[chaz]

Boeing a sponsor of the Seahawks, and the aircraft is a freighter owned by Boeing and used for testing (equipment? possibly used to haul parts?). The livery doesn't appear to be just for the Superbowl, so it's probably a permanent marketing/PR piece for their local city.

http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2014-01-29-Boeing-747-8-Freighte...

[001sky]

I'm sure the (many, recent) tax breaks pay for it...

The tax breaks the Legislature just passed for Boeing are apparently the largest state-tax subsidy deal for a private company in American history.

Local pride, as thet say.

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2022245449_westneat13...

[squidfood]

Well, it's a hat tip to their brethren who put all the public funds into the seahawks stadium...

[bagels]

Bribe, kickback, gift, hat tip, patronage. All a matter of perspective I suppose.

[donavanm]

> The livery doesn't appear to be just for the Superbowl

It's new. There's some youtube footage of the same aircraft doing test flights a few months back. Plain white, and weathered, fuselage and tail.

[chaz]

I meant that the livery is evergreen, and isn't "Good luck at Super Bowl XLVIII!" They can fly it for years and it won't be dated.

> Plain white, and weathered

Maybe it needed a paint job anyway.

[vonmoltke]

This was the first ever flight of this aircraft, so that is not the same airplane in those videos.

[gertef]

OK but the photograph was taken from another plane, which had no other reason to be in the air.