Washington

Expectations about Washington State? To be very specific, we wanted to visit two different sites: Space Needle in downtown Seattle and ( of course) as a loyal aviation enthusiast, if had to be the Boeing factory at Everett.

But first of all, people are hungry after the journey from Portland, OR so a good lunch is on the table in a rainy Seattle LOL

And there it is! Space Neddle, built in 1962 as a monument for the World Fair.

As expected, it offers stunning views from the city at a height of 184 meters, around 600 ft. We actually wanted to have dinner at a revolving restaurant, but we learned that it was closed in 2017, dissapointed!!

The story of Boeing is that we almost missed the tour at the plant due to heavy traffic and rain but the guy at the counter (Mike) was kind enough to get us squeezed in the 13:30 group!!.

I am always fascinated as I read about the beginning of certain companies and all come down to one fact: the determination of one person in making something happen!. Ford, Cessna, Tesla, Amazon, Meta, Apple, Schlumberger, Exxon, Baker, Microsoft, etc…

And here’s a summary of what this man did over the years: William Edward Bowing was born in Oct 1, 1881. As a young man, he inherited the timber business from his father in Seattle WA. One day he goes to see an air show (First International Air Meet in Los Angeles) and fells in love with airplanes; then he buys a hidroplane but didn’t like the design and materials used in the construction; at the same time he had ordered a very expensive yacht but the shipyard went bust so he bought this company for 10 dollars with the commitment to also absorb its debts. So he decided to build his own plane in that plant with the help of George Conrad Westervelt. The new company (B&W) manufactures airplanes for mail service and military operations…. this company will grow over the years to this day as an aerospace company. Mr Boeing lived until 1956, long enough to see the company he started enter the jet age. Too bad he never flew on the most magnificent of all… Jumbo 747!!

The facility in Everett is the largest man made structure by area in the world ocuppying 39 hectares (98 acres). During its construction, more soil was removed than for the construction of the Panama Canal!!. Today the majority of an airplane construction still happens here; however, some parts are imported ( the fuselage made of carbon fibre of the 787 DreamLiner is made in Italy for instance) or some other parts are made in North Carolina, Renton, etc.

We weren’t allowed to take pictures so I had to get help from Google Images.

As imagined planes undergo extensive testing after manufacturing and the next job is for a group of well paid Test Pilots that make sure the planes are ready for delivery to the buyer’s crew.

All in all it was a great visit. Now I can say that I have visited Airbus in Toulouse and Boeing in Seattle. If only the Cessna plant in Wichita was opened to the public !!!!

So, time to plant the tree for Washington State

A healthy pine tree was planted at the Beachside RV Park; Mike in the picture!! Thanks Mike.

Well, this is the end of the American states for now as the next destination will take us to foreign grounds pointing the compass North…. CANADA!! But we will soon come back to America represented by ALASKA!!

This map is looking sooooo nice !!