May 2025 Plane Talk

To increase transparency about federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) flights operating to and from King County International Airport-Boeing Field (KCIA), the public can now view a livestream of ICE flights in operation. The livestream will only be active when ICE flights are occurring. Get access to the livestream at kingcounty.gov/ice-flights and see the log of ICE flights operating to or from KCIA.

Starting May 15, the Community Room at the Flight Service Station, 6626 Ellis Ave., will be open for viewing of the livestream of scheduled ICE flights. 

Photo: An Immigration and Customs Enforcement flight operated by Global X at KCIA last month. 

Mike Colmant, the late deputy director of King County International Airport, frequently rode his bike to work. A Canadian, he was an avid triathlete, competing in the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. So, it was only fitting that the airport selected two maple-leaf shaped bike racks to memorialize Colmant.

“Keeping his memory alive in spirit is really important,” said Colmant’s daughter, Sydney Colmant.

Airport leadership, employees and Colmant’s family unveiled the new bike racks at an event in front of the terminal on April 17.

“Mike absolutely cherished working here,” said Dorie Colmant, his wife.

Colmant, at right, was killed by a hit-and-run driver while riding his bike near Seward Park four years ago. Dorie Colmant thanked the county for offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the driver, and for the memorial bike racks and plaque.

“Everyone’s thoughtfulness and caring means the world to me,” she added.

Airport tenants, community members and employees are invited to the Airport Way Spring Community Cleanup on Wednesday, May 14 from 1 - 3 p.m. Meet at the King County International Airport Terminal Building, 7277 Perimeter Rd. S., Seattle. 

The airport will provide gloves, trash bags, safety vests and tools. Questions? Contact KCIACommunityOutreach@kingcounty.gov

Photo: Participants after a previous cleanup effort show the results of their labor.

Two tenants will be moving into the former Flight Service Station building this month: Rainier Flight Service and King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) training unit. Rainier Flight Service will lease the south half of the building and KCSO will lease the north half. The Community Room will remain available for airport meetings, open houses and as a viewing room for scheduled Immigration and Customs Enforcement flights (see related story).

“We will be using space to conduct ground training for aspiring pilots,” said Gordon Alvord, owner of Rainier Flight Service. “Flight lessons include a pre- and post-flight briefing to review preparation and critique performance. We will also have a flight simulator, lobby and manager office.”

“For all the people that live within 30-40 minutes, there’s a huge need for some sort of flight training option,” Alvord said, noting Galvin Flying’s closure late last year. “We’re very appreciative of a solution and I think the aviation community appreciates that as well,” Alvord added.

The Sheriff’s Office moved its training unit to the airport from the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center in Burien and a facility in SeaTac. The unit started limited operations at the airport site on May 1.

“We’re moving the basic and advanced training units in to the same facility off of Ellis Avenue,” said Captain Chris Leyba. “We’re going to be commencing a lot of our recruit training and pre-academy training right away.”

“There’s some cost savings for the taxpayers by consolidating our footprint,” he added. “We already have some presence at the airport (with Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting). It was a good fit for everyone to make this move.”

Officers will receive training on how to do patrol work, traffic stops and other routine law enforcement duties. While there may be some mock scenes, most of the training will be indoors and most outdoor training activity will not be visible from Ellis Avenue.

“Once we move in, we’re also probably going to do some community meetings to introduce ourselves as well,” Leyba added. Anyone with questions can contact Leyba.

The Flight Service Station is at 6626 Ellis Ave.

Elijah Barnes, a Utility Worker for King County International Airport, is among seven employees from the Department of Executive Services (DES) selected for the county’s Professional Development Scholarship Fund awards for eligible Coalition of Unions members this year. Employees each received up to $3,000 through the countywide program. DES employees will use the scholarships for a range of education programs, from technology and Lean efficiency to certified public accounting and cat behavior training.
Barnes plans to pursue an entry-level certification in information technology, learning more about tech support in an online course.

“I believe it’s going to open doors to me…to gain more knowledge with help desk and IT so I could potentially get a position in IT with the county,” Barnes said.

The scholarship is part of the county’s commitment to Workforce Development and is designed to help employees represented by a union in the Coalition of Unions with their professional development. The scholarship funds are administered by the King County Department of Human Resources (DHR), and are awarded to individual applicants for obtaining training, certificates, degrees, licenses, and certifications.

Nadja Rustempasic has joined the airport as Executive Assistant. She brings seven years of experience as an Executive Assistant, most recently with the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention. She also worked as a business administrator at Microsoft and was a copywriter consultant for Korzo Construction.

Why work at the airport?

“I’ve been an Executive Assistant in tech and government — aviation just felt like the natural next stop,” Rustempasic said. “I came to the airport for the vibes, the views, and the chance to hear ‘runway’ used in a context that doesn’t involve fashion.”

“I went on my first flight at five months old and have loved traveling ever since,” she added. “(I’m) excited to be part of the team and looking forward to connecting with everyone!”

Rustempasic is a Seattle native and first-generation Bosnian American. She speaks Bosnian, Serbian, and Croatian, “which sounds impressive until you realize they’re basically the same language,” she joked.

She is looking forward to her wedding, coming up in August.

Ella Wilson, a CAD intern in the Innovation Section at King County International Airport, led Roosevelt High School’s winning efforts for a film titled “Fly,” named Washington State champion in the Technology Student Association annual competition in Spokane. In June after graduation, she will head to the national competition in Nashville, Tenn.

“Our school has never gone to nationals before,” Wilson said. “It’s an insane achievement.”

For the On Demand Video category, participants develop and submit a digital video and a documentation portfolio (storyboard, script, etc.) that reflects an annual theme. This year’s theme was “Wicked.” The video had to include something green, something pink, a wand, and the line, "Everyone deserves a chance to fly." The team had 36 hours to shoot and edit the video, according to Wilson.

“There’s no better way to end my journey in high school than with this win, and I couldn’t have done this without my team or my advisor, Mr. Ruff,” she added.

Wilson will be flying off to the University of Washington next fall and plans to major in aeronautical and astronautical engineering.

Photo: Ella Wilson, CAD intern at KCIA, with Karl Ruff, CTE and Engineering Teacher at Roosevelt High School

On a breezy but warm day late last month, Eric Miller, Capital Project Manager, took employees from RS&H, an architecture, engineering and consulting firm, to oversee progress on the small runway rehabilitation project at King County International Airport. Communications staff tagged along.

The project to rehabilitate the small runway (14L/32R), extending its useful life, and realigning Taxiway A4 is moving full speed ahead.

“Paving is coming right up,” Miller said. “They’re moving at a good pace, doing it safely (and) efficiently.”

The top five inches of pavement have been removed from the runway, leaving a bumpy, corrugated surface, like the back of a piece of cardboard. Five inches of new asphalt will be placed where the old asphalt was removed.

While an airplane landed on the nearby large runway, excavators moved dirt and trucks passed by.

“They’ve demolished Taxiway Alpha 4 and they’re building up the pavement section for Alpha 3,” Miller explained.

Stormwater and electrical work to support the new runway are taking place at the same time. In May, airport users will see the new Taxiway Alpha 3 take shape.

Paving may begin in late May or in June. The project is expected to be complete in October. Until then, the small runway is completely closed. All airplane traffic is being directed to the main runway, Runway 14R/32L. In addition, this work will require overnight closures of Runway 14R/32L for the duration of the project. See the schedule and NOTAMS for updates.