State commission is tasked with recommending location for a new airport
Sunday, November 3, 2019
![]() |
| Add runways to Paine Field? |
![]() |
| Add runways to Paine Field? |
![]() |
| Ten of these flew over Shoreline Monday on their way to Boeing Field Photo courtesy Red Arrows |
After more than two decades living in Shoreline, retired attorney Jean Hilde says plane noise in the past three years has reached disturbing levels.
“I am one of those afflicted citizens, despite the fact that I live 25 miles from the airport,” she wrote to the Port of Seattle last year.
![]() |
| Photo by Jan Hansen |
![]() |
| U.S. Navy Blue Angels will be in town for Seafair |
![]() |
| Flight-Path-Arrivals-FAA-rpt |
![]() |
| Flight-Path-Departures-FAA-rpt |
“Many folks are under the misconception that flight paths represent set routes that aircraft take when approaching or taking off from our airport,” he explained.
“While the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provides flight path maps as a general guideline, how each plane approaches and leaves the airport is determined individually by the FAA air traffic controllers in the tower.
"Factors including wind direction, time of day, visibility conditions, presence of other aircraft and more determine the minute-to-minute decisions of the controllers about altitude, flight path, turns and when to speed up or slow down for each individual aircraft in the airspace.
"The goal is to manage air traffic congestion to maximize safety, and this frequently results in considerable variation from the general flight paths laid out on the FAA maps.”
![]() |
| Boeing DreamLifter is a frequent source of noise complaints |
“We also support frequent military operations including the ‘growler’ fast-mover fighter jets typically associated with the Naval Air Station on Whidbey Island, as well as regular takeoffs and landings of Boeing Dreamlifters,” he explained.
“Dreamlifters, essentially supersized Boeing 747s adapted to carry big cargo loads, keep the supply of large airplane components flowing to the Everett Boeing assembly lines. Both these aircraft have always been major sources of noise complaints.”
![]() |
| Paine Field terminal |
But what really changed life in the north end for the worse was the FAA's decision to route all south-flow SeaTac arrivals down one narrow flight path, a "sacrificial corridor," instead of utilizing many arrival routes over a wide area as had been traditionally done.
It is now common to hear two commercial jets fly overhead within the same minute!
South-bound traffic arriving into SeaTac Airport does so for hours at a time with barely any silence between planes, day after day after day, from early in the morning until well after midnight.
| Paine Field and Boeing Everett manufacturing building |
According to The Seattle Times, "The FAA approved plans by Alaska Airlines and United Airlines to offer a combined 24 daily departures from the two-gate terminal. The $40 million passenger terminal operated by Propeller Airports expects to see 1.4 million people each year, according to a statement from Snohomish County."
![]() |
| Image courtesy of Propeller Airports |
“We are pleased that the FAA has completed their extensive and thorough review and look forward welcoming customers beginning on March 4,” said Brett Smith, CEO of Propeller Airports, which built and manages the new Paine Field passenger terminal.
| Antonov AN-225 on the taxiway, copyright, Marc Weinberg |
| Paine Field Boeing Facility at night, copyright, Marc Weinberg |
If you are concerned about the noise of overflights in your area, be alert for another opportunity to voice your opinion in the coming months as the FAA is required to provide a 30 day public comment period.
| The Antonov An-225 Mriya is a strategic airlift cargo aircraft built in the Ukraine in the 1980s, copyright, Marc Weinberg |
Yes there are some travel benefits, but at the expense of our largely residential community. We all know that growth and change are inevitable, but how it occurs is up to each of us to determine.
| A B-24 flies high in the clouds |
| B-17 Flying Fortress over Shoreline Saturday |
![]() |
| Kenmore Air |
![]() |
| Hangars at Paine Field |
"The FAA is requiring a new review because the flight operations now proposed by Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United will bring many more passengers than originally approved in a 2012 environmental impact assessment."
The Washington State Department of Transportation will welcome new director of aviation, David Fleckenstein, to its team on Aug. 7.
Fleckenstein has many years of aviation experience, first in the United States Army’s Adjutant General's Corps. For over 23 years, he held various positions at all levels of Army Aviation. After 25 years of service, he retired from the military with the rank of colonel as the director for the Army’s I Corps Aviation Office. Most recently, Fleckenstein served as the airport director for the Chehalis-Centralia Airport.
In his role as WSDOT’s Aviation Director, Fleckenstein will help implement statewide programs that protect and promote aviation, airport improvement and investments, and the development of aeronautics to support the state’s transportation system and economic vitality.
“I am looking forward to joining a great team of professionals who are well known across the state for their contributions to aviation,” said Fleckenstein.
![]() |
| Flight patterns into SeaTac |
![]() |
| SeaTac Flight Patterns Port of Seattle |
The Port of Seattle Commission has begun a public process to find a new executive director to lead the organization in its mission to create jobs, stimulate economic development and protect the environment.
Port Commissioners are seeking input from the public, customers and employees about the qualities and experience desired in a new leader. An electronic survey to provide feedback is available until June 23.
Tell the Port that the number one priority in an executive director is working with the community to mitigate Sea-Tac's impacts on our quality of life.
In the last two years, air traffic over Shoreline has increased exponentially, resulting in 100 to 150 aircraft overflying our homes, one after another in a narrow "sacrificial corridor", seven days a week / 24 hours a day, resulting in constant noise and pollution, disrupting our sleep, and making it impossible to enjoy having windows open and being outdoors in nice weather.
![]() |
| Students in the Washington Aerospace Scholars Program at the Museum of Flight |
The curriculum is difficult, especially during junior year, but worth the gained knowledge and experience. I have learned more than I ever would have about space and the universe, applied this knowledge to real-life, applicable problems, and ultimately, made multiple friends through this entire experience.
– Uyen Tran, 2016 program participant
© Blogger template The Professional Template II by Ourblogtemplates.com 2009
Back to TOP