chuckography

Airplane Hidden In Plain Sight....

I asked "Where can I park to take a photo of the new Boeing 787?"

The guard looked down at me through my open window and said "You can't take a picture of the plane." Huh?

I had just driven past on my way to the library, saw the plane and pulled up to the guard shack.

In the paper it said it had been flown to the Charleston plant to help train the people who would be delivering new planes to airlines.

This particular model was running about 3 years late so there had been plenty of time to prepare for this service but, until now, there had been no plane to use for practice.

"You are on Boeing property right now and you are not allowed to take ANY pictures of the plane, any buildings or anything else," the guard sternly continued.

He then directed me to pull up about 100 feet on Air Frame Drive, make a sharp left turn and U-turn myself off their property.

Then I was back on South Aviation Avenue and I snapped a picture as I drove by on the public highway.

Uh oh, looks like you can see Boeing buildings in the photo. Yikes.

(I had taken a picture months earlier of the huge Dreamlifter cargo plane that hauls parts of the 787 Dreamliner across the country).

Of course All Nippon Airways passengers boarding the new jet that (finally) now is in service, probably can take all the pictures they want.

I see online you can take tours of the Boeing plant in Everett,Washington.

Better not try that in North Charleston. They have at least one surly guard there.


(Click to see more details on the photos.) Hmmmm, I thought Boeing would be a little more accommodating to the public now that they had an actual plane to display.

Labels: Air Frame Drive, Boeing 787, Dorchester Road branch of Charleston County Library, Dreamlifter, Dreamliner, Mayor Keith Summey, South Aviation Avenue

posted by chuckography @ 11:22 PM