Paine Field Buzz - December 2022

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December 30, 2022

Reflecting on 2022, looking ahead to 2023

Taxilane Echo completed

Completed concrete for the Taxilane Echo project in October 2022

Closing out a year and moving into a new one seems to prompt a process of reflection on what was accomplished and what lies ahead.

Paine Field staff were busy in 2022 with the Master Planning process, adopting rules and regulations for the airport, holding a successful triennial mass casualty incident drill, improving and replacing infrastructure, and launching new programs. The year also saw us hire 20 new employees and approve several new leases, lease transfers, and lease renewals.

Improved and replaced infrastructure include:

  • Reconstruction of a portion of Taxilane Echo
  • Overlays of Minuteman Dr., 111th St. SW, 112th St. SW, and 30th Ave SW
  • Demolition of the YMCA building
  • Terminal loop area pedestrian improvements including lighting, sidewalks, crosswalks, curb, gutter, and fencing.
  • Replaced the top eight inches of asphalt on Runway 16R/34L from a section 12.5 feet wide by 375 feet long between Taxilanes Alpha 6 and Alpha 8
  • Airfield paint refreshed, crack sealing completed
  • LED lighting upgrades on several buildings
  • Replaced hangar doors
  • Removal of unused pavement in front of Paine Field's Maintenance building

Programs launched or relaunched include:

  • Geographic Information System (GIS) geodatabase
  • Wildland firefighting
  • Fire department water rescue program
  • Fire Department response to off-airport calls to assist our community partners
  • Anti-human trafficking training program
  • Relaunched the enewsletter

What's ahead in 2023?

County Executive
Dave Somers
dave.somers@snoco.org  

Airport Director
Arif R. Ghouse
arif.ghouse@snoco.org


In This Issue

  • Reflecting on 2022
  • Looking ahead to 2023 projects
  • Security is everyone's responsibility
  • Winter weather operation information available
  • Aircraft rates for 2023 published
  • Paine Field Fire aids Mukilteo in putting out house fire
  • Staff accolades and updates
  • Connecting with our community
  • State registration of aircraft due
  • DHS delays REAL ID deadline
  • Going, going, gone... YMCA building demolished
  • PNAA ADVANCE 2023: 22nd Annual Aerospace Conference

Airport Commission Meetings

The Snohomish County Airport Commission serves as an advisory board to the county executive. The commission generally meets the fourth Thursdays in January, April, July and October.


Meeting schedule for 2023:

January 26, 2023

April 27, 2023

July 27, 2023

October 26, 2023


More information on the Airport Commission is available here.

Agenda and minutes from past Airport Commission meetings are located here.


Quick links

Paine Field

Paine Field Master Plan


Paine Field Facebook

Paine Field Twitter

Paine Field Fire Twitter


Snohomish County


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In 2023, Paine Field staff is looking forward to completing and adopting the Master Plan, designing the rehabilitation of the East General Aviation Apron and the north section of Taxiway F for construction in 2024, upgrading the inner terminal ramp adjacent to C1, implementing the tenant wayfinding signage plan, completing the Taxiway AA and Runway Guard Lighting project, and consolidating Airport staff into one building with the opening of our new to us administration building.

Of course, this is just a short list of the many programs and projects we look forward to bringing to fruition in 2023. As always, our focus will be on improving Paine Field for all tenants and users.


Security is everyone's responsibility

Sample Paine Field Badge

A security reminder for all tenants at Paine Field:

If you are a tenant with both airside and landside access through your hangar, it is your responsibility to monitor any open doors and challenge anyone attempting to access the airfield. If the individual does not have the proper credentials, please keep an eye on the individual and immediately contact Airport Operations at 425-388-5125 so the incident can be investigated.

Paine Field is responsible for ensuring only those properly badged individuals enter the Air Operations Area (AOA). Each airport operator must carry out measures for controlling entry to the AOA to prevent and detect the unauthorized entry, presence, and movement of individuals and ground vehicles into or within the AOA. A wrong decision can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, delay critical airport construction projects, or even result in delayed or canceled flights. 

Thank you to all of our tenants for doing your part in keeping Paine Field safe and secure for all.


Winter weather operation information available

Snow brooms in echelon formation on main runway at Paine Field

Paine Field snow brooms operate in an echelon formation to clear snow from the main runway on Dec. 20, 2022

Snow first arrived at Paine Field on Nov. 29, sticking around for almost a week. To our chagrin it returned again Dec. 19, lasting until Dec. 23.

Prior to the winter weather setting in, Paine Field Operations and Maintenance teams spent weeks preparing and testing equipment, fine-tuning our plans for clearing runways, taxiways, taxilanes, and roadways, and practicing our plans. Our teams actively monitor weather conditions and move to our 12-hour schedules when this weather is forecast.

We are only a month in to the winter weather season. If snow and ice happen again, our teams will be focused on keeping the main runway, essential taxiways, and primary landside access routes open before addressing lesser used taxiways, taxilanes, and roadways. More information on our winter operations is available on our website.

Please check with your airline for your flight's status if inclement weather strikes and you have planned to travel through the Paine Field Passenger Terminal operated by Propeller Airports. Remember to give yourself extra time on the roadways as you make your way to the terminal and please give plows and sanding trucks room to operate.


Aircraft rate schedule for 2023 published

Paine Field has published the new Aircraft Rate Schedule, effective January 1, 2023. The schedule was last updated on April 1, 2020. The new schedule includes:

  • aircraft landing fees for all aircraft with an empty weight over 30,000 lbs.
  • fuel flowage fees for AV gas and jet fuel (Jet A)
  • aircraft parking rates for all aircraft (general aviation or commercial carrier) that are parked on Paine Field controlled ramps.

This schedule was provided to all affected parties including fuel providers, FBO’s, and air carriers on Dec. 1, 2022.  The new rates can be found on our website here


Paine Field Fire lends a hand to Mukilteo

Paine Field Fire crew helps extinguish Mukilteo house fire

Paine Field Firefighters Holtmann, Faulk, Biggs, and Lt. Brown recently assisted Mukilteo Fire and other local departments in extinguishing a house fire on Dec. 28, 2022.

Just days after expanding our partnership with local fire departments to respond to fire calls where more than one engine is required, Paine Field Fire was dispatched to help extinguish a house fire in the City of Mukilteo. The fire was reported in one unit of an eight-plex in the 8200 block of Mukilteo Speedway at 10:20 a.m. on Dec. 28, 2022. Engine 26 and a crew of four firefighters responded, leaving Foam 26 and a crew of two to respond to any incidents on the airfield. Lt. Brown and Firefighters Biggs, Faulk, and Hoffman worked alongside firefighters from Mukilteo Fire, South County Fire, and Everett Fire to put out the fire, which left two of the eight units damaged. The local chapter of the American Red Cross was assisting the 11 impacted residents.

Upon returning from the call, Lt. Brown remarked, "it felt good to be out there contributing and helping our neighbors in their time of need."


Staff accolades and updates

Airport staffers earn Certified Member designation from AAAE

Congratulations to Paine Field Business Office Manager Nickolis Landgraff and Operations Specialists Will Hagerty and Lou Ramos on earning their Certified Member (C.M.) designations from the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE)!

The C.M. designation signifies a diverse knowledge of the primary functions of how an airport operates. To become a C.M., a member must successfully complete a 180-question, multiple-choice examination on a wide variety of topics including airport operations, security, maintenance, financing, planning, construction, and communications.

Paine Field now has 11 employees that have achieved their C.M. designation.

Congratulations!


Farewell Rocky Lawson

Paine Field Operations Specialist Rocky Lawson recently accepted the position of Deputy Director at St. Louis Regional Airport in East Alton, Illinois. We thank Rocky for his dedicated service to Paine Field and wish him the best in his new endeavor.


Welcome new employees

Paine Field welcomes the following new employees:

  • Jordan McFarland, Maintenance Technician I
  • Courtney Strehlow, Senior GIS Analyst 
  • Aaron Schriver, Operations Specialist
  • Edgar Tavares, Maintenance Technician I

Rebuilding connections with our community

Building connections with our community

Clockwise from top left: Rocky Lawson presents to the Red-Tailed Hawks Flying Club, donations to the Hawthorne Elementary backpack program, Fire Prevention Week visit to Horizon Elementary, some of the Christmas gifts for our adopted families, Capt. Johnson suits up during the visit to Horizon Elementary, Firefighters show off tools during the visit to Madison Elementary

This year, Paine Field staff committed to rebuilding connections with our community after spending the past two and one-half years under COVID protocols.

Our first foray into outreach saw our staff uniting with the FAA in a presentation about aviation career opportunities to the Mukilteo-based Red-Tailed Hawks Flying Club (RTH). RTH's mission is to introduce the underserved and underrepresented to the aviation industry. We were thrilled to meet so many students from Snohomish County and share what we do at Paine Field.

In October, Paine Field Fire was tapped to visit two local elementary schools, Horizon and Madison, to provide second grade students with education on preventing fires, preparing their homes and families, and possible careers in the fire service. For many of these students, this was the first live interaction with a local fire department since enrolling in school.

Paine Field closed out the year by supporting Hawthorne Elementary students in collecting items for the Hawthorne Elementary Weekend Backpack program and adopting two families in need for the holidays. The Weekend Backpack program provides Hawthorne students with a backpack filled with easy-prep meals for the weekend. The two families in need were provided with meals for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, gifts for the family members. One family received a new washer and dryer as part of their holiday gifts.

The staff at Paine Field is looking forward to building stronger relationships with the community in 2023 and beyond.


State registration of aircraft due

WSDOT logo green with white lettering

In early November, WSDOT Aviation sent out its annual aircraft registration email opening the 2023 registration process. Aircraft owners are encouraged to renew their 2023 Washington State aircraft registration as soon as possible. All aircraft registrations or exemptions are due by Jan. 1, 2023. You can pay the registration fees online with a credit card and print your certificate right away! No more waiting to receive your certificate in the mail, you can choose to have it emailed to you! If you have any questions, please feel free to email wsdotaviation@wsdot.wa.gov or call Tracy Paul at 360-709-8015.


DHS announces extension of REAL ID full enforcement deadline

Logo for REAL ID Deadline May 7, 2025

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced its intent to extend the REAL ID full enforcement date by 24 months, from May 3, 2023 to May 7, 2025. Under the new regulations published to execute this change, states will now have additional time to ensure their residents have driver’s licenses and identification cards that meet the security standards established by the REAL ID Act. As required by the law, following the enforcement deadline, federal agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), will be prohibited from accepting driver’s licenses and identification cards that do not meet these federal standards.

“DHS continues to work closely with U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories to meet REAL ID requirements,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “This extension will give states needed time to ensure their residents can obtain a REAL ID-compliant license or identification card. DHS will also use this time to implement innovations to make the process more efficient and accessible. We will continue to ensure that the American public can travel safely.”

The extension is necessary, in part, to address the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ability to obtain a REAL ID driver’s license or identification card. REAL ID progress over the past two years has been significantly hindered by state driver’s licensing agencies having to work through the backlogs created by the pandemic. Many of these agencies took various steps in response to the pandemic including automatically extending the expiration dates of driver’s licenses and identification cards and shifting operations to appointment only.

Passed by Congress in 2005 following a 9/11 Commission recommendation, the REAL ID Act establishes minimum security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards. Security standards include incorporating anti-counterfeiting technology, preventing insider fraud, and using documentary evidence and record checks to ensure a person is who they claim to be. Under the new regulations, beginning May 7, 2025, every traveler 18 years of age or older will need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or identification card, state-issued enhanced driver’s license, or another TSA-acceptable form of identification at airport security checkpoints for domestic air travel.


Going, going, gone... YMCA building demolished

YMCA building at Paine Field prior to demolition

YMCA building prior to demolition

The demolition of the YMCA building between Commando Rd and the Boeing facility on the south end of the airport is now largely complete. With the building's demolition, the area is open for future redevelopment. This facility was originally constructed by the US military as the base recreation facility and closed to public use in 2012.

YMCA site at Paine Field being regraded after building demolition

YMCA building site is now being regraded


PNAA ADVANCE 2023 flyer