PICTURE THIS !!!

VOLCANO!!!

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:23:00 +0000

After departing Liberia, Costa Rica, on a trip to Newark, NJ, last week, I had the opportunity to get a shot of a volcano in Nicaragua. This particular volcano is on an island in Lake Nicaragua and is called Concepcion. According to information I found on this volcano, its peak is usually covered by clouds and this shot proves that to be accurate. What a cool sight!

SUNSET!

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:22:00 +0000

I must say that my job offers the opportunity to see incredible sunrises and sunsets. Here's a shot of the sun setting last night during our flight from Liberia, Costa Rica, to Newark, NJ. The oranges and yellows were brilliant, and the sun certainly didn't fail to please us as you can clearly see from the attached photos! What a great way to end the day. Sometimes you just KNOW there's a God!

WINGLET!!!

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:56:00 +0000

Usually I wouldn't post a photo like this, but for whatever reason, it seemed "right" to me. The combination of the lines, sunset, and light just made this photo click for me. Anyways, this little piece of metal costs approximately $800,000 plus installation bringing it to a whopping $1 MILLION per B-737. These "winglets" as they're called, help to save 2-5% of our fuel burn. On average, it takes about 3.5 years to pay for the winglets through the fuel savings. Pretty neat!

SEAGULL

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:47:00 +0000

Just ran across this shot I took a few months ago at South Beach, in Miami. These seagulls always remind me of a guy who's just about bald, but has the little "fringe" growing around his head. I'm sure after seeing the photo, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. ;-)

THE VANISHING BREED..... CONTINENTAL

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:15:00 +0000

Every day fewer and fewer "CONTINENTAL" logo planes are flying. It's sad to see such an incredible airline literally vanish before our very eyes. Luckily, I've taken hundreds of photos of the planes from this great airline. It was quite an honor to fly CONTINENTAL planes for the past 13 years. This photo was taken last winter....hence all the "white" powder from snow removal efforts.

TALK ABOUT OVERCROWDING!!!

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 02:29:00 +0000

During a recent visit to Mexico City (MEX), it became quite evident that they have a SERIOUS over crowding problem, especially in the eastern part of the city. Here's two shots I took recently upon departing Mexico's main airport. What's incredible is how you can mail a letter from Northern Alaska, to a small hut in Mexico City, and it'll actually find its way!

CASUARINA POINT, MARSH HARBOUR

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 01:12:00 +0000

I decided to post another photo that I took from our little rental cottage in Marsh Harbour, Abaco. The view from our porch was incredible as you can see. I could sit out every day and never get tired of sights like this. Last night we made some conch fritters from batter we brought back, and boy were they delicious. Even my mom decided she liked them too! Just another of the many reasons to go back !

B-787 SIMULATOR

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 00:42:00 +0000

Just finished my annual simulator check ride in Houston (IAH), and was lucky enough to get a photo of our newest B-787 simulator. Continental will be the first US carrier to fly the B-787 starting mid 2012. It is indeed one GORGEOUS airplane. I might just have to fly as a first officer again just so I can go have fun in this simulator! Naaaaah...........I'm happy with what I've got! ;-)

ALPA SWIMSUIT ISSUE!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:27:00 +0000

I was recently notified that one of my St. Maarten photos (SXM!!!), made the COVER of the December issue of the Air Line Pilot Association's magazine! Here's a picture of the cover! They wrote that my photo was the "inspiration" for the issue........so they called it a "swimsuit" issue. What a great Christmas present and quite a surprise too!

Adri's SOLO Pictures!

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 04:51:00 +0000

Here's two photos I took of Adriana moments after her first solo (yes, she flew by HERSELF)! Soloing an airplane is one of the most rewarding experiences of a pilots life. I still remember the day I soloed, and that was back on February 19, 1977! What a wonderful day that was............and so totally unexpected. You can see how excited Adri was..............and still is. It looks like her flying career is starting to take off! Nice job Adri!

ADRI'S first SOLO!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 04:30:00 +0000

My girlfriend's daughter, Adriana, recently acquired a love of flying, and decided she wants to be an airline pilot. Luckily for her, I have my flight instructor license, so we started working on her private license when she turned 16 a few months ago. Today, as a testament to her hard work, she was rewarded with her first SOLO!!! Yes, she flew the plane by herself and did an incredible job. Here's the clip I took of her first landing! As you can see, she did a fantastic job! Keep up the good work Adri and you'll be flying for the airlines before you know it!

Sunset at Casuarina Point, Abaco

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:52:00 +0000

My girlfriend and I just returned from a three day rest and relaxation vacation to Marsh Harbour, Abaco, in the Bahamas. The sunsets were incredible each night. Here's a shot of one of the nicer ones. I could retire in a place like this!

LAZY SEAGULL

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 01:10:00 +0000

This little fellow was catching a nice leisurely sunning a few weeks ago at Miami, South Beach. It was such a nice day all the seagulls were out sunning themselves, so it made for some easy photos for a change! Ahhhh...........must be nice to not have a worry in the world!

FLOAT PLANE FUN!

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 05:57:00 +0000

Yesterday one of my good friends called and asked if I wanted to go flying for an hour or so in their Cessna 185 float plane. Since I'm a bit nuts about flying, I accepted. We went out and did a few water landings on Greenwood Lake, in NJ/NY. After that, we took a ride up the Hudson for a spectacular view of Manhattan and NYC! What a great afternoon. A big thanks to the Pipitone family for the flying and wonderful evening/dinner too! Here's a couple of shots I took of the plane (one is of the mirror under the wing that is used to check if your landing gear is down for "land" landings and to ensure the wheels are up for water landings). I've got to tell you, landing on a lake is REALLY NEAT!

CONTRAIL AHEAD!!!

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 17:01:00 +0000

While flying to San Francisco (SFO)the other night, we had another aircraft flying approximately 40 miles ahead of us. Here's a shot I took of them.............. The contrail almost looks like a rocket shooting off! Sometimes the sights we see are indeed incredible! I love my job!

SEAGULL SHADOW

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 22:29:00 +0000

Well, finally got home for a day and went to the beach...... It was a nice and peaceful day, but a bit windy. I decided to try and get a nice photo of a seagull. THIS is what I got. I really like how this one turned out. It amazes me how well my camera can capture motion without any blurring.

SEA FOG

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 18:59:00 +0000

Here's a shot I took a couple of days ago during my flight from Guadalajara, Mexico (GDL), en route to San Francisco, California (SFO). We were cruising 40,000 feet above the earth's surface. This small island in the Gulf of California, was about 80 miles southwest of Hermosillo, Mexico. It was a pretty neat sight!

MT ADAMS

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 14:44:00 +0000

Been working a lot lately, so my blog has been a bit idle. Only home for one day and then back out again for another week. UGGGHHHH!!! At any rate, here's a nice shot I took on our departure out of Portland, OR, yesterday. Mt. Adams is in the foreground. It was absolutely gorgeous! You can certainly tell winter is on the way!

PLASTIC HAIR

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:23:00 +0000

During our recent rally in New York city, one particular bystander really caught my attention (how could you NOT see her?). Now, I sometimes have a hard time sleeping with almost NO hair, but how does one go about sleeping with PLASTIC hair? Yes, when the breeze blew, you could hear her "hair" clicking. And I thought I'd seen everything................;-)

WALL STREET MARCH!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:05:00 +0000

Yesterday I was in downtown New York City, with all my fellow pilots as we marched on WALL STREET. 750+ pilots gathered for the rally. Here's a group photo I took with the majority of the pilots in it. It was indeed a sight!

ADRIANA AND I GO FLYING

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 01:01:00 +0000

I recently started teaching my girlfriend's 16 year old daughter Adriana, how to fly. She has around 14 hours or so and is doing really well. Her goal is to become an airline pilot, so that's the goal we're working towards. Today she did a perfect takeoff, landing and "slip" all by herself. Nice job Adri!!!!!

LOBSTER CLOUD

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:57:00 +0000

Yesterday when I was at the beach, I looked up and saw a "lobster" cloud....at least a cloud that LOOKED like a lobster. I grabbed my camera and this was the shot I got. What do you think?

USA TODAY NEWSPAPER PHOTO

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:37:00 +0000

Just got back from flying another trip and had the pleasure of seeing another one of my weather photos in the USA TODAY newspaper! This makes 14 of my photos in the paper in the past year! The editor has told me another might be published in a couple of weeks. The neat thing about this most recent shot was that it baffled the EXPERTS as they had never seen an "upside down mammatus" cloud before!!!! At any rate, here's the photo they used!

SUNSCREEN OR CLOWN?

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 14:36:00 +0000

I usually try to find interesting things at the beach to photograph.........but every once in a while I find something that REALLY catches my eye. Putting sunscreen on isn't a big deal and shouldn't catch someones attention, but this guy was "overdoing" it by just a tiny bit! What's so amazing is that he actually walked around looking like a partially made up clown..........and his wife didn't seem to even notice!!!! You just gotta love the beach!!! ;-)

PELICAN FLIGHT

noreply@blogger.com (KARL NOVAK) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:53:00 +0000

During a recent visit to South Beach in Miami, I took this shot of a pelican out on its daily fishing jaunt. These birds look so graceful as they fly 8-10 inches above the water. What I find so amazing is the force they hit the water with during a fishing "dive bomber" attack, yet never seem to get hurt. I watched them do this dive from 30 feet up, into water that was only 8-10 inches deep. How they keep from breaking their necks is beyond me. Oh well, I'll just watch as they gracefully fly around.