The First Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental gets some fresh air at Paine Field. Click for a MUCH larger version. Photo by/from Boeing.
We are now less than two weeks, away from the official roll out of the first Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental. On the Sunday the 31st this photo was taken by Boeing as the plane was being moved over to the paint hangar. In less than two short weeks on February 13th at about 11am, the aircraft will officially be unveiled to the world at a special ceremony at the Boeing factory.
The lucky folks who attended Aviation Geekfest 2010 were able to get a glimpse of the first 747-8I in person and I have to say she is one very beautiful bird. You better believe I will be there to see her debut on the 13th — it is a special valentines day gift for us airline geeks.
For those of you able to come hang out at Paine Field on the 13th, I invite you to come early, check out the Future of Flight and Boeing factory tour for a possible glimpse of the aircraft before it is unveiled to the world.
Still no word on who the owner of this amazing plane will be. I am told it is a private buyer and I know that all eight Boeing Business Jet orders for the 747-8 are for governments. If anyone is able to track down the owner, that would be awesome to share either via comments or always confidential via email (da***@ai*************.com)
I am on a mission. I know there is a lot of aviation-related things in Seattle, so I am guessing there has to be some good places to eat and drink if you are an aviation geek. If you know of a place in the greater Seattle area (let’s say with-in two hours away), let me know. I think I might start taking a look at some of these places and seeing if they might be worth the trip. You can either leave them in the comments or email it on over to me at da***@ai*************.com.
Thanks!
You think you have the livery skills to tell what airlines are in these photos?
After getting so few answers on the last Ultimate Airline Livery Challenge, I was happy to see I might have made this one a little bit easier. That was “easier” and not “easy.” I was very impressed how quickly some of you got the correct answers. After getting the photos done for the first time I realized what was in the background on picture #1. It was an Inter Air Airbus A300 and realized it could give away #10, so I photoshopped the titles off. It seems like #3 got most people since Britannia flew both Boeing 767’s and 757’s, but #5 was a game changer for some as well.
So, do you like it better with other airplane parts than just wings? I had more fun making this one. Anyhow, here are the answers:
1) Air Afrique DC-10-30 (TU-TAM). Photo by Jordi Grife.
2) Sabena Boeing 737-200 (OO-SDJ). Photo by Jordi Grife.
3) Britannia Airways Boeing 767-200 (G-BRIG). Photo by 64N21W.
4) Ghana International Airlines Boeing 757-200 (G-STRZ). Photo by superspotter.
5) BWIA West Indies Airlines Airbus A340-300 (9Y-TJN). Photo by Fossie1.
6) Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 (UR-PSD). Photo by Osdu.
7) Trans World Airlines Lockheed L1011. Photo by Dean Morely.
8) Surinam Airways Boeing 747-300 (PZ-TCM). Photo by David VanWoerkom
9) Royal Brunei Airlines Boeing 777-200ER (V8-BLB). Photo by David McKelvey.
10) Air Inter Dassault Mercure (F-BTTJ). Photo by Jordi Grife.
UBER WINNERS WHO GOT ALL THE AIRLINES AND AIRCRAFT TYPES:
* Matt F.
* Josu G.
* Alfred T.
* Patrick O.
* Antonio T.
* Javier A.
* Thomas B.
FOLKS WHO ALMOST GOT EVERYTHING CORRECT:
They went for the gold. Guessing both livery and aircraft type and each of these folks only got one thing off. Still very impressive.
* Ben W. Darn #3! Only got the #3 aircraft type wrong
* Rory M. #3 767 vs 757
* Mark G. #3 guessing the 757
* Gordon W. Such a rockstar with even giving reg#’s on some, but #5 got him
* Erik G. Was off on #5, but close
* Kyle D. Only off on one airline type
WINNERS WHO GOT ALL THE AIRLINES CORRECT:
* Chris J.
Okay, so maybe #3 was a little unfair. I really think the only think you could have done was to hunt down the exact photo, which can be a challenge. That’s a lot of winners, so I might have to go with some AirlineReporter.com stickers for the prizes. I am working on getting some donations for future prizes, so if you have any ideas on where to look, let me know!
Oh man, I am betting this one will (not) win. You have to be able to do better?
Do you want to create your own livery and see it on a Boeing 737? Well, Alaska Airlines and the Portland Timbers might let you live that dream. They are holding a contest and letting fans create their own livery. If it is chosen, they will paint an aircraft in your design.
Well, I guess you also win a pair of first class tickets to anywhere Alaska Airlines flies, free Timber tickets and an autographed jersey. That is pretty neat, but not nearly as neat as having a Boeing 737 flying around with your livery.
Do you have what it takes to make up your own livery? Obviously I do and I hope mine will win (okay, I am not submitting this). Better hurry, you only have until February 15, 2011. You can learn more and get a blank version of the Boeing 737 on the Timber’s website. Good luck!
Eastern going back to a silver fleet. Click for larger.
When I did my post about not being a fan of American Airline’s livery, some of you disagreed. Although I am not a fan of American’s livery now, I used to be about 20 years ago when it felt more modern. After seeing the post, a reader sent me this magazine ad from Eastern Air Lines when they went back to the silver bodied livery. They used to have a bare livery, but then went to a white body livery.
It is interesting to see how they are selling the environmental aspect of having little paint on their aircraft. The writing on the advertisement is a little difficult to read. So you don’t have to hurt your eyes, here is what it says:
“Things look better at Eastern. Including the way we look. There’s a new look at Easter Airlines. Our service looks better. Our business looks better. And now, even our look looks better. For one thing, we’re changing our flying colors from blue and white to blue and silver. Every time a plane is due to be painted, we’ll take off our white paint and buff the metal to a bright silver. But we’re not changing just to look better. We’re changing to help conserve energy.
You see, airplane paint weights several hundred pounds. Without it, we’ll fly more efficiently. And save over 250,000 gallons of fuel a year. There’s another new look you’ll see right away. Our new uniforms. Because of wear and tear, we were due to change uniforms anyway. So we’re replacing them with some smart new styles and colors. But, at Eastern, we believe that just looking good isn’t enough. We know that prompt, courteous service is what’s really important to you.
After all, good service is what won us two million more passengers last year than the year before. So we can’t stop now. If we want you to fly Eastern all the time, and we do, then we’ve got to earn our wings every day.
Eastern
The Wings of Man”
Very good stuff and a special thanks to David C for sharing.
