Paine Field

Paine Field
Snohomish County Airport
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Snohomish County
Serves Snohomish County, Washington
Elevation AMSL 608 ft / 185 m
Coordinates 47°54′22″N 122°16′53″W / 47.90611°N 122.28139°W / 47.90611; -122.28139Coordinates: 47°54′22″N 122°16′53″W / 47.90611°N 122.28139°W / 47.90611; -122.28139
Website https://www.painefield.com
Map
PAE
Location of airport in Washington / United States
PAE
PAE (the US)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
16R/34L 9,010 2,746 Asphalt
16L/34R 3,004 916 Asphalt
11/29 4,504 1,373 Asphalt (Closed)
Statistics
Aircraft operations (2016) 106,427
Based aircraft (2017) 533

Paine Field (IATA: PAE, ICAO: KPAE, FAA LID: PAE), also known as Snohomish County Airport, is a small international airport serving part of the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located in unincorporated Snohomish County, between the cities of Mukilteo and Everett, about 25 miles (40 km) north of Seattle. PAE covers 1,315 acres (532 ha) of land.[1]

The airport was built in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration and began commercial service in 1939. It was named for Topliff Olin Paine in 1941, shortly before the Army Air Corps began occupation of Paine Field for military use. The airport briefly returned to civilian use in the late 1940s, before conversion into an air force base during the Korean War. In 1966, the Boeing Company selected Paine Field for the site of its Everett assembly plant as part of the Boeing 747 program. By the 1970s, the airport had grown into a hub for light aviation and manufacturing, lacking commercial service. The county government sought to begin commercial service at Paine Field as early as the 1980s, but was halted by opposition from neighboring cities.[2] In September 2018, Paine Field will resume commercial service at a privately funded terminal served by Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines.

It is served by a Federal Aviation Administration control tower, and has precision and non-precision instrument approaches available to pilots. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a national reliever facility.[3]

Description

Paine Field has three runways: 16R-34L, 16L-34R and 11-29. 16R-34L, at 9,010 feet (2,750 m) in length, is suited for the majority of aircraft and sees occasional heavy traffic. It is in very good condition. Runway 16L-34R is 3,004 feet (916 m) in length, and suitable only for small aircraft. Its pavement is in fair condition, with a noticeable rise in elevation mid-field, when compared with the ends. Runway 11-29 is currently closed except for taxiing,[4] and Boeing is leasing some of the runway space to park partially completed 787 aircraft.[5]

The airport has 456 general aviation hangars, of which 326 are leased by the County, and 130 are "condominium" hangars.[6] Wait time for a hangar currently ranges between 6 months and 5 years, depending on type.[7]

Paine Field is home to the Boeing Everett Factory, the world's largest building by volume, and the primary assembly location for Boeing's wide-body 747, 767, 777 and some 787 aircraft.

Paine Field is also home to Aviation Technical Services (ATS), one of the nation's largest aviation maintenance facilities. ATS operate a 950,000-square-foot (88,000 m2) facility; formerly operated by Goodrich, and sold to ATS in the fall of 2007. ATS does 'heavy' checks for a number of airlines and cargo companies. According to their web page, they average 443 Aircraft Redeliveries each year.

Paine Field is home to four flight schools — Chinook Flight Simulations,[8] Regal Air,[9] Northway Aviation [10] and Everett Helicopters [11] — making it a popular destination for flight training. There are also a number of flying clubs on the field.

The FAA-operated control tower maintains limited hours, operating only between 7 AM and 9 PM local time. During times that the tower is operational, all runways are active, but after hours, only runway 16R-34L is open.[12]

History

Paine Field was originally constructed in 1936 as a Works Progress Administration project. At the time of development, it was envisioned that the Airport would create jobs and economic growth in the region by becoming one of the ten new "super airports" around the country.

Paine Field was taken over by the U.S. Army Air Corps prior to entry into World War II as a patrol base, air defense base and fighter training base and was later controlled by the U.S. Army Air Forces. With the end of the war, the airfield began to be returned to the civilian control of Snohomish County. In 1947, as transition activities were still underway, military control of the then-Paine Army Airfield was transferred to the newly established U.S. Air Force, with the facility renamed Paine Field. Transfer of the property to the Snohomish County government was completed in 1948, however, the Air Force continued to maintain various Air Defense Command units at the airport as military tenants.

Before Snohomish County could start planning for the continued development of a "super airport", the United States was again involved in an armed conflict—this time in Korea and also the breakout of the Cold War with the Soviet Union. When the Pacific Northwest defense installations were reviewed House Representative Henry M. Jackson recommended more military presence in the area and Paine Field was reactivated as a military airbase.

Paine AFB Directory, 1959–1960. Cover photo views the base from the northwest and showing a formation of three F-89 Scorpions overflying the airfield.

Paine Field was returned to USAF control in 1951, renamed Paine Air Force Base, and placed under the jurisdiction of the Air Defense Command (ADC). While the county relinquished most of its commercial facilities to house USAF personnel, units and assets, the site did not have an exclusive military presence. The airfield remained a joint civil-military airport with the Air Force operating the control tower and other air traffic control facilities, while the county, in a shared use agreement, rented commercial lease hold areas to businesses such as Alaska Airlines. The 4753rd Air Base Squadron (later re-designated the 86th Air Base Squadron)[13] was activated on the new Air Force base on February 1, 1952 as a placeholder unit.

Although inactive for only six years, significant military construction (MILCON) was necessary to bring the World War II training base up to postwar USAF standards. In 1951, additional land surrounding the Paine AFB site was appropriated for military facilities and extended runways. A 9,000-foot jet runway (Rwy 16/34) was constructed along with accompanying taxiways, permanent concrete buildings and other support facilities to replace the temporary wartime wooden structures that were viewed as substandard for a permanent USAF base. The 529th Air Defense Group was activated on February 16, 1953 and became the permanent host unit at Paine AFB until redesignated as the 326th Fighter Group in 1955.

64th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron Convair F-102A-75-CO Delta Dagger 56-1344, 326th Fighter Group, March 1960

Various Regular Air Force fighter-interceptor units and Air Force Reserve troop carrier units operated at Paine AFB from 1951 until the mid-1960s. In 1966, USAF identified Paine AFB for closure due to budgetary constraints caused by the cost of the Vietnam War. The by then-host unit, the 57th Fighter Group phased down operations with the departure of the interceptors and was inactivated in place on September 30, 1968. Paine AFB was inactivated the same date and the facility was returned to full civilian control as Paine Field / Snohomish County Airport. Today, the only remaining USAF activity at Paine Field is a non-flying tenant unit, the 215th Engineering Installation Squadron (215 EIS) of the Washington Air National Guard.

Paine AFB / Paine Field had also been under consideration in the 1960s by the U.S. Army Air Defense Command as one of several sites for the Sentinel Anti-Ballistic Missile System due to its central location to several other major military bases and defense industries in the Puget Sound Region. That program was eventually dropped in favor of the limited Safeguard system.

On July 25, 1966, Boeing announced that it would build the Boeing 747, a jet airliner capable of carrying nearly twice as many passengers as previous models. To build the giant jet, Boeing had to construct a facility large enough to handle the world's largest commercial jetliner. Land just north of Paine Field was chosen to construct the new facilities, including some development on the airport itself. Both the local government and the FAA concurred with the development. Work on the massive building began in August 1966 and the first employees arrived in early 1967. The 747 made its first flight at Paine Field on February 9, 1969.

In late 2005, construction of the Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour building was completed. The project, formerly known as the National Flight Interpretive Center, includes the Boeing factory tour as well as a gallery that highlights the newest developments in aviation, including both parts and components of airplanes manufactured by Airbus and Boeing. The facility was opened to private audience on December 16, 2005, and the following day the facility was open to the public. The Museum of Flight also has a restoration center at the airport's main gate; located further south is the Me 262 Project. Paul Allen's Flying Heritage Collection has a large, refurbished hangar at the south end of the field, which opened as a museum June 2008. Historic Flight Foundation also houses and maintains early military aircraft.

Commercial air service

Construction of the passenger terminal, seen in early 2018

The use of Paine Field for commercial air service is highly controversial.

Several local governments have adopted resolutions against the use of Paine Field for commercial flights including Snohomish County (the airport's operator), the neighboring cities of Brier, Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo, and Woodway. Additionally, a local citizens group called "Save Our Communities" has worked to oppose any commercial flights at the airport.[14]

Notably, the city of Everett, the largest in the county and the county seat, has adopted a resolution in favor of the use of Paine Field for commercial air service.[15]

The use and expansion of the airport is currently governed by an agreement that was forged during 1978–1979 negotiations, called the Mediated Role Determination (MRD).[16] The MRD recommends the role of Paine Field to be as a general aviation and aerospace manufacturing airport, while discouraging other types of activities including supplemental/charter air passenger service. In 2005, Snohomish County commissioned a panel to review the MRD. That panel recommended that the MRD "should not be ratified or revised, but should be retired as a policy document".[17] In June 2008, the Snohomish County Council rejected the findings of its panel, and as in 1989, 1992, and 2001, restated its opposition to commercial air passenger services operating from Paine Field with this resolution:[18]

Reaffirm our county's commitment to preserving the existing general aviation role of Paine Field, and [to] pursue any and all lawful and appropriate means to discourage any action that would facilitate, directly or indirectly, use of Paine Field for scheduled air passenger service or air cargo service, which may include an interlocal agreement.[19]

Further reflecting its opposition to commercial air service, Snohomish County has adopted a policy of not spending funds to subsidize airlines or to pay for the infrastructure needed to support commercial air service.

In 2008, two airlines, Allegiant Air and Horizon Air, expressed interest in establishing passenger flights to Paine Field to the airport authority.[20][21] In May 2008, in response to these requests, the Chairman of the Snohomish County Council sent Allegiant Air a letter stating their opposition to the request to start air service.[22] The FAA wrote to the airport authority in June 2008 to reiterate that as a recipient of federal FAA grants, the County may not prohibit commercial aeronautical activities offering services to the public. If the County blocked commercial flights, it would risk an enforcement action under Federal Aviation Regulation 16.[23]

The airport completed a draft environmental assessment of the effects of commercial aviation at Paine Field in December 2009, and the public comment period ended on February 5, 2010. Opposition to Paine Field hosting commercial air service was overwhelming in meetings held for comments on the draft environmental assessment.[24][25] The neighboring city of Mukilteo hired an aviation attorney to represent the interests of the city during the environmental assessment process and promised to "make it time consuming, expensive and stretch it out. We'll fight the terminal legally."[26]

On December 4, 2012, the FAA concluded that commercial airplanes could fly out of Paine Field without significantly adding to local noise and traffic. The findings cleared the way for commercial operations along with construction of a terminal building.[27] On February 5, 2013, the cities of Edmonds and Mukilteo, along with two individuals, filed notice with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco that they intend to challenge the results of the Environmental Assessment.[28]

On July 15, 2013, Allegiant Air refused the county's terms to operate a terminal at Paine.[29]

In June 2014, New York-based Propeller Investments asked Snohomish County to start discussions leading to their construction of a terminal and parking facility at Paine Field. Propeller Investments would shoulder the risk — leasing land from the airport, financing terminal construction and finding tenant airlines.[30] On March 2, 2015, Snohomish County approved a lease-option agreement that gave Propeller Airports three years to carry out preliminary design work, environmental studies and to obtain permits needed to construct a proposed two-gate passenger terminal.[31] In turn, Snohomish County would receive about $429,000 per year in rent plus a share of flight and parking revenues.[32]

On March 4, 2016, a federal court denied an appeal by the City of Mukilteo and others citizens groups to prevent commercial flights at Paine Field.[33]

Ground was broken for the passenger terminal on June 5, 2017. The 30,000 square foot building will have two gates and will be capable of handling about 16 flights per day.[32] The operator, Propeller Airports, has agreed to limit early-morning and late-night commercial flights to reduce noise impacts on Mukilteo and nearby residential areas.

When the passenger terminal opens in September 2018 it will have service from three airlines and will already operate at its full capacity.[34] In May 2017, Alaska Airlines was the first to announce it would operate from Paine Field saying it would fly 9 daily flights with a mix of mainline and regional jets.[35] In January 2018, Alaska announced that instead all flights from Everett would be operated by its regional subsidiary, Horizon Air using the Embraer 175 regional jet, but that it would be offering more flights each day.[36] Alaska plans 13 daily flights to several west coast destinations: Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orange County, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose.[34] United Airlines announced on August 10, 2017 that six flights a day will be operated to its hubs in Denver and San Francisco.[37] Southwest Airlines announced on January 25, 2018 their intention to serve the airport with five daily flights, but the destinations of those flights have not yet been disclosed.[38] The announcement brings the planned commercial flight schedule for the airport to 24 daily departures, 50 percent higher than airport managers had initially planned for.[38]

In June 2018, the FAA announced an additional review of environmental impacts of passenger airline service, delaying the start of service to between November 2018 and November 2019.[39] The environmental review was completed in September 2018, and no significant additional environmental impacts were found, making it likely that commercial service will start in early 2019.[40]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Beginning 2019, pending FAA approval[41]
AirlinesDestinationsRefs
Alaska Airlines Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orange County, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Portland (OR), San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose (CA) [34]
Southwest Airlines Las Vegas, Oakland [42]
United Express Denver, San Francisco [34][37]

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
Ameriflight Seattle–Boeing
Atlas Air Charleston (SC), Nagoya–Centrair, Wichita–McConnell AFB

Ground transportation

Paine Field's future passenger terminal is located west of the intersection of Airport Road and 100th Street SW.[43] Airport Road continues south towards State Route 99 and Interstate 5, the region's two primary north–south highways, and north towards State Route 526. State Route 526, a short freeway spur, connects the Paine Field area to Mukilteo and Everett via Interstate 5 and Evergreen Way.[44][45]

Public transportation

The future passenger terminal area is currently served by Everett Transit, the city's public transit provider, which runs bus route 12 from the airport to Everett Mall.[46] Additionally, King County Metro operates commuter bus route 952 to Auburn via Bothell, Bellevue, and Kent on weekdays.[47]

Starting in early 2019 Community Transit, the public transit system in Snohomish County, plans to operate its Swift Green Line on Airport Road, serving the Paine Field terminal with bus rapid transit service.[48] Sound Transit, the regional transit system, also plans to build a Link light rail extension to Everett in 2036, with a stop in the Paine Field area.[49]

References

  1. ↑ FAA Airport Master Record for PAE (Form 5010 PDF), effective March 1, 2018.
  2. ↑ "List of NPIAS Airports" (PDF). FAA.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. October 21, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  3. ↑ "AirNav: KPAE — Snohomish County Airport (Paine Field)".
  4. ↑ paineairport.com Archived March 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑ painefield.com Archived March 3, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ↑ painefield.com Archived March 3, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑ "Chinook Flight — Home".
  8. ↑ "Regal Air".
  9. ↑ "Northway Aviation".
  10. ↑ "Helicopters Northwest — Seattle Helicopter Tours, Flight School, Leasing and Maintenance".
  11. ↑ "AirNav: KPAE — Snohomish County Airport (Paine Field)".
  12. ↑ "AFHRA Document 00410650".
  13. ↑ Blue Utopia. "Save Our Communities". Archived from the original on April 19, 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
  15. ↑ MRD Archived March 12, 2006, at the Wayback Machine..
  16. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 19, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2009. page 188
  17. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 19, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
  18. ↑ County Council Reaffirms Commitment Opposing Commercial Passenger Air Service at Paine Field Archived July 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  19. ↑ Thompson, Lynn (June 6, 2008). "FAA says county must talk to Allegiant Air". The Seattle Times.
  20. ↑ "Horizon Air Announces Intention to Fly from Paine Field". Alaska Airlines. October 2, 2008.
  21. ↑ Cooper, Mike; et al. (May 2008). "Letter to Robert Ashcroft, Allegiant Air" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 19, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
  22. ↑ Expression of Interest for Allegiant Air to Operate at Snohomish County (Paine Field) Airport, Everett Washington Archived July 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  23. ↑ Thompson, Lynn (January 4, 2010). "Crowd against passenger service at Paine Field". The Seattle Times.
  24. ↑ Thompson, Lynn (January 21, 2010). "Mukilteo crowd lambastes Paine Field passenger plan". The Seattle Times.
  25. ↑ Mukilteo promises battle over Paine Field flights
  26. ↑ FAA gives all-clear for commercial flights at Paine Field
  27. ↑ "Mukilteo, Edmonds to fight Paine Field flights". The Daily Herald.
  28. ↑ "Allegiant Air refuses terms for terminal at Paine Field". The Daily Herald. Archived from the original on July 18, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  29. ↑ "A new passenger-terminal proposal for Paine Field". The Daily Herald.
  30. ↑ "Snohomish County OKs plan for commercial passenger terminal at Paine Field". The Seattle Times. March 2, 2015.
  31. 1 2 Haglund, Noah (June 6, 2017). "Alaska flights in about a year: Ground broken at Paine Field". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  32. ↑ "Court ruling opens a path for commercial flights at Paine Field".
  33. 1 2 3 4 Haglund, Noah (January 16, 2018). "Vegas, LA, Phoenix, and more destinations from Paine Field". Everett Herald. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  34. ↑ Gates, Dominic (May 17, 2017). "Alaska Airlines will start passenger flights from Everett's Paine Field". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  35. ↑ Gates, Dominic (January 16, 2018). "Alaska Airlines to begin flights to 8 West Coast cities from Everett's Paine Field this fall". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  36. 1 2 Gates, Dominic (August 10, 2017). "United Airlines will offer flights from Everett's Paine Field". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  37. 1 2 Gates, Dominic (January 25, 2018). "Southwest will join airlines flying from Everett's Paine Field". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  38. ↑ Gates, Dominic (1 June 2018). "Looking forward to taking a passenger flight from Paine Field? Not so fast". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  39. ↑ Day, Matt (30 September 2018). "Everett's Paine Field set to start commercial flights in 2019 after updated FAA review". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  40. ↑ "Looking forward to taking a passenger flight from Paine Field? Not so fast". June 1, 2018.
  41. ↑ "What the airlines are planning for Paine Field in Everett". HeraldNet.com. September 29, 2018.
  42. ↑ Haglund, Noah (February 28, 2017). "Paine commercial flights must meet noise, traffic edicts". The Everett Herald. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  43. ↑ "Driving Directions". Paine Field. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  44. ↑ "Affected Environment". Snohomish County Airport Environmental Assessment (Report). Snohomish County. September 2012. p. C20. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  45. ↑ "Route 12: Mall Circulator - map and schedule". Everett Transit. September 17, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  46. ↑ "Route 952 timetable" (PDF). King County Metro. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  47. ↑ Slager, Melissa (May 8, 2017). "Community Transit starts Paine Field work for rapid bus line". The Everett Herald. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  48. ↑ Lindblom, Mike (November 14, 2016). "Where Sound Transit 3 projects could speed up or slow down". The Seattle Times. p. B1. Retrieved August 10, 2017.


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