Are you going to be in the Seattle area over the weekend? Then make sure you head to Paine Field to check out the Vintage Aircraft Weekend!
Historic Flight Foundation is hosting the Fifth Annual Vintage Aircraft Weekend going on August 31 ’“ September 1st, 2012. Together with other Paine Field Partners and the Snohomish County Tourism Promotion Area, ’œVAW’ is a great event for the aviation enthusiasts and families.
The festival begins on Friday with the arrival of aircraft throughout the day. At 6 pm, 250 lucky patrons will attend a “Big Band Dinner Dance” featuring the fifteen-piece, tuxedo-clad “Kings of Swing”.
The main event begins Saturday morning, at 9 am. VAW features a first-class Speakers Bureau, live music, two flying sessions of vintage aircraft, vintage automobiles and military vehicles, fine food, vintage bicycles, vintage clothing and uniforms, and a host of opportunities for kids and parents to interact with displays and vendors. The final flight will conclude at 5 pm.
United’s first Boeing 787 Dreamliner at Paine Field.
Yesterday was a beautiful day at Paine Field to take a look at United Airline’s first Boeing 787 Dreamliner. This was not a delivery ceremony, but a celebration that the aircraft (reg N20904) is out of the paint booth and one step closer to being delivered.
United is expecting to take delivery of their 787 sometime in September. The terminology used yesterday makes me think the plane might be delivered closer to the beginning of the month than the end — we shall see.
That darn Dreamlifter ruined our day (okay, it actually quite enhanced it).
I arrived to Paine Field at about 9am to check in. All the media had their equipment quickly sniffed by a Boeing security dog (one of the best parts of the event) and we took a short bus ride to the compass rose, where the airplane was waiting.
There was a tent set up where United employees, VIP mileage members, invited guests and media waited. Before the event officially started, the media was able to take photos of the Dreamliner. It was difficult to sit down to listen to the speeches — I was itching to get on board.
Hanging out with some United flight crew before boarding the 787.
During the speeches, United had some good things to say. David Hilfman, United Airlines senior VP of sales stated, “We have been awaiting this day for a while. And it has been worth every bit of the wait.” It is obvious that the airline is very excited about their new aircraft.
In the middle of the speeches, everyone was in awe, when a Boeing Dreamlifter took off in the background, to a cheering crowd.
This aircraft nose she is beautiful!
Soon, it was time to board. I have been lucky enough to get on JAL’s 787, Qatar’s and a few of ANA’s Dreamliners previously which puts me in a pretty good position to compare United’s interior versus the others.
Welcome on board — wait… where is the dramatic entry way?
My first surprise was the entry way. One of the things touted by Boeing about the Dreamliner is the ability to have a dramatic bar entry way (example of JAL’s). When boarding in the second set of doors on the United 787, you are greeted by one of the galleys, not an impressive entry way.
It isn’t bad and most passengers probably won’t notice, but it was a bit of a surprise. I talked to one of United’s VPs of Marketing and he explained the choice provides more space in the cabin. Read: probably a bean-counter’s decision to add more seats. It could be a smart move, since it is not clear yet how much these open bar areas will be used by passengers during flight on other airline’s Dreamliners.
United’s Business First product on the 787 Dreamliner.
After entering, I headed to check out the Business First product. There are 36 of the seats configured in a 2-2-2 layout. The product looked clean and for the few minutes I sat in the seat, it was comfortable. The non-shared armrest in each seat is able to be lowered, providing a nice addition of width when sitting or sleeping.
United’s Business First offers a fold flat bed.
There is plenty of storage space and with 68″ of seat pitch, even the tallest passengers can get comfortable. The only down side that I could see is that the center divider between seats cannot be lowered. It is small enough to still be able to talk to the person next to you, but not large enough to give you a level of privacy that competing products have.
All the Business Premier seats have a slight tilt. With the left side seats tilting to the left and the center and right hand seats tilting to the right. This allows additional space and privacy for passengers.
United has their Economy set up in a 3-3-3 format.
Going farther back in the 787, you first come across 72 seats in Premium Economy and another 111 seats in Economy. United has decided to configure their Dreamliner in a 3-3-3 layout. The seats were comfortable, for the few minutes I sat in them, but not sure how a ten hour flight would go. Each seat on the plane has its own in-flight entertainment, which will offer a distraction for passengers not able to sit in a premium seat.
What are those? Yes, pillows and blankets on the Economy Plus seats.
As with all 787 Dreamliners, United’s has the LED lighting, dimming windows, lower pressurized cabin and improved economics.
A Ethiopian Boeing 787 Dreamliner in the HUD on the United 787 Dreamliner.
A tour of a 787 Dreamliner would not be complete with out a visit up to the flight deck. Between airlines, there is almost no different of the flight decks. I have been told that really the only main difference is a screen view from airlines that use the Rolls Royce Trent 1000 versus the GEnx engine.
The crew rest area in the upper rear of the 787.
One part of the 787 Dreamliner I have not been able to check out yet was the rear crew rest area, which is located above the main cabin. I would have to say that it gets the job done, but surely is not super roomy.
A sign on the left side of the plane lets you know you are boarding a 787.
There is no question for me that United’s 787 is a nice product. However, it is far from revolutionary. Still, I don’t think this is United’s fault. My guess is the carrier wanted to premiere their new Business First product on the 787, but due to the delays, they have already installed the product on 777s and 767s. Heck, even the 767s are getting a better in-flight entertainment system than the first 787s will have.
Currently, the only route that United has announced for their 50 Dreamliners has been Denver to Tokyo. The first commercial flight for United will be sometime in October.
A special thanks to Mal Muir for helping me at the event.
UNITED AIRLINES FIRST BOEING 787 DREAMLINER PHOTO GALLERY: [nggallery id=18]
The Boeing 247D and a 787 Dreamliner are almost nose to nose. About 80 years separate these two airliners. How similar, yet different they are from each other.
The Paine Field Aviation Day this year was bigger and better than ever. More planes, more options, more access and the sunny day doesn’t hurt either. The even was divided into two events, one on the west side of the field by the Historic Flight Foundation and the other on the east side by the Flying Heritage Collection. There were shuttles that would quickly take guests to either their parking lot or the other side of the field.
Boeing pulled one of their new 777-200LRs going to Air Austral into a location where guests could get up close and personal.
A P-47D Thunderbolt, belonging to the Flying Heritage Collection, returns after flying.
Hawker Hurricane Mk.XIIA and Republic P-47D Thunderbolt flying over Paine Field.
A Grumman F7F Tigercat, called Bad Kitty, returns from a flight, as a Cargolux Boeing 747-8F spools up for take off. You have to love Paine Field.
Come for the war birds. Stick around to watch the new Boeing 747-8F take off. Why not?
it is plane porn, watching Bad Kitty raise her wings.
How can you not love Paine Field when you are watching classic war birds flying in the sky and they take a break to let a brand new Boeing 747-8F take off? A big cheers to all those who worked hard and volunteered their time to make this year’s event bigger and better than ever. Can’t wait until next year!
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.”
When you are an airline customer that drops a few hundred million on some new Boeing aircraft, sometimes you just want your pilots to pick up the plane and go. Other times you might want a celebration. Either way, it should always be exciting every time that Boeing hands over the keys to a customer.
Previously, if an airline just wanted to pick up their plane with little fanfare, they would just pick it up at the Everett Delivery Center (EDC), located on the east side of Paine Field in Everett, WA. If the airline wanted some attention, they would take delivery of their plane at the the Future of Flight across the runway (see Air New Zealand’s first Boeing 777-300ER delivery). There was not much in between.
View of what Boeing expects the new Everett Delivery Center to look like. Photo from Boeing. Click for larger.
Yesterday, Boeing broke ground on a new delivery center, which will make the picking up experience better for customers picking up their brand spanking new Boeing 747, 767, 777 or 787.
The current facility was built in the late 1960s and then renovated in 2006. The new facility, which will be 180,000 sq ft (vs 60,000 of the old one), is expected to open in early 2013.
“Our customers are demanding our products like never before,” said Jeff Klemann, vice president of the delivery center. “As we build more airplanes at faster and faster rates, we also need a world-class facility to conduct our delivery operations. The new Everett Delivery Center will be more than just a building; it’s an investment in our customers, our local community, our employees and Boeing’s future.”
The new Everett Delivery Center from the opposite view. Photo from Boeing. Click for larger.
When asked if the Future of Flight will still play a role in future deliveries, Elizabeth Fischtziur with Boeing Everett Site Communications explained to AirlineReporter.com, “We will continue to work with our airline customers to custom design delivery ceremonies to meet their needs. While the majority of ceremonies will take place at the EDC in our new delivery lounge, it is possible that we will continue to use the Future of Flight from time to time.”
Boeing explained that while the new site is being built, “interim delivery plans are in place,” including the possibility of delivering on the flight line.
Have no fear! I would expect large deliveries, like Lufthansa’s first 747-8 Intercontinental and United’s first Boeing 787 Dreamliner will most likely have ceremonies at the Future of Flight with great fanfare.
