Winter weather in Washington can be a bit unpredictable. It can be cloudy and rainy in one spot while the sun is peaking out a short distance away. Shoreline provided just such variety. While it had been quite gloomy, as we walked around the headland near the lighthouse, the view to the south over Puget Sound suddenly cleared up nicely and there was a lovely sunny view. Time to grab some pictures before the sun disappears again (which it did before too long!).
If you drive passed Boeing Field at the moment, there are a few 737s parked across the street in the employee parking lot. One is a development Max 7 but the others a new jets awaiting delivery. They are marked up for Jet Airways. Apparently, the airline has cash issues and that might be the reason that delivery has not been taken on these jets.
I may well have seen one of them during its test flying activities. This jet was still unpainted when it made a stop at Everett. You often get jets passing through Everett en route back to BFI but this one was actually making a stop. I assume they completed the test flying and painting of the airframe in the hope that the financing would come to fruition. Apparently, that has not yet happened. Either Jet will come up with the money or these aircraft will be reconfigured for an alternate customer.
We stopped off for a spot of lunch during our trip to Fir Island. We had a recommendation in Edison that we took. As we headed back out after lunch, we were driving across some marshland when we saw some bald eagles. Pulling off the road, we watch them swooping across the marsh land. At one point they came right over where we were standing. An immature eagle was the one that came closest to us but we got a good look at several of them as they went looking for their lunch. Obviously they didn’t try the place we had been too!
I have been gathering various shots of Boeing Dreamlifters over recent months and so figured I would just combine a bunch of them into a single post. No overriding theme here and some conditions were way nice than others. It is just a selection of shots of one of the more unusual looking aircraft around. Hopefully, one day, I shall get to shoot the Airbus Belugas too.
The hot shop at the Tacoma Glass Museum proved to be a lot of fun. We went in there as soon as we arrived because we had been watching them at work on a monitor while we were in line to buy our tickets. We also knew they would have a break later in our visit so wanted to make sure we saw the work underway. The shop is laid out to provide a lot of options for the visitors.
There is a seating gallery area built up at the back of the studio so people can sit and watch what is going on. A camera operator moves around the shop providing close up shots of the work which are shown on monitors to give a more detailed view of the work. Meanwhile, a guy was providing commentary on what was happening and answering questions from the crowd. There was also a walkway that went above and behind the work space so it was possible to look down on exactly what they were doing from quite close in.
The team were working on a candelabra in glass which appeared to be a new idea that they had. They got quite well through the work when it shattered. They went back to the beginning and edited the design the second time around. The simplified some elements and reinforced others and this time everything worked out well. We were fascinated by the whole thing and watched them all the way to completion of the work. Even if the rest of the museum hadn’t been there, this would have been worthwhile for a visit on its own.
A new airliner, fresh from the paint shop, looks splendidly clean. When you have an interesting paint color, things are better still. This Korean Air 777-300ER was making its first flight from Paine Field when I shot it. It looked great in nice light. When delivered to the customer, it will be pristine. Then, regular service will result in it looking a little bit more worn and grubby depending on how much time is available to clean it up. Airbridge dirt marks and others scuffs or leaking fluids will seek to muck it up a bit.
We have a park very close to the house with Little Bear Creek running through it. There is a circular trail through the park but I had previously only been on one half of the trail. I finally took a walk around the whole thing and was pleasantly surprised to see that you have a nice view over the creek at a couple of locations. I only had the phone with me, but I got some shots and also put together a pano of the scene. I will have to stroll here more often.
While the Chihuly Museum in Seattle is well known, it is not the only glass museum in the area nor the only one involving Dale. He is from Tacoma originally and teamed up with some partners to create the Tacoma Glass Museum that is a focal point of the redevelopment of part of downtown Tacoma. We had seen it on a previous visit and resolved to visit on a winter’s day. We finally got around to doing that at last. It is not a huge museum but it does have some interesting works. It also has a hot shop which I shall post about separately. These are some of the shots of the works that are on display. Some of Dale’s own work is there but much work by other artists too.
I have seen the Honeywell Convair at Paine Field parked up at various times but only once did I catch it flying in. This post includes shots of it which were, unfortunately, on a rather overcast day. A white airframe on a cloudy day is not a great target but its rarity meant I was still pleased to get it. It was due back in at lunchtime recently so I decided to make the quick trip up while eating my lunch. The weather had been crummy but I had seen some gaps developing in the clouds and Everett often is a little clearer than by the office. I figured it might work out.
I got there a little while before it was due in and a clear patch did briefly appear before closing in as an Ameriflight Beech 1900 landed. I looked to the distance and saw potential so waited with fingers crossed. The Convair appeared downwind and then turned on to final. It was a shady shape in a cloudy sky. Had I blown it? As the approach got close in, a burst of light appeared and the airframe jumped out from the background. I was delighted. It touched down, I packed my stuff up and I was back in the office before you knew it!
I’m not sure why but recently the 747 fin in Future of Flight at Everett made it to be a popular photo on Airliners Net. The fin sits inside the museum section and it was painted as a 747-8 fin, even though it actually came from a British Airways 747-100. The picture had it with the -8 paint finish. I have a similar shot but the fin has recently been repainted in a blue finish. Not sure what the purpose was but, since Boeing have taken over Future of Flight, they must have had a reason. If anyone knows why, let me know in the comments.
