Alaska Airlines and Olympic speed skater Apolo Ohno unveiled a specially-themed Boeing 737-800 Tuesday (Nov. 17th) at Sea-Tac Airport, painted with a larger-than-life image of the celeb athlete and telling people to “follow Apolo.”
Also, to celebrate Ohno’s race for gold, passengers boarding the “Follow Apolo” jet received Ohno trading cards, copies of Ohno’s signature bandana and press-on faux facial hair (faux facial hair??? dang…now we’re sorry we missed this photo op!).
While we certainly don’t know any humans who’ve actually sprouted wings and can fly on their own, the unique design features a huge painting of the Seattle native on the aircraft’s fuselage and also promotes his new Alaska Airlines-sponsored website www.followapolo.com as he pursues winter gold in Vancouver, BC during the upcoming Winter Olympics.
“It’s an honor to be featured alongside Alaska’s trademark Eskimo and have the support of my hometown airline for the most important race of my life,” said Ohno, after seeing the plane for the first time.
A team of Seattle-area youth speed skaters aspiring to follow in Ohno’s path accompanied the athlete onboard the aircraft as it was unveiled at Sea-Tac Airport Tuesday. The skaters are members of Pattison’s Team Extreme and train at Pattison’s West Skating Center in Federal Way, where Ohno trained as a teen:
Apolo Ohno and members of Federal Way's Pattison's Team Extreme.
A native of the Seattle area, Ohno began his speed-skating career at age 14 in Seattle and Vancouver. He went on to become the youngest skater to win a World Cup event title in December 1999. Ohno has since won 11 national champion, 18 world champion and five Olympic medals.
If you’d like to “Follow Apolo,” you can either grow wings and attempt to fly behind (or alongside) his cool new airplane, or you can just click here and check out his website.
(Photos courtesy Alaska Airlines)
Looks like Burien’s airplane laser-pointer might be back in town, with an incident reported Thursday night around 7:30pm north of Sea-Tac Airport.
According to authorities, a pilot with a Horizon Airlines flight making its final approach reported seeing a red laser pointed at the cockpit. Previous incidents have included green lasers, so perhaps the suspect has a new toy.
No one was hurt in the incident, and the airplane landed safely.
It’s a felony to point lasers at airplanes, and if you saw anything unusual in that area, or know anything about this incident, please contact Port of Seattle Police immediately at 206-433-5400.
- Four More Laser-Airplane Pointing Incidents Friday Night
- No Foolin’: Has The Airplane Laser Pointer Returned?
- Laser Pointer Culprit Is Back In Action NW Of Airport
- Burien Man Charged With “Lasering” Is Released
- UPDATE: Laser Suspect Was “Playing Around” At Party
- Police Arrest Burien Resident For Airplane Laser Incidents
| Oct ’09 |
| 3 |
| 2:00 pm |
by Mark Neuman
Tomorrow (Saturday, Oct. 3rd) is your chance to attend a panel discussion with the first pilot of the Boeing 747, Brien Wygle, and the plane’s chief engineer, Joseph Sutter.
Sutter has been called “the father of the 747.”
The panel discussion, which starts at 2pm, will be in the William M. Allen Theater and is free with paid admission to the Museum.
A limited number of randomly chosen audience members will have the rare opportunity to tour the Museum’s 747 prototype – usually closed to the public – after the program.
This aircraft was the first 747 ever built – registration number 001. It first flew on February 9, 1969 over western Washington.
The growing worldwide demand for air travel during the 1960s led to the development of the 747, the first “Jumbo Jet.”
Merely recalling the early days of the 747 program “brings sweat to the palms of my hands,” Boeing’s then-president, William Allen, said years after the giant aircraft had been developed.
Aircraft Details of the first 747:
- Manufacturer: The Boeing Company
- Model: 747-121
- Year: 1969
- Power Plant: Four Pratt & Whitney JT9D, 43,500 lbs. thrust each
- Registration: N747001
- Serial Number: 20235
- Length: 231ft
- Height: 63ft
- Span: 196ft
- Wing Area: 5,500ft
- Empty Weight: 370,816lbs
- Gross Weight: 735,000lbs
- Cruise Speed: 640mph
- Range: 6,000 miles
The Museum of Flight is located at 9404 E. Marginal Way S., Seattle; Exit #158 off I-5 (on Boeing Field between downtown Seattle and SeaTac Airport).
The Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $14 for adults, $13 for seniors 65 and older, $10 for active military, $7.50 for youth 5 to 17, and free for children under 5.
For general Museum information, please call 206-764-5720, or visit www.museumofflight.org.
(Photos courtesy The Museum of Flight. All rights reserved.)
On Tuesday, Aug. 18th, the Port of Seattle hosted members of the press at a tour of the reconstruction project that is in the final stages of completion on the first (as well as oldest and longest) runway, also known as “16L/34R.”
Approximately 80% of the concrete has already been poured for the new runway, and finishing touches will be completed over the next month. The original concrete runway, built in 1944, is being crushed and recycled as the gravel sub-base for the new runway. This sub base is 12 inches, topped by a 4-inch asphalt layer and then the 20-inch concrete runway.
In comparison, Sea-Tac’s third runway is only 17-inches thick.
This re-construction is the main reason why the airport’s third runway has been in use so much recently.
Photographer Michael Brunk was there to capture these photos:
By Mark Neuman
There is a certain endearing modesty about Al Haynes, who worked for United Airlines for 35 years, and has lived in the same house near Sea-Tac airport since 1963.
One would never know from the sound or words of this neighborly and unselfish man, that he is one of the heroes, along with his crew, in a horrific plane crash that occurred 20 years ago this Sunday, on July 20, 1989:
We recently spoke with Captain Haynes as he was returning home from a luncheon and heading out to volunteer as a public address announcer at a Little League baseball tournament, something, including umpiring, he has loved doing for years.
On July 19, 1989, United Airlines flight 232, with almost 300 people on board, took off from Denver, heading to Chicago. Captain Haynes, with over 30,000 hours of flight experience, was at the controls.
Things were quite normal. The weather was fine. Nothing seemed wrong with the Douglas DC-10.
Suddenly, a foot-long, pie-shaped piece of fanblade flew off, cutting and destroying all three independent hydraulic systems.
Captain Haynes and his flight crew had only the thrust levers for the two remaining engines to work with, forcing them to make only right turns. As much fuel as possible was dumped and the crew made an emergency landing at Sioux City, Iowa.
Stunningly, 185 people on board survived the cartwheeling, fiery crash landing.
And since then, Haynes’ expertise and experience in handling in-flight emergencies, and the story of United Flight 232, have been constantly sought, with emphasis on addressing professionals in the aviation industry.
“I’ve done about ten talks this year with about four more lined up. I really have cut back.”
His speaking engagements have included instructing new astronauts at the Space Center in Houston
We asked Captain Haynes to comment on the frequently held belief by some over the years that the location of a passenger’s seat on a flight might influence that person’s chance of surviving an emergency landing.
“We had fatalities in every section of the aircraft and we had survivors in every section of the aircraft,” he replied. “It can be a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Al Haynes first moved to Seattle in 1957.
“The airport here was very, very small. It only had about ten gates. Seattle was very friendly and very comfortable. My wife was from Southern California and she fell in love with Seattle, and there was no question we were staying right here.”
Many people thought of Al Haynes this past January when Captain Chesley Sullenberger landed US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River after that aircraft suddenly became disabled just after taking off from from New York’s LaGuardia Airport.
“He did a superb job,” Haynes said of Sullenberger. “And he did it in a very short period of time. He did an outstanding job of making those quick decisions and reacting as fast as he did. The decision was forced upon him, but to make that decision is still tough.”
While the two had never met before, Haynes and Sullenberger have spoken on the phone with each other twice since the Hudson River landing.
We asked Captain Haynes about his flight crew from that fateful day twenty years ago. The crew included First Officer William Records, Flight Engineer Dudley Dvorak, and Dennis Fitch, a United training pilot who happened to be on board.
“Everybody’s in good shape,” Haynes said. “We hope to have a crew reunion sometime this summer.
“There is a bond there, and we try to keep in contact.”
At 3:30pm Wednesday (4/29), a Boeing 777 returned and landed safely at Sea-Tac Airport after reporting an engine fire, then dumping its fuel over Puget Sound.
We raced to the airport in hopes of getting a photo, but, alas, we chose the wrong end of the runway, then were thwarted by Port of Seattle security from getting any closer.
Here’s the release issued by the Port:
Media Advisory Uppdate – 3:30pm
The aircraft emergency has landed safely.
At this time there appears to be no other problem.
The aircraft is taxiing to the gate.
Previously…..
Media Advisory – 3:25pm
Sea-Tac Airport is currently responding to an aircraft emergency at this time.
A Boeing 777 aircraft, identified as Asiana Flight #271 has reported an engine fire.
Currently the aircraft is dumping fuel before returning to the airport.
The aircraft is set to arrive on Sea-Tac’s 16 Center runway.
Rescue crews are in place for response.
We will respond with further information as it becomes available.
KOMO News reports that Friday night (April 17th) brought another flurry of laser beam pointing incidents of airplanes heading into Sea-Tac Airport for landings.
Four airplanes were targeted, beginning around 8:30pm, and this time the laser was red. Previously a green laser was used.
All airplanes landed safely without incident.
Investigators say that the laser was based in an area 2-3 miles north of the airport, near Glen Acres Golf Course and east of SR-509.
Previously, the most recent laser incident happened last Saturday night (April 11th). Lasers have been pointed at over two dozen aircraft since February, and despite arresting and releasing a Burien man in March, police are still investigating.
It’s a felony to point lasers at airplanes, and if you saw anything unusual in that area, or know anything about this incident, please contact Port of Seattle Police immediately at 206-433-5400.
Read the full story here.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- No Foolin’: Has The Airplane Laser Pointer Returned?
- Laser Pointer Culprit Is Back In Action NW Of Airport
- Burien Man Charged With “Lasering” Is Released
- UPDATE: Laser Suspect Was “Playing Around” At Party
- Police Arrest Burien Resident For Airplane Laser Incidents
| Jan ’09 |
| 10 |
| 3:30 pm |
Despite the fading away of the recent snowstorm and hectic holiday season, one thing is not fading away from the psyche of thousands of Burien residents in 2009:
THIRD RUNWAY NOISE
According to neighborhood activist Miriam Bearse, the next “Third Runway Complainers” (our moniker, not hers) meeting will be:
WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 10th, from 3:30pm to 6:30pm
WHERE: SeaTac Community Center Banquet Room, located at 13735 24th Ave. South in SeaTac (see map below)
WHAT: For residents in the area affected by the increased noise caused by the newly-opened third runway. Goals of the meeting include discussing legal options against the Port of Seattle with lawyers, who will be present.
The last residents’ meeting was Friday, Dec. 19th, and here’s what’s went down that night:
- Despite the snow, 35-40 neighbors attended, which was held at a resident’s house just under the flightpath of the new runway.
- Resident activist Miriam Bearse led the meeting, encouraging everyone to introduce themselves and talk about their issues with both the increased noise and dealing with the Port of Seattle.
- Three lawyers were present to discuss the issue. These three have extensive experience in several major class action lawsuits, and all think that residents have a strong legal case. These lawyers will be present at this meeting as well.
- Everyone left knowing that this was only the first meeting and that many more would ensue.
Bearse recently moved into her new home, directly under the third runway flight path, and here’s a quote from a recent email she sent us:
We finally moved all our belongings in on Sunday, and have been enjoying the full experience of living under the third runway flight path, including diminished sleep, increased stress and inability to carry on a conversation of any length in the home.
I’ve been waking up every 45 minutes to an hour during the night…makes everything much more difficult.
You can read our previous coverage here and here, and here’s the scoop on the next meeting directly from Bearse:
If you are receiving this message, you either attended the meeting on the 19th to talk with neighbors about the impact of the third runway on our community, or you emailed me or others on this list to express your concern or interest in this issue.
At the meeting on the 19th, three lawyers attended who discussed possible legal options to address the impact of the flight path. They have scheduled a follow-up meeting on Saturday January 10th at the Seatac community center – located at 13735 24th Ave. S, SeaTac Washington 98168, in the banquet room, from 3:30 to 6:30pm.
This meeting is for all homeowners/renters who live in any community (including but not limited to S. Seattle, Burien, Tukwila, SeaTac and Des Moines), who are concerned about the current and future potential impact of the third runway flight path on their families and communities.
This meeting is not for officials, the press, or other interested parties.
Please RSVP via email to miriambearse@yahoo.com
Also, as an FYI – if you’re affected by noise from the third runway, the best thing you can do is to call the Port of Seattle’s “Noise Hotline” whenever you feel that noise is too high.
The Port monitors the complaints it gets on these hotlines, so it is a vital tool to getting their attention:
Live webcam view from Sea-Tac Airport.
Refresh page to get latest image.
Sea-Tac Airport is apparently jammed full of people stuck as the result of numerous flight cancellations and delays.
Apparently Alaska and Horizon Airlines resumed limited service Monday after thousands of stranded travelers spent the night at the airport, where hundreds of flights have been canceled since Friday.
If you’ve got travel plans and want to get the latest information, we recommend a two-pronged approach using both your telephone and internet:
- Call your airline via the number listed below (or on your itinerary/ticket).
- At the same time, try accessing the Port of Seattle’s travel info website or your specific airline’s website.
So basically, you’ll have a phone in your ear while you surf the web, and eventually you’ll either get through or you’ll get your update. Just don’t give up.
Here’s the latest update from the Port of Seattle (access their airport travel info website here):
The airlines continue to face a number of challenges during this weather event.
Many flights been canceled. Please check your flight before coming to Sea-Tac Airport.
See contact information below:
- Aeromexico 800 237-6639
- Air Canada (including Air Canada regional airlines) 800 247-2262
- Air France 800 237-2747
- AirTran Airways 800-247-8726
- Alaska Airlines 800 426-0333
- American Airlines 800 433-7300
- Asiana Airlines 800 227-4262
- British Airways 800 247-9297
- Continental Airlines 800 525-0280
- Delta Air Lines 800 221-1212
- EVA Air 800 695-1188
- Frontier Airlines 800 432-1359
- Hainan Airlines 888 688-8813
- Hawaiian Airlines 800 367-5320
- Horizon Air 800 547-9308
- JetBlue Airways 1-800-JETBLUE
- Korean Air 800-438-5000, (206) 241-1576
- Lufthansa Airlines 800 399-LUFT
- Midwest Airlines 800 452-2022
- Northwest Airlines 800 225-2525
- Scandinavian Airlines 800 221-2350
- Southwest Airlines 800 435-9792
- Sun Country Airlines 800 359-6786
- United Airlines (including United Express) 800 241-6522
- US Airways 800 428-4322
- Virgin America 877 359-8474
61 years ago today – Nov. 30, 1947, at around 2:25pm – an Alaska Airlines airplane with 25 passengers and three crewmembers on board crashed while trying to land at Sea-Tac Airport, killing nine and injuring 17.
One of the dead was Stella Pearl Jones, 44, a blind passenger in a car struck by the airplane on Des Moines Road (now Des Moines Memorial Way) near 180th:
Crash victim Virginia Stitsworth, 33, was also known as "Virginia Grafton."
Another victim was Mrs. Virginia Stitsworth, 33, an entertainer whose stagename was “Virginia Grafton” (her field of entertainment is unknown).
Most people who remember this tragic incident have either passed away, or perhaps their memories have faded. However, that does not diminish the impact of such a terrible crash that took the lives of nine, which, if it happened today, would surely be a major news event.
The doomed flight had many problems en route to Sea-Tac, including two days’ delay in Alaska for bad weather and mechanical problems. Once in Seattle, heavy fog obscured the landing strips at both Paine and Boeing Fields. The unsuccessful landing at Sea-Tac was the third attempt to land under poor visibility, and one can’t help but imagine the potential worry its passengers may have been going through at the time.
The four-engine Alaska Airlines craft, a Douglas C 54-A, descended from the northeast, then (according to some reports) touched down 2,748 feet beyond the approach area to Runway 20. It then careened over an embankment onto Des Moines Road, where it collided with an automobile, killing a female passenger. It then burst into flames as passengers tried to escape.
Six persons were dead at the scene and three more died in the hospital. The victims included:
Virginia Stitsworth, 33, aka Virginia Grafton, Seattle- Jonas E. Johnson, 44, Palmer, Alaska
- Gordon Johnson, 21 months, Palmer, Alaska
- Stella Pearl Jones, 44, Seattle, passenger in an automobile struck by the airliner
- Leslie Howe, 33, Spokane
- Fred Smith, 20, Tacoma
- Olie Raing, Anchorage
- Reba Monk, 22, Stewardess, Seattle; Monk was burned while leading passengers to safety through the flames
An investigation by the Civil Aeronautics Board found that the pilot approached the runway too high and was not correctly lined up for proper landing.
The pilot, who survived, was assessed a penalty of $1,000 for violations of Civil Air Regulations.
Here’s text taken directly from the archives of the Daily Sitka Sentinel Alaska, dated Dec. 1, 1947:
ALASKA PLANE CRASHES AT SEATTLE.
BRAKES FAIL CAUSING PLANE TO JUMP BANK.
Seattle (AP) — The pilot of a four engined Alaska Airlines transport plane which crashed and burned at the Seattle-Tacoma airport blamed the crash today on failure of the hydraulic brake to “take the slightest hold.”
Eight passengers died and three others were critically injured as a result of the accident late yesterday.
The pilot Capt. JAMES E. FERRIS, 37, of Seattle, told the Seattle Times that the DC-4 plane landed at a speed of approximately 100 miles an hour, rolled like “it was on a bed of ball bearings” until it leaped a 60 foot embankment at the end of the airport runway. It crashed into an automobile on the highway below, killing a blind woman in the car.
The plane was flying from Anchorage to Seattle. It had 28 persons aboard, 25 passengers and a crew of three.
Three passengers were reported in critical condition at the New Renton hospital and two were listed as unsatisfactory at Harborview County hospital.
The others had been released after treatment or were recovering from minor burns and bruises in the hospital.
Twenty-six of the 28 aboard the big plane scrambled from door and emergency exits or were pulled from the flames by rescuers. All, however, were seared by the gasoline fed flames that flashed through the fuselage. Four of the rescued died later.
The latest casualty was the plane’s stewardess, MISS REBA MONK, of Santa Monica, Calif., who was credited by survivors with having led many of the passengers to safety.
The other dead are:
- MRS. VIRGINIA STITSWORTH, 33, Tacoma, entertainer known professionally as VIRGINIA GRAFATON.
- GORDON JOHNSON, 21-month-old son of MR. and MRS. J. E. JOHNSON, of Palmer, Alaska.
- The list of dead climbed to eight when 44 year old JONAS E. JOHNSON, of Palmer, died of burns. His 21-month-old son, GORDON, died in the plane wreckage yesterday. MRS. JOHNSON was released from a hospital after treatment for burns.
- MRS. PEARL STELLA JONES, 43, Seattle, blind woman trapped in the car which the big transport smashed as it careened off the field onto the intersection of the Des Moines highway and 158th St.
- LESLIE HOWE, listed of Seattle and Spakane, died in hospital.
- OLE RIUG, Anchorage, died in hospital.
- REBA MONK, Santa Monica, died in hospital.
- FRED SMITH, Tacoma, died in hospital.
The injured crew members:
- Capt. JAMES E. FARRIS, Seattle, the pilot; formerly a Matson line pilot, San Francisco; injuries not serious.
RICHARD F. WHITTING, co-pilot Anchorage; fractured arm, burns, possible internal injuries.The passengers injured:
- ANE PLEYM, Los Angeles.
- MRS. LESLIE HOWE.
- WILLIAM RANDALL, Nenane, (also listed as OLIVER RINDAHL); critical.
- MARY B. KELLY, Seattle; condition unsatisfactory with neck and back injuries.
- JOHN A. LATHANAN, JR., Fairbanks; critical.
- MRS. LATHANAN, treated and released.
- MRS. J. K. (CHRISTINE) TRASS, Seattle.
- H. M. KOCH, Snohomish, Wash.
- MRS. FLORA HUNTER, Anchorage.
- RICHARD JONES, Palmer.
- MRS. SELMA OLSEN, Anchorage.
- MR. and MRS. ROWLANA SMITH, Terrabonne, Ore., MRS. SMITH, an expectant mother, hospitalized, her husband treated and released.
- EUGENE MARTIN, Seattle.
- ZENA LOUISE FELTRIN, Anchorage.
- LES M. GREENING, Anchorage and Seattle.
- MR. and MRS. RALPH TRACY, McGrath.
- MRS. J. E. JOHNSON, Palmer.
Ten others of the plane’s passengers and crew were in critical condition at Seattle and Renton hospitals. Several were not expected to live.
Bodies of two of the dead were not recovered until nearly four hours after the crash because of the intense heat emiting from the wreckage.
The plane, a DC-4, crashed only a few minutes after it had been turned back from an attempted landing at Seattle’s Boeing field by fog. Two airport employes in the control tower at the Seattle-Tacoma field said the ceiling radioed to pilot JAMES EVAN FERRIS, Seattle, as the plane settled through the overcast was 600 feet with a quarter mile visibility. Three minutes after the crash a special reading showed the ceiling at “400 feet with three-quarters of a mile visibility.”
HAROLD K. PHILIPS, chief of the maintenance division for the Civil Aeronautics Administration, sped to the scene for official inquiry and said:“Apparently the pilot ground hopped when he saw he was going off the runway.”
MRS. JONES, a widow and mother of a 9-year-old boy, was riding with a neighbor, IRA VON VOLKENBURG when the plane came plunging down a steep bank and swept the car across the road. VON VOLKENBURG said he escaped by kicking out a window and then groped in the smashed car without finding MRS. JONES. He was driven away seconds later as the plane burst into flames and then was wrecked by an explosion.
Eye-witnesses said the plane had made an apparently safe landing when it suddenly turned and went broadside over the bank at the end of the runway.
An outboard engine struck the bank as the plane sagged and watchers at the control tower said it “popped into flames.” Then it again as it flattened VON VOLKENBURG’S automobile and finally was sheathed in flame as the fuel tanks exploded.
The liner had been dogged by bad weather since it took off from Anchorage last Thursday. During its flight from Alaska it was delayed at Yakutat and Annette Island, near Ketchikan. It had taken from Annette at 9:30 a.m. yesterday.
Do you love local history as much as we do? If so, consider joining or donating to the Highline Historical Society, which is holding an online auction through Dec. 15th at this website.
You can join at this link, or donate directly to the HHS by clicking here.
We’re proud to say that The B-Town Blog is now a member, so you can look forward to many more obscure local history stories on this here website…
SOURCES FOR THIS STORY/PHOTOS:
That speck in the sky was one of three local news choppers hovering over B-Town to get a shot of the third runway test Sept. 25th.
You may recall that on Thurs., Sept. 25th, a buncha mysterious helicopters were seen hovering over Burien like hungry hornets at a carnivore’s convention.
People freaked and started calling/emailing us, wondering why and how our world was about to end.
The reality of course was that it was just local News Choppers wasting expensive fuel covering the test-landing of the expensive third runway at SeaTac Airport.
Well, it’s going to happen again Wed. morning Oct. 8th (pending the weather), anytime between around 9am and, um…whenever they darn well feel like it, as the Port of Seattle will be conducting another test-landing, this time with the first-ever wide-body commercial aircraft.
So consider yourself warned!
From their press release:
First Commercial Wide-Body Test Landing on Sea-Tac’s Third Runway Set for Wednesday, October 8th
The Port of Seattle will welcome the first-ever wide-body commercial aircraft to land on Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s new third runway as part of the final scheduled test landing for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification.
A Northwest Airlines A330 will perform several touch and go landings as part of the certification process for the new runway scheduled to open November 20th.
An Alaska Airlines 737-800 was the first commercial-type aircraft to land on the third runway September 25th. That test certified narrow-body aircraft.
FAA administrators will monitor the landing to test and verify the runway’s instrument landing systems (or ILS). The aircraft will approach under auto-land conditions to test the ILS in what would be the worst visual landing conditions an aircraft would encounter.
NOTE: This event will be weather dependent. The exact time of the landings is also fluid and will be dependent on coordination with Air Traffic Control.
That little speck up in the clouds is one of three local news helicopters hovering over Burien to get a shot of the 'touch and go' third runway tests at SeaTac airport.
No need to panic just ‘cuz there are helicopters hovering over Burien – no, it’s not the end of the world, it’s simply a major waste of precious fossil fuels being used up to fuel the local news cycle.
They’re all jockeying to get the best shot of the “touch and go” airplane tests at SeaTac Airport’s new third runway.
According to our friends at the KOMO Newsdesk, the copters must hover over B-Town for safety purposes, and since there are three of ‘em (at least that’s how many we counted) they have to spread out.
So stop worrying and get back to work, knowing that all is well (ahem, yeah right…) in your world.
Courtesy BTB Contributing Photographer Gregory Rehmke comes another great photo taken Sunday night at Lake Burien of the full moon rising as a jet takes off from SeaTac Airport:
According to the Port of Seattle, Sea-Tac Airport will conduct a full-scale emergency exercise simulating an aircraft crash today (Wed. 7/30) between 9am and Noon.
So if you see smoke, or “victims” laying on the tarmac in various states of injury makeup, now you’ll know what’s going on.
The exercise will test airfield disaster preparedness and response as required by the FAA every three years.
It’d be cool if something like this happened, but we kinda doubt it:
According to the Port:
With the availability of the soon-to-be-activated third runway, this will be the first full-scale exercise to occur on a Sea-Tac runway in at least 25 years. The exercise will NOT affect or delay any air travel. Both of Sea-Tac’s current runways will be open as normal and the exercise will NOT affect any customer activity within the terminal.
Over 100 volunteers will participate as ‘victims’ next to a mock-up aircraft fuselage placed in the middle of the third runway along with wrecked cars representing various debris designed to drill extrication procedures. Volunteers will arrive at approximately 6:30 a.m. for make-up to represent a variety of injuries that will test medical care triage practices.
Dozens of the King County area mutual aid police and fire agencies will participate in the exercise with an estimated 50 -75 pieces of equipment from fire engines to aid cars and up to 175 fire fighters. Additional police officers from the area are also expected to participate alongside first responders from the Port of Seattle Fire and Police Departments, Sea-Tac Airport Security, Airport Operations, Public Information and the Port Environmental team.
In addition, other key exercise participants will include airport and airline representatives, the FAA, the Red Cross, King County Emergency Management Division, and the King County Medical Examiner.
A comprehensive report will be prepared post-exercise to identify any gaps in emergency plans and then prioritize follow-up corrective actions.
SOURCE:
Courtesy BTB Reader/Photog Gregory Rehmke comes this great photo taken at Lake Burien, with this note from Greg:
I tried to get a shot with airplane, sailboat and control tower, and only when I saw the picture did I see the blur of a bird next to the distant plane:
This is a pretty cool flyover vid of Westfield Southcenter done using a radio/remote-controlled airplane, shot by Cascade Aerial Photography:
Found this quite by chance today when looking for Burien-area videos – an amazingly cool fly-over video done by Steven G. Herbertson of flybyphotography.com.
It appears that Steven attaches cameras (both still and video) to his customized armada of radio controlled airplanes.
According to his website, he utilizes “custom designed, light weight, electric powered Remotely Controlled (RC) aircraft to capture a unique perspective on subjects. This allows an extremely safe, cost effective, means to fly closer than full scale aircraft, reducing haze and increasing clarity. The aircraft utilized are super-quiet, and can get into tight places many full-scale can’t even see from altitude. I’ve hand-launched from thick brush and landed in less than 20ft (many times simply hand-catch landings). Due to the lower overhead, I can pass the savings on to you, the customer. The flexibility and mobility of being able to “get the shot” in a short amount of time (no scheduling of full-scale planes, etc) may even allow for SAME DAY photo sessions (weather conditions permitting) at nearly one fifth the cost of full scale photography.”
Check out the Three Tree Point Fly-Over he shot in June:
RIGHT-CLICK AND “SAVE AS” HERE
(it’s a large .wmv file but definitely worth the download – you may even see your own house!)
Steven’s rates start at $180 for a two-hour session.
His website is here. Read more
