I saw this plane at the SeaTac Airport and thought it was very unusual. The wings look too small to even be functional to me. What kind of plane is this and what is it used for?
Asked
Active
Viewed 2.3k times
39
-
16That's my plane, look you can see me in the cockpit. When the ceiling is too low to fly I can fold the wings and drive down the highway! – quiet flyer Aug 27 '19 at 14:10
-
It's the little-known passenger version of the F-104 Starfighter. That thing sticking out of the front is a landing skid. – Horse Mat Aug 28 '19 at 15:09
-
A rare variant without the AWACS dome. Had issues with fine yaw control authority. – Wossname Aug 28 '19 at 20:08
2 Answers
54
There is a big clue right underneath the "Sea-Tac Airport" decal - it says
FIRE RESCUE
It can be seen a little better on this image
It is a rig used for fire and evacuation training.
A unique tool the department uses is an aircraft mock-up designed for aircraft approach, entry and tactics training on the airfield. The smoke generated is not harmful to the environment and provides a realistic challenge. source: https://www.portseattle.org/page/training
The image below appears to show it in use:
Jamiec
- 32,939
- 8
- 125
- 156
-
5
-
12@J... yes it is -- just one that can't fly. Ya know, like the emu of aircraft :-) – Carl Witthoft Aug 28 '19 at 12:28
-
7a vehicle *designed for air travel* that has wings and one or more engines - so strictly speaking, it is not an aeroplane. – Jamiec Aug 28 '19 at 12:48
-
"big clue" I can read it now I know what it's supposed to say, but otherwise... I'll get more coffee. – Mast Aug 28 '19 at 13:09
-
is it an abstract mockup, or did they make it from an old aircraft that would have otherwise been scrapped? – Dan Is Fiddling By Firelight Aug 28 '19 at 13:50
-
2@DanNeely looks like a mockup to me. The engine fans dont look real, doesnt look an awful lot like a current or past air frame AFAIK. I might be wrong though, – Jamiec Aug 28 '19 at 13:59
-
1This is a complete guess, but I'd imagine that some parts will have come from scrapped aircraft and others will have been manufactured to make it look a little more real. Looks like the centre of the fuselage (including doors and windows), the inner part of the wing and the engine shells are real, while the fuselage nose and tail, outer wings, engine pylons and fans are fake. – Robin Bennett Aug 28 '19 at 14:50
-
1Better pics: https://twitter.com/seatacairport/status/857633066386243584?lang=en
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/SeaTac_fire_rescue_plane_01.jpg – Camille Goudeseune Aug 28 '19 at 16:13 -
4In what sense is this a "unique tool"? Most airports have a plane or mock-up plane used to train fire crews, don't they? – David Richerby Aug 28 '19 at 17:49
-
1@DavidRicherby, that page is written like a promo for their department. I'd say unique in the sense that any non-airport fire department wouldn't have that tool. Perhaps it's "the only one in the area". – JPhi1618 Aug 28 '19 at 19:20
-
@DavidRicherby Or maybe most airports can affort to use an actual plane filled with fuel instead of using a cheap mock up... – Bakuriu Aug 28 '19 at 20:11
-
-
4@Fattie so there are wings in the way when doing training, but it doesn't take up as much space the rest of the time. – Dan Is Fiddling By Firelight Aug 28 '19 at 21:19
-
-
@Dan Neely Perhaps also the wings fold so that it could be transported by trailer from its manufacturer to the customer (Sea Tac airport). Unlikely that this was manufactured on site... – Skip Miller Aug 30 '19 at 14:32
3
According to this forum post about a Funny Looking SEATAC Plane it's a (fake) firefighter training plane.
Question:
On 9/30 taxing north from SEA to ORD there was a funny looking tri-jet plane marked with Seattle Tacoma Airport hanging out by the Alaska Airlines cargo area. Wings folded up. Anyone know anything about this plane or its purpose?
Answer:
Yeah, it's the firefighter training plane . You hear pilots asking ATC what it is occasionally.
Here's a picture I found on flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/smartjunco/331183916/
PerlDuck
- 3,186
- 3
- 22
- 37