Occasionally, a fast growing Cumulus Congestus will disrupt an overhead horizintal airflow by deviating it upwards. If conditions are right, this motion leads to condensation and a lenticular-like cloud will form in the same way it does in orographic mountain waves. This type of cloud is called Pileus; this one was shot in the cruise from Budapest to Lisbon in A319 CS-TTR."pics from the office" is a selection of photos taken from the Airbus A320, A330 and A340 operational environment. This blog is focused on Aviation rather than on the technical aspects of photography. Feel free to comment. Thanks for your visit!
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Jul 2, 2012
Pileus
Occasionally, a fast growing Cumulus Congestus will disrupt an overhead horizintal airflow by deviating it upwards. If conditions are right, this motion leads to condensation and a lenticular-like cloud will form in the same way it does in orographic mountain waves. This type of cloud is called Pileus; this one was shot in the cruise from Budapest to Lisbon in A319 CS-TTR.Jul 1, 2012
May 30, 2012
One Zero Zero Thousand
Today "pics from the office" has received its 100.000th visit since its creation in 2006. I think this is significant. About four years into my airline pilot career, the e-mailing list of friends and aviation enthusiasts wishing to receive my work-related photos was constantly increasing and getting unmanageable so I decided to change sharing methods and "pics from the office" was born. Sticking to a simple concept while embracing your constructive criticism and seeking constant improvement "pics from the office" has developed into what it is today. It makes me smile to see that six years after its creation this blog is very much alive and kicking. Thanks for your visits, suggestions and support!
May 26, 2012
Kelvin-Helmholtz
The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability or wave can occur when there is a velocity shear between adjacent layers of the atmosphere. When a cloud finds itself interacting with both layers as is the case with this stratocumulus off the coast of Nice, the wave is revealed. I've been after a shot of one of these for a long time and eventhough much better examples can be found on the internet, this one is mine and I like it.Apr 26, 2012
Line of Fire
Another day ends in a glorious fashion in which tranquility takes over while leaving the windy and rainy weather below. Here we are in the climb out of Lisbon towards Brussels in A319 CS-TTO. On board, 106 passengers among which is our respected CEO Fernando Pinto. Despite a slight delay on departure, arrival was on schedule...as usual.Apr 11, 2012
Tango 9
One of the major advantages of air travel is the possibility to go from one place to another using the most direct route which on a sphere is known as an orthodromic or great-circle. This of course applies when French ATC is not on strike which is not the case today.. Flying from Porto to Zurich while avoiding French airspace is not easily accomplished without using the T9 airway which takes us into Shanwick's oceanic airspace up to the UK. Despite a tremendous increase in fuel burn and flight time, T9 has got to be one of the coolest airways in the european network. A319 CS-TTF from Porto to Zurich the long way around. Apr 5, 2012
Mar 31, 2012
Alignment's
Venus, the Moon and the (already set) Sun are aligned as we progress to Hamburg in A319 CS-TTF. Appearance can be deceiving since our day is not yet over; a hydraulic fluid leak has been detected and we are focused on managing the possible loss of one of our three hydraulic systems. Despite not being a common failure, it is far from being a major concern.Mar 21, 2012
Hangar Six

A night glimpse through the open doors of hangar 6 at Lisbon airport. Complex machines as they are, airplanes require constant high quality maintenance. TAP Maintenance & Engineering is known to be among the very best in the business and this is one of its main facilities. We had just arrived from Nice in A319 CS-TTQ. Feb 21, 2012
Feb 12, 2012
Fire Monster
Rosenbauer Panther fire fighting vehicle standing by while we fuel A320 CS-TNP at Budapest airport shortly after arriving from Lisbon. This is standard procedure when fuelling is carried out with (transit) passengers on board as is the case today before our next sector to Prague. The pre-flight inspection was an interesting and slippery event in temperatures of -11ºC.Feb 9, 2012
Nuvole di Vento
Alpine Altocumulus Lenticularis formation spotted while climbing out of Bologna in A320 CS-TNT. Strong winds interact with the mountains below causing massive uplifting of the surrounding air which cools as it rises. Sufficient cooling leads to saturation and condensation into these beautiful clouds.Feb 7, 2012
Jan 4, 2012
Polaris
The stars Dubhe, Merak, Phecda, Megrez, Alioth, Mizar and Alkaid together make up the constellation of Ursa Major (also called Big Dipper). This constellation is special because the line that extends five times the distance from Merak to Dubhe allows easy identification of Polaris, the North Star (in this pic, the one close to the left edge near the bottom). A320 CS-TNU from Sal to Lisbon with 155 passengers on board and strong navigation backup.Electric Jet
Beautifully lit A320 CS-TNU on the ground in Sal (Cape Verde) during the external inspection. The title "Electric Jet" was taken from Capt. Dave's great blog: http://flightlevel390.blogspot.com/ Jan 2, 2012
Cold Fuel
Flying back from Christmas in Moscow, here is A319 CS-TTQ's Fuel page on the System Display about 4 hours into the flight. We've been exposed to very low SAT's (static air temperatures) for most of the flight (-67ºC in this pic) which have been slowly removing heat from the fuel in the wings. Due to the relatively small amount held in each outer tank (slightly over 700 kg), this fuel cools at a greater rate and requires monitoring. Engines, in general, don't like frozen fuel. Jet A-1 fuel freezes below -47ºC but since we fuelled in Russia, our fuel is TS-1 which freezes below -50ºC.Dec 19, 2011
Dec 4, 2011
Ondulations
A layer of clouds once again revealing a wave probably resulting from the interaction of strong winds across a distant mountain range. Most people believe that waves are a thing of the ocean used for surfing but glider pilots such as my friend Pedro Mesquita might tell you otherwise... A320 CS-TNR cruising at FL380 to Luxembourg (anticipating turbulence).Dec 3, 2011
Scandic Cyclone

On the ground in Oslo in A319 CS-TTP. Everything normal except maybe the exceptionally low QNH of 986 hPa. We were in fact very close to the center of a low pressure system also called depression or cyclone. Bad weather is associated to these systems and today was no exception with strong winds and heavy rain present throughout the approach to runway 19R. (Three days later in Stockholm the QNH fell further to 975 hPa which is, I believe an all time low for me).
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