly of the A400M Atlas

Low-angle photo showing the underside of a large military transport aircraft (the Airbus A400M Atlas) at an air show.

Watching the show

Watching the flying program

Photo of several people standing in a line at an air show looking up at an airplane doing aerobatic manoeuvres. The aircraft in the sky is leaving a trail of white aviation smoke as the pilot performs manoeuvres. There are several other people walking around, including a group of Royal Australian Air Force cadets in their blue fatigues.

Capturing the take-off

Photo of a man taking a photo with a camera that has a very large lens attached to it. The man is at an air show, and the aircraft he is photographing is somewhere off-camera to the left of the photo. In the background of the photo is a massive military transport aircraft (a Boeing A400M), while everywhere else there are people walking around the event. A group of Royal Australian Air Force cadets in their blue fatigues are also watching the aircraft that this man is taking a photo of.

Puppies!

Belgian Malinois puppy-in-training

Photo of a Belgian Malinois puppy chewing on a blue, fuzzy toy while sitting comfortably on some astroturf behind a portable, white picket fence. The puppy is part of a litter being fostered for potential training to be a air force protection dog.

Avalon Airport

Sign at Avalon Airport eastern apron

Black-and-white photo of a large sign that reads “Avalon Airport / LAT S 38.01-8 / LONG E 144.28-4 / EAST 1”. To the left of the photo is a man with an air force tote walking across the aircraft parking apron. Jutting into the photo from the right is an aircraft wing with a jet engine mounted under it.

This was part one of four, so more photos to follow…