Could you imagine having your very own Boeing 787 Boeing Business Jet to fly around the world in? Photo: Liz Matzelle
If you have your own plane I am jealous. Even if it is just an older Cessna 172, having your own plane to fly around in (or be flown around in) makes you rock. Even though any plane is a good thing, some personal planes are better than others. Sure, there are many different aircraft manufacturers that build multi-million dollar private jets for private citizens of the world to be flown around in style, but if you are going to do it, why not go all out? When conducting research, I realized there are currently 12 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 8 Boeing 747-8 Intercontinentals that are on order by private parties. Say what? Who needs such planes? Well normally either charter companies, governments or super dooper VIP’s will purchase these aircraft.
I contacted Boeing and turns out that all 8 of the 747-8I’s are for government purchasers. Even though not a bad ride at all, having a government purchase an aircraft is not as impressive as an individual. Out of the 12 VIP Boeing 787 Dreamliners currently on order, 2 are for charters, 4 are for governments and 6 are for private owners. Whoa! Of course Boeing can’t talk about who the owners are, but maybe I can try to talk to them myself. Here is an open letter to the six fine people who have enough taste (and money) to purchase one of these airplanes:
Dear Boeing Business Jet 787 Dreamliner Purchaser:
First of all I want to say congratulations for being at a point in life where you can afford your very own Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. I know myself and many others around the world envy your ability to buy such a machine and I salute your great taste in aircraft. As I am sure you know the Dreamliner is the next generation of airliner and one beautiful machine. I know it probably has been hard waiting to take your first flight with all the delays, but let me assure you, it will be worth it. I am sure you are use to the finest things in life and the VIP 787 Dreamliner will be no different.
If you are a person who loves to share unique experiences with others I would be honored to get a tour, maybe even a ride in your soon-to-be-delivered VIP Boeing aircraft. Sure you might have people from large-named TV shows who want to check out your plane for a show like “Check Out My Expensive Ride,” but they are looking for ratings. I would love to share your passion for beautiful planes with the world in a unique way.
You join only five others around the world to have such an amazing aircraft and I only hope you might want to share a bit of that with others. Thank you for your time and I hope you have an amazing year.
Sincerely,
David Parker Brown
Owner/Founder, AirlineReporter.com
da***@*************er.com
Image: Liz Matzelle
I have grown up in the Seattle area and have made great use of all the aviation-related things around town. I have been lucky enough to experience quite a bit of aviation awesomeness and wanted to share what you might want to do if you come to visit Seattle (or if you live here). If you ever are going to visit or live in the area and ask, “What aviation stuff can I do in Seattle?” hopefully this an help provide you with some answers.
This is just a partial list and I am only adding things that I have been able to check out first hand. I will continue to grow this list and add more over the coming months. No, I am not getting any kick-backs from any of these places, I just want to share some of these great experiences with other aviation like-minded folks.
Although I am writing this as a blog, I will permanently have an Aviation in Seattle page linked on the left side of the blog.
If you have a suggestion I haven’t covered yet, please contact me and let me know.
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FUTURE OF FLIGHT
LOCATION: Mukilteo, WA (map)(website)
BASIC INFO: Learn about aviation’s past, present and future. There is a Beechcraft Starship hanging from the roof, a Boeing 747 tail and entire Boeing 727 cockpit you can play around in. After checking it out, be sure to go on a Boeing tour since they share the same building.
TIP: Don’t miss the roof top Strato Deck where you can get amazing photos and videos of brand new Boeing airplanes taking off. Check FlightAware.com to time your visit to watch something exciting like a Dreamlifter or new Boeing 747-8 taking off or landing.
REVIEW: To learn more and see photos, check out my full review of the Future of Flight done in November 2009. |
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BOEING FACTORY TOUR
LOCATION: Mukilteo, WA (map) (website)
BASIC INFO: This is a must see. Go inside the Boeing Factory and see where Boeing makes their new 747-8, 787, the 777 and 767. From being in pieces to rolling out of the factory doors, see planes in all phases of being built. Unfortunately Boeing does not allow any cameras on the tour, but it gives you more opportunity to absorb everything.
TIP: Stay close to your tour guide. They are a wealth of information, challenge them with your most difficult questions.
PHOTOS: During Aviation Geek Fest for 2009 and 2010 Boeing took photos inside the factory for us. Feel free to use these to show your friends & family what you got to see: Aviation Geek Fest 2009 or 2010. |
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MUSEUM OF FLIGHT
LOCATION: Tukwila, WA (map) (website)
BASIC INFO: The history of flight, information and artifacts on Space, a section about World War I and II aircraft and tons of amazing aircraft on display is what welcomes you at the Museum of Flight. You will definitely need to take at least half a day, maybe a full day to enjoy everything available.
TIP: Do not miss the Air Park outside which houses the first Boeing 747 (The City of Everett), a Concorde, an old Boeing 707 AirForce One and more.
REVIEW: Check out my review of the Museum of Flight from September 2010. |
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SEAPLANE TOUR OF SEATTLE VIA KENMORE AIR
LOCATION: Seattle, WA (map) (website)
BASIC INFO: Kenmore Air runs the second largest seaplane operation in North America and the biggest in the US. Although they have scheduled flights all around the northwest, they also offer a special scenic flight around the Seattle area. Definitely do not miss this unique aerial tour of Seattle.
TIP: Passengers are able to sit in the co-pilot’s seat. Ask your pilot if you can sit up front and bring your camera.
REVIEW: I was lucky to take this seaplane tour on a sunny day in February 2010. |
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SPOTTING AT PAINE FIELD
Location: Everett, WA (map)
BASIC INFO: What better place to spot than Paine Field? Check out a new Boeing 777, 747-8, 767 or 787 Dreamliner take off for the very first time. You might also get to see the unique looking Dreamlifter take off or land (but there is normally at least always one there parked). It is exciting to see these large aircraft wait their turn while smaller Cessna 172’s take off and land. You can drive around Paine Field and get quite close to different aircraft in different locations. The best part is this is totally FREE.
TIP: Make sure you get up on the Strato Deck at the Future of Flight to get a great view. It is important to stay off Boeing’s property. There are lots of places to get photos and view the planes up close without getting a visit from Boeing Security.
MY VISITS: Although I have been to Paine Field so many times and only live minute away, it never gets old. Going up to check out a special event or just to hang out to see what is new is always a fun time. Check out some of my visits and photos of Paine Field. |
Head to the Future of Flight to get a close look of a Dreamlifter (N249BA) and four Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
Yesterday was a very nice day in Seattle for it being almost the middle of November. Figured it might be a good day to head back to Paine Field (KPAE) and take a look at what is going on. As always, there were a few nice surprises.
The biggest is one of the Dreamlifters (N249BA) is parked just feet away from the Future of Flight (photo). The DreamLifter is sitting right next to four Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Rumors are the Dreamlifter will be parked there until the end of the month and the Dreamliners should be there at least through the winter.
The 787’s and now the Dreamlifter are hanging out next to the Future of Flight due to Boeing’s turf getting pretty full. I don’t think I have ever seen so many new airplanes at Paine Field (photo). One of the new liveries seen out on the ramp is AirBridgeCargo’s on a Boeing 747-8F (photo). To date have seen Boeing’s “lite” livery, Cargolux, Cathay Pacific, Korean Air, British Airways (partly) and AirBridgeCargo on the Boeing 747-8 Freighter to date.
During my visit a brand new, not even fully painted, Air France Boeing 777-300 (F-GZNH) took off (photo – video). I have seen quite a few Boeing 777’s take off, but it never gets old. One of my reasons for heading to Paine was to check out the Eva Air Boeing 777-300’s. I have been covering their issues with Koito seats and they have been moved from the tower (photo1 –photo2) and one had a test flight today. I am working on an update on their story to share soon.
MORE:
* 40 Photos of Paine Field (KPAE) from yesterday
* Video of Air France (F-GZNH) Boeing 777-300ER taking off from Paine Field
The group of Aviation Geek Fest geeks in front of a GE90 engine on a brand new Boeing 777. Photo by Boeing.
Last Saturday we had our second annual Aviation Geek Fest hosted at the Future of Flight. 50 aviation lovers showed up to experience something special.
The event started off with a presentation on Boeing’s history from their historian, Mike Lombardi (photo). Mike is such a knowledgeable guy with a true passion for history and aviation. It was great learning more about Boeing’s history and hearing aviation geeks chime in with stories of their own. The cool part was when the geeks were able to ask questions of Mike and test his historical skills. I am guessing that Mike easily made 50 new friends on Saturday.
After getting pumped up, it was time to move to the Boeing auditorium for a short video on Boeing and their airplanes (photo). Then it was on to a Boeing bus to check out the factory (photo). Everyday Boeing offers tours of their factory, but this one was different — we got to walk on the factory floor with the planes versus seeing them from the balcony.
That's me in front of my new favorite plane, the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental at the Boeing Factory. Click for larger.
I was excited since I have never had this experience. Before we could go gazing at all the beautiful new aircraft, we had to put on safety glasses and get a safety briefing (photo). There were a lot of things for us to trip on and it would easy to become distracted.
Then the real fun started. We were able to get close and personal with some Boeing 777’s, 787’s and of course the brand new Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental. Normally no cameras are allowed on the factory tour, but Boeing was pulling out all the stops. David Reese, who works for Boeing, agreed to take photos of our VIP factory tour that we would be allowed to use. This was great since we had to give up all our electronic devices, which is not easy to do. Many of us aviation geeks are also technology geeks and not being able to take photos or Tweet is difficult. However, it was nice to just enjoy the experience and not worry about taking all the right photos.
I have been on the tarmac close to airplanes before, but this was different. There was something special being so close to Boeing aircraft that have never flown before. They were clean, fresh, air virgins that were getting ready to take flight.
Getting close and personal to a new Boeing 747-8 Freighter on the Boeing factory floor. Click for larger.
Although seeing some Boeing 787’s up close from the factory floor was pretty sweet, my favorite part of the tour was the new Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental. The 747-8 Freighter has already taken flight, but this is the first Intercontinental and it looked good… it looked damn good.
Before our tour, I wondered if seeing that extended upper deck would be obvious in person and it very much is. No one should have trouble telling the difference between the Boeing 747-400 and the 747-8I.
After checking out the new 747, we were able to check out a Boeing 777 still in two large pieces (photo). It was surreal to take a close look at a flight deck with almost no one in it. We also got to take a look at the Boeing 787 Dreamliner static test bed, which has been putting the 787 to the test for quite some time now (photo).
It was definitely hard to get everyone back on the bus. I am sure most of us could have stayed for hours, maybe even forever. Even though it was time to head back to the Future of Flight we had one last Boeing treat — a drive down the flight line. We got a close look at a bunch of Boeing 787’s, 777’s and 747-8F (photo).
When we arrived back to the Future of Flight, we had the opportunity to check out a demonstration by Laser Motive who have created a way to send a power charge through a laser. They had a helicopter that was flying based on the charge from the laser. It was nice sitting down to some pizza and beer and talk with them about how this technology can be used in the future.
It was very nice seeing the planes, but even better being able to talk about aviation with fellow geeks. I can’t wait until next year!
62 photos from Boeing, me and others of Aviation Geek Fest 2010 and a few more from Shawn Du Lac
Want to meet a Boeing historian? Want to walk on the Boeing factory floor among the Boeing 777 and new 747-8I? Then Aviation Geek Fest is the place to be. A limited number of tickets are for sale now. You can get yours via our website, but hurry, when they are gone… they are GONE! See you there.
