Folks, this is me today — I’m off to Kansas to visit family. As I board the plane through the moveable ramp the snow-covered Mount Rainier will loom in its majestic grandeur.
I’ll do my best to update from the mid-west. In the meantime, check out Jensen’s Northwest Airlines plane at Sea-Tac. Plane buffs: does the model number help us with a date range
? Click for high-res.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is located about half-way between the two cities and serving them both.
A Northwest Orient Airlines 720B Fan-Jet (Boeing) is being loaded here, with passengers boarding the plane through the moveable ramp.
In back looms snow-covered Mount Rainier in its majestic grandeur. Color photo by Max R.
Jensen.
Based on this reference NWA bought its 720Bs in 1961 and started service in December ’62 on the Chicago-Honolulu route via Seattle. The paint scheme changed later to Northwest Orient but hard to determine a specific date on that. Tail number isn’t visible in picture.
http://books.google.com/books?id=y0ERUPZ1TrQC&pg=PA53&lpg=PA53
It looks to me like old Raindog’s “majestic grandeur” is photoshopped in here, or at least enhanced. Not that I mind, mind. Just saying. Happy Travels, Jess.
Those panel trucks in the picture are late 50s.
I remember taking Western airlines from SeaTac to California as a kid in the early ’60s. They used 720Bs also. I enjoyed killing time by going out on the balcony (outside!) at the main terminal and checking out the airplane action. Whenever I smell jet exhaust I think of that time…..
@Matt I believe you’re right. I’m not sure but I think this shot is actually looking west. If so, that’s the wrong direction to get a view of Rainier from the airport!
I believe this is on the “A” concourse which would have us us looking in a southeast direction. Looks like the old PanAm facility in the background. Mt. Rainier’s enhanced appearance may be not be to far off…
I doubt this was “Jensen’s plane”, if he was headed to Kansas. Northwest did not service Kansas (from anywhere) in the sixties.
This is definitely concourse A, because the other concourses did not have maintenance hangors attached. So this is looking south to southeast. Northwest did not fly 720B’s until atleast 1962, and Brian is correct, NWA did not serve Kansas from Seattle, nor ever has. BTW, concourse A, the oldest concourse at Sea-Tac, was also the last to be rebuilt a few years ago.
This is definitely concourse A, because the other concourses did not have maintenance hangors attached, with the exception of what is now “D”,which was United back then. So this is looking south to southeast. Northwest did not fly 720B’s until atleast 1962, and Brian is correct, NWA did not serve Kansas from Seattle, nor ever has. BTW, concourse A, the oldest concourse at Sea-Tac, was also the last to be rebuilt a few years ago. This NWA color scheme lasted well through the 60′s.