The ground is painted to prepare for an Airbus A380 at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Photo by Brandon Farris.
For most passengers, they probably do not notice the painted lines below the planes at the gate showing where the front wheel should be for different aircraft types. But for an AvGeek, it is always fun to see what aircraft a gate can handle.
Currently, there are no Airbus A380 aircraft flown into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), but will that change soon? This week, three gates at the South Terminal had “A380” painted on the ground, but why? Sigh… turns out still no A380 service — for now.
“Yes, that is an A380 spot,” Perry Cooper Airport Media and Public Affairs Manager for SEA explained to AirlineReporter.com. “It is marked just for emergency purposes. That would be the space we’d park it. We do have a couple of other spots marked for it in the cargo area.”
Perry also pointed out the the airport does not have the facilities, such as double jet bridges, to handle the A380 on anything more than an emergency basis. The airport is planning on only having one gate prepared for the A380 and will be making the decision which one of the gates (S11, S15, S16) will make the cut.
Will Seattle see an Airbus A380 someday? Photo by Jason Rabinowitz.
Currently, there are only two airlines operating the Boeing 747-400 out of Seattle (Eva Air and British Airways — and Delta starting later this year) and having additional opportunities to spot large birds is always welcomed.
Although short-term we will unlikely see an A380 flying out of SEA, that could change in the future. There are three airlines that operate the A380 and also fly to Seattle: Emirates, Lufthansa and Korean Air. If one of them would start A380 operations, but my guess would be Emirates. But at this time, the airport states that they are not in talks with any airlines on starting A380 service.
Seattle continues to grow with additional international traffic to Asia and Europe and I could see the demand for the A380 happening in the future.
This story written by…David Parker Brown, Editor & Founder.
David started AirlineReporter.com in the summer of 2008, but has had a passion for aviation since he was a kid. Born and raised in the Seattle area (where he is currently based) has surely had an influence and he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else in the world.
An Etihad Airways Airbus A330-200 tail at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH). Image from AUH.
This post was written by Steve Fulton, Technical Fellow at GE Aviation for AirlineReporter.com. Steve has been nuts about airplanes for as long as he can remember, working in high school in the antique airplane restoration business and trading work time for flying time in a PT-17 Stearman and Piper J-3 Cub. As a Technical Fellow, Steve spends his time meeting with GE customers to interpret their needs and translate that into innovative products and services, and he is continually seeking new ways to improve the air transportation industry.
It isn’t your imagination: more people are flying than ever before. The FAA predicts that air travel in the U.S. alone will double in the next 20 years, and will reach one billion passengers by 2021. Unfortunately, the finite amount of airspace to handle all of this air traffic is not being used as efficiently as current technology and methods would allow.
In an effort to improve this situation, I have spent the past 20 years working to accelerate the global adoption of a new air travel system that is characterized by predictability. This system, which I have likened to an interstate highway system in the sky, will help make air travel more efficient, providing numerous time, cost and environmental benefits. In fact, the impact of deploying this system at 46 regional airports across the United States could conservatively save an estimated 12.9 million gallons of gas and reduce 274.6 million pounds of CO2 emissions, not to mention slice off two years of time spent in the air.
In addition to allowing flights to depart precisely on time by better managing the flow of air traffic in and out of airports, highways in the sky will also allow aircraft to fly more accurate trajectories by shifting from ground-based navigational aids to a satellite-based system. Because pilots are no longer reliant on ground-based aids, it is now easier to maneuver aircraft in constrained mountainous regions, improving access to remote locations and increasing global connectivity.
Each country, airline and route has its own unique infrastructure, and therefore requires a specialized approach when working to solve the global airspace congestion issue. The work being done at Abu Dhabi International Airport, for examplewhere Airbus is collaborating with Etihad Airways to roll out optimized trajectories that shorten the approach paths to the runwayis different from the work in the mountainous airspace between Cusco and Lima. It is important to find a solution that is tailored to the distinctive needs of one challenge, while assuring its interoperability with other air traffic management systems on a regional and worldwide scale.
Making more efficient approaches can save time, money and the environment. Image from GE.
A significant effort along these lines is SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research), a collaborative initiative to reform the European airspace and unite all of the varying systems of its countries under a singular air traffic management program. Last month I attended CANSO’s World ATM Congress, where the consistent theme was enhancing the performance of airspace and doing so by all stakeholders working together. CANSO is committed to collaborating with its partners and stakeholders and is working to make sure all of the talk and proposals of the event are converted into actions and deliverables. A good example of this is CANSO’s commitment to work with IATA and its member airlines on the implementation of ICAO’s System Block Upgrades on the aircraft, further rollout of Performance-based Navigation and the implementation of ADS-B worldwide. These are important elements necessary for deployment of highways in the sky across the globe.
Ultimately, it is a puzzle with many unique and intricate pieces, and many players working to fit them together. Thanks to David’s invitation to allow me to speak to the passionate, informed community that he has worked to cultivate, in my coming posts I hope to discuss some of the regional efforts to implement a revolutionary technology that is improving the way we travel. I hope to provide informative and interesting insight into how the aviation industry is working together to accommodate the rising demand in air travel, and ensuring sustainable growth.
At 2:15pm on Tuesday 12th March, Boeing 747 Dreamlifter N718BA (operated by Atlas Air) took off from Paine Field heading towards Nagoya, Japan for a scheduled pick up of structures and assemblies for the 787 program. Shortly after departure during the climb out process, the Dreamlifter declared an emergency.
N718BA lands at Paine Field in Everett (not on the day in question) – Photo Mal Muir.
Doug Alder with Boeing communications told AirlineReporter.com, “Shortly after leaving Everett on a routine flight to Nagoya, Japan, the crew of a Boeing Dreamlifter received an indication of a potential problem with the hydraulic system. The crew made a decision to return to Paine Field in Everett. Following standard procedures, the crew dumped fuel to reach maximum landing weight.”
As you can see from the Flightaware logs there was a number of circuits done over the Puget Sound area while the aircraft was dumping fuel and then once at the safe landing weight, the Dreamlifter returned to Everett.
At Paine Field the Dreamlifter made a low pass so that Boeing & Paine Field staff could verify the landing gear had been properly deployed. Once verified the Dreamlifter went back around again and landed safely. After landing the aircraft started undergoing a safety inspection by Boeing.
The video above of the low pass and landing was taken from the Stratodeck by the Future of Flight. You can also check out KING5 News with additional photos and video of the incident.
The Dreamlifter landed safely on the ground, no one hurt or injured. Boeing confirmed that this is not the first time the Dreamlifter had to land prematurely. There have been other events like bird strikes or a cracked windscreen, which are seen in standard flight operations.
This story written by…Malcolm Muir, Lead Correspondent. Mal is an Australian Avgeek now living and working in Seattle. With a passion for aircraft photography, traveling and the fun that combining the two can bring. Insights into the aviation world with a bit of a perspective thanks to working in the travel industry.@BigMalX | BigMal’s World | Photos
An American Airlines 777-300ER on approach to Paine Field in Everett – Photo: Mal Muir | AirlineReporter.com
I don’t know about other AvGeeks & plane spotters out there but I have this list of aircraft that I have been trying to get photos of lately. Well it sure was a lucky day in Everett when I can tick two off the list in the span of a few minutes.
What is on my list? First, I hope to get each airline that operates the Boeing 787s (because some of the liveries are just downright pretty) and also every airline that operates to Australia (where I am from). Other than that, my list is pretty much made up of airlines that I feel good looking schemes or ones that I haven’t seen before. The holy grail’s though are the special schemes and the retro liveries.
A Saudia Cargo 747-8F about to turn onto 16R at Paine Field – Photo: Mal Muir | AirlineReporter.com
The four that have eluded me lately up at Everett had been the American Airlines new Livery, Aeroflot’s 777-300ER, Saudia Cargo 747-8F and the Uzbekistan Airlines 767. When I saw on the Saturday morning that the American 777 was doing a test flight, well you can bet where I was headed. Even though the fog was thick in the morning for the takeoff, I ran some errands and came back for the departure. When the sun had burnt away the fog and it was a glorious looking afternoon.
To make the afternoon even better, as the American 777 came onto its final approach, the Saudia Cargo 747-8F got taxi clearances for the test flight it was about to begin… score!
An American Airlines 777 in the New Livery Touches down as a Saudia Cargo 747-8F taxi’s by – Photo: Mal Muir | AirlineReporter.com
Even though some of the photos were not perfect, it doesn’t matter. It’s about getting out and enjoying the sunshine, seeing the aircraft and chatting with fellow AvGeeks. Here is to a fruitful spring and summer of spotting!
This story written by…Malcolm Muir, Lead Correspondent.
Mal is an Australian Avgeek now living and working in Seattle. With a passion for aircraft photography, traveling and the fun that combining the two can bring. Insights into the aviation world with a bit of a perspective thanks to working in the travel industry.
Matt Falcus wrote this story for AirlineReporter.com. He is author of the popular Airport Spotting Guides series, and runs the blog AirportSpotting.com which helps aviation enthusiasts make the most out of their hobby with airport, airline and aircraft news and spotting information.
The first British Aerospace ATP ’“ derived from Advanced Turboprop – aircraft took off from Woodford aerodrome, near Manchester in the UK, in August 1986. Built as a successor to the popular HS.748 (later BAe 748), the ATP featured a lengthened fuselage and improved engines. The ATP featured a design that brought about better fuel efficiency, reduced vibration and noise, and a much more comfortable passenger cabin over the first generation of turboprop airliners. Only 64 examples were ever built as by the time it was introduced even more efficient competitors, such as the ATR42 and de Havilland Canada DHC-8 had emerged.
Today around 40 BAe ATP aircraft remain in service around the world. The majority of these examples operate with cargo carriers, having been converted from their original passenger-carrying configuration. Principal operators include West Air Europe and Atlantic Airlines. At the time of writing, only one airline — Next Jet — is still flying the ATP in passenger service. Next Jet is a Swedish domestic and regional airline which was founded in 2002 and is based near Stockholm.
Inside the cabin. Photo by Matt Falcus.
I recently had the opportunity to take a flight on this now rare aircraft whilst visiting Sweden, and got to experience a fine aircraft which should have been a much greater success story. This was also an opportunity to experience Next Jet and their unique service into the remote Swedish Lapland region.
The flight, to Arvidsjaur, was operating from Stockholm Arlanda with an intermediate stop at Lycksele in both directions. Next Jet operates this route up to three times per day, linking these remote communities with the capital, and also providing an important tourist link to the winter skiing and summer hiking and fishing opportunities.
The aircraft was SE-MEE, which spent most of its life operating for SATA Air Açores and still bears the tail logo of that airline, albeit with Next Jet titles. Seating is not assigned on this flight, so I took a window seat near the front where more legroom is available. Outside is a wonderful view of the starboard engine and propellers.
Looking out the window. Photo by Matt Falcus.
The load on this flight is around 30 passengers, with this ATP seating 68 in total. The taxi ride to runway 19R is fairly swift and we are soon rolling with engine power increasing. The ATP is a little more sluggish than more modern turboprops, but with a light load we were soon airborne and making a turn to the right revealing a great view over Arlanda Airport.
The flight to Lycksele is around 1 hour 15 minutes, with two cabin attendants servicing the passengers.
Approach to the small airport is over an attractive countryside of lakes, hills and villages, before landing on the single 6,564ft (2001m) runway. The aircraft backtracks to the exit taxiway and parks on the apron outside the small terminal building.
Next Jet ATP SE-MEE on the ground. Photo by Matt Falcus.
Time on the ground at Lycksele was only 15 minutes, during which time some passengers disembarked and a couple joined. Because the load was now lighter, I was asked to take up a seat near the rear of the aircraft to aid in aircraft balance.
The remaining flight time to Arvidsjaur was a quick 20 minutes at relatively low level over the beautiful scenery in this part of the world. Arvidsjaur Airport was only built in 1990, adding a vital link for the small community. Like Lycksele, it is a small airport with a modern terminal of typical Scandinavian design.
For the return journey later in the day I took a seat behind the wing on the opposite side of the aircraft. The load was again light, but after making the short hop to Lycksele a significant number of passengers joined the aircraft leaving very few seats vacant. Take-off was therefore much more pronounced this time, with a shallow rate of climb noticeable on the ATP aircraft.
From the flight deck. Photo by Matt Falcus.
Our route took us out over the Bay of Bothnia before turning inland towards Arlanda in the evening sun. Flight time was almost 1 hour 30 minutes on this return leg, and after landing on runway 26.
It was fascinating to take time to travel on the BAe ATP before the opportunity disappears, and also to experience two remote Swedish airports, and of course to enjoy the unique service offered by Next Jet.
For full details the rarest and most historic airliners still flying passengers, including details of the airlines and countries still flying them, check out my new eBook ’“ Last Chance to Fly.
