It has been over a week now since Aviation Geek Fest Seattle and many of us still are having a hard time wiping the grins off our faces. We are still waiting on the photos from Boeing (coming soon) and when we get them, we will be sure to share.
For now, we wanted to get feedback from those of you attended and those of you who were not able to attend; What do you want to see at Aviation Geek Fest Seattle 2015? The sky (well, maybe shallow space) is the limit. What did you like? What didn’t you like? What dates work best for it? You can be honest – no feelings will be hurt.
AvGeeks endure the rain to get close to a Dreamlifter next to the Future of Flight during AGF14 Photo: David Parker Brown | AirlineReporter
Take a moment and share your thoughts in the comments, as well as read other comments and see what you think. We want to make sure the next AGF is bigger and better than ever!
Thanks to Ian (@ikluft) for making the AGF15 banner
Again, I’d like to publically thank David, Sandy, Toni, and the crew at the Museum of Flight for a fantastic 2014 edition! Take a bow everyone. You earned it!
I’m curious for future events if we want to bring back the guest speakers at all. In the past, we had Boeing Historian Mike Lombardi as well as the Boeing Moonshine group. I’d love to see either of these two return for 2015.
Also, for 2015, maybe we could do a bus tour of Boeing Field like what was done in 2014.
My one comment for AGF14 was how different it felt doing the Boeing factory tour first compared to previous years where we did it last. Will take some getting used too on that. It wasn’t bad, but it was noticeably not quite the same either. It was good to have time to shop in the gift shop. Also, great that we have the early morning 9am-12pm to go to the other area attractions at Paine Field.
I’m wondering if there’s any interest for some type of organized aviation themed game show(like a Jeopardy/WheelofFortune/20,000Pyramid) to take place Saturday night at a hotel? Would people want to be in an audience or participate in something like this?
I know some people actually took some flights above Paine Field. Is there enough interest for actual flying activities for next year? I don’t know how the logistics for that can be feasible with 200 people.
Would love people to have a chance to check out all the test aircraft that Honeywell has at Paine Field. Nice collection they have there.
I agree Issac, an aerial tour of Paine Field would be something worth marketing.
Oh and ditch the game show idea. We’d all want to be contestants and there aren’t enough models & books to give away!!!
Isaac,
There was a tour of Boeing Field? I missed that.
An airside tour of both PAE and BFI would be great. The first year I participated the factory tour in Everett was followed by a drive down the flight line. It was a highlight for me.
First, thanks to David, Sandy, Toni, Phillip, Issac, FlyingPhotog, Julia, j3tdillo and the Bearups for all your help that special weekend. It means a lot to me to know I’m not alone in Sedro in loving airplanes and having my challenges addressed.
Second, granted I come from the military side of avgeekdom and spent a lot of time recently sticking up for NAS Whidbey Island, but it would be nice to see a P-8A Poseidon up close. Otherwise, great tours – and the great versus good is contingent on Boeing please giving us photos of our visit.
Third, I agree with Issac in my own way: It would be a good business opportunity if a helicopter company would make an offer to us to give us helicopter tours of Paine Field. I rather liked mine last year: http://www.flickr.com/photos/avgeekjoe/sets/72157633461234064/ (but you may have to scroll down a bit).
Fourth, as to guest speakers, I know Karlene Pettitt wanted to come but the controversial av-author had her airline snatch her away. I also know Mary Kirby has said – repeatedly – she wants to come to AvGeek2015.
Fifth, otherwise just Xerox what you guys are doing because if I get to go next year as much as I want to – Runway Girl or no Runway Girl, I’ll take at least 90% of my photos in black & white. AvGeekFest is my idea of winter vacay!
Would be great to not have it on Valentine’s Day weekend next year. I would have loved to attend the last two years but, it simply would not have worked being the weekend of or after Valentine’s Day. Perhaps I have not done a great job converting the soon to be Mrs into an #avgeek… I guess there is still time!
Thanks.
– Kyle
This was my third one and they just keep getting better and better! My hat’s off to all that organized and assisted at this year’s AGF! What a great event!
As for recommendations, I would say first that we should be allowed to purchase up to 4 tickets (for us with families!). Other than that, the previous comment about bringing in events from last year would be nice (revolve some of them to every other year?). We didn’t sign up for everything at last year’s event thinking some of it would return this year. I suspect that we will definitely be shooting for the whole weekend next year!
Kudos to everyone and especially to David Parker Brown as this was his baby. Keep up the great work and see you all next year!!
Allen, with only 200 slots, I think allowing 4 tickets per person would only work if there were say 300 or 400 slots and a few “family packs” set aside. Otherwise, scalpers are going to descend.
Also next year the time should be perhaps 7 PM Pacific, 10 PM Eastern so that (almost) everybody is at home ready to buy tickets!
It looks fantastic to me. I’ve am still an AGF virgin I am ashamed to say. Timing has a lot to do with it. On one hand, President’s Day Weekend being a long weekend seems ideal. On the other hand, I like the idea of remaining marriage so Valentine’s Day this year presented problems and will for the next 2 years. That’s the conundrum. Still, the awesome social media presence made me feel I was there vicariously except for the pizza & beer.
I hope to attend one of these days. Hopefully it won’t sell out so fast again and I remember it’s going on sale so I don’t miss the sale altogether.
Awesome weekend all around. This was #2 for me. I got to meet a lot of fellow avgeeks I follow on Twitter – I loved there were organized social events and opportunities to network. It’s great to see the innovation by adding different tours and activities. For next year, maybe some airport behind the scenes tours at SEA or even PAE or BFI. Thanks for putting this event together, David. I’d love to be able to help you out next year.
Seconded – getting a “behind-the-scenes” look at a working airport would be really cool (although organizing something like this could be pretty challenging). Appreciated the chance to get up close to nearly-completed airframes at Everett; wouldn’t mind getting up close to working aircraft on a ramp, if that doesn’t sound too far-fetched.
This looked (via social media) like a great event!
Yes, scheduling it on a long weekend (FYI, the 3rd Monday in February is “Family Day” here in Ontario and a couple of other Canadian provinces) has some advantages but also some disadvantages. And, as Chris already said, it doesn’t help that Valentine’s Day is an additional complication for the next couple of years.
Still, if the tickets went on sale SOONER, it would really help me negotiate/arrange family scheduling.
Even if I’m not lucky enough to get a ticket, it would be good to know that sooner rather than later so that my “possible” trip isn’t hanging over my head all the way into mid-January. Perhaps tickets could go on sale in mid-December? That way I’d know (one way or the other) before the Christmas/New Year’s holiday break.
Knowing sooner could also help with booking airfare/reward seats!
And I like the idea of starting the sale at 7:00pm Pacific/10:00pm Eastern. Seems fair.
Thanks Jim, I agree. Let’s have ticket sale 1st week of January at the latest on an evening.
First and foremost, another great big thanks to all the organizers for setting up AGF2014. Had a blast.
Not too sure if this has ever been done at previous AGF’s since this is only my second one. A behind the scenes tour of any airport would definitely be up on my list. Imagine a small select group, even just being out on the apron at Sea-Tac would be an incredible experience.
Furthermore to that suggestion. A crazy idea that was running through my head while traversing through the Boeing factory on a vip tour was. “What about the Airbus side?”. Definitely shooting for the stars here, but having a AGF in Toulouse at the Airbus factory would be off the charts.
Jack, in regards to Airbus, here’s the situation.
The Aeroscopia is being built in Toulouse. Think of it as a cross between the Future of Flight, and the Museum of Flight in Seattle. Right now it is scheduled to open in 2015(was originally supposed to open in 2014). From there they’ll have tours depart to look at the various Airbus Aircraft being assembled there. There’s also the chance to see ATR Aircraft being assembled as well.
That being stated, it would have to be someone local to Toulouse to set up a similar Aviation Geek Fest event there.
I’d love myself to have a Aviation Geek Fest in a variety of different cities: Montreal, Los Angels, Miami, Sao Paulo, and Hamburg would be great places to host a similar event.
On another note, I personally LOVE the idea of a special tour of Sea-Tac. They did a special tour last year of Boeing Field but would love to see Sea-Tac as well.
So would I when it comes to Sea-Tac.
I also have news for the French and their Aeroscopia:
Personne ne fait des visites d’usine de l’aviation mieux que l’avenir de l’aviation! Airbus est et sera toujours un buste!
We were not able to participate on this years event, but me and my son will come all the way from Norway next year. Please keep the same dates since they are fitting right into the Winter-vacation in Norway!
Can there be more? 200 people a year is not enough. I would be happy to buy up to one year in advance for a slot. Every time you fill up 200 start the next one. There are 100000 at Oshkosh every year and daily Boeing tours. I am afraid I will never win a first 200 any year. I will pay considerable more for a event of this caliber.
AGF14 was an especially memorable experience for me. I look forward to returning in a couple years.
Most of the things I would change about the event are outside of the organizers control (such as photography). It’s a privilege to get the access that Boeing gives, so living with their ruls is an easy trade off.
I think my biggest suggestion is that there needs to be a way to accommodate more than 200 people. I understand the challenges involved with this (there is only so much space available) but how about doing an A group and a B group? One does PAE while the other does BFI/Renton. Then the next day they switch.
Another thought is to see about getting some extended hours at the “other” PAE museums. While access is included, there still wasn’t much time this year to break away and get to those.
I think it would be interesting to add some more content on the BFI day. The behind the scenes access at SEA is a great idea, but how about something with some of the other users of BFI, be it the FBO, cargo operator, or maybe even Boeing flight test.
Finally, and it seems that this is how it has been done, but I think the Everett and Renton tours are essential to include each year. They are the marquee events that draw people in. Outside of that, switch the other events up a bit each year.
I have not been able to attend any of the AGF’s in the past, as scheduling has always become a problem. I agree with many of the other posters that suggest moving the ticket sales up earlier, as early as possible! Coming from DTW, I have limited options to Seattle non-stop (until Alaska starts up in September), so it is difficult to book flights with only 1 month notice on tickets. I would hate to book flights and find out that I couldn’t get a ticket. Also, I think more tickets need to be made available, if at all possible. DPB does an incredible job organizing this event, and I can only imagine that the demand for the event will be even greater in future years.
I like all of the other ideas floated in previous posts. I look forward to attending AGF15, and hope that I can get a ticket!
Thanks!
Ken
I have never been to an AGF. I hope to attend the next one.
Thanks,
Bob
I also want to thank the organizers. This was my first AGF but hopefully won’t be my last. I agree that moving AGF around to some other locations might be interesting, although probably a scheduling nightmare for David and crew. If you are ever interested in doing one in Vegas, I’m here to help 🙂 How bout doing one in Pima????
Thanks again!
Eileen
Hat’s off to the organizers and helpers! The whole event seemed to run very smoothly. Hey you Valentines Day prisoners! I love my wife 365 days a year. Hallmark has got you hook, line, and sinker! LOL!
Could only stay for Saturday this year, but the after party sounded like a great idea. Dreamlifter seemed like a lot of effort for not a lot of payback. Perhaps it was the weather? Or in my head I had convinced myself that we would actually see their ops center?
Tours were great, but I’m wondering if they could be tailored to the audience a bit more? Perhaps stop at a few spots and go into more detail about what you were looking at?
I’d also like to see a speaker or two. Boeing archivist would be great. Someone talking about the design process? How DO you design a wing? How did the paddle tail on the 777 evolve from the cone shape on the 767? Obviously you would have to cut out a lot of detail, but a 30000′ view would still be pretty interesting.
Door prizes were awesome this year!
Thanks again!
Thanks SO much to Isaac, Dave, Toni and everybody else @ Boeing, The FOF and MOF for putting this on for all of us to enjoy. I had the most awesome, plane-geekiest time EVAR.
You might have noticed me literally *bouncing* at various points during the weekend 🙂 (He says, typing this while wearing his “Build Something Better” t-shirt from the Store).
I agree with Joe Kunzlar, limiting individual purchases to just a couple tickets is a good idea to make sure the tickets are going to real AvGeeks and not scalpers.
A behind-the-scenes-tour at SEA would be a cool thing for next year. Maybe our own party Saturday night at the Boeing Delivery Center ? 🙂
I’m not so concerned about V-Day like some others are. My wife is an engineer and told me repeatedly she would have loved to join me if she hadn’t signed up for another different event that weekend. We’ll probably both show up together next year.
Better coordination with the hotel would help. I had to go a few rounds with them to get them to honor the discount code.
Looks to be a common theme, but this is the second year in a row I tried to attend but it was already sold out. Just seems like there has to be a way to accommodate more people or perhaps do it twice a year so that more AvGeeks can get their fix too.:)
This was a fantastic event. I do wish tickets were offered outside of normal business hours. I had to call in a favor to get have someone get mine for me since they went on sale in the middle of the day. The price point was absolutely fantastic. It was totally worth the cost of admission.
Maybe other AvGeek events could be scheduled at the other Boeing plants around the country at other times of the year ? I’d fly to Wichita for a tour of the other facility.
Have not been to official AGF, but will someday. My suggestion is adding a Thursday/Friday afternoon for other Paine Field Museums and if somehow swing a deal with Alaska Airlines that have their HQ near SeaTac for a tour with a small group. I’m glad a great time was had by all. Did anybody do a tour flight with Kenmore Air?
I want to thank everyone who had helped to make AGF 2014 including Boeing who did a great job again. A great time all around and lots of hard work by the team. This was my second time and i think this year was a lot more organized than last year in all. I truly enjoyed getting to meet new faces and discuss our passion with fellow Av geeks. I know next years event will surely sell out fast and I hope to attend. That is my biggest concern as this event will become too exclusive in the future and many people miss out, but I understand the logistics. I always enjoy Boeing country and am grateful that they give you and Av geeks great support. Perhaps getting Sea-Tac and Alaska Airlines, Kenmore Air to do some behind the scenes action or scenic flights would be great for next year. I extremely enjoyed stepping aboard the original 747 and constellation at Museum of flight. Perhaps the American 727 next year.
In case you were not aware, very nice article on CNN this morning about AVG14: http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/26/travel/boeing-aviation-geek-factory-tour/index.html?sr=sharebar_twitter
Hello All! I just read the great CNN.com article about AGF14 by Thom Patterson. What a small world it is to be able to relate to the avgeek sites mentioned and read quotes by Ben Granucci and Ryan Ewing and of course kudos to DPB for organizing the event. Congratulations on the publicity and positive coverage. I’d love to attend one day instead of just through FB and Twitter.
I have arrived back in Australia after attending my first AGF! The organisation was fantastic as were all the events. I was fortunate to get to meet a lot of fellow enthusiasts and spend time with a few who were very willing to show me around and point me in the right direction. Special thank you to them all and also the gift of the special Boeing calendar!
I spent the Friday before on the viewing deck at the Future of Flight and met some fellow geeks getting in some early spotting.
I appreciated the breakfast on the Saturday and then visiting the museums around the airfield before the formalities began. The program was so well organised that I forgot the jetlag from the 20 hour trip from Melbourne Australia. Hopefully there will be an Australian contingent next year!! Once again thank you to all those involved in the fantastic organisation, absolutely loved it.
Unfortunately QANTAS announced today that they will getting rid of all their 767’s and only keep 6 747’s so it going to be hard to travel on a widebody Boeing in or to and from Australia in future on the national carrier as they will be using Airbus A330 and A380’s.
PS – I was trying to find a few words to use “u” in but couldn’t fit colour or labour in any where!
Thanks for doing the AGF. I agree that the tickets be offered early. I got the notice 2 days after the tickets were sold. I like the idea of Everett and Renton/Seattle being toured. Renton factory has no regular tour. Nice that you offer other attraction. Please keep doing the AGF we all love it and want it to continue. Thanks.
Thank you for your information.people who have made AGF have done a great job.I want to give them thanks.I spent the whole day to get information about AGF 2014.I want to know more about this.Kindly help me.
Always wanted to take the Boeing tour, and heard about AGF14 via CNN. It would be nice to have quarterly tours or at least 2x/year.
Would it be possible to have a post about “AGF DIY”? I mean, I’ve planned to go to take the Boeing Tour + Museum of Flight, but are there other aviation-related places in the area that one could visit?
Thanks!
Hey Will, we do have a page that tells you what you can do that is aviation-related in Seattle: https://www.airlinereporter.com/aviation-in-seattle/
Cheers, David
I’m just really pissed at myself for missing AGF14….
I went last year but wasn’t able to attend this year. I’d love some behind the scenes tours of SEA or the Alaska Airlines hangar or SOC! Thanks for giving Avgeeks an amazing experience!
I would definately love to go next year. When do tickets go on sale? Can anyone purchase? Thanks!
I only recently learned about this but definitely want to do it in 2015. I’m on the mailing list, be sure to send all notifications. And I think a couple of speakers would be a great idea.