That is Chris Sloan in the cockpit of the Salmon-30-Salmon at Deadhorse / Prudhoe Bay Airport. Image: Chris Sloan / Airchive.com
If you are an airline livery buff, then the Alaska Airlines Salmon-30-Salmon livery is probably on your top ten list (at least it should be). I have seen the outside of the aircraft a few times, but never got to actually fly in it. Recently, Chris Sloan with Airchive.com shared some photos of the interior and I was excited how it had a sea-theme to it and wanted to share.
Alaska Airlines “Salmon-30-Salmon” Boeing 737-400 Flight Deck. Image: Chris Sloan / Airchive.com
From Airchive.com:
Alaska Airlines “Salmon-30-Salmon” Boeing 737-400 Cabin The “Salmon-Thirty-Salmon,” sporting the glimmering image of a wild Alaska king salmon, is among the world’s most intricately painted commercial airplanes. Complete with shiny scales, a dorsal fin and gills, the livery on the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-400 passenger aircraft is the result of a dedicated team of 30 painters working nearly nonstop for 24 days. The Boeing 737-400 aircraft has been in Alaska Airlines’s fleet since 1997 and was originally scheduled to be re-painted with Alaska’s traditional Eskimo livery. It was relaunched as “Salmon-Thirty-Salmon” in 2005. Salmon-30-Salmon in reference to a fluke incident that occurred March 30, 1987. After departure from Juneau, Alaska, a Boeing 737-200 hit a fish dropped by a Bald Eagle. Unlike many logojets, the “Salmon Jet” cabin features logo designs inside, in this case various forms of edible Alaskan sea life on the overhead bins. Alaska Airlines’s Boeing 737-400s feature 12 first class and 132 economy seats. These photos were taken on a Summer 2011 flight from Anchorage to Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay and Barrow.
Plaque in the salmon-30-salmon. Image: Chris Sloan / Airchive.com.
The overhead bins have sea creatures. Image: Chris Sloan / Airchive.com.
In case you do not know what kind of animals these are, they give you their names. Image: Chris Sloan / Airchive.com.
Alaska Airlines New Salmon-Thirty-Salmon, which will be put in service in the fall 2012. Image from Alaska. CLICK FOR LARGER.
The original Salmon-liveried 737 was painted over last year, but soon, the new Salmon-Thirty-Salmon II will be unveiled in Anchorage. Alaska Airlines tells AirlineReporter.com that the new aircraft will have a similar plaque, letting passengers know that they are on the world’s largest fish, but the sea creatures on the overhead bins will not be returning.
What is better than a classic Boeing 747-100? One that carries a frek’n space shuttle. This is an epic video, but at the same time it is sad. This documents N905NA’s final flight as a Shuttle Carrier from LAX to Dryden Flight Research Facility completed on September 24, 2012. The second Shuttle Carrier (N911NA) was retired on February 8, 2012.
NASA will continue to use N905NA to research reducing turbulence produced by larger aircraft.
N905NA doing its job, carrying the shuttle Discovery in April 2012. Photo by jsmjr / Flickr.
This 747-100 was originally delivered to American Airlines in 1970 as N9668. In 1974, NASA took ownership and was converted to a Shuttle Carrier.
From NASA’s website, the features that distinguish the two SCAs from standard 747 jetliners are:
Three struts with associated interior structural strengthening protrude from the top of the fuselage (two aft, one forward) on which the orbiter is attached.
Two additional vertical stabilizers, one on each end of the standard horizontal stabilizer, to enhance directional stability.
Removal of all interior furnishings and equipment aft of the forward No. 1 doors.
Instrumentation used by SCA flight crews and engineers to monitor orbiter electrical loads during the ferry flights and also during pre- and post-ferry flight operations.
Thanks to SpeedBirdHD for taking and sharing this video.
It is time to start planning for Aviation Geek Fest 2013. No details are even close to share, but please add yourself to the Aviation Geek Fest 2013 e-mail list to be on top of any developments.
NOTE: If you were on the list for 2012, you should have received an email from me with a link to confirm you want to be on the list for 2013. You are not able to add yourself from the link above — yes, I know that is very annoying, but what my host provider is doing to cut down on spam. If you have trouble still, email me: da***@ai*************.com.
I got to drive around Paine Field an a fire bus. Others went on the factory floor, the Dreamliner Gallery and more. What will #AGF13 hold? I am not sure.
Not sure what Aviation Geek Fest is all about? I can tell you that if you have any remote interest in aviation — you will love it. Check out what went down in previous years:
I plan to speak with some AvGeeks at the DorkFest at LAX this weekend to get ideas, but also feel free to post in the comments on any ideas you might have for #AGF13. The sky is the limit (literally, because I doubt we could get on Virgin Galactic).
We are looking to hold it before summer in 2013, but other than that, there are no other details — stay tuned.
Before landing at SCL, we did a fly-over the airport. Photo by Lucas Frenk De Matos.
This is the third and final installment on LAN taking delivery of their first Boeing 787 Dreamliner. In PART 1, I shared what happened before the delivery, in PART 2, I talked about our flight and this part will wrap things up. In the near future, I will be sharing my thoughts on Santiago, giving a photo tour of LAN’s training facility and giving a review on my 767 flight back to LAX.
I should have been groggy with only four hours of sleep after twelve hours aloft, but the excitement of landing in a Dreamliner had me wired. I was told that we were going to fly over the airport before landing. I tried to predict what side of the airplane would face the airport and chose the left side: Darn it, the airport was on the right side. Oh well; win some, lose some.
As the plane landed, I could see hundreds of people surrounding the airport to catch a glimpse of Chile’s first Dreamliner landing. It was exciting to see so many people excited about seeing a 787 for the first time.
When taxiing to our gate, AvGeeks were not the only ones to welcome; there were also a few hundred airport employees who came out to the tarmac. I felt like a super star.
You can’t have a celebration without a water cannon salute. Photo by Lucas Frenk De Matos.
A proper welcome would not be complete without a classic water cannon salute. The picture above shows two nicely working water spouts, but unfortunately by the time the plane got to the fire trucks, something went wrong with the left one and there was no water shooting out. That is alright; I still felt plenty welcomed.
I arrived at the gate and a bunch more folks surrounded the aircraft on the ground. There was no ceremony at the airport, which was fine with me. Mostly because I wanted to get the hotel and take a much-needed shower. The Dreamliner is a great aircraft, but 12.5 hours flying economy on any plane can be tiring.
Chilean mountains and a curved wing tip — what more does one need?
Now for the big question: is the 787 that much better? To be honest it was hard to tell at the time. Boeing promotes the 787 as having lower pressure and higher humidity to lessen the effects of jetlag. Sure my nose wasn’t that dry and I actually felt okay for a 12.5 flight, but it wasn’t super obvious. It took flying home on a Boeing 767-300ER a few days later to fully realize how the 787 Dreamliner is actually different.
Even though I flew Business Class home and kept myself better hydrated, my nose was dry and I got a headache. Boeing might be on to something here.
The overhead bins on the 787 were another feature that I didn’t fully appreciate until flying home on the 767. My carry-on (which is border-line too large to be a carry-on) easily fit in the 787 bin in economy. But I had to remove some items from my bag to squeeze it into the 767 business class bin.
LAN’s 787 at the gate after we landed. People from around the airport came to check her out.
Previously, I have made fun of the LED lights. Mostly because Boeing, airlines, and media tout it as some revolutionary concept when really LED lights could be retrofitted into any other aircraft. But I do see there are some real benefits. Not only do they provide a great party atmosphere, but they also have the ability to slowly change the color settings. With the crew having full control over the windows and the lights programmed to slowly transition, it really allows passengers to feel the different stages of service. Again, not a huge thing, but these little things add up.
Another surprise was how spacious the cabin. The interior of the 787 seemed more like a Boeing 777 than a 767. Yes, the 3-3-3 layout in economy is a bit tight and if I had seatmates in my row, it would have been a pretty painful experience. I was told that LAN made this decision since they felt their service and product would make up for the skinnier seats.
And that wing; that amazing wing. No joke, airlines should put a notice under each window saying, “yes, the wing is supposed to do that.” At the beginning of the flight the wing was filled with fuel, so the arch wasn’t as obvious. As the fuel burned and the wing became lighter, it was quite obvious. Add turbulence to the equation and you really get a show. Sure, it might be a bit scary for those who are not used to it, but for those in the know it is truly beautiful.
Is it worth going out of your way and maybe spending a bit more to fly on a 787? I say absolutely. LAN should feel very proud to offer this new product and I cannot wait for my next flight.
United’s first Boeing 787 Dreamliner (N20904) seen at Paine Field in early August 2012.
On Saturday, United Airlines officially took financial delivery of their first Boeing 787 Dreamliner. However, the aircraft is still in Seattle and is expected to be flown to Houston later this week.
Jeff Smisek, president and CEO of United, said, ’œAs the North American launch customer, we are delighted to be getting our first 787 Dreamliner. As we continue to build the world’s leading airline, we are excited for our customers and co-workers to experience this game-changing aircraft.’
Oddly, the 787 will depart from Boeing Field (which is located south of Seattle), where most delivery flights for the 747, 767, 777 and 787 leave from Paine Field. Each airline has the option to decide how they will take delivery. Some do it very quietly and others throw a huge party. I would suspect that United would want to throw a huge party, but no word on what that might look like — yet.
Infographic on the 787 Dreamliner by United Airlines (CLICK FOR LARGER).
After arriving in Houston, the 787 and crew will go through a month-long training and certification program. The airline will also be flying the aircraft (without passengers) to some of their hubs to show it off.
“This 787 delivery represents the continuation in the more than 80-year partnership between our two companies,” said Ray Conner, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “United now begins a new chapter with the 787 Dreamliner, the most technologically advanced commercial jetliner ever built. It reinforces United’s commitment to be the world’s leading airline by providing unmatched fuel efficiency and passenger comfort.”
Currently, ANA, JAL and Ethiopian are the only airlines with 787s in service. LAN has taken delivery of their first one, but have not yet put it into service. It is exciting to see an American airline take delivery and soon enter this next generation aircraft into service.
