Wednesday morning (Nov. 4th), the Port of Seattle and Alaska Airlines conducted a full-scale snow removal and anti-icing exercise to prepare for the upcoming winter season.
Photographer Michael Brunk risked his life on Sea-Tac Airport’s tarmac to get these photos:
During the 2008-2009 season, SeaTac Airport experienced just over 23 inches of snow, compared to an average of 12 inches. While airport operations continued during the higher than normal snowfall, some improvements are being made for the 2009-2010 season.
Alaska Airlines has added eight new de-icing trucks to their fleet and three “nurse trucks” that will shuttle fluid from storage tanks to the new de-icing trucks. The new de-icing trucks feature an enclosed operator cockpit that allows them to operate safely around aircraft while the aircraft engines are still running. This feature coupled with new procedures will allow Alaska Airlines to de-ice an aircraft much more quickly and efficiently using central de-icing pads that will use a “car wash” model.
The Port of Seattle — which is responsible for clearing snow and ice from runways, taxiways and the ramp areas — has also taken delivery of several new vehicles that were already on order prior to last year’s unusual snow event. Using several snow plows followed by snow brush trucks one runway can be plowed and cleared in 30-45 minutes.
On Monday (June 15th), students from Des Moines’ Aviation High School’s senior class, along with members of the school’s Airline Career Experience (ACE) Club hitched a ride on the delivery flight of a brand new Boeing 737-800 thanks to Alaska Airlines.
The flight took students from Boeing Field north to circle the peak of Mount Baker before heading south for a landing at Sea-Tac International Airport.
Alaska Airlines is a primary sponsor of Aviation High School. About 50 Alaska employees serve as mentors to AHS students. Dennis Hamel, Alaska’s Vice President for Human Resources and Labor Relations, serves on the AHS board of directors.
Aviation High School’s slogan is “Where the sky is not the limit,” and is administered by Highline Public Schools. It is open to students across the Puget Sound region, and serves as a model science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) school. The curriculum is college preparatory, and all subjects are taught in the context of aviation and aerospace.
As we reported on March 26th, Aviation High recently received a $4 million grant from James Raisbeck. It will be re-named Raisbeck Aviation High School, and will move to the Museum of Flight in Seattle; construction is expected to begin in March of 2010.
Loading ...
