P8A's First Flight ** Updated**

** Update**

I had a few questions posted that I wanted to address:

- No, Ken wasn't piloting the plane. Although he works for Boeing, he works as a software engineer for Boeing. He writes the computer code for functions within the aircraft. He has been asked to stay on the project until it's completion in 2011. It has been discussed that he may be on other test flights in the future.

- This aircraft is significant because the military has only one current kind of sub-hunter that they use, but it was originally built and designed in the 70's. Obviously, since then, the technology and science of our military has changed in the last 40 years, and therefore, so has the need for our air crafts. I'm not sure specifically what function Ken works on (although he swears he's told me and won't tell me again) but I can't remember. :)

** Also, below I mention that the aircraft had an aborted take off. I have been since informed that it wasn't that at all, but that they were supposed to do that... they were testing the breaks before they actually lift off :)

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Original Post:

Last night, Ken came home while Finnegan and I were outside playing. He came out and greeted us both and then asked, "Do you want to go and see the first flight of the P8A tomorrow??" My rely?? "Of course!!" I was really excited! Ken has been on one program since we've moved here to WA and this is the plane! Many of our friends have come and gone on other projects, but this is Ken's first projects. And to know that this was the first flight, well, there was no question asking if I wanted to go!

This morning when we woke up the sky was very overcast. The reports from Boeing were that they would call the flight by 8am (and run at 9:30am). So, at 8am, they'd decided that it was a go! We had our bags packed (you know, the amount of snacks and gear it takes to take a child outside for an undetermined amount of time) and we loaded into the car to make the 45 minute ride to the municiple airport just outside Seattle. Ken had mentioned earlier that maybe we wouldn't go. It looked like it would rain and what if we got up there and they didn't run?? Normally I would agree, but it's the first run! I told him that we would feel bad that we didn't see it if we later found out that they did run and we saw it on TV. I was glad we were on our way.

We made our way directly to the airport without hitting any traffic, and were in position to view the airplane with 10 minutes to spare, before the scheduled taxi to the runway. We waited and waited and nothing really happened. Finnegan was content just eating his snacks and watching the small one engine aircrafts take off right in front of us. We were three of about 20 at first. The crowd grew to about 75 or 80 people by the time the plane actually took off.

The plane was suppose to taxi at 9am and take off at 9:30am. At 10am, someone said that they'd be ready to taxi in 15-30 more minutes. Around 10:10, the gated entrance right infront o us opened and let through two HUGE fire trucks, as well as two Fire Aid vehicles (EMS) trucks. They got into position. Then, the two chaser aircrafts appeared overhead, and they began to circle. The chasers were to follow the aircraft and take photos of it, among other things.

About 10:20 the plane fired it's engines. Everyone cheered! Then the plane taxi'd and we were pretty excited. We watched it go out of sight. We could only see it's high tale fin. You could hear it take off. It made the same sound as those jets do when you're inside. Just as it got infront of us, I kept expecting the front wheels to lift off the ground and as the milliseconds passed, and then you heard the plane de-accelerate. Oops! The take-off had been aborted for some reason. The crowd moaned, and someone behind us commented that it just cost Boeing $500 in jet fuel to do that! The plane continued to taxi in the direction it was going, and then turned around. A man near us had a headset and a walkie talkie that was hooked into what I would call the CB radio of the plane... we could hear the control tower and the pilots talking about guages and "ready for take off."

We looked to our far right and we could see the plane, and hear it again, barrelling down the run way, and just then, just when you expect it too, it lifted off the ground and began to fly up into the air. Then the chaser aircrafts quickly followed behind and then took their places, one on either side of the converted 737. Everyone cheered, whistled, and clapped as the plane flew. It was pretty exciting!!

Below are some photos of our day. If you want to see more, just email me your email address and I'll send you the album of about 13 or so photos!! Also, if your super interested, you can search "P8A First Flight" on Youtube. Several people have already posted videos.