Nothing beats being able to stand in between several active runways to take photos
Every year in the late summer, SEA invites a group of local AvGeeks to what it calls “SEA Airport AV Geeks Airfield Day.” And, what a day it was.
There were roughly a dozen of us, and after a safety briefing in the airport’s offices, we were assigned to our escorts and headed out to a couple of vans.
Even in the van, the views were great
The day started out quite overcast, but by the time we got out on the field in the early afternoon, most of the clouds had lifted and even Mount Rainier (always referred to as simply “the mountain” in these parts) had started to make an appearance to the southeast.
Time for a 787 closeupThis Asiana livery will soon be replaced by new owner Korean AirA Lufthansa A350 waits for a gate on a ramp at SEA with Mount Rainier visible in the distance
I’ve been lucky enough to get airside at quite a few airports over the years, but SEA remains one of my very favorites, as all three runways are clearly visible, and the mountain views can’t be beat.
Views? We’ve got ’em!
What was it like being out there on the edges of an access road between the active runways for several hours? It was bliss. Noisy bliss. Yes, we all had hearing protection. And we all seemed to agree that the smell of jet-A is also quite fine.
A Delta 737 prepares to land as one of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s snow-removal teams waits to cross the active runway
The Seattle area has seen unusually heavy snowfall over the past week – 20.2 official inches of snow over six days. The heavy precipitation has closed local roads and freeways, caused widespread power outages, and generally raised havoc in an area that doesn’t normally receive noteworthy levels of snow. This is the most snowfall seen in Seattle for the month of February since 1916, and we are just half way through the month.
A de-icing truck unfurls its very long boom in preparation for cleaning the center runway at Sea-Tac Airport
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s (SEA) ever-increasing flight volumes leave little room for weather delays. To contrast with the City of Seattle, which keeps just 35 snow plows on hand for the entire city, Sea-Tac Airport has more than 45 pieces of major snow-removal equipment, including:
Nine plow and broom combination units – state-of-the-art trucks with a 24-foot plow that’s as long as a semitruck
Two friction testers to measure stopping distance for the runways
Three sander/plows
Seven high-speed plows
Four de-icing trucks for roadways (three 75’ wide booms, one 45’ boom)
Additional sand, plow, and chemical trucks dedicated for landside maintenance
Pickup trucks with sanders and plows
Five snow blowers
10 high-speed brooms
Walk-behind snow blowers
Lots of snow shovels and brooms and team members ready to work
This week I was able to ride along with airport operations and see what it takes to keep operations at the airport moving.
