The Royal Couple

The terms King and Queen have been around since forever. To this day, whether you think of either in present or past tense, you are likely to fill... more

by Alex Esguerra

Title

The Royal Couple

Artist

Alex Esguerra

Medium

Photograph - Color

Description

The terms King and Queen have been around since forever. To this day, whether you think of either in present or past tense, you are likely to fill your mind with visions of things like power, prestige, regality, etc. Pretty much anything that indicates that that individual is the superlative example of his or her nation (either in character, wisdom, or wealth, or any combination of the above) is going to apply.

Somehow, the terms wound up in the aviation circles, and "size" is where it has truly ingrained itself. The Boeing 747, even though eclipsed as the largest purpose-built passenger airliner, firmly retains the title of "Queen Of The Skies". In the meantime, the larger current-record holder Airbus A380 has started being referred to as "King Of The Skies". Whichever you are a fan of (in my case, I admire both), both are massive examples of aviation technology, casting a huge shadow on the ground that they set down on, capable of carrying passenger loads that go well into the hundreds.

In a very rare instance at SFO, I had BOTH the King and Queen of the SAME airline in my viewfinder, even more a shock when one considers that these are the ONLY two flights of the day for that carrier. British Airways Flight 284 patiently holds short of Rwy 28R for it's counterpart British Airways Flight 287. As Great Britain is still "ruled" by a monarchy (I use that term loosely; I know the Queen technically doesn't rule the country), I couldn't help but think, "I'm going to get a picture of the royal couple, here!" Hence, the name.

Uploaded

October 3rd, 2015