August 3, 2018 - Fat Albert

Part of Seatte's annual summer festival - Seafair - includes an air show that runs through the weekend.  The headliner of this aerial show is the Navy's demonstration unit flying F/A 18 Hornets.  The focus of their maneuvers occur above the hydroplane course on Lake Washington, but it doesn't take a boat to get a great view of the planes.  These were taken south of Boeing Field. 

The first photo, a Lockheed C-130 Hercules, is named "Fat Albert" and provides logistical support to the planes and crews of the Blue Angels.

The last photo is of a Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, or "Warthog", of the 355th Wing flying out of Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona.

August 3, 2016 - Seattle Waterfront

A visit to the Seattle Aquarium turns into more than viewing fish, octopi and seals when it happens during Seafair Fleet Week.

On this day, at a pier near the aquarium, a US Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin from Port Angeles put on a demonstration with their rescue swimmer deploying from the aircraft as it hovers next to the USS Gridley, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer stationed in Everett.  A restored 1937 Douglas DC3A flies across Elliott Bay towards Boeing Field.

The Seattle waterfront is a busy place during the summer.  Tourists, both the home town and out of town variety, jam the sidewalks to take in the views, or visit the Seattle Aquarium or the Great Wheel.  These days navigating the waterfont is a little challenging as the 80 year old seawall is being replaced.  The seawall is part of the project that will replace the the Alaskan Way Viaduct with an underground tunnel and completely redevelop the city's waterfront.   

August 3, 2012 - Sound of Freedom: Worth the Toll

(Not necessarily great pictures, but worth posting.)

The Blue Angels as taken from the passenger seat while driving across the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge.  The commute happened to coincide with their performance and for once the toll was money well spent:  The sun, blue skies, gorgeous scenery, Mount Rainier AND the Blue Angels!

The US Navy's Demonstration Squadron was performing as part of the Boeing Airshow over Seattle's Lake Washington.  An airshow, visits by naval vessels, hydroplane races and (usually) sun are all traditions of  this weekend, the culmination of summer long festivities in Seattle.

The F/A 18 Hornets are the Blue Angels' ride at the moment. McDonnell Douglas originally designed and produced the aircraft  prior to their merger with Boeing. The maneuvers during the show are as low as 50 feet from the water and at some points during the show they aircraft approach 700 mph, just below mach 1.  At times when flying in the diamond formation above they are as close as 18 inches away from one another. Their rehearsals and performance fill the neighborhoods around Seattle with the "Sound of Freedom".