by Lufthansa Flyer | Jun 29, 2014 | Airports, Featured, Plane Spotting |
When I was at Paine Field a couple of weeks ago, I was able to get a glimpse of what was one of the most powerful radial engine aircraft during World War II. The aircraft, a Focke-Wulf FW190, belongs to Paul Allen’s Flying Heritage Collection and is the world’s only FW190 that still flies. After seeing it for the first time and mentioning that fact to local spotters that I met during the weekend, they offered up a fantastic story about this specific aircraft. I looked up the history of the aircraft on the Flying Heritage Collection website to confirm the details:
This aircraft was built in 1943 and entered service with the German Air Force’s Jagdgeschwader (fighter wing) 54 based near Leningrad. Shortly after entering service, she was shot down during a raid on a Soviet train and had crash landed in a marsh field. The pilot was able to survive the landing but was captured by the Soviet Army and became a Prisoner of War until the early 1950s.
The FW190 high above Paine Field
Over the next 40-45 years, the aircraft laid untouched in the marshes and had become overgrown with trees and vegetation. After being discovered in the late 1980s by a ‘War Bird Hunter’, she was transported to England and then to the USA for a complete restoration which was completed in 2010.
An interesting part of this story was according to the actual pilot who crash landed the FW190, it was found EXACTLY as he had left it, including the hat that he left behind on his seat. Literally no one saw or touched this plane for 40+ years. Today you can see and hear her taking to the air at Paine Field.
Here is a video that shows her discovery by Russian War Bird Hunters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30IfiuQTt_E
by Lufthansa Flyer | Jun 22, 2014 | Featured, Lufthansa, Plane Spotting |
Over the course of my plane spotting career, which is approaching 25,000 presses of a shutter button, today may have been the most rewarding spotting day to date.
In the past I’ve had a fair amount of luck with my spotting. Whether it was being at the In-N-Out in LAX when Air Force One was in town, or sitting on a mound with a moose nearby in Anchorage when a Dream Lifter showed up unexpectedly, I’ve been in the right place at the right time on several occasions.
Today however, as an LH fan, will go down as perhaps one of my best ‘sessions’. The reason I say this is because of the aircraft involved. If you are not aware, Lufthansa’s next 747-8i, D-ABYP, is also Boeing’s 1500th 747 to be manufactured which automatically marks it as a milestone aircraft.
When I had booked this trip back in January, I had a certain degree of confidence that ‘Yankee Papa’ was going to be delivered in June so I speculated that I may be in town for the delivery flight. Well, I was off by one week. Lufthansa will take delivery of D-ABYP next Saturday, June 28 after a few ceremonies marking the special event. My ‘real life career’ calendar precluded me from changing my plans to go to Seattle for the event on the 28th, so I had to settle for my original dates.
So today, as I was standing alongside the runway I heard on ATC chatter that a 747 was getting ready to taxi for departure. I missed the initial call to hear which aircraft was leaving, so I assumed it was a Silkway or Nippon Cargo 747-8F. When I saw ‘YP’ get pushed back I got the feeling that Karma was somehow on my side, and they were going to rehearse the delivery for me.
So without saying too much more, here are a few images of the departure and arrival of D-ABYP. It was about a 2-3 hour spread between arrival and departure, but certainly worth waiting for.
By the way, you may notice a vinyl layer covering something above the rear windows, above the Aircraft Registration. I suspect this is hiding a special graphic designating this as the 1500th 747. Unfortunately, this may be the only graphic acknowledging the accomplishment. I was hoping for a bit more ‘livery’ to recognize such a special aircraft.
Enjoy!
D-ABYP taxis towards runway 34L at Paine Field on June 21
Preparing to enter the runway (pardon some of the heat haze).
Notice the runway reflecting on the fuselage?
I was so close to her that my lens was not able to capture the entire craft!
Takeoff roll begins…..
On final, with Mount Rainier in the background.
Over the numbers…..
Nothing like the smell of burnt rubber!
by Lufthansa Flyer | Jun 20, 2014 | Featured, Plane Spotting |
I arrived in Seattle late on the afternoon of June 19 and after dealing with Seattle’s miserable traffic, I finally got to Paine Field in the early evening so there was not much to see as far as traffic coming and going. However, the flight line was full of aircraft destined for a wide variety of airlines. One thing that struck me was the number of 787s that were present. The 787s easily made up 70-80% of the aircraft sitting on the various ramps. The 747-8i and -8F made up most of the difference aside from 1 or 2 777s. Seeing this reminded me a bit of Henry Ford’s attitude: “You can have any color on your car, as long as it’s black”. Boeing’s version would be “You can buy any airplane you want as long as it’s a 787”. It is nice to see the 787 continue to gain acceptance despite some of her early growing pains.
The highlight from yesterday’s abridged plane spotting was ironically a non-Boeing moment. At 9:00p, an Antonov AN-124 arrived from Columbus, Ohio’s Rickenbacker Air Force Base. Interestingly, the aircraft did not go to a ramp for parking, but rather was parked on a taxiway, surrounded by boeing vehicles. I speculate, but perhaps there were some pieces and parts aboard not designed for public viewing. I say this because Boeing has a VERY SECURE area within its assembly building where access is limited to the military and their contractors. Basically, it is the area where the 767s are being built to military specs to be used as tankers, so some secrecy is warranted.
Below are a few shots from the 2 hours or so that I had at Paine. Today (and tommorow!), I plan on spending virtually the entire day along side the runway hoping to catch a few great shots. If it works out, I’ll be back with some great shots…. 🙂
This 747-8F was previously decorated in a special Seattle Seahawks livery.
United’s First 787-900 (a bit blurry due to how far away she was parked!)
Right before sunset, the sun broke out behind a dark cloud cover to create some great light effects.
Lufthansa’s next 747-8i, D-ABYP, is also Boeing’s 1500th 747 to roll off the line. ‘YP’ will fly home on June 28 after Boeing commemorates the occasion on June 27.
British Airways’ next 787 receives her finishing touches.
This AN124 was the highlight of day 1. About 30-40 people turned out watch the arrival at 9:00p.
It is unusual to see an uncovered/unpainted aircraft in the open. Typically they have a green coating to protect the surface. My best guess is that this 747-8i belongs to Air China (Vertical Stabilizer provides a hint). Please correct me if I am wrong.
This 787, sporting Boeing’s newest ‘Incognito’ livery, belongs to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Finance Ministry.
