Scene Over the Sound: Air India test flight

Test flight before delivery to Air India
Photo by Jan Hansen

The Central Puget Sound corridor was treated to a fly-over from an Air India VT‑AWD, a Boeing 777‑300ER running a test flight before delivery.

Air India Boeing 777‑300ER
Photo by Jan Hansen

The photos show a clean underside, gear doors sealed, flaps neutral, engines spooling evenly.

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Cantwell introduces Hurricane Hunter Aircraft Recapitalization Act

The side of NOAA's WP-3D Hurricane Hunter "Miss Piggy" displays stickers representing hurricanes the aircraft has flown through over its 50 years of service. Each sticker represents a mission that provided critical data to forecasters, helping improve storm predictions and deliver more accurate warnings to communities in harm's way.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, yesterday introduced the Hurricane Hunter Aircraft Recapitalization Act. 

The legislation will, for the first time, codify the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA's) Hurricane Hunter mission in federal law and authorize up to nine Hurricane Hunter aircraft. It also includes provisions to better prepare the nation’s first line of defense against stronger and more frequent hurricanes, atmospheric rivers, and winter storms.

The bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Ted Budd (R-NC).

NOAA's WP-3D Hurricane Hunter “Miss Piggy.” The aircraft collects vital data from inside hurricanes and severe storms, improving forecast accuracy and warning lead times for communities across the United States.

“As atmospheric rivers become more frequent and severe across the Pacific Northwest, our communities increasingly depend on accurate forecasts to prepare for flooding and other extreme weather,” said Sen. Cantwell. 

“NOAA’s Hurricane Hunter aircraft collect critical data that improves those forecasts, but much of the fleet is more than 50 years old. This bipartisan legislation will modernize and expand the fleet, strengthening NOAA’s ability to provide the timely, accurate warnings that help keep families, businesses, and communities safe.”

Inside the cockpit of NOAA's Gulfstream IV-SP (G-IV) Hurricane Hunter aircraft. The G-IV flies above hurricanes and atmospheric rivers, deploying dropsondes that measure wind, pressure, temperature, and moisture. These observations fill critical data gaps over the ocean, improving forecasts and helping communities better prepare for flooding, landslides, and other storm-related hazards.

NOAA's Hurricane Hunter aircraft conduct airborne weather reconnaissance missions that are essential to accurate storm track and intensity forecasts, giving coastal communities critical lead time to evacuate and prepare. 

The aircraft also carry out atmospheric river reconnaissance, providing data that improves forecasting of the extreme precipitation events that drive flooding and landslides across the western United States. 

The existing fleet is aging, and without investment in replacement aircraft and modernized radar and remote sensing capabilities, the continuity of these life-saving missions is at risk. 

For example, NOAA’s two WP-3D aircraft that fly through hurricanes, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, will reach the end of their service life in 2030. While two C-130J aircraft are currently being built to replace them, with increasing severe storms and atmospheric rivers, NOAA needs additional aircraft to meet their mission requirements.

In December 2025, atmospheric rivers dumped an estimated five trillion gallons of rain across Washington state, triggering devastating floods, damaging homes and businesses, and disrupting critical transportation corridors. In the western United States, atmospheric rivers are responsible for 84 percent of flood damages—costing approximately $1.1 billion annually—and account for 97 percent of flood damages in King County alone.

Following the December storms, at least 73 landslides were reported across Washington, with many more likely going undocumented. Major transportation routes were severely impacted, including U.S. Highway 2 near Leavenworth, which remained closed for weeks due to flood damage, while floodwaters washed out 1,000 feet of a primary access road in Stehekin.

NOAA's Hurricane Hunter aircraft collect unique atmospheric data that significantly improves forecasts of atmospheric rivers and other major storms, providing communities with earlier and more accurate warnings. As atmospheric rivers become more frequent and intense, expanding NOAA's weather reconnaissance fleet and codifying atmospheric river reconnaissance as part of its mission is critical to protecting lives, infrastructure, and local economies across the Pacific Northwest.

These forecasts are critical around the country, too. Today, the first named storm of the 2026 hurricane season made landfall in the U.S., and NOAA forecasters warned that it is expected to produce rainfall totals of 5 to 10 inches, with isolated higher totals near 20 inches, resulting that it could result in life-threatening flash flooding in states along the Gulf Coast.

The Hurricane Hunter Aircraft Recapitalization Act would:

• Authorize $2.5 billion in appropriations to purchase more Hurricane Hunter aircraft and $45 million per year for NOAA aircraft operations and maintenance.
• Codify NOAA's Hurricane Hunter mission in federal law, establishing a permanent statutory foundation for airborne weather reconnaissance and research.
• Increase the authorized number of C-130J aircraft from a maximum of six, to at least six and up to nine, to meet increasing storm demands across the country.
• Direct NOAA to acquire aircraft to meet its airborne weather reconnaissance mission, including atmospheric river reconnaissance that supports flood forecasting in the West and across the country.
• Require NOAA to maintain backup aircraft to ensure continuity of operations if aircraft are grounded due to maintenance or mechanical issues.
• Modernize airborne radar and remote sensing capabilities to ensure Hurricane Hunter aircraft are equipped with the most up to technology available.
• Authorize multi-year contracting authority for future aircraft acquisition and support, enabling more efficient and cost-effective procurement needed to speed up aircraft purchases and save taxpayer dollars.
• Codify the requirement that NOAA maintain a sufficient number of qualified NOAA Corps pilots, preserving the specialized expertise these Hurricane Hunter flights demand.

The dropsonde launch tube aboard NOAA's WP-3D Hurricane Hunter aircraft. As the aircraft flies through a hurricane, crew members release dropsondes—small weather instruments that descend by parachute and measure wind, air pressure, temperature, and humidity. The data they transmit in real time provides forecasters with critical information about a storm's structure and intensity.

Sen. Cantwell is leading the effort to improve the nation’s weather forecasting capabilities. Earlier this year, she led a letter to Senate appropriators along with Sens. Padilla, Andy Kim (D-NJ), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) requesting robust funding for NOAA aircraft operations, including $11 million to finalize acquisition of a second G550, and $357 million to purchase an additional C-130J aircraft.

In March, Sen. Cantwell’s Weather Act, which authorizes programs at NOAA that will strengthen weather research and forecasting to save lives and better prepare our nation against dangerous weather disasters, unanimously passed the Commerce Committee. 

The Weather Act is an important component of Sen. Cantwell’s 5 Point Plan to bolster U.S. weather readiness, which she outlined in a letter to President Donald Trump in July 2025. 

Earlier this year, she introduced legislation to establish the Radar Next Program which will carry out deployment of the nation’s next generation weather radar system. Last August, she introduced legislation to modernize the nation’s weather communication and radio service as the country faces increasingly powerful floods, fires, and hurricanes.

Sen. Cantwell’s provision in the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022, which was passed into law through the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, directed NOAA to acquire adequate aircraft to meet its air reconnaissance and research mission and authorized six aircraft to replace the aging WP-3D aircraft, along with $800 million in funding. 

Sen. Cantwell helped secure $3.3 billion in NOAA investments in the Inflation Reduction Act to help communities prepare for and adapt to climate change, boost science needed to understand changing weather and climate patterns, and invest in advanced computer technologies that are critical for extreme weather prediction and emergency response. 

Her Fire Ready Nation Act, bipartisan legislation to strengthen NOAA’s ability to help forecast, prevent, and fight wildfires, passed the Senate in September of last year.

The text of the bill is HERE.

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Sea-Tac 2025 Landscape Standards make native plants mandatory

Sea-Tac, one of the 10 busiest airports in the United States, just made native plants mandatory. 

That is not a small decision. That is 2,500 acres of future landscaping reclassified as ecological infrastructure.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's 2025 Landscape Standards — adopted by the Port of Seattle and effective for all new construction and renovation projects — require that native Pacific Northwest species constitute the primary plantings in all airport landscaping. 

The ferns, salal, red-twig dogwood, and native sedges visible in this photograph along the terminal drive are not a pilot project or a PR gesture. They are the new legal standard.

Sea-Tac handles 51 million passengers annually and operates in one of the most ecologically sensitive regions in North America — the Puget Sound lowlands, a temperate rainforest ecosystem that has lost 65% of its native vegetation cover to development since 1950. 

The airport sits in the middle of a landscape that historically supported Chinook salmon runs, western toad populations, and migratory shorebird habitat. The Duwamish River watershed — whose headwaters pass through the airport's drainage basin — is on the EPA Superfund list partly because of decades of contaminated stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces.

Native plants change the stormwater equation. Pacific Northwest native sedges and rushes — the kind of plants now required at Sea-Tac — can absorb 10 times more stormwater per square foot than turfgrass, because their root systems are adapted to the region's wet winters and dry summers. 

They require no irrigation after establishment. They require no synthetic fertilizer. They support the native bee species — including the western bumblebee (Bombus occidentalis), listed as a species of special concern — that have co-evolved with Pacific Northwest plant communities for thousands of years and are ill-equipped to forage on non-native ornamentals.

The institutional significance is the multiplier here. When an airport — a facility optimized entirely for operational efficiency and passenger throughput — embeds native plant requirements into its permanent design standards, it normalizes ecological landscaping in the most utilitarian possible context. 

It says: native plants are not a lifestyle choice for people with garden blogs. They are the baseline standard for any responsible land management.

Sea-Tac didn't plant a garden. It changed a policy. The difference between those two things is millions of square feet of future habitat.

--Girls With Gardens

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TSA checkpoint wait times remain normal at SeaTac

Lines average 10-15 minutes at SeaTac
Photo courtesy SeaTac airport

At the Seattle-Tacoma Airport, TSA checkpoint wait times have remained normal, averaging 10-15 minutes.

We’re grateful for our federal partners continuing to show up during the government shutdown. To support TSA employees working without pay, the airport collected donations of nonperishable food, hygiene items, infant supplies, and gift cards for groceries or gas.

The donations have now been suspended with the announcement that TSA workers will be paid on Monday.

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History: Jet plane crashes in Shoreline

Photo courtesy MOHAI

By David Carlos

April 21, 1962. It was a beautiful spring Saturday in the Puget Sound area. Dry, partly sunny, with an expected high of 62 degrees.

It was the day the Seattle World’s Fair opened.

Around Noon, President John F. Kennedy officially started the celebration from his vacation home in Florida by pressing a telegraph key. Bells then rang throughout the Seattle Center grounds, followed by a U.S. Air Force squadron of 10 jets flying overhead.

The first fly-by went off without a hitch.

The second fly-by did not.

Example of an F-102 Delta-Dagger (source Airplanes Online)

One of the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger jets developed engine trouble at 1,500 feet. The pilot was not able to restart power, no matter how hard he tried.

Sensing little chance of a clean landing, he aimed the bird for Lake Washington.

He ejected safely. But in doing so, the plane jolted in a different direction.

It missed the lake by three miles and crashed near the border of Mountlake Terrace and Shoreline.

The plane hit an empty house owned by the Rutkas family.

Fortunately, they were vacationing in Canada at the time.

But the plane also hit a second home owned by Raymond and Lillian Smith. They were in two separate rooms. Both died instantly. They were 68 and 63, respectively.

Photos courtesy Worthpoint. com

Five other homes were damaged by fire and debris.

Because it was a Saturday, most neighborhood children were elsewhere — some at the movies, others hunting for Easter eggs at a church. As a result, none were caught in the disaster.

As emergency crews rushed in, military officials and investigators surrounded the area to begin piecing together evidence. No photographs were allowed for security reasons. But some people took snapshots anyway.

Neighbors described the loud noise, the heat, and the strewn wreckage of that day.

It was a day that unfolded far differently than anyone expected.

Drone photo by David Carlos 1/22/26

Epilogue:

• The Rutkas were reimbursed $2,000-3,000 by the government. That’s around $32,000 today. They refused to sue the government but were thereafter emotionally devastated.
• The pilot, 33-year-old Captain Joseph W. Wildt, was cleared of any wrongdoing. The official ruling was that his plane suffered mechanical failure. However, he was guilt-ridden over the deaths of the Smiths. Not much is known about his life afterward.
• The crash location was casually referred to by the press as being in Mountlake Terrace. But it was actually in Shoreline, near the intersection of NE 200th St & 24th Ave NE.

Sources: History Link, MOHAI, KW3, Shoreline Area News, Aviation Safety, “Mountlake Terrace: A History of Four Square Miles” (Randal Gravelle). 

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Boeing 737 off into the sunset

Photo by Barbara Twaddell

This was a flight from Paine Field to Phoenix. I wonder what the sky looked like from their view

--Barbara Twaddell

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Alaska airlines back in the air

Statement from Alaska Airlines (see previous story)

Alaska Airlines’ operations have returned to normal following a significant IT outage on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025 that led to a systemwide ground stop for Alaska and Horizon Air-operated flights.

As of Saturday morning, we have canceled nine flights related to the IT outage recovery. That compares to 139 Alaska cancellations and 35 Horizon cancellations on Friday, in addition to numerous delayed flights. 

Overall, the cancellations impacted the travel plans of nearly 50,000 guests. We are deeply sorry for the disruptions this event has caused for so many of our valued guests. We continue to work to get everyone to their destinations as quickly as possible. 

Before heading to the airport, we encourage flyers to check their flight status. A flexible travel policy that allows guests to self-service on our app and website is in place. We have also increased guest care staffing to support higher volumes but recognize that wait times have been frustratingly long. 

We know our guests put their trust in us when they choose to fly with Alaska, and this level of performance is not acceptable. And while safety is our most critical responsibility, the reliability of our operations is an essential expectation of our guests. 

Following a similar disruption earlier this year, we took action to harden our systems, but this failure underscores the work that remains to be done to ensure system stability. 

We are immediately bringing in outside technical experts to diagnose our entire IT infrastructure to ensure we are as resilient as we need to be. The reliability of our technology is fundamental to our ability to serve guests and get them to where they need to be. As we expand and execute the plan to ensure our systems are sufficiently resilient, we will continue to share updates on our progress.

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Alaska Airlines grounds all flights

According to The Seattle Times, an IT outage has forced Alaska Airlines to ground all its flights.

The airline advises customers to:

Please check your flight status before leaving for the airport. A flexible travel policy is in place to support guests, and meal and travel accommodations are available. Visit the Help Center, while our contact center experiences longer than normal wait times. We appreciate your patience as operations return to normal.

The outage began at 3:30pm on Thursday, October 23, 2025. Would-be passengers from all over the country are reporting standing in line for hours, only to have customer service windows close. Some flights allowed customers to board, then sat on the tarmac for several hours before cancelling the flight.

The flight apps are not being updated, so that flights are still said to be on time.

People calling in to the airline are on hold for hours without ever reaching a customer service rep.

The Times says that in July, an IT outage that grounded flights for roughly three hours. "That outage led to more than 200 flight cancellations and affected the travel plans of 15,600 people"

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Celebrating a key milestone in enhancing access to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

New roadways under construction at SeaTac
Photo courtesy Port of Seattle

SEATTLE (Sept. 19, 2025) – HNTB joins the Port of Seattle in highlighting a key milestone in the Roadway Improvements project aimed to alleviate the crowding and congestion along the departure and arrival drives at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. 

The opening of the new Upper/Departures Drive, along with the completion of the westside retaining wall, is a highly visible step in the project evolution to travelers entering SEA Airport. 

As one of the fastest-growing airports in the U.S. for more than a decade, this milestone is just one part of SEA’s broader efforts to modernize its infrastructure, ensuring that the airport can meet the needs of more than 52 million travelers annually while maintaining a smooth, seamless experience for passengers.

Roadway improvements include two new southbound lanes, which serve as dedicated lanes for shuttles, taxis and airport parking access. 

These upgrades also feature expanded curbside access, signage improvements and advanced stormwater treatment systems to remove pollutants before they reach nearby streams. 

Behind the scenes, significant utility upgrades have been completed to support these improvements, providing long-term operational efficiency and sustainability. HNTB served as lead designer, working closely with the Port of Seattle throughout planning and execution.

New arrival lane
Photo courtesy Port of Seattle

This milestone also marks the transition to the next phase of improvements at SEA. With the new upper drive lanes now open, construction will shift to grading the area between the upper and lower drives. 

Once complete, traffic will be temporarily redirected to the middle section, creating space to raise the lower drive and finish that portion of the project. These carefully sequenced steps ensure passenger access remains smooth while long-term improvements to airport roadways continue to move forward.

In addition to this project, HNTB has partnered with the Port on several other key initiatives, including a new baggage-level TSA checkpoint to ease congestion, reconfiguration of the cell phone lot for better access and airfield work such as loading bridge replacements and pavement and utility upgrades.

“Our long-standing collaboration with the Port of Seattle reflects a shared commitment to enhancing the travel experience while positively impacting the surrounding community,” said Kris Agers, Washington office leader and senior vice president at HNTB.

“The infrastructure upgrades designed by HNTB will improve travel efficiency and enhance the airport’s connection to the region it serves.”

CJ Grove, project manager at HNTB, added, “The new departure lanes are a critical step toward easing congestion and increasing efficiency. These enhancements address current needs as the region prepares to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup and are designed to integrate with potential future roadway improvements.”

“The new upper/departures drive marks a pivotal step toward modernizing how people access SEA,” said Heather Bornhorst, capital program leader at the Port of Seattle.

“These enhancements are crucial in helping us meet growing demand while advancing the Port of Seattle Commission’s ground transportation goals to reduce congestion and improve ease of access and the customer experience.”

For more information on past and upcoming SEA improvements, visit the Port of Seattle’s Airport Capital Projects website.

About HNTB

For more than a century, HNTB Corporation has been at the forefront of designing and advancing transportation infrastructure that enhances mobility and improves local communities. As employee owners committed to excellence, we prioritize client success while delivering a full spectrum of infrastructure-related services. Discover HNTB’s Spark at www.hntb.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook or Instagram.

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It's a bird! It's a plane! It's the Goodyear blimp over Shoreline

 

Photo by RJ Perna

The Goodyear blimp made a trip over Shoreline on September 7, 2025. It was near an aircraft at one point.

Photo by RJ Perna

It flew beneath the stormy clouds.

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Sentimental Journey; B-17G Flying Fortress over Shoreline on Saturday

Heading over Shoreline
Photo by Jan Hansen

The B-17 Flying Fortress Sentimental Journey, flying from Boeing Field/King County International Airport, was over Shoreline on Saturday August 9, 2025.

Photo by Jan Hansen in Shoreline

According to Wikipedia,

Sentimental Journey (44-83514) is the nickname of a B-17G Flying Fortress bomber. It is based at the Commemorative Air Force Museum in Mesa, Arizona, US.[3] The aircraft is regularly flown to airshows throughout North America.

Over Shoreline
Photo by Jan Hansen

Seattle's Museum of Flight recounts the following about the B-17

The iconic Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress served the Allied cause around the globe during World War II. 

Perhaps most famous as the workhorse of the Eighth Air Force's bombing campaign against Germany and occupied territories, the B-17 became legendary for its ability to take punishment and return with its crew. 

The B-17 design took form as the Boeing Model 299 and first flew in 1935. It was continuously refined and improved based on lessons learned in battle over the ensuing years, culminating in the B-17G.

A total of 12,726 of Boeing's long-range bombers were built by the end of the war. Much of this production occurred at Boeing Plant 2 in Seattle (6,981)

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King County unveils new Guardian One helicopter

New Air Support Unit Bell 407GXi helicopter for King County

On Wednesday, October 2, 2024 King County Executive Dow Constantine, Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall, and Congresswoman Kim Schrier unveiled a new Air Support Unit helicopter. The Bell 407GXi helicopter is designed for quick, smooth landings in unpredictable conditions and will support a wide range of missions, including law enforcement patrol, search and rescue, wildfire response, and more.

The helicopter, known as Guardian One, allows the Sheriff's Office to respond to emergencies throughout King County within 20 minutes.

In addition to rescue calls, Guardian One will assist with searching for missing people, locating robbery suspects and stolen vehicles, and will allow for safer interventions during police pursuits. It replaces an aging helicopter that was built in 1973.

“The Air Support Unit and Guardian One program are vital to the safety of our communities across King County and the region. They provide critical, life-saving resources in emergencies and help law enforcement to carry out operations that lead to arrests and reduce crime,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine.

“With strong support from our state and federal partners, along with county funding, this helicopter will serve as our primary air support aircraft for the next decade, enhancing public safety and allowing us to better respond when it matters the most.”

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REAL ID WA requiring specific ID to take flights goes into effect May 7, 2025

REAL ID WA 2025 – Beginning May 7, 2025, there will be new ID requirements for flying (for those age 18 and older).

What is REAL ID?

REAL ID is a federal law, not an actual piece of ID.

The REAL ID Act establishes minimum security standards for state-issued driver licenses and ID cards. Starting May 7, 2025, anyone traveling by airplane or visiting certain federal facilities must use a REAL ID-compliant document.

You may already have what you need

These identification options meet REAL ID standards and can be used to board domestic flights:

• Enhanced Driver License (EDL)
• Enhanced Identification Card (EID)
• U.S. Military ID
• U.S. Passport
• U.S. Passport Card
• Permanent Resident Card (Green Card)
• Federally recognized tribal-issued photo ID
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
• Foreign Passport
• See the full list of documents accepted for air travel

Standard driver licenses and ID cards

Yes, we'll continue to offer standard driver licenses and ID cards that can be used by Washington residents to drive or as identification. They don't indicate a person's residency or legal status and starting May 7, 2025, they will no longer be accepted as valid forms of ID for boarding domestic flights.

Enhanced driver license (EDL) and enhanced identification (EID)

An EDL or EID is a form of identification with enhanced security features that shows proof of identity and proof of citizenship. An EDL/EID meets federal requirements under REAL ID and is an approved alternative to a passport or passport card for re-entry into the U.S. at land and sea borders between the United States, Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean.

Who can get an EDL or EID?

You must be a U.S. citizen and provide a Social Security number, proof of citizenship, proof of identity, and proof of Washington State residency.

Do I have to get an EDL or EID?

If you don't plan to fly domestically, or already have acceptable identity documents, you may not need an EDL or EID. The standard license will continue to permit you to drive and your standard ID will continue to serve as a valid form of identification within the state.

Washington’s EDL/EID doesn’t have a star marking. Will it be accepted?

The enhanced driver license/ID is Washington’s REAL ID-compliant form of identification. Many other states have chosen to offer a REAL ID card with a star marking. The EDL/EID bears a U.S. flag marking instead of a star. For domestic air travel, the EDL/EID and REAL ID card are equally acceptable.

Driver licenses and ID cards that don't comply with REAL ID

A standard Washington driver license or ID card does not meet the federal requirements to be a REAL ID-approved document. We started marking standard driver licenses and ID cards with "Federal limits Apply" in July 2018 to show this.

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Richmond Beach Library hosts STEM classes for children from the Museum of Flight

Richmond Beach Library 19601 21st Ave NW 98177 206-546-3522

All programs require registration

Alka-Rockets
Monday July 22, 11am
For ages 5-7 with adult

Participants learn the basic physics involved in launching rockets as well as the fundamental shapes and design of a rocket. Participants will design and launch small rockets using Alka-Seltzer as their fuel.

Suited For Space
Wednesday July 31, 2pm
For Ages: 9 to 13

Participants learn about the dangers of the vacuum of space by investigating how low-pressure environments affect the human body. Using household materials, students will design spacesuits for a marshmallow astronaut, and test their design in a vacuum chamber.

Crafting an Aircraft
Wednesday August 14, 1pm
For ages 8 - 13

Did you know that a Boeing 747 is made up of around 6 million parts made of all types of materials? Join us for a fun, interactive investigation into the many ways engineers make and build old and new flying machines.

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Northwest Regional Aviation to conduct emergency response drill June 13, 2024 in Everett

Naval Station Everett

Snohomish County. The Northwest Regional Aviation Consortium will be conducting an emergency response exercise in Snohomish County near Naval Station Everett on June 13, 2024. Aircraft from Snohomish, King, Pierce and Spokane County Sheriff’s Departments, along with the Washington State Patrol, U.S. Navy, FBI, Customs Border Patrol Air-Marine, Airlift Northwest, and Life Flight Network, will be coordinating joint response efforts.

Seattle Police, Seattle Fire, Snohomish County Fire Technical Rescue, Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management, Sky Valley Fire, Snohomish and King County Volunteer Search & Rescue Organization, Arlington Municipal Airport, Providence Regional Medical Center, Everett Fire & EMS, Sno911, and WSDOT-Aviation will all be supporting the regional aircraft response.

Overall Scenario: A coordinated terrorist attack at multiple locations is the scenario used for the exercise. Major damage has taken place in a few key government buildings. Supporting scenarios for the exercise include water rescues, high-rise rescues, K-9 building searches, aerial surveys of impacted areas, live video downlink operations, rescue teams, and equipment transport to support structural collapse.

Northwest Regional Aviation has learned from real-world emergency response that knowing the capabilities of partner agencies, and who to call for assistance is critical when large-scale emergencies happen. Having pre-plans in place and the knowledge of how to execute the pre-plans greatly helps in an organized response to a large-scale emergency.

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Join the fun: Paine Field Community Day, May 18, 2024

Join us for a day of fun and discovery into aviation’s limitless possibilities. This youth-focused event will feature aviation education, aircraft on display, military aircraft, and food vendors.

Saturday, May 18, 2024, 9am - 5pm.
Paine Field Airport, 3509 109th St SW, Everett WA 98204

(FREE PARKING NEARBY)

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Scene Over the Sound: Royal Flying Doctor Service

 

Photo by Jan Hansen

We have our own Royal Flying Doctor Service with UW Medicine. Real drama that saves lives.

--Jan Hansen

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Large flock of shorebirds resting by Lake Washington (ok not really)

 

Photo by Gordon Snyder

Spotted a flock of Large Shorebirds sunning their white wings along Lake Washington. They will be in the air soon.

--Gordon Snyder

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Olympic Fly Fishers meeting January 9, 2024 with Kenmore Air chief pilot Chuck Perry

Kenmore Air Chief Pilot Chuck Perry doing a preflight check
Photo courtesy Kenmore Air

The Olympic Fly Fishers of Edmonds (OFF) present Chuck Perry, the chief executive overseeing operations of both seaplanes and land planes for Kenmore Air, who will be giving a short overview of the origins and continuing innovations of the largest seaplane airline in the USA, in continuous operation since 1946.

The meeting will be held Tuesday, January 9, 2024 at the Lake Ballinger Center, 23000 Lakeview Dr, Mountlake Terrace. The doors will open at 5:30pm and the meeting will begin at 6pm.

The meeting is open to all. For more information regarding OFF, visit the website olympicflyfishers.com

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Sea-Tac Airport: Semi stuck under skybridge jams traffic at airport

Semi stuck under skybridge at Sea-Tac
Photo courtesy Sea-Tac airport

From Sea-Tac Airport

Sorry for the interruption tonight.  The lower arrivals drive is closed right now as there is a semi truck stuck there. 

Tip: don’t drive a semi on the airport drive. It can’t go under the skybridges. 

We’re in the process of getting it backed out so we can reopen the drive soon.

Traffic was backed up to I-5 as people got caught in lanes they couldn't turn around in. People missed flights. It took at least an hour to back the truck out of the lane. 

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