Recently we installed some code that is supposed to optimize the B-Town Blog for the iPhone (or iPod Touch), and we’re asking any Readers who use said devices to try loading the site and seeing if it looks okay.
So, if you’re an iPhone/Touch user, could you please load www.b-townblog.com and see how it looks?
In a perfect world, it will load a customized page that contains just headlines and stories, easily readable on the device, but on ours it only works sporadically.
Please email editor@b-townblog.com with your feedback, or post a Comment below.
Thanks!
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.
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:
