Tag Archives: engagement

FOD Walk – The Sequel

A couple of years ago, I took part in the FOD walk that King County Airport (aka Boeing Field) held.  They did it again last year, but I didn’t know about it until after it happened.  This year I saw advance notice again, so I signed up to have another visit.  The first time I did this, I wasn’t sure what was allowable so took a small camera with me.  I needn’t have worried so, this time, I took better gear with me.  I also recognized that the FOD walk is totally unimportant and that it is just a community engagement effort so, this time, I didn’t really make much effort to look for FOD (although I did keep an eye out as I walked just in case).  Instead, I spent more time enjoying the unusual opportunity to walk down the middle of a 10,000’ runway.

This year I started at the south end rather than the north.  This meant down by the Boeing military ramp which is considered off limits for photos while taking part.  Everything else is fair game, though.  We walk half the length of the runway and meet the other half of the group as they have come from the other end.  Then we had a photo opportunity in the middle of the field with some fire trucks as background.

The short runway remains in use while all of this goes on, so you do get some opportunities to get some shots of moving planes every once in a while.  We had a couple of PC-12s depart along with a Caravan.  I also got a good look at some of the aircraft parked at the FBO.  An Air Canada A320 was there, as was a Marine Corps Hornet.  Plenty of other jets too and, on the other side, the usual line up of 737s undergoing pre-delivery tests prior to heading to their airlines.  The airport management team was keeping an eye on us as people were taking their various selfies.  I’ll probably do this again if I can.

Strolling Down a 10,000’ Runway

King County International Airport held a public event in the guise of a FOD walk.  You could sign up for free for the opportunity to take a stroll along their main 10,000’ runway one Saturday morning.  Since I wasn’t planning on anything else, this seemed like a good chance to be somewhere that I normally wouldn’t get to be.  I showed up just before 8am on the Saturday to see how it was.  Weather was overcast but it was not raining which was a relief.

We had a briefing from the airport team and the fire chief prior to heading out.  They made it clear that they do take care of the runway so we were hopefully not expecting to find much but we would see.  They last did a runway walk ten years ago and that was for staff so this was a new thing to try with anyone from the community taking part.  We could take cameras with us but they limited what we could have.  Also, photographing the Boeing military ramp was not allowed.

They split the group into two with two buses taking us out.  The buses went to opposite thresholds with the intent that we walk to the middle where we would meet up and take some photos.  Fortunately, I was in the bus going to the north end which is the one I wanted.  Driving past the Boeing civil ramp with its 737s, KC-46s and 777Xs was pretty interesting.  They set up the illuminated X at the threshold prior to us starting (which was a relief).  We then spread out across the runway and walked down.  The smaller runway remained in use while we were walking but there had been a bit of a mad dash of planes getting out before we started.

The runway was clean as you’d expect.  For those that were walking along the edge and in to the grass a bit, there was more to find including some quite large items.  I guess the session did have a practical benefit.  We made it to the mid point of the runway where everyone gathered in front of the fire trucks and we had some group photos.  Then it was back on the bus and a close out with some prize drawings.  It’s not often you get to stand in the middle of a runway that serves everything up to wide body jets so I am glad I took the time to go out.  I hope that they do it again.


Skypark Family Fun Day

AU0E7739-Pano.jpgBig airshows can be fun. However, the confined nature of things and the number of people involved can also make them a little less enjoyable. Small events at local airfields do not provide the same level of activity but they can prove to be every bit as fun. Such is the case with the Sonoma Skypark’s Family Fun Day. This is one of those opportunities for a local airfield to invite people from the area to come and see what happens at the field. It is a good way to build relations with the local community.

C59F5344.jpgI may not be “local” but I wasn’t going to miss the chance to join in. I arrived relatively early and some of the setting up was still in progress. A selection of the most interesting (read old) planes based at Skypark were being lined up on display. Some vintage cars were also being added to the lineup. Meanwhile, some of the stands were getting set up for local societies and offering food and drink.

C59F4780.jpgThere was no flying display taking place. However, there were some movements covering pleasure flights and some sky diving flights. The airport was shut for the main part of the event although one pilot didn’t seem to notice that. Another arrived and managed to leave the runway and ground loop in the grass. I missed this as I was watching a parachutist landing from the opposite direction. All ended up fine with no significant damage incurred.

AU0E7929.jpgEntry to the event included free lunch. There was a steady line of people taking advantage of the food that was being cooked and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Rides on a trailer pulled by a tractor seemed to keep the smaller visitors amused and there were competitions for paper airplanes as well. A lot of people showed up during the day and, hopefully, the bond between the airport and the community got a little bit stronger. I had a great time!

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