Admission will be $5 per person or $10 for the entire family. Admission also includes free access to the Flying Heritage Collection and the Historic Flight Foundation. Parking is free and there will be shuttles running from three designated lots throughout the day. The shuttles will drop guests off at the FHC or HFF and there will also be shuttles inside the airport to take guests from one side of the event to the other.
This will be the 17th year that the event is held and provides a bunch of activities:
* FREE YOUNG EAGLES FLIGHTS (KIDS 8-17)
* FIRE FIGHTERS FLY DAY 5K AND PANCAKE BREAKFAST ($5/person ’¢ 9:00am to 11:00am ’¢ benefiting the Northwest Burn Foundation)
* STATIC AIRCRAFT DISPLAYS
* SCENIC HELICOPTER & BIPLANE FLIGHTS (additional cost)
* GREAT FOOD, VENDORS AND KIDS ACTIVITIES
* AVGEEKS FROM AROUND THE GREATER SEATTLE AREA
Not all the planes just sit on the ground. F7F Tigercat and F8F Bearcat in formation. Photo by Liz Matzelle.
From the WPA’s press release, “Come see the latest in general aviation aircraft as well as many of the airplanes owned and operated by local private pilots. Vintage aircraft and warbirds will be on display thanks to the participation of the Museum of Flight Restoration Center, Flying Heritage Collection, Historic Flight Foundation and Cascade Warbirds. Among these will be WWII aircraft and many pre-war military and civilian aircraft. Also, in conjunction with the 70th Anniversary of the Doolittle Raid, there will be up to 5 vintage B-25 aircraft on
display. Along with these fascinating and historic aircraft, there will be automobile displays, unlimited hydroplane displays, and some of Paine Field’s fire apparatus will also be on hand for kids to get an upclose look. Beginning at 12:00 pm, the warbirds will take flight, as well as formation flying by The Blackjack Squadron, the Cascade Warbirds and other aviation groups.”
Can you spot what is different about this Boeing 747SP (C-GTFF)? If you guessed the engine attached to the upper deck -- you win. Pratt & Whitney is testing the PW1200G engine. Photo by Guy Norris.
Guy Norris, with Aviation Week, recently posted an interesting story and photos on Pratt & Whitney’s flying test bed – a class Boeing 747SP. P&W is in the process of testing their PW1200G engine, that is slated to for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) and Norris was able to take a tour of the unique and classic aircraft.
P&W uses a Boeing 747SP that was originally delivered to Korean Airlines (reg HL7457) on January 30, 1980. It flew with the airline until it was placed into storage in 1998. Then in 2008, P&W purchased the 747SP to use for engine testing.
Big kudos to P&W for keeping a few rows of first class seats and the mural. For those who dream of the “golden age” of flying, those are the seats you used to fly in. Compare them to some of of the products available today: Emirates Airlines or Singapore Airlines first class product and really, how can you miss the “golden age” that much?
Computer image of LOT's Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Image from LOT.
LOT Polish Airlines is using the addition of the 787 Dreamliner to their fleet as an opportunity to update their interior and livery. The airline describes the new interior as “modern and trendy yet an ethnic design inspired by tradition and famous symbols of Poland.”
Below are multiple photos showing what the new interior of the LOT’s 787 will look like. LOT will configure their Dreamliner with 18 seats in Business Class in a 2-2-2 layout, 21 seats in premium economy in a 2-3-2 layout and 213 seats in economy in a 3-3-3 layout.
LOT also announced that they plan to use the 787 Dreamliner on their Chicago to Warsaw route starting in January 2013.
Business Class mock up on the LOT 787. Image from LOT.
LOT's Business Class seats will be fold flat. Image from LOT.
Economy section of LOT's 787 Dreamliner. Image from LOT.
LOT's first Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the Boeing Factory floor in Everett. Photo from LOT.
Boeing is planning to go with a dual feather design that they are calling the “Advanced Technology” winglet (more on the name later). They are expecting the new winglet will save an additional 1.5% fuel burn versus the one currently on the 737.
737 MAX winglet video from Boeing
“The Advanced Technology winglet demonstrates Boeing’s continued drive to improve fuel burn and the corresponding value to the customer. With this technology and others being built into the MAX, we will extend our leadership,” said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO, Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
Boeing states in their press release, that the 737 MAX will provide an 18% fuel burn advantage over the current Airbus A320. Unfortunately, they fail to compare the MAX to the new Airbus A320neo.
According to Airbus, the A320neo will have a 15% better fuel burn advantage over the current A320, so it appears the 737 MAX and A320neo will most likely be quite competitive to one another. I expect that these numbers, for both aircraft, will continue to change during development, so don’t get attached to them. It is safe to say that the 737 and A320 will continue to be direct competitors.
The Boeing 737 MAX 7, 8 and 9 showing off the winglets selected. Image from Boeing.
I am all for improving the 737 and I love following the changes, but I have to say that I am not too happy with the names that Boeing is coming up with. Although the MAX name has grown on me a bit since when I first heard about it (I was really not a fan), can’t Boeing come up with a better (and cooler) name than “Advanced Technology winglet?” I almost fell asleep just typing out that name.
Airbus has already stated that they are putting new winglets on the A320s and are calling them “sharklets.” That is a great name.
Yes, I know an airline is not going to choose the A320neo vs the 737 MAX based on the names (at least they better not), but the 737 and its new winglet are products that are deserving of creative names. Boeing has a history of coming up with classic names (Stratocruiser, Clipper, Dreamliner, etc). I just don’t see “MAX” and “Advanced Technology winglet” going down in the history books quite in the same way.
Lufthansa's Boeing 747-8I taxiing next to the Future of Flight. Photo by Chris Sloan / Airchive.com.
’œWe are excited and thrilled to welcome the 747-8 Intercontinental to our fleet,” said Carsten Spohr, CEO of Lufthansa German Airlines. “Our passengers will love the new interior, which includes our all-new full-flat business-class cabin.’
Lufthansa 747-8I (D-ABYA) takes off from Paine Field. Click for larger. Image from Boeing.
Lufthansa’s 747-8I will begin its first revenue flight on June 1st from Frankfurt to Washington, DC. The airline has 20 of the Intercontinentals on order and are expecting to take delivery of five more by the end of the year.
Officially, the aircraft was delivered by Boeing on April 25th. Between the official delivery date and fly-off earlier today, the airline conducted airline-specific preparations before heading to Frankfurt, where it will be greeted with another celebration.
The First Class section in the nose of the Boeing 747-8I for Lufthansa. Click for larger. Photo by Boeing.
“We are very proud and pleased that Lufthansa is the airline launch customer for the 747-8 Intercontinental,” said Boeing’s Pat Shanahan, senior vice president, Airplane Programs, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “Lufthansa has been a trusted partner for many years and has contributed greatly to making the 747 a truly beloved airplane around the world. We are excited for Lufthansa’s passengers to experience the incredible new Intercontinental — it is truly a Queen of the Skies for the 21st Century.”
Lufthansa's new Business Class seat on the Boeing 747-8I. Click for larger. Photo from Lufthansa.
Lufthansa will operate the 747-8I with a configuration of 362 seats (8 First Class, 92 Business Class and 262 Economy Class). The aircraft also debuted Lufthansa’s new Business Class product, which is in a “V” arrangement, where the seats fold flat.
A huge thanks for Chris Sloan (aka @AirChive and AirChive.com — seriously check out that site and his photos from today) for being so on top of covering this event via Twitter today.
