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Bombardier Challenger 300 (N541XJ) - Private Bombardier Challenger 300 takes off from Van Nuys Airport while a SouthWest Boeing 737 descends to land to Bob Hope airport right above. Taken in Van Nuys, California.
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Bombardier Challenger 300 (N541XJ)

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Private Bombardier Challenger 300 takes off from Van Nuys Airport while a SouthWest Boeing 737 descends to land to Bob Hope airport right above. Taken in Van Nuys, California.

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Mathias Böttcher
beautiful photo, impressive/ 5*
Dave Sheehy
Nice! 5*
Richard Bowman
I realize that a telephoto lens can compress distance, but even accounting for that, what the heck happened to aircraft separation? I wouldn't want ATC playing with my life like this.
Jim Quinn
Alexander, you have really good timing, or incredibly good luck. Either way--nice shot!
Pilot78
plenty of ( legal ) space there --just the photo illusion---nobody's life is in jeopardy
RW2102
Nice Shot
roby259
wow meravigliosa foto
is that concedered a near miss?
JWaldman
Excellent photo illusion. Only the comparative size of the aircraft gives away how safe the actual separation was. Great shot!
babyracer
I can see this ending up on youtube in one of those horrendously misinformed 'near-miss' videos XD
do we know the altitude of both planes ,super shot
Ian Saunders
Great shot. The tail number should be 541XJ. Those of you that have already commented there is plenty of separation on VNY departures and BUR arrivals
Al Bauer
Talk about right place, right time. Excellent shot.
renato basso
wow...wow....wow
Gary Butt
Scary stuff I agree with Richard B.
apo3
Nice! *****
Jim Fisher
A lot does depend on the lens used shooting this shot. I saw several comments that there was legal separation. I’m not sure what that is regarding on crossing routes on Arrivals and Departures. However, to me, they seem awfully close, especially regarding wake turbulence from a descending 737. On that point, the flaps don’t seem to be extended on the Southwest aircraft (doesn’t seem to be a separation in the line between the flap and the wing like there is on the Challenger) which would belie that it is landing. Also, sure doesn’t seem like a departure attitude on the 300. Looks like level flight to me. Photo-shopped perhaps?
Norton Jackson
Camera lens must distort distances a bit! Great pic!
Alexander ViduetskyPhoto Uploader
This photo is NOT altered in any way, except cropping and minor contrast/light adjustment. Anyone who ever watched the planes taking off from Van Nuys airport over lake Balboa in Van Nuys would have seen a scene like this once in a while. The Challenger IS ASCENDING here. I have the original - straight from the camera shot to prove it. Apparently, some folks simply don't understand the difference between real and fake photos.
Alexander ViduetskyPhoto Uploader
I took this shot with a telephoto lens @ 400 mm focal length.
Alexander ViduetskyPhoto Uploader
One may also read the Paul Burke comment on this photo on my Google+ page:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/+AlexanderViduetsky/posts/f4GmTsAwdvz?hl=en-US&pid=6188302411271711202&oid=116869188863835438571
"Saw something like that from a Tristar.. We were in the landing pattern at Palmdale, when I saw a Cessna in a steep dive looking out a window on the left side.. It had blundered directly into the approach area there.. and just in time noticed the problem.
Another time a shadow passed over the L-1011 while it was in the pattern..."
nycslc1
insane!
Alexander ViduetskyPhoto Uploader
Considering all the factors, from my calculations, it seems like the actual distance from the lens of my camera to the Challenger is approximately 436 meters, to the Boeing 737 is 725 meters. Therefore, the separation between these two jets is about 289 meters. Sounds right to pilots?? The distance from the Van Nuys airport's runway to my vantage point is approximately 1.3 miles (2.15 km).
Dwight Hartje
Outstanding camera work! Seen in Daily Newsletter!
JORGE MOLINA
Very nice...!!!👍🏻
Joël COYO
Superbe photo! Un parfait timing! Je suppose qu'il n'y a aucune manquement aux règles de sécurité et qu'il s'agit simplement d'un effet d'optique!

I want to believe that this beautiful shot reports a non near miss situation and it is just some optical effect!

Congratulations Alexander Vidueetsky for this!
Greg Byington
When you consider how much bigger the 737 is, and that it was a 400mm lens, it makes sense. Very nicely done, Alex!
Penni Harju
Impressive picture... If I didn't know it was an amazing illusion I would be terrified
SAM PIERCE
Very nice shot Alexander! There are a couple of things about the photo and the aircraft separation. It is difficult to determine if there was or was not separation at the time the photo was taken and before. The first thing I see at the time of the photo there was diverging courses between the aircraft. Another part of separation is the altitude each aircraft was cleared to; there may have been altitude separation. Without more information it is impossible to determine separation. All the speculation and questions this picture creates testifies to what a great shot it was.
Excelente e impresionante imagen.
Jim Costello
Gear up and gear down.
Kenny Schulte
XO JET - Great Company!!
bobrhess
Remind me to watch out for all aircraft when using Bob Hope Airport! I never want to be this close to eternity!
Jim Costello
Lets twist again like we did last Summer............
Colton Fletcher
v cool
daniel jef
Great pic Alexander!!
RadaRKontakT
just another day at Providence approach
Bernard Geffroy
L'instant T . super .
jna55
oh wow< that is how baby planes are made.
Robert Fleming
Is it just me, or does it look like that 737 is landing ON TOP OF that Bombadier? Holy crap!
Vincent Partin
Nice photo!
Jadon Loveless
Impressive shot!
TeozProductions
Nice shot !
FU GENG
a nice shot!
Aj Wells
Are the radios working?
ACTIVITY LOG
Want a full history search for N541XJ dating back to 1998? Buy now. Get it within one hour.
Date Aircraft Origin Destination Departure Arrival Duration
10-Aug-2026 CL30Boca Raton ()Montreal-Trudeau () 06:35PM EDT 09:34PM EDT Scheduled
10-Aug-2026 CL30Bozeman Yellowstone Intl ()Boca Raton () 10:40AM MDT 05:01PM EDT Scheduled
09-Aug-2026 CL30San Francisco Int'l ()Bozeman Yellowstone Intl () 05:46PM PDT 08:29PM MDT 1:42
09-Aug-2026 CL30Toronto Pearson Int'l ()San Francisco Int'l () 01:52PM EDT 04:03PM PDT 5:11
08-Aug-2026 CL30Laurence G Hanscom Fld ()Toronto Pearson Int'l () 02:36PM EDT 04:05PM EDT 1:29
07-Aug-2026 CL30Smyrna ()Laurence G Hanscom Fld () 04:02PM CDT 07:02PM EDT 1:59
07-Aug-2026 CL30Rogers Executive ()Smyrna () 02:12PM CDT 03:17PM CDT 1:05
07-Aug-2026 CL30Cleveland-Hopkins Intl ()Rogers Executive () 11:13AM EDT 11:56AM CDT 1:43
06-Aug-2026 CL30Tampa Intl ()Cleveland-Hopkins Intl () 02:23PM EDT 04:26PM EDT 2:03
06-Aug-2026 CL30Cleveland-Hopkins Intl ()Tampa Intl () 08:33AM EDT 10:38AM EDT 2:04
05-Aug-2026 CL30Teterboro ()Cleveland-Hopkins Intl () 05:30PM EDT 06:50PM EDT 1:20
05-Aug-2026 CL30Frederick Douglass/Greater Rochester Intl ()Teterboro () 02:37PM EDT 03:23PM EDT 0:46
05-Aug-2026 CL30Teterboro ()Frederick Douglass/Greater Rochester Intl () 10:11AM EDT 10:56AM EDT 0:44
02-Aug-2026 CL30William P Hobby ()Teterboro () 02:41PM CDT 06:45PM EDT 3:03
01-Aug-2026 CL30Austin-Bergstrom Intl ()William P Hobby () 04:40PM CDT 05:20PM CDT 0:39
01-Aug-2026 CL30Heber Valley ()Austin-Bergstrom Intl () 12:30PM MDT 03:50PM CDT 2:20
31-Jul-2026 CL30San Jose Int'l ()Heber Valley () 03:32PM PDT 06:00PM MDT 1:28
31-Jul-2026 CL30John Wayne ()San Jose Int'l () 01:26PM PDT 02:17PM PDT 0:51
31-Jul-2026 CL30Scottsdale ()John Wayne () 11:13AM MST 12:05PM PDT 0:52
30-Jul-2026 CL30Flying Cloud ()Scottsdale () 02:39PM CDT 03:26PM MST 2:46
30-Jul-2026 CL30Falls Intl/Einarson Fld ()Flying Cloud () 12:54PM CDT 01:44PM CDT 0:50
30-Jul-2026 CL30Miami Exec ()Falls Intl/Einarson Fld () 09:04AM EDT 11:58AM CDT 3:54
29-Jul-2026 CL30President Donald J Trump Intl ()Miami Exec () 04:32PM EDT 04:54PM EDT 0:22
29-Jul-2026 CL30Addison ()President Donald J Trump Intl () 11:26AM CDT 03:02PM EDT 2:35
29-Jul-2026 CL30Fort Worth Meacham Intl ()Addison () 09:26AM CDT 09:53AM CDT 0:26
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