Seattle Chapter Hosts Student Tour

On February 19, 2024, the Seattle Chapter hosted a tour of the Boeing Flight Test Center at Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington.

30 students from Raisbeck Aviation High School and 30 students from The University of Washington Aeronautics & Astronautics Department attended the tour. Students got the opportunity to meet Boeing Flight Test Engineers and ask questions about what Flight Test Engineers (FTEs) do, what a typical day looks like, and what FTEs are passionate about and get excited to work on.

The day started with an introduction to Flight Test, where the students watched several videos of different flight test activities. The tour kicked off with a visit to the historic Hangar 1 which housed many of Boeing’s first flight test aircraft and continues to be a home for new and exciting experimental aircraft. Following Hangar 1, students explored the interior and exterior of an experimental 777-9 while Boeing FTEs shared their favorite details about the aircraft. As Flight Testers, we love data, so a trip to the Telemetry Room was next on the list. Students participated in a data analysis exercise involving some tricky questions about a 747-8. It should come as no surprise that the students excelled during the exercise.

At the conclusion of the tour, group photos were taken in front of an experimental 777-9. Thank you Raisbeck and UW for attending this year’s tour, and thank you to Boeing for supporting the event!

Students from Raisbeck Aviation High School pose with tour guides in front of a 777-9 test airplane.

Students from the University of Washington Aerospace Engineering Department pose with tour guides in front of a 777-9 test airplane.