Tag Archives: Everett

Honeywell’s Testbed Takes a Diversion Which Really Ends Up Helping

Honeywell has a 757 testbed that I have seen a number of times but it was die back to Paine Field late last year and I was keen to see it again. I headed up there for its arrival and it was getting close to Everett while I was nervously looking at the sky. The weather was a bit crummy and I feared it would come in when the light was awful. Then the jet headed off in a totally different direction.

I don’t know what was going on but they turned off towards Puget Sound and ended up maneuvering in the area to the northwest of the airfield. Meanwhile, the conditions started to improve. Now I started to welcome the time they were spending doing something unknown out over the water. As the sun started to poke out from behind the clouds, I was willing them to wait a little longer. Not too long, of course. It’s the Pacific Northwest and things can change again rapidly.

Finally they turned back towards Everett and it was clear that, this time, they meant it. The light was now really nice and I could see the jet turn in to the approach from a long way out. As they came down the approach, I realized that my initial impatience with them disappearing off into he distance was misplaced and that I was going to get some better shots as a result. Before long, they were on short final and we had some shots. I did then head around to the ramp overlook at the FBO to see if I could get a good shot of the jet which I could!

A Vietnam Airlines 787-10 Might Catch the Sun

The run up to the end of the year can be handy if you want to see jets on test flights because Boeing is looking to get as many sales completed as possible before the end of the financial year. While it wasn’t built at Everett, a Vietnam Airlines 787-10 was there for rework/modification and then delivery. I love Vietnam Airlines because they have an interesting livery in a time of white planes with limited color.

I was able to catch it taking off one Saturday morning. The light was great as it rotated and climbed away. Later in the afternoon, Nancy and I had been out to see the salmon run and she was fine with a small diversion to Paine Field to catch the return. The light had faded a little compared to the lovely morning conditions, but it was good to catch the returning jet. I think it was delivered not long after this.

Do Whales Look Better in the Rain?

A rainy weekend and not much going on but I saw that Alaska Airlines’ West Coast Wonders jet was coming into Paine Field and, with nothing else going on, I figured I would swing by. The weather was far worse than I expected. It was pouring as the jet was on approach. I had gone so might as well try. At the last moment, I wondered whether I should have gone with video but too late. The jet’s lights were appearing out of the gloom. Streaming vortices from the flaps, it was soon by me and touching down. I was pessimistic but, as Nancy pointed out, the dark blue of the paint kind of suits a gloomy day and it didn’t look so bad!

Gloomy Day for a National Arrival

It was a wet and gloomy weekend morning up in Everett and so might not have been worth heading out.  However, National Airlines was bringing a 747-400 into the Boeing facility and that was worth a trip. The plane emerged from the gloom as it came down the approach and, as it came across the threshold, the vortices could be seen streaming off the flaps. A grey jet on a gloomy day is always a tough one but I think this was definitely a result.

Once More for the Sunset Avanti Shots

A local Lynk Air Avanti coming into Paine Field might attract my interest, but I would probably skip it.  However, if it is going to show up about ten minutes before sunset and the conditions are lovely, that is enough to tempt me out in the evening.  (It doesn’t hurt that the journey time is really short at that time of day.)  I got myself in position and waited for the arrival from the north.

I could just about make out the plane as it approached from over the sound, and it flew a quite tight base leg which meant it was clearly visible above the trees.  Then the buzz became apparent as it lined up on final.  I was being brave with shutter speeds since the Avanti deserves shots that make it look fast.  A rapid burst of activity and it was down.  It didn’t hang around on the ground too long continuing on its way about forty minutes later, but the light was done by then, so I headed home instead of waiting for it.

Vistara Flying at Last

With so many stored 787s at Everett in recent years, I have seen a bunch of Vistara jets on the ground.  However, I hadn’t really done very well in catching them moving.  Not very well is generous – I hadn’t got anything worthwhile.  Then I was up at Paine Field earlier in the day for something else and a Vistara jet taxied out for a test flight.  Thankfully it ran reasonably long on its takeoff roll and I was able to get some good shots of it.

Status of the Stuka

When making my first visit to FHCAM after it re-opened, one of the things I was interested to know was whether the Stuka had made any further progress from when I last saw it or whether it was paused for restoration.  Things looked like they had moved on a bit since I was last there, but it didn’t look obvious that a huge amount had happened so that could have been after I was there and before they closed down.  It would be very cool to have a Stuka back in the air so we shall see if this one progresses.  If anyone knows, please comment below.  In the meantime, here are some shots of how it looks most recently.

Calspan’s GIII Makes a Brief Visit to the PNW

The arrival of a Gulfstream III would be a good reason to head out in any circumstances but, when that GIII is one operated by Calspan, it definitely is worth a look.  It was due to come to Paine Field but only for a very brief stop before heading back across the country.  Why it was there I have no idea.  It was due in early in the day so I was actually hoping for overcast weather since I would be on the wrong side for the sun.  Of course, the sun burst through just as it lined up for approach.  Nevertheless, it was still possible to get a reasonable shot of it.

I then headed off to the departure end to be ready for it to go.  I did stop by the terminal to shoot it on the ramp but, when I saw one of the crew remove a chock, I didn’t hang around and got the departure end.  The sun did last a little, so I had some nice light on it as it got airborne.  The wind was very strong that day, so they were off pretty rapidly and climbing steeply.  Of course, the sun was obscured as they got closer to me but what can you do?

Putting Away the DC-8 Each Night

NASA chose to operate its DC-8 from the ATS facilities at Paine Field while they were deployed there for the trials program with the Max 10.  They would start up from there and then taxi past the fire station for departure.  I was more interested in getting the landing shots so I didn’t wait for their return there but, once the plane was on the ground, I did make a rapid move to get back where they might either be shutting down or would be disembarking.  Quite a few people were onboard for each mission.

Closing everything down took quite a while and, once everyone was off, the steps were removed, and the ground power disconnected.  They then towed the jet in to one of the open-ended structures so that the nose was under cover while the back end of the jet was in the open.  This was the process each time, so I was able to take photos from different angles each time I was there.  I never happened to be there when they reversed the process.  The jet was already out by the time I showed up.

EcoDemonstrator Returns in the Gloom So Video It Is!

Boeing flew the EcoDemonstrator 777 from Paine Field for a while last year.  I managed to be up there for the return late in the day, but the conditions were not that great.  Having shot the plane at other times, I decided that the stills option was probably not the right one to take.  They would not look that interesting.  Instead, I decided to shoot some video of its return.  Since going mirrorless, video shooting is so much easier because I can continue to hold the camera up to my eye as I would if shooting stills.  It makes for a (slightly) more stable platform so a little less camera shake.