Tag Archives: washington

Floatplanes Coming at You

Standing in Gas Works Park, you have a view straight down Lake Union. At the other end of Lake Union is one of the bases for Kenmore Air. They operate floatplanes from there on a regular series of services as well as some sightseeing trips. We got there just as a bunch of planes took off in close succession and I was a bit annoyed to miss out the chance to get some shots of them. However, they are a busy company so we knew we would get some more flight before too long.

They start their takeoff run at the other end of the lake so they get airborne long before they reached us. With so much clutter in the background and a lot of ambient noise, you didn’t always immediately pick out that a departure was coming your way. Once they got airborne and a lot closer, they were easier to identify. They would turn before they reached us and head off en route. I could probably have spent a lot of time there watching the flights but Nancy is not quite so keen so we lingered a short while and then moved on.

Warthogs – Not the Flying Version

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Given that this blog has a lot of aviation content, some people will get excited when they see the word Warthog. Sorry guys, this is not an A-10 post. I may have to put one together now though since I want to see some A-10s on here too. This is a warthog of the animal variety instead. There were a couple of warthogs we saw at Woodland Park Zoo. Initially they were rummaging around under cover and not in a good spot for a photo. However, a little patience paid off and soon they moved out into the open. Then we got a good look at them and the chance to really see their faces. They may not be everyone’s favorite but I find them a great looking creature and certainly something you want to treat with some respect!

Emirates’ Latest on Test

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An Emirates 777-300ER is hardly a rarity. They have a huge fleet of them and, since this one is a new build aircraft on test at Boeing, the fleet is going to grow. What made this one fun was the light. Some stormy weather had been in the area and the sun was out on the white fuselage while the background was still looking rather mean. Both on the runway and on the approach, it shone brightly against the background and that is why I am sharing it today.

Max Development and Production Jets

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Boeing has completed flight testing of the first version of the 737 Max family, the Max 8. The Max 9 is currently in flight test and I posted shots of one of those aircraft here. While some additional flight testing will be carried out on the Max 8, the test fleet is now done. In due course, these aircraft will be refurbished and sold on to customers. In the meantime, new production jets are being built for delivery – except when it comes to Southwest.

As a result of a crewing issue, Southwest is delaying taking its jets until they have removed the 737-300 fleet from service. Consequently, Boeing is building them but not delivering them. There are a number parked up in the parking lot at Boeing Field and some are still sitting at Renton. Engines aren’t fitted since this is one way to keep the cost down pending delivery. They will be fitted and flown nearer the delivery date.

The flight line of these dormant Max 8s sits alongside the municipal part of the airport. I created a panorama of the jets which you can zoom and pan around below.

Union Pacific’s Falcon 2000

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Union Pacific is one of the large freight railroads in the US. Their fleet of locomotives is commonly seen across the US west of Chicago. They are painted yellow and carry a large American flag on the side. However, trains are not the only way that staff of UP get around. They also own a Dassault Falcon 2000 and I saw it come in to Boeing Field. While it isn’t painted like a loco, it certainly shares a few design cues with them and it looks a bit more interesting than the average all white scheme.

Hippos are Sociopaths

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A pair of hippos was hanging out in the water of their enclosure in Woodland Park Zoo. One was facing away from us and was submerged for most of the time. The other was facing us and was staring in our direction. The shot I want of a hippo is the large yawn showing off the scary array of teeth that backs up their reputation as one of the most dangerous animals to man. This guy wasn’t obliging. They say that humans have a natural reaction to seeing a yawn from someone of yawning themselves. The people that don’t do this have a higher probability of being sociopaths. I thought I would try it with the hippo. Either it knew I was faking it or hippos are sociopaths. I wonder which it is.

Dreamlifter Shape Explored

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Since the Dreamlifters are a regular feature around this part of the world, catching a movement is not a big deal. That gives you a chance to think about shooting the planes in a different way. I have been interested in the shape of the structure and the texture it has. Since the Dreamlifters have been built to serve one purpose – that of moving bits of the 787s around the world – they are functional rather than elegant. The shape is designed to maximize the capacity.

Meanwhile, the modifications have been made to a base airframe so some of the joints between the new structure and the original are pretty agricultural. The number of fasteners that are visible on the surface are substantial. This is not a problem. The plane serves a purpose and it does this well. The way in which the fuselage shape transitions from the original 747 lines into the Dreamlifter lines are also very interesting. A tighter shot gives you a good view of how the curves come together.

The Dreamlifter is not a beauty. I don’t even think it is as good looking as the Belugas that Airbus uses which have a more integrated feel to their design. However, it does the job well and it is nice to have a different shape in an era when every airliner is looking like every other. A bit of variety is a welcome thing and, while I am lucky to be close to them on a regular basis, I shall continue to appreciate what I get to see.

Logging on a Big Scale

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Before tourism became a big feature of Snoqualmie, it was a logging town. Much of the Pacific Northwest was in the lumber business providing vast amounts of timber to the country as a whole. Lumber is still important but it is nowhere near the business it once was. The trees they were cutting in those days were very old and had grown to significant dimensions. As they cut through the growth, the trees they were cutting were getting smaller. In the center of the town they have an exhibit that includes a stand that was used for cutting the timber. In it is included a log. This thing is huge. Bear in mind that they were often much larger than this and you will see just what sort of trees they were cutting in those days.

Two Tankers

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The KC-46 Pegasus tankers have appeared in the blog before but only on the ground. That post can be found here. I have finally seen them flying. A couple of them were airborne on test flights from BFI and, while they had taken off quite far apart, they ended up returning quite close together so I was able to get shots of them both. They don’t look terribly dissimilar which is what you would expect. They are fully fitted out with the boom and one of them has the pods so this is what a service aircraft should look like when the Air Force squadrons start to get their hands on them.

Bears!!

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Bears are cool and brown bears are even cooler. We saw a couple of them at Woodland Park Zoo and, while it was the middle of the day, they were actually pretty active. It didn’t hurt that some food was coming their way so I guess they were incentivized to be a little busy. It was a warm and sunny day so the fact they had some water to work with probably suited them quite nicely. Lots of zoo animals are somehow aware of where they can go to be as difficult to see as possible. These guys were either unaware or just showoffs.

They wandered around the enclosure quite a bit and provided plenty of opportunities to see them. Aside from the outdoor area, there was an indoor viewing space that was against the side of their pool. From within there you could really get a good view of them chomping down on the food that had been thrown their way. They seemed quite content to enjoy the nosh and pay no attention to the hordes staring at them through the glass. Being so close to such a large creature was really very impressive.