The one that appears curled might be one of the fuselage spars or "ribs". Just a guess.
tgdxb asked:
Out of curiosity, given the airlines' known care for security/safety, could flying crews help me understanding on what basis--weather conditions permitting--, they would accept taking off from 02/20 while knowing that 25R gives them more rwy length? I have to admit that this is a mystery to me.
It's routine to use a runway other than the longest for a number of reasons. ATC determines the runway in use and assigns it to the flight, usually before taxi. Wind direction, noise abatement, runway maintenance, traffic flow - all these and more affect the runway assigned.
The crew and/or company take the assignment, run the numbers, and if the takeoff can be made within aircraft parameters, accept it. If they can't accept it, they find an alternative or don't go. To take off on RW 02 with numbers run for 25R at EBBR would be a gross pilot error, and is not likely to have happened here.
Sometimes intersectional takeoffs are assigned leaving hundreds of feet of perfectly useable concrete behind, Ohare 32L at the T10 intersection and Anchorage 32 North of 07L come to mind. If you can't take off at the intersection you ask for full length, even though it might gum up the works.
At busy airports, time on the runway is the precious commodity. ATC wants max flow to get the most operations per hour. They have to satisfy the noise hawks as well. Compromises are made, but we trust never outside demonstrated safety parameters.
Other compromises that bother me a bit are flying big jets into short fields like Chicago Midway and Orange County John Wayne. Everything has to go pretty much right or the eyes can definitely be opened and watered. These airports are used to make a buck.
Don't mention the parking garage at San Diego.