Planning a trip to the USA over a year ago, the big picture was to attend SeaFair airshow in Seattle. So, all my planning to visit family in Portland was centred around the airshow. However, how it turned out was disappointing. More of that later.
Each year in August, Seattle hosts SeaFair which is actually a dual event encompassing air and sea. The air component is usually several different aircraft and the Blue Angels the top act and hard to follow for sure.
I was lucky enough to be staying with family in Seattle for the airshow days and was taken to both the interview day on Thursday and the airshow on the Friday. The airshow is held from the Friday to Sunday. Apparently, the best vantage point is Genesse Park on the banks of the Washington Lake - the aircraft display over the lake.
I applied for accreditation in February this year for the airshow and to interview one of the pilots of the Blues, preferably the pilot of Fat Albert as I had done that in 2011 when I attended the same airshow. Two different accreditation requests.
I finally received an email from the media person a scant three days before the event with some information on where to go but it was lacking in details. As for the airshow days, the email said “pick your media pass up at “Will Call”. I fired an email back to the person saying that I was an out-of-town media and could she please explain where this Will Call was. No answer came back.
The interview day was a disaster. We arrived at the designated place and could not find where we were supposed to be for the interviews. We ended up watching other, more influential (read TV channel) interviewers doing their interviews and watched four of the pilots climb into their F18's for a practice. The procedure and taxing away were interesting to watch (see video). So ended my “interview” day - no help what-so-ever from the media person involved - whom I eventually found… I asked her if it was possible that I could join the media on the Fat Albert flight which is what happens every airshow. She said she would put my name down and get back to me the next day. No email forthcoming so I emailed her early on Friday and she then fobbed me off on another person who I eventually had to emailed to say I would like to be included. I am still, to this day waiting for an answer…
We went off to Genesse Park to try to get some good photos of the action. When we got to the entrance, I saw a marque with a Will Call sign. I asked if that was where the media got their media cards and was asked how many I'd like! I asked for three - and got them. So, my next task was to find the media centre - I mean all big airshows I have been to have a Media Centre. Well, apparently not at this one so we had to fend for ourselves. It's OK if you live in Seattle and have done this a few times, you will know what to do and where to go for the best view. So that was disappointing. We eventually got into a VIP area and found a spot to sit.
The biggest disappointment was the fact that the “airshow” consisted of about three aircraft prior to the Blue Angels - an F18 Growler, a Catalina sea plane and an F35. I should explain that on the other two days, there was probably a couple more aircraft but the big thing at SeaFair is the hydroplane boat racing and getting into Genesse Park is big if you are into that form of racing as the pits are right there.
When the Blue Angels finally arrived in the form of Fat Albert opening the display the flightline was so far away so to get decent photos was a tough ask. To be honest, if I compare the display by Fat Albert from 2011 to the 2024 season, this year's version seemed quite tame. It was nice to see Fat Albert again albeit far away!
Time for the Blue Angels and they arrived from the right in their trademark diamond formation - 1 to 4 in very tight formation banking along the display line - again, pretty far away from the crowd. Times have certainly changed. When the four had departed, 5 and 6 appeared from the other direction and took a left and disappeared in the distance, only number 5 returning. A short while after, the spare aircraft (number 7) re-joined the display - obviously number 6 went u/s and the pilot had to do a quick change.
The opposing pair, 5 and 6(7) alternate with the 1-4 formations and do the usual opposing pair manoeuvres like a normal close pass, knife edge pass, inverted to inverted rolls, a pass with the wheels and tail hook down, a changeover roll, a sneak pass which catches everyone out every time - in our case, the guy came RIGHT over us at show centre - I heard him coming which was more like a freight train rumble and then the massive jet blast - of course I missed him he was so fast!
The four-ship display is excellent and sometimes extremely close other times slightly apart to accommodate the manoeuvres. For me, the diamond pass was the best. The diamond roll, diamond aileron rolls and diamond dirty loop (wheels down, tail hook out) were also pretty good. When the 5 and 6 ship routines came along, it showed the class of the Blue Angels flying tight patterns and the 5-ship line abreast loop was amazing. Not one aircraft out of alignment.
The final two manoeuvres involved the 6 aircraft flying towards the crowd line and finally the Delta Break right in front of the crowd.
Once the Blues were done, thousands of people started to exit the park and then followed the biggest jam I have ever been in - the roads around Genesse Park are narrow - and this was not even the Saturday and Sunday airshows which host even bigger crowds. Everyone is very polite and everyone does what they are meant to do and although it took at least an hour to get out of that suburb, it was an experience to be at the airshow.
However.
For any future South Africa photographers wanting to attend the airshow, my advice is to rather go slightly further up the road to Seward Park peninsular and find a spot there. You might not be at crowd centre but the traffic is not as bad and you have a better chance of getting better, closer photos. We did that in 2011 and it is probably a better option. Alternatively, find a spot at Boeing Field and watch the comings and goings of the Blues and many other aircraft.
I am glad I have done the media thing albeit very difficult to navigate. Perhaps the media people can take a leaf out of the British airshow organisers - they treat the media very well. After all, the media are the ones who publish the info needed by the public on when/how to/what to etc. Clearly, I was not very impressed with SeaFair's media side. Mores the pity as it could have been a better experience. After all, I was the only representative from South Africa. Missing out on the media flight on Fat Albert still hurts!!!
Till next time Seattle! Thanks to Herb and Jan for all the help!
