Grand flag for high-flying pilots

By Janice Podsada

Herald Writer

MUKILTEO — From the cockpit of his Boeing 737, pilot Jerry Barton can see the 20- by 30-foot flag fluttering 6,000 feet below.

From inside his restaurant, Joe Weller, owner of Weller’s Speedway Cafe, can hear it waving and rolling during its "quiet times."

"It flops in the wind. You don’t normally hear the little flags," Weller said.

When Bob Jammerman hears it snap like a bullwhip outside his office, he knows the wind has picked up and it’s time to take it down.

When Brian Strouf grabs hold of its edge as it’s being lowered, he remembers to wrap an arm around the pole.

"It acts like a sail. It’s so big it will lift you off your feet."

It may not be the largest flag in Snohomish County, but it’s visible from a mile high — the American flag that flies above the Mukilteo Speedway at 84th Street SW.

Two years ago, when the TownPlace Suites hotel opened on Highway 525, Marriott executives wanted to fly a "really big flag," said Jammerman, the general manager.

To properly display a flag that size, an 80-foot tall, 12-inch diameter aluminum flagpole was installed in a 3-foot concrete base, said Strouf, the hotel’s maintenance chief.

From the sky, its red, white and blue colors can be seen clearly.

"We have Boeing customers staying here who are picking up new airplanes," Jammerman said. "They use the flag as a reference when they fly in — ‘That’s where I’m staying.’ "

Barton, a pilot for Southwest Airlines, sees the flag when he takes his plane in for repairs at Goodrich at Paine Field.

Last month, the $800 nylon flag, its ends frayed, was taken down and sent to Flags A’Flying in Tacoma for repairs.

"It was up almost continuously for a year. We don’t take it down except in a windstorm," Strouf said.

"It had gotten tattered in the wind, so we took it down." Jammerman said. "Our neighbors let us know when it’s looking bad."

During the interim, a replacement flag was put up. But it wasn’t as bright; it wasn’t the same, Strouf said. The stand-in "had been washed in hot water, and it bled."

Ten days ago, the big flag went back up.

Once again, Weller has it as company when he comes in to do his 4 a.m. kitchen prep. "I like to listen to it when the wind blows."

When Barton flew into Paine Field this week, he saw the Stars and Stripes from the plane’s window. It was a welcome sight, the pilot said.

"Anything patriotic is nice to see these days."

You can call Herald Writer Janice Podsada at 425-339-3029 or send e-mail to podsada@heraldnet.com.

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