North by NORTHWEST

North by NORTHWEST

This Northwest A-320 will shortly lift off of Runway 36 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA),
heading due north before bearing northwest and heading up the Potomac on this sunny afternoon in July 1997.

The new terminals and control tower at Washington's close-in airport had just opened...
Northwest Airlines was still Northwest...Runway 36 was still designated 36...
and Northwest Airbuses still had those neat red-accented "wing fences."

Northwest would become a fallen flag among U.S. carriers,
becoming part of Delta's great white "Widget-ed" fleet.
And Runway 36/18 would be re-designated Runway 01/19.

But I refuse to "re-designate" this image as "North-by-Northeast by Northwest." ;-)

From a Fujichrome transparency.

This image is available in archival gallery prints and as a custom printed Photo Note Card.

Photo, Narrative, Design ©1997/2012 Steve Ember