Yep, it changed very quickly, then it just converted to regular smog! LOL!

Well, I just got back from an afternoon at Imperial Hill...what a place!  I'd forgotten how completely cool that place is!  So far today, I've taken (ahem...) 1300+ pictures.  And the day ain't over yet!

After I got back to the hotel I parked on the top floor of the garage again, and since I was there I decided to take some more shots.  Honestly, it's as good as Imperial Hill and great for shots of arrivals on the north complex.  Well, I wasn't there long when the parking lot supervisor approached me and asked me to cease and desist!  This was a different guy from this morning, and he actually turned out to be quite nice.  He said that the owners of the building had a no photography policy, and I guess they asked him to stop me if he saw me taking shots again (probably due to my run-in with the other guy this AM.)  I told him I was sorry, and that I would pack it up.  He said I could call the owner tomorrow morning and ask for permission, and I said I would and he left to check on the rest of the lot. 

While I was gathering my things, he came back and gave me the guys name and number, and then we chatted it up for a while.  He's an older gentleman, and he agrees with me that it's the perfect spot for pictures.  Then he started pointing out all the landmarks and named all the individual mountains and ranges to the north and telling me how much he loved the view from up there too.  He pointed out the Baldwin Hills and Hollywood sign, and we just had a nice talk. 

I filled him in on what I was doing and why, and gave him some OPShots cards.  I apologized for causing him any grief and he said the same back to me!  So, in spite of the fact that he told me to stop, at least I believe him that it came from higher up.  He said that because I work for the airlines and have a website that he's hopeful they'll give me permission.  I'm gonna give the guy a call in the morning.  It really is a great, great, spot and I hope they let me continue.  Of course, just as I put the camera away, a gorgeous Eva 777-300 in the special paint landed 24L (all the others so far have been a little further out on the right) but I didn't dare pull the camera back out and lose any "good karma!"

In other news...the Qantas A380 that was supposed to come in today?  Well, FlightAware said it was a 744, but guess what?  It WAS the A380 and I got some killer shots!  (From the garage of course!)  I might try to edit a few shots on my laptop tonight to give you guys a taste of what's to come.

Tomorrow, I'm might go to the aviation museum nearby to see what that's about, and who knows what else!  I really think I should get away from the airport environs for a bit...I mean, I love it, but ...

Talk to you all soon!

"One of the many things that amazed me when I lived in LA is the mid-1980's, was the frequency of small plane crashes.  It seemed as if there were a couple a week every week in the LA Basin and the Valley."

Funny you say that...a Baron crashed on approach to San Bernadino while I was there:

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There is an amazing amount of air traffic in that area, both general and commercial.

Anyway, I just got back from my trip and am settling in to work on some photos.  Expect a bunch this evening!