Aerial photo of Etihad Airways’ first 787-9 at Paine Field – Photo: Bernie Leighton
Here we have the fourth installment of showing off the beautiful Boeing 787 Dreamliner liveries that have been seen at Paine Field and around the world. There have now been 42 different liveries. Last update was from July 2013 and we have seen quite a few new ones since then.
Let me know in the comments: Which 787 livery is your favorite? Your least favorite?
Five Airbus A350s flying in formation – Photo: Airbus
On September 30th, the Airbus A350 XWB received Type Certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). What better way to celebrate than to fly five Airbus A350-900 in formation? We can’t think of a better way. Luckily for us, there’s photos and video (the video is found lower in the story) for us to enjoy!
What’s better than one or two A350s flying in formation? Five of course – Photo: Airbus
’œReceiving the A350-900 Type Certification from EASA is a great achievement for Airbus and for all our partners who have contributed to designing, building and certificating this fantastic, new generation aircraft. The A350-900 is now ready to fly from the nest and be enjoyed by airlines and passengers,’ said Fabrice Brgier, Airbus President and CEO. ’œThe A350 XWB embodies many extra innovative technologies which make all the difference in passenger comfort and airline efficiency.’
A row of Robinson R-22s at Boeing Field
From my previous articles, I think it’s apparent to both fans and occasional readers that I’m relatively obsessive when it comes to matters of aviation photography.
Helicopter spotting is not new; far from it. Friends of mine are pioneers of helicopter-borne aviation photography, but I had never really considered it to be viable in the Pacific Northwest.
Turns out that I was wrong – very, very, wrong.
The first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (ZB001) on the flight line at Paine Field (KPAE). Photo by Bernie Leighton.
Yesterday, I was airborne over Paine Field again to capture Boeing’s gorgeous new 787. The 787-9. This aircraft will not only carry more passengers than its shorter sibling, but also offers a higher take-off weight. This will allow customers who use this frame to open routes that were never possible with current aircraft.
Although this is the first Boeing 787-9 to come out of the factory, it will not be the first to be delivered to launch customer Air New Zealand. This frame (ZB001), along with the next two that will come out of the factory, will be dedicated test aircraft. They will, however, be refurbished and make their way to Air New Zealand as ZK’s NZC and D by the end of next year.
With the first engine-run occurring earlier this morning, Boeing is hoping that the first flight will occur, “later this summer.” Afterwards, Boeing will conduct a number of different flight tests to earn airworthiness certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).