Tag Archives: Boeing

A Better Go at a Prime Air 737

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In this recent post, I showed a shot of an Amazon Prime Air 737.  With a bit more notice and better timing from an availability point of view, I saw that another jet was coming in to Paine Field from Anchorage.  It was being delivered from the conversion line in China and would have the finishing touches taken care of by ATS at Everett.  I was there and set up in plenty of time – except… I had one camera ready to go but the other one had been previously used for some video at home and was on manual focus.  I was shooting with the 500mm initially and all was well.  As the jet got closer, I switched to the 100-400 and everything was wrong.  Nothing would focus.  It seemed like forever but I must have realized fast and flicked the focus switch because I was able to shoot it as it came level with me and crossed the threshold.  What an amateur mistake.  Fortunately, I got away with it!

Philippines Airlines Spot the Difference

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Someone recently was after a picture of a Philippines Airlines Boeing 747.  When I looked up my shots of this airline, I came across a picture of one of their A340s landing at SFO.  It had an anniversary marking on the fuselage.  Just below it in the catalog was a 777-300ER which also had the same marking and was also landing at SFO.  The similarity of the aircraft in these shots amused me so here they both are in case something like this is of interest to you too.

Royal Air Force Poseidon

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My Renton visit also produced a P-8A Poseidon.  I have seen plenty of them over the years but this one caught my eye because it is the fourth airframe for the UK’s Royal Air Force.  Sitting on the ramp on a sunny day with heat haze is not ideal but it was still worth a shot since, once it gets delivered, I am unlikely to get much of a chance to see it again.

Amazon Prime 737

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The Amazon Prime fleet of 767s has grown to be pretty huge.  Initially, I was excited to see one out and about but now they are like Southwest 737s!  However, the new addition to the fleet is the 737-800.  A bunch of them have been showing up and, prior to delivery to Sun Country that will be operating them, they have been coming through Everett, presumably for some final work at ATS.  Sadly, I haven’t been able to get up there to see them.

I did get one of them head past the house, though.  It was departing for Minneapolis and its routing took it close to us.  Not as close as I would have liked but enough for a heavy crop with a long lens.  Not ideal conditions for sure.  In the same way the 767s are now ubiquitous, these will no doubt be before to long.  However, this was my first encounter.  Maybe next time I will be a bit closer – even if it does mean moving away from my driveway!

FedEx and Mt Rainier

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No great story with this one.  I was at SeaTac for a different arrival on the outer runway.  A FedEx MD-11F was making an approach to the inner runway while I was waiting.  It provides a good alignment with Mt Rainier in the background so I figured it was a shot worth taking and I was pleased with how it turned out.  Given how little I have photographed recently, a shot like this from before everything got locked down suddenly seemed like something to share!

When Will We See You Again?

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With long haul travel having almost vanished (other than a lot of use of passenger jets for freight movements), some of the regular visitors to Seattle and now a distant memory.  Virgin Atlantic was a regular visitor and they had migrated from other types to the 787-9 recently.  Here was one heading to SeaTac while I was at Boeing Field.  With the reduced size of the airline post COVID (and assuming it survives), will they be coming to Seattle again any time soon?  I hope so.

Turkish Delivery (You Didn’t Think I Would Say Delight Did You?)

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Boeing was ready to deliver a 787 to Turkish Airlines.  Normally these take place from the Delivery Center which is a nice building justifying the large wedge of cash that has just been handed over.  Boeing crews usually taxi out from the ramp but customer flights seem to get towed to the ramp entrance.  Maybe they don’t trust the customer pilots in amongst all of their expensive jets.

The departure was to the north so they taxied to the south end of the field before lining up for departure.  A flight to Istanbul is a decent length but, without any payload, it still doesn’t take long for them to get airborne.  Judging by the distance to go boards, they were off in about 4,000’.  Consequently, they had reached a decent height by the time they came by my location.  They headed off to the north to start the long trip home.

Bones Retrospective

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The B-1B Lancer (or Bone to almost everyone who cares) is an impressive piece of hardware.  It might have some performance limitations resulting from the redesign it underwent from the original canceled B-1A to the B-1B – changes that might not look that obvious but run quite deep – but it is still a very capable jet.  The blended airframe shaping really appeals to an aero guy like me while the swing wing is now a concept that is disappearing as other types retire so it is becoming the last of the line.  Add to that four afterburning engines and you get something that makes an impression.

It used to be a regular performer at air shows but these days you don’t see them as much.  However, it can still turn heads when it makes fast passes and plugs in the burners.  A bit of vapor can also be pulled as they get the speed and load on.  Seeing them launch from close to the runway is always worthwhile.  They are such an imposing jet.  Sadly, their limitations and the cost of supporting them will probably mean they get retired long before the B-52s that they were once considered to replace.  Here are some shots of my Bone encounters.

The Significance Wasn’t Known at the Time

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These shots aren’t particularly nice but, at the time I took them, I didn’t realize that they would be a bit more significant for a friend of mine.  He was a skipper for Virgin Atlantic and making his first run to Seattle.  I went out to get his arrival despite it being a bit gloomy.  We met up afterwards for a beer and some food.  He flew back the following day.

Since that time, the airline business (along with many businesses) has taken a bad turn and Virgin Atlantic has been getting rid of staff.  My friend was eligible for retirement and decided to take it.  Consequently, this flight turned out to be the last landing he made in his commercial flying career.  The return leg landing was made by another member of his crew.  It would have been nice if the conditions were better but I am glad I was there to see it.  Happy retirement Chris and see you soon I hope!

Dreamlifter Reflections

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The idea for this was spotted by my friend, Paul, during a visit of his but we missed it at the time.  It was early in the morning and the water was calm as a millpond.  However, the jet was beyond the water before he spotted it.  I have missed the chance since or there was not water.  However, while the conditions weren’t ideal, when I saw the Dreamlifter taxiing back to the ramp, I realized the opportunity was going to be there this time.

The water wasn’t quite still and I had the long lens on the camera but a phone is a good second best these days.  The jet taxied in with Mt Rainier in the background before reaching the north end of the field and crossing over.  Then it was time to be ready.  The phone has the added advantage of being able to shoot through the fence with no interference.