By Tom Fontaine
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
About eight hours and 2,500 miles later, Paul Shank and the crew of the brand new Boeing 747 test plane were noshing on Pittsburgh’s signature fry-and-slaw-filled sandwiches aboard Boeing’s new, $300 million 747-8 Freighter jet at Pittsburgh International Airport.
Actually, Shank passed on one famous feature.
“It’s kind of sacrilege, but I got my (Primanti’s Capicola & Cheese) sandwich without the cole slaw,” said Shank, 37, who grew up in the New Florence area.
William “Trey” Smith is an Indiana County native. Aside from Smith, no one aboard the Freighter knew what to expect from the Primanti sandwiches. Staffers from Pittsburgh International-based Atlantic Aviation picked up the order from the Primanti’s in Moon. The hulking jet was back in the sky an hour later
.
“Everybody loved it. They were all like, ‘Who would have thought to put fries and cole slaw on a sandwich?’ ” Shank said. “It was comfort food for me, something that reminded me of home.”
Shank said future test-flight menus will include pasties from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and lobster rolls from Maine.