6 ms·

Never thought companies would do such things. Expedia did something as well- http://m.imgur.com/a/ML3wn http://m.imgur.com/a/ML3wn

mikeash 13y ago
You may or may not be aware, but this stuff is generally done on test flights where they need to be in the air for a certain amount of time but have no specific location they need to do it. Might as well spell something out in the sky while you're at it. I doubt Boeing would do this sort of thing otherwise, since it costs tens, perhaps hundreds, of thousands of dollars to keep a 747 in the air for hours.
- tomfakes 13y ago
  They painted the plane too - so they clearly put some money into this in addition to what was needed for a test flight https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/t31/1622387_10152613979804199_918949276_o.jpg https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/t31/1...
  - mikeash 13y ago
    I wonder how much that really costs, though. The plane has to be painted one way or another, so you're paying for the design (which doesn't seem too involved here, since it's borrowing elements from elsewhere) and whatever extra work is involved with painting a more elaborate pattern. Still, not entirely zero, you're right. I imagine the extra cost for the paint job came out of the marketing budget. Probably well worth it.
    - Daniel_Newby 13y ago
      Planes do not have to be painted. Bare aluminum is pretty corrosion resistant. Many airlines strip most of the paint to save weight.
      - dbarlett 13y ago
        While bare aluminum saves weight, the TCO is higher: "While the lighter weight of a polished airplane saves fuel costs [...] this savings is more than offset by the higher cost of washing, polishing, and painting a polished fuselage throughout its service life. The net operating cost of polished airplanes, calculated as a percentage of the total operating cost, is between 0.06 percent and 0.30 percent more than the total operating cost of fully painted airplanes." http://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/aero_05/textonly/fo01txt.html http://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/aero_05/texton...
      - yuubi 13y ago
        Pure Al does form a passive layer, but apparently not 2024 Al alloy as used on aircraft (trades more strength for corrosion susceptibility). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_aluminium_alloy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_aluminium_alloy Some corrosion pics still at http://connielinguscorrosion.blogspot.com/ http://connielinguscorrosion.blogspot.com/ .
  - javert 13y ago
    Well, a plane has to have paint. Another case of "Might as well spell something out while you're at it."
  - chaz 13y ago
    Boeing a sponsor of the Seahawks, and the aircraft is a freighter owned by Boeing and used for testing (equipment? possibly used to haul parts?). The livery doesn't appear to be just for the Superbowl, so it's probably a permanent marketing/PR piece for their local city. http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2014-01-29-Boeing-747-8-Freighter-Painted-in-Seattle-Seahawks-Livery http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2014-01-29-Boeing-747-8-Freighte...
    - 001sky 13y ago
      I'm sure the (many, recent) tax breaks pay for it... The tax breaks the Legislature just passed for Boeing are apparently the largest state-tax subsidy deal for a private company in American history. Local pride, as thet say. http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2022245449_westneat13xml.html http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2022245449_westneat13...
      - squidfood 13y ago
        Well, it's a hat tip to their brethren who put all the public funds into the seahawks stadium...
        bagels 13y ago
        Bribe, kickback, gift, hat tip, patronage. All a matter of perspective I suppose.
    - donavanm 13y ago
      > The livery doesn't appear to be just for the Superbowl It's new. There's some youtube footage of the same aircraft doing test flights a few months back. Plain white, and weathered, fuselage and tail.
      - chaz 13y ago
        I meant that the livery is evergreen, and isn't "Good luck at Super Bowl XLVIII!" They can fly it for years and it won't be dated. > Plain white, and weathered Maybe it needed a paint job anyway.
- userbinator 13y ago
  > I doubt Boeing would do this sort of thing otherwise, since it costs tens, perhaps hundreds, of thousands of dollars to keep a 747 in the air for hours. It was only 5.5h, pretty short compared to a 10h+ transatlantic flight (although in the latter case, it's the passengers who are paying for the fuel.)
- yread 13y ago
  Some flights tend to have interesting trajectories: A350 test flying: http://www.airliners.net/uf/view.file?id=168559&filename=phpySL0Hi.png http://www.airliners.net/uf/view.file?id=168559&filename=php... 787 test flying: http://i.huffpost.com/gen/498855/BOEING-787-DREAMLINER-LOGO-FLIGHT-PATH.jpg http://i.huffpost.com/gen/498855/BOEING-787-DREAMLINER-LOGO-... Cessna: http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N750CX/history/20080307/1745Z/KICT/KICT http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N750CX/history/20080307/1... Gulfstream: http://flightaware.com/live/flight/GLF17/history/20070206/1538Z/KATW/KATW http://flightaware.com/live/flight/GLF17/history/20070206/15... Boeing 747-8: http://flightaware.com/live/flight/BOE523/history/20110802/1330Z/KPAE/KPAE http://flightaware.com/live/flight/BOE523/history/20110802/1... Norwegian holding pattern: http://imgur.com/nD2l3uk http://imgur.com/nD2l3uk
codecondo 13y ago
That won't get them back their Google rankings.

mikeash 13y ago

You may or may not be aware, but this stuff is generally done on test flights where they need to be in the air for a certain amount of time but have no specific location they need to do it. Might as well spell something out in the sky while you're at it. I doubt Boeing would do this sort of thing otherwise, since it costs tens, perhaps hundreds, of thousands of dollars to keep a 747 in the air for hours.

tomfakes 13y ago
They painted the plane too - so they clearly put some money into this in addition to what was needed for a test flight https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/t31/1622387_10152613979804199_918949276_o.jpg https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/t31/1...
- mikeash 13y ago
  I wonder how much that really costs, though. The plane has to be painted one way or another, so you're paying for the design (which doesn't seem too involved here, since it's borrowing elements from elsewhere) and whatever extra work is involved with painting a more elaborate pattern. Still, not entirely zero, you're right. I imagine the extra cost for the paint job came out of the marketing budget. Probably well worth it.
  - Daniel_Newby 13y ago
    Planes do not have to be painted. Bare aluminum is pretty corrosion resistant. Many airlines strip most of the paint to save weight.
    - dbarlett 13y ago
      While bare aluminum saves weight, the TCO is higher: "While the lighter weight of a polished airplane saves fuel costs [...] this savings is more than offset by the higher cost of washing, polishing, and painting a polished fuselage throughout its service life. The net operating cost of polished airplanes, calculated as a percentage of the total operating cost, is between 0.06 percent and 0.30 percent more than the total operating cost of fully painted airplanes." http://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/aero_05/textonly/fo01txt.html http://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/aero_05/texton...
    - yuubi 13y ago
      Pure Al does form a passive layer, but apparently not 2024 Al alloy as used on aircraft (trades more strength for corrosion susceptibility). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_aluminium_alloy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_aluminium_alloy Some corrosion pics still at http://connielinguscorrosion.blogspot.com/ http://connielinguscorrosion.blogspot.com/ .
- javert 13y ago
  Well, a plane has to have paint. Another case of "Might as well spell something out while you're at it."
- chaz 13y ago
  Boeing a sponsor of the Seahawks, and the aircraft is a freighter owned by Boeing and used for testing (equipment? possibly used to haul parts?). The livery doesn't appear to be just for the Superbowl, so it's probably a permanent marketing/PR piece for their local city. http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2014-01-29-Boeing-747-8-Freighter-Painted-in-Seattle-Seahawks-Livery http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2014-01-29-Boeing-747-8-Freighte...
  - 001sky 13y ago
    I'm sure the (many, recent) tax breaks pay for it... The tax breaks the Legislature just passed for Boeing are apparently the largest state-tax subsidy deal for a private company in American history. Local pride, as thet say. http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2022245449_westneat13xml.html http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2022245449_westneat13...
    - squidfood 13y ago
      Well, it's a hat tip to their brethren who put all the public funds into the seahawks stadium...
      - bagels 13y ago
        Bribe, kickback, gift, hat tip, patronage. All a matter of perspective I suppose.
  - donavanm 13y ago
    > The livery doesn't appear to be just for the Superbowl It's new. There's some youtube footage of the same aircraft doing test flights a few months back. Plain white, and weathered, fuselage and tail.
    - chaz 13y ago
      I meant that the livery is evergreen, and isn't "Good luck at Super Bowl XLVIII!" They can fly it for years and it won't be dated. > Plain white, and weathered Maybe it needed a paint job anyway.
userbinator 13y ago
> I doubt Boeing would do this sort of thing otherwise, since it costs tens, perhaps hundreds, of thousands of dollars to keep a 747 in the air for hours. It was only 5.5h, pretty short compared to a 10h+ transatlantic flight (although in the latter case, it's the passengers who are paying for the fuel.)
yread 13y ago
Some flights tend to have interesting trajectories: A350 test flying: http://www.airliners.net/uf/view.file?id=168559&filename=phpySL0Hi.png http://www.airliners.net/uf/view.file?id=168559&filename=php... 787 test flying: http://i.huffpost.com/gen/498855/BOEING-787-DREAMLINER-LOGO-FLIGHT-PATH.jpg http://i.huffpost.com/gen/498855/BOEING-787-DREAMLINER-LOGO-... Cessna: http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N750CX/history/20080307/1745Z/KICT/KICT http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N750CX/history/20080307/1... Gulfstream: http://flightaware.com/live/flight/GLF17/history/20070206/1538Z/KATW/KATW http://flightaware.com/live/flight/GLF17/history/20070206/15... Boeing 747-8: http://flightaware.com/live/flight/BOE523/history/20110802/1330Z/KPAE/KPAE http://flightaware.com/live/flight/BOE523/history/20110802/1... Norwegian holding pattern: http://imgur.com/nD2l3uk http://imgur.com/nD2l3uk

codecondo 13y ago

That won't get them back their Google rankings.