Randall Shirley's Regional Diversions--

Places you might have overlooked: Seattle's Boeing Jumbo Jet Factory

2. Up in the Air -- the Amazing Boeing Jumbo Jet Factory &
their new "Future of Flight" exhibit

You're reading this, so you must like to travel! Chances are you've flown on a Boeing jet, and if you've flown overseas, you've probably flown one of their widebodies.

Those jets are made just down the road, in Everett, Washington. Since you're probably headed to the Alderwood Mall or other Seattle area shopping soon, this is a diversion that will thrill and surprise everyone in your group--not just the guys!

The actual factory is the largest building in the world, by volume (472 million cubic feet) and comprises several production lines for Boeing's wide body jets: the 747, 767, 777, and brand new 787 Dreamliner...which is "in production" but has yet to actually fly. You'll see the 787 and 777 in production on the tour.

On the nearby tarmac you'll see jumbo jets painted in a variety of airline's colours. On my recent visit one of the U.S. government's Air Force One 747s was in plain sight; the tour guide said she wasn't allowed to talk about it, and simply called it a "special air missions" plane.

The tour begins at the very cool and relatively new "Future of Flight" centre -- sort of a forward-looking museum all about commercial jet transport. The centre itself features some very neat stuff allowing you to get up really close, including:

• • Design your own jet
  • The first "concept" cabin for a 787
  • A full-scale 777 jet engine
  • The front end of a 737
  • The tail of a 747--standing next to it you realize how huge these jets really are!

If you're going further south, there is a separate facility called The Museum of Flight -- possibly the best in the world for airline enthusiasts. You can actually walk through a British Airways Concorde, explore the very first Air Force One 707, and lots more. It's between downtown Seattle and SeaTac airport -- a perfect diversion if you're catching a flight at SeaTac (you do always price check both YVR and SEA, right?).