First, you've never heard of 'sun-breaks' until you've lived out here. It COULD have been that kind of weather... multiple layers of clouds and direction of lighting appears to be coming from the right (south).
Secondly, I'm thinking this picture was taken from a position on the northwest side of the plane... that looks like the 520 Floating Bridge in the center background, with Lk Washington feeding into the Mountlake Cut and U-Dub on the extreme left edge, and Lk Union partially obscured behind the aircraft.
I don't know for sure if the plane flew the entire maiden flight with flaps deployed, but if the location is correct then it is on a good approach line to Boeing Field - and from my 'flying' time with Flight Simulator, this looks about correct for altitude, too! So, it might really be the maiden flight. There's nothing here that I see that is solid proof that it isn't.
Jim Weisenbach, Marysville, WA
Check out this photo of the 787 Dreamliner flying over downtown Seattle (Space Needle is middle right). It’s real…the first flight was Dec. 15 although I doubt this photo taken from a chase plane was shot on the maiden voyage because it looks like the sun is getting through. Dec. 15 was raw and rainy.
The photo comes courtesy of Randy’s Journal, a blog by Boeing Commercial Airplanes marketing poohab Randy Tinseth. Follow my SmartPlanet updates on Twitter.
credit: Boeing Commercial Airplanes
