Curious on the backstory behind the photos? This is the place. You'll find not only write ups on local outings, but also reviews of major events I’ve attended.
Imua One’s First Revenue Flight
Southwest Airlines latest special livery makes its first appearance and first revenue flight out of Dallas Love Field! A tribute to 5 years of Hawaiian operations by the once small intra-Texas airline.
A proud moment for those with Southwest Airlines as Imua One departed Dallas Love Field yesterday on its maiden revenue flight as SWA578 to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
Imua One was painted up in Spokane, Washington a little over a week ago, and is dedicated to the people of Hawaii as a symbol of thanks 4 years into Southwest's service to the Islands. Below you'll find more information from Southwest Airlines on the background of the latest high flying paint job:
Imua is a rallying cry in the Hawaiian language that translates to an urging forward, and it underscores a key value at Southwest—Teamwork. And it’s fitting that our aircraft dedicated to our Employees and the Island communities is called Imua One, as this aircraft is a symbol of the partnership between the Hawaiian Islands and Southwest.
Osaki Creative Group, an Oahu-based agency, designed Imua One with the guidance of a Hawaiian Cultural Practitioner. Its distinctive design features eight elements that represent concepts in Hawaiian culture that also align with Southwest values. The aircraft design features stars for each of the five airports in Hawaii Southwest serves: Honolulu, Lihue (Kauai), Kahului (Maui), Kona (Island of Hawaii), and Hilo (Island of Hawaii); six paddlers in an outrigger bring to life the concept of Imua; and six turtles in two groups of three to represent harmony and balance. A lei near the nose of the aircraft honors the unique Islands through their official flowers. And, in keeping with the traditional and distinctive colors in our Southwest Heart livery, including bold blue, warm red, and sunrise yellow, a gradient transition from blue to yellow represents the evolution from night to day and honors the Hawaiian history of journeying the Pacific using wind, and following the guidance of the sun, stars, and moon to navigate.
The eight central visual elements of the Imua One livery hold significance in Hawaii and at Southwest:
Ohana (Family): Root in relationships.
Honu (Turtle): Move with perseverance.
Aina (Land): Find common ground.
Ama (Support): Connect to strengthen and balance.
Hoku (Star): Guide with purpose.
Kai (Ocean): Harness good energy.
Lokahi (Unity): Succeed with Teamwork.
Source: https://community.southwest.com/t5/Blog/Say-Aloha-to-Imua-One-an-Aircraft-Dedicated-to-Our-Employees-and/ba-p/158057?fbclid=IwAR1eXlvY8tZlOx6NMmvGMopmXLXn_HtzRMly_jeE_VEYnPXAPkvhDK9JWEo
Winter Storm Mara
Winter Storm Mara strikes Dallas Love Field.
A powerful winter storm wreaked havoc across much of the Southern half of the United States the past few days, with temperatures plunging well below freezing in North Texas since Monday. As I was stuck at a hotel near work, I was able to photograph a bit of the action taking place at Dallas Love Field which was greatly impacted by the deep freeze. While these freezes are not uncommon in many parts of the United States, North Texas typically only sees these large scale events once or twice a year at best so the infrastructure in place is not quite as capable of handling these long-lasting ice storms. The following photos show part of the team effort required to crank flights out in the midst of these brutal conditions. The system is finally winding down in North Texas at the time of this writing, with temperatures finally staying consistently above freezing tomorrow.
