President Obama came to the Seattle area Tuesday to do some fundraising, which of course meant that Air Force One was here to transport him.

Which, as we all know by now, meant restricted air space…and the now-historic resulting double sonic booms (read our coverage here) because of a float plane pilot’s lack of judgment.

Not-so-ironically, the Air Force One that landed at Boeing Field is a Boeing 747-200B, with the tail code 29000. According to The White House website:

Technically, Air Force One is the call sign of any Air Force aircraft carrying the President. In practice, however, Air Force One is used to refer to one of two highly customized Boeing 747-200B series aircraft, which carry the tail codes 28000 and 29000. The Air Force designation for the aircraft is VC-25A.

Air Force One is one of the most recognizable symbols of the presidency, spawning countless references not just in American culture but across the world. Emblazoned with the word “United States of America,” the American flag, and the Seal of the President of the United States, it is an undeniable presence wherever it flies.

Capable of refueling midair, Air Force One has unlimited range and can carry the President wherever he needs to travel. The onboard electronics are hardened to protect against an electromagnetic pulse, and Air Force One is equipped with advanced secure communications equipment, allowing the aircraft to function as a mobile command center in the event of an attack on the United States.

Inside, the President and his travel companions enjoy 4,000 square feet of floor space on three levels, including an extensive suite for the President that features a large office, lavatory, and conference room. Air Force One includes a medical suite that can function as an operating room, and a doctor is permanently on board. The plane’s two food preparation galleys can feed 100 people at a time.

Photographer Francis Zera, himself somewhat of an aviation nut, found a good lookout and shot the following Sound Slideshow of Air Force One (be sure your speakers are turned on):

Click to Play Francis Zera’s Sound Slideshow

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.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• 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

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.)

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:

Click to View Michael Brunk’s Photo Slideshow

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:

Click here to view the embedded video.

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

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:

View Larger Map

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:

1. Call your airline via the number listed below (or on your itinerary/ticket).
2. 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