Article by Daniel Turner.

In addition to understanding the fundamentals of the aviation industry in the classroom, correlating that understanding with hands on experience provides the best foundation to tomorrow’s leaders in aviation.  Annually the members of SAMA travel to a major aviation city to achieve that valuable experience in our dynamic industry.   Continuing our SAMA tradition, David Simon, SAMA ’s Travel Director brought us to Seattle, WA from November 8^th though 12^th, 2001. 

Our trip originated outside Odegard hall on Thursday night.  Once our bags and ourselves were loaded on two passenger vans and a suburban, we departed for Minneapolis.  We arrived early Friday morning to Minneapolis International to catch a 6 AM flight to Chicago followed by an 8:15 AM flight to Seattle/Tacoma International.  Soon after our arrival into Seattle, we made our way to the Hawthorne Inn via shuttle bus. We briefly settled in and prepared to begin our first day in Seattle.  Though a tiresome beginning we had an exciting day ahead. 

SAMA take's a Trip to the Great Northwest...

The first stop SAMA made was the Boeing factory in Everett, WA.  The bus ride gave us all a chance to relax and enjoy the sights as we traveled north to the Boeing factory.  The Boeing gift shop was a popular first stop where many members purchased models, pens, and shirts.  Our tour of the largest airline manufacturer in the world soon began with the 747 assembly lines in the wide body factory.  Members of SAMA witnessed the amazing assembly of the jumbo jet from the cabin and wing assembly to the final completion of the fuselage.  The size of the operation alone is an amazing sight to see.  Boeing’s wide body factory building, producing the 747, 767, and 777, is 98.3 acres under one roof, utilizes 31 miles of networked crane track, and stands 114 feet 2 inches tall.  Touring the Boeing factory is something long awaited and not easily forgotten by many in the aviation industry. 

After a quick bite to eat we made our way to Alaska Airlines for a tour of their training and maintenance facilities near our hotel.  SAMA enjoyed a presentation from Paul Majer, Alaska’s chief pilot.  Other Alaska staff from hiring and training also attended providing a great question and answer session on the airline operations.  SAMA members received fantastic information on basic interview techniques and an overall understanding of what is expected of professional pilots at a major airline.  Members also had the opportunity to visit the airline’s dispatch control room and actually see the airline in operation.  Dispatch personnel of an airline maintain a delicate balance in operations.  Our tour then proceeded to maintenance and the Boeing 737 simulators.  Alaska provided us with two simulators giving groups of four an hour each to test their skills flying a visual departure and arrival.  One of the 737 simulators included a heads-up-display, one of the many innovative technologies that Alaska uses in their challenging operations.  While some members started in the simulators, the rest of SAMA began touring the maintenance facilities.  We enjoyed a very exclusive tour of the engine overhaul facilities and general maintenance hangar.  Once each of us had a chance to fly a simulator and enjoy a tour of maintenance it was back to the hotel for a well-needed night of rest. 

We began Saturday with a tour of Flight Safety Boeing (FSB) owned by Flight Safety International and The Boeing Company.  FSB has become the world’s largest and most comprehensive provider of commercial airplane training solutions.  FSB brings original equipment manufacturer expertise to the industry and has created a global delivery training system.  FSB also recognizes and trains outside of the Boeing family aircraft such as Airbus and Fokker.  In touring FSB’s Seattle facility, we saw first hand what world-class training is.  From establishing productive class sizes and instructor relationships to providing state of the art training equipment, FSB is a leader in locally delivering world-class training solutions.

From Flight Safety Boeing we made our way to Boeing Field.  Located in Renton, WA Boeing field is home of the Boeing Museum of Flight and the single aisle assembly factory producing the Boeing 737 and 757.  The Boeing Museum of Flight illustrates the dynamic history of aerospace technology providing exhibits of early aviation history, space exploration, and historical aircraft like Air Force One and an SR-71.  The Boeing Museum of Flight was a great opportunity for us to view and appreciate the monumental achievements in our industry.   

Following the museum, the rest of the day was spent in downtown Seattle.  After our bus dropped us off, members of SAMA split up into several different groups all enjoying different aspects of the city.  My group enjoyed fish and chips at Pier 54 for starters and relaxed with the fantastic view of the harbor.  Like many members of SAMA , we took the Seattle Monorail to the Space Needle.  Also located near the Space Needle is the Pacific Science Center where one can enjoy many educational exhibits and catch an IMAX film.  Whether we wanted to shop, eat, relax, or simply tour, Seattle had plenty to offer.  We found our way back to the hotel as the evening came to a close either by cab, bus, or shuttle.