||| BY SADIE BAILEY |||
Please read the Special Meeting presentation and follow along with the audio recording of the meeting and presentation, linked below. I was the only in-person attendee. Pierrette Guimond was the only online attendee. This was an informal educational meeting entitled “101”; by Pacific Approach Engineering (PAE). The Port selected PAE last year out of three applicants to oversee and design some of the projects on the Master Plan that the Port is now required to carry out. This year, the Port will begin to be much more active in starting to implement the projects laid out in the completed Master Plan.
Many projects required by the Master Plan and designed by DOWL (former consulting corporation that drafted our current Master Plan) must now begin to be built with some modifications, thanks to Public outreach and commissioners who were willing to work with the FAA and pay DOWL to revise a few things on the Master Plan.
We are a small rural airport with little room to grow, and no room to lengthen the runway with our long-existing Rd (Mount Baker Rd) that will not be moved in order to lengthen the runway. Sea level rise prevents runway expansion to the north.
There are a lot of acronyms and I still don’t know what they all mean. Kim Kimple, our new Port Manager, decoded some of them for us and put them in the comment section in the previous announcement about the Special Meeting.
Two men from Precision Approach Engineering (PAE) gave the presentation. The meeting covered financials, upcoming projects, the order of what needs to get done according to funds available, and what the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) expects from this and all airports. Our airport is categorized as “commercial.” The presentation was excellent and well organized. The PAE representatives took questions, comments, and discussion. This was about spending money and implementing projects according to a specific timeline order outlined in the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), which the FAA requires annually from the Port before they approve the monies.
This is Precision’s presentation outline. Here is the link to the entire zoom presentation. Here is the link for the paper presentation outline in more detail, showing the financials, maps, FAA obligations, etc. You can find all of these links on the Port of Orcas website.
The reps from PAE decoded most of the acronyms, explained everything about the FAA constraints and obligations that the Port is under; the timeline under which things have to happen, and what things have to happen first in order to move the process along. The focus of any engineering firm is to keep the funding flowing and keep designing and implementing new projects; it’s how consultants get paid and how they pay their contractors.
Precision kept emphasizing that aviation is trending toward growth. This brings up concerns for the folks below and around the Port in clustered housing, much of it low income/minority housing. Noise pollution, light pollution, dangers to those on the ground as well as in the air, are some things that will cause negative impact. The FAA will not address our physical and land limitations without Public pressure. The FAA has an Environmental Justice division; part of this division looks into issues for low income and minorities impacted being near or under a flight path. Mostly, they pay people to relocate (where on Orcas would that even be possible?)
A little history on the financials:
- When an airport takes monies from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), that airport is automatically in the Airport Improvement Program (AIP). Our airport has been taking these monies for many decades. Up until about 2019, we qualified for $150K a year from the FAA, plus Wa. State Dept of Transportation (WaDOT) monies and any other grants. Once we reached 10,000+ enplanements in 2019 (people getting on planes), primarily through the Kenmore caravans, that all changed and our annual airport income from the AIP alone jumped to $1 million dollars for every year we go above 10,000 enplanements. For all monies granted in the AIP, the FAA covers 90% of the funding for most projects. WaDOT covers 5% more, and often more than that through other grants. The Port pays as little as only 5% out of pocket – but there is a catch. These are grants, but they are considered a “loan” if the Port decides NOT to go through with, say, the expansion lined out in the Master Plan, or we want to get out of the AIP program altogether. Then all of the monies the Port has taken are owed back to the FAA – to be paid back immediately – and the legal obligation for this “debt” goes twenty years out from whatever year the money is given. Under the AIP, each year money is given, it must be spent within three years. A port can “give” monies not used to another airport, sort of like “banking” it for future big projects that arise, then ask for those monies “back” when they’re needed.
- Besides the AIP monies, there are two more large sources of revenues that the Port is currently being given:
- The Cares Act monies, granted during the pandemic, have been spent or are in the process of being spent, depending on the 10,000+ enplanements per year. Over $1 million was given. I believe that some financing will continue as long as the enplanement threshold is reached or exceeded. Part of this extra money goes to pay commissioners in taxing districts a big increase (quadruple) in monies for attending meetings; every commissioner can decide whether to take these monies or not, same as always. There is a limit to how many meetings for which they would be paid. It can also be used for pay raises for employees and things like that.
- A new program, called the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) is a one-time five-year infrastructure program. The BIL gives over a million dollars a year to this Port from years 2022 through 26 – for five years. This doesn’t include grant monies that may fall outside of these parameters. The BIL monies must be spent within 4 years of receipt for each year they’re received, or those monies are permanently lost. They can’t be “given” to other airports like the AIP monies can.
Some of 2022’s BIL money has been used; some may run out if the Port doesn’t have a plan to use it by the end of this fiscal year. The difference is that the BIL monies can be spent on revenue generating projects – which the AIP doesn’t cover. Some of the revenue generators suggested by Precision (PAE) include: increasing parking capacity, above-grounding the underground fuel storage and selling jet fuel (many are against jet fuel, considering its toxicity and risk to the wetland watershed on which the airport lies. It would also attract more jets and larger wingspan planes, as well as pose a potential danger if it is above-grounded; highly explosive toxic), building more hangars, constructing a rental building or buildings for some aviation-related businesses. Solar power projects might be another. PAE is overseeing a solar project at Friday Harbor airport.
3. There is another newly enacted, potentially positive thing called Section 163. It would allow Port-owned lands that are not needed or accessible for any projects to be “released” from the 20-yr debt-obligation thing I covered earlier.
Timeline:
The timeline for the Master Plan projects starts with potentially building hangars and a taxi lane on the west side; there is high demand for lots more hangars. What has to happen first before any of these projects can be done is a drainage study. Environmental assessments need to be done. Everything that will be done is in preparation for the maximum centerline runway separation of 75′ scheduled for 2027. More about that later.
Other thoughts and concerns:
Orcas airport is a rural airport with limited lands for expansion and community resistance to making this a big “urban” type airport. We already have Friday Harbor Airport, which is well above sea level, has far more lands available, and is not on a wetland or shoreline, and which also has customs and Homeland Security; we don’t need those here. Friday Harbor also has the marina. So far, our Port is only aviation and not marine.
Our local pilots do some wonderful things for the community on a volunteer basis, including Mercy Flights and training young would-pilots. These are some of the great things about the aviation community here, as well as the Fly-In and the campers who visit during that event. Precision (PAE), so far, seems different from DOWL and more transparent, wanting to collaborate – this is partially due to the thoughtfulness of the commissioners and the questions they are asking, and their willingness to also represent their taxing district base, including people under and around the flight path who are most impacted. It’s also partly due to Public involvement, and it’s proof-positive that an educated and involved populace can affect some things.
In the past, people didn’t pay attention to Port happenings. Port happenings are important and they affect us all, so it’s good to stay involved.
There seems to be a clash between Port and County objectives, since the County keeps pushing our UGA densities higher and higher around and adjacent to the Port. Airports in “Urban Growth Areas” (UGAs) don’t want these high densities infringing on their airports, due to safety issues – but do those safety considerations include people on the ground? Ports get federal monies. They have the power to push back on increased land densities that affect safety – the FAA does too.
Do the people in the Port taxing district have any power? To a degree, yes. We can push back with the reality of the lands situation, and not let our local officials or the FAA forget the impacts already caused and further impacts that would be caused with unfettered growth that is not in keeping with our rural character and quality of life.
The Growth Management Act (GMA) has brought “urban” densities to rural islands where they never belonged; we had wiser local choices available that were not taken by the County. The issues driving growth are the same for both the County and Port: Over-tourism (not right-sized tourism), over-development and high demand – all drive growth. The consequences: our forested wetland watershed gets destroyed along with the forests up-slope from it, since “sprawl” happens in UGAs, too. Erosion, winter flooding and summer drought. Noise and light pollution; dust and dirt (no forest to clean the water or the air). Storm water pollution runoff into the Salish Sea. Dangers from plane crashes to the people living directly under the flight path; it’s not just the pilots who are in danger. Degraded quality of life for humans and non-human beings that should be under our care and protection. Lack of affordable housing. Huge income disparity. The list goes on and on.
I don’t see us going back from the 10,000 enplanements a year unless there is a complete economic crash or a depression. This money seems here to stay – fortunately or unfortunately – depending on how wisely it is used – and that it not become a temptation to keep growing and spending, just ’cause we can, without forethought and representation of community wishes and concerns.
MedEvac Helicopter parked on the Helipad:
After the meeting, Commissioner Triplett told me that there has been a bright orange “super expensive” MedEvac helicopter parked on the helipad at the Port for about a month – not sure which company. Their staff is staying at the McKinstry hangar on the west side, which is up for sale. They want to be able to keep their helicopter parked at the Port. There was a recent Sounder article about it; I couldn’t find it. If something was written here on the Orcasonian, I hope it will be linked.
Now, we are being urged to have MedEvac insurance for all three MedEvac companies.This Med-Evac company wants jet fuel. They want security – a 24-hr camera and lighting, so that no one touches their helicopter. They want “barracks style” housing for their crew. The commissioners want to hear from us about this. Please spread the word so that the community can weigh in. Who authorized it? Will it give this med-evac company the monopoly on Orcas Airport over the others, unless this helicopter is out on another call? (and is that fair?)
This company needs to meet with us and tell us what our gain is as well as theirs. Why should we support it? What’s the payoff and cost for the community and the Port, and the other MedEvac companies?
There are many legitimate concerns regarding jet fuel for various reasons mentioned above.
75 foot Centerline Runway Separation:
Once the full centerline runway separation of 75 feet is effected, planes with wingspans up to 79 feet wide will be mandated by the FAA to be allowed. We are now considered to be a B-2 commercial airport category. We can turn no one away – hence the big push from all sides for jet fuel, which would mean more refueling landings and takeoffs.
This quandary we’re facing is thanks to the former commissioners and manager(s) before Jeannie, who allowed the Kenmore caravans, which are 3 feet over the allowable 49 foot wingspan safety limit that kept our airport category small and modest – thus pushing us to this B2 category in which we now find ourselves. This drives all of these growth projects, and ultimately will force us to accept planes of up to 79 foot wingspans, unless we can convince the FAA to make some kind of exception for ports like ours that are narrow and haven’t the land to lengthen the runway.
There were two accidents this year just weeks apart; no casualties, but how long will we push our luck? One crash was just south of Lavender Hollow Apartments – buffered by the wetland trees that everyone seems so keen on cutting down. The second accident was a few weeks before that, just south of Mt. Baker Rd.
So far, the FAA is unwilling to consider a narrower runway separation that stops with the Caravans, or to make a special category for airports that are too narrow, or runways too short, to do the full runway separation; though they did dangle that carrot when Jeannie Sharpe was manager, then reneged on it.
The next regular Port meeting was Monday the 23rd at 5 p.m. The agenda is in the papers and has been sent out to people on the email list. There is public comment access at the beginning and end of every meeting. The meetings will continue to be hybrid.
There are a few corrections about the helicopter on the helipad; more was learned at the January 23rd meeting about them and their objectives. The helicopter belongs to Airlift Northwest. They want a permanent daytime and nighttime base here on Orcas. They are in conversation and negotiations; nothing has been formalized yet. Two MedEvac companies had representatives at the regular meeting. It’s unclear at this time who authorized this. If the McKinstry house and hangar sell, the crew will need to find new housing – unless Airlift NW buys it.
I’m still unclear about the CARES act monies and how they were used, but I believe that as long as the Port has more than $1 million in their coffers, the monthly pay raises for commissioners stands. The Port commissioners are the only taxing district commissioners with that kind of monthly raise for attending meetings; this is FAA money specifically for airports. If anything I have written is inaccurate, please submit corrections. I’m still learning and a lot has happened. This tells more about it and what it covers.
.https://www.faa.gov/airports/cares_act
So sad that we keep being driven in directions based on federal funding requirements when we might have made the decision to skip the funds. But that cat seems to be out of the bag.
I see the helicopter homing here being a plus. No one has to wait for it to get here in an emergency. Camera and lighting doesn’t seem like a big deal with technology the days, though I can’t see why the helicopter company can’t supply it. Surely the helicopter company doesn’t look to the Port for housing its employees.
I don’t think that it will have any advantage over the fixed-wing services just from being here. Because we never know which service will be available and practical in any emergency, we are all encouraged to take all three insurances.
Thanks for devoting the time and energy to this, Sadie. I myself have lost the energy!
There are few things that would change the pleasant experience of living in Eastsound more than supplying Jet Fuel at the Port of Orcas. If that gets offered, every conceivable small jet (loud), helicopter (choppy and loud), and turboprop (very loud) that can land on our runway will be lining up to fly in here and base operations here. We already supply AVGAS fuel which is what most island residents and private pilots with Cesnas, Bonanzas and other small (much quieter) piston-engine planes use.
Our airport leadership has said time and time again that they are not trying to encourage more growth and increase air traffic in Eastsound, Please communicate with them that adding Jet Fuel to the offerings at the Port of Orcas would absolutely encourage more types of aircraft to visit here and base their operations here and that we don’t want that kind of loud and constant airport in the middle of our town. Regardless of how refined the fuel is, storing and refueling with Jet Fuel will create more air traffic, more noise, and more pollution.
I support Airlift NW, but I don’t want to become a jet, helicopter or turboprop haven.
Around a decade ago there was an entrepreneur who wanted to start an exclusive Learjet shuttle to Orcas from Boeing Field for C-suite guests. The thing that prevented this from happening was the absence of Jet Fuel on Orcas. Thankfully the commissioners at the time decided not to supply Jet Fuel.
Let’s keep our airport as quiet and geared toward our local pilots as we possibly can. Please let the Port leadership know we would like them took at the negative impact it would have on on our community and not pursue it. Unlike other FAA requirements, we don’t have to supply Jet Fuel – so let’s not.
Thank you, Sadie, for the time and trouble you took to update us on the happenings at the airport.
I’m not a resident of Orcas Island, but I am a pilot, and I’ve been flying to ORS almost every summer since the 1990s. I have camped on your beautiful airport numerous times. I always felt welcomed and my business appreciated. So, I’m distressed about what could be happening there.
First, I’m told that the historic hangar is being torn down and the biplane rides are being eliminated. Goodbye, history. Hello, progress. These are not necessarily incompatible goals. Why wasn’t there a compromise?
Also, I was at ORS when the Master Plan was being developed, and although my stake in the matter may seem nil, I am deeply concerned about the airport’s future. When I commented to DOWL that they could simply require airplanes to have shorter wingspan to access the airport (i.e., the Kodiak, with a wingspan of 45′), their curt reply was that they couldn’t ask that of companies. Why not?
So, the airport must be redesigned to fit the airplane, not the other way around–at considerable expense to the airport and presumably the taxpayers. Why not let the carriers shoulder some of the expense? (I know this is a moot point now.)
Also, it’s important to remember that once you accept money, those who give it (in this case the FAA), are the ones in control, not you. Personally, I would find that position difficult to navigate.
If I have gotten anything wrong here, or you feel it’s not my place to comment, please let me know. However, I worry about this treasure of an airport. The final approach to runway 16 is the most beautiful in the whole wide world (please forgive my hyperbole), and I am always happy when my wheels touch down at ORS.
Thank you SO Much, Sadie! You have the Heart of a True Warrior. Eastsounders and our precious animals living here appreciate all of your work. I know you work for the good of all, here, and the preciousness of this small town, unlike those who disregard the harmony of Eastsound in order to bring ever more money flowing into their hands at the cost of the natural world. What is the point of expansion if we no longer have a quiet rural lifestyle here? Every year the air traffic increases, and now they want to increase the size of the planes? What have we all moved here for? To get away from the harsh, loud, polluted towns and cities? Who made this plan for We The People, especially for those who live in Eastsound? I can only imagine what Hell it will be here as these large aircraft take off and land over our town. Is there no end of this greedy lust for more and more?
I find it interesting that many people move to Orcas for a quite peaceful place, including in town. Why do we then get lured into monies that force us to expand, against the Public Will?
What of the wildlife in the wetland in the approach to the airport? Many rare, migrating bird species which are Protected under the International Migratory Bird Treaty Act live there, as well as our local bird species. What of the aquatic life? It takes Work to protect what you love the most. If we don’t stand up and demand protection for the place we all love, then we all will be deafened by more and more, and louder and louder planes. GREED KNOWS NO BOUNDS. WE THE PEOPLE MUST STAND UP FOR OUR RIGHTS AND FOR THE RIGHTS OF NATURE, IN THE FACE OF THIS HORRIBLE GREED.
Ah-ho. ALL MY RELATIONS!
Spirit Eagle
* Hi Lynn, I have a misspelled a word in the last submission, this one has the correct spelling. Thanks lots, Spirit Eagle.
Thank you Sadie for such a detailed article about the recent Port meetings. You are passing along important information that people should be aware of. I only wish more people would log in to meetings to hear things firsthand.
Speaking for myself only (Commissioners are all independent, and may speak for themselves), I would like to add some clarifying details to your article.
• First, I don’t think we will see Jet-A fuel at Orcas. I certainly don’t want it, and I doubt if the other commissioners want it either. It really doesn’t make sense.
• It is important to realize that just because someone, whether a company or an individual, makes a request to the Port that it doesn’t suddenly become policy. Airlift NW asked if certain things were possible, a couple of which are reasonable and simple (power and video), while one was not. Adding Jet-A is complicated and not conducive to our airport environment. Everyone has the right to ask questions and make requests, but the current Commissioners (you have five excellent Commissioners, IMHO) will do what is right for the airport owners, pilots, and neighbors.
• That being said, I for one am really glad that the UW Airlift NW is “day-basing” a helicopter here. It saves 30 minutes in response time for them to get here compared to coming from Bellingham or Arlington. And ask any EMT… those minutes count. The very first day that AirLift “day-based” here they took a local to the hospital with an immediate response. Having ready air transportation makes up for a lot of other emergency medical facilities that we lack on Orcas, and I hope people treat AirLift personnel nicely as heroes and not as enemies.
• The three emergency transportation companies seem to be in cooperation with each other. They all have different business models, and all can use the Port facilities equally. The Fire Department choses which, if any, to use to send a patient off-island. The Port did not “authorize” UW AirLift to use the airport, as we have no authority to either authorize or deny them use of the airport.
• As far as the stipend the Commissioners earn, that is a Washington State legal stipulation and not a requirement of the Cares or BIL Acts.
• The Commissioners are not trying to increase parking as much as trying to best utilize the parking we have. Because parking at the airport has been so cheap it has been abused. Travelers, pilots, and contractors who need good access onto and off the island have not had the spaces they need. We have a responsibility to the flying public and to taxpayers to use the Port facilities wisely, so that is what we will be trying to do.
• The FAA wants every public airport to have an assigned engineering firm that can accomplish smaller jobs economically, with the assignment being for five-year periods. Precision Approach, headquartered in the San Juan Islands, is here to advise the Port on how to do projects. But it is absolutely the Port Manager and Commissioners that choose which projects to actually do.
• In that regard, my personal highest priority (which I think we can use the Cares and BILL money for) is to ensure the airport is protected from the rising water level, both from climate change and from all the development around Eastsound. All that water that used to go into native watersheds is now flowing into the lowest point, the airport. Sadie, I agree with you that the County is not taking into adequate consideration the impacts of continued growth around Eastsound.
• Concerning the local biplane, the owner is renting what used to be the Aeronautical Services building. As far as I know the biplane is not going away. I would hate to see it go, since it adds so much to the “rural feel” and culture of the airport.
I, like most fellow local citizens, want to see a wonderful small airport with quality facilities and service but not growth for growth’s sake.
So again, these are my personal comments and in no way are an official response from the Port. Official responses either come from the Manager or from all five Commissioners reflected in how they vote on actual issues and motions.
Please join us at the next Commission meeting on February 27th.
-Robert Hamilton
Port Commissioner
Thanks for the comments so far; I appreciate every one. Comments are what keeps things ‘live’ so more folks can see this. I was a little disheartened to see so few comments, so it means a lot that three of you commented with the same concerns that drove me to get involved with the airport happenings since 2018 during that last ridiculous Master Plan. I have an email list; I have sent my own minutes – with my biases- and I have never tried to hide my biases or my concerns, since they are for the environment and the wetland on which the airport sits.
Some more history that current commissioners may not know:
Eastsound was once a forested wetland. This was back in the 1800s and there are maps that Peter Fisher found that prove that. All the trees were cut down and ditches dug for agriculture, as the San Juans were the tree-fruit hub of Washington before Eastern Washington got irrigation. It was also boom-town logging time, and much of this island was clearcut and our second growth tree trunks sold as lumber; a practice still going on today as you see truckload after truckload of former trees now exported off island to be milled into board feet. It was common practice to clear-cut for agriculture, which is maybe why some environmentalists fear the idea that assumes wetlands are there for farming alone. They’re not.
A peat bog, the rarest kind of wetland of all, and a category 1 according the the Army Corps of Engineering’s rating of wetlands (which said we were to protect category 1 and 2 wetlands at all costs, and which both the County and the Port ignored and even did away with in one of the moves to completely change the Eastsound Subarea Plan to maximize development ) , was covered over by the runway on the North end during one of the Port’s runways. Some giant madronas were also cut down, though they in no way impeded the flight approach or takeoff.
Pretty much all of Eastsound Swale, which was a category 2 contiguous wetland, covers all of Eastsound proper – from Fishing Bay to to the North Shore – including the airport. Don’t let the old timers tell you this wasn’t, or isn’t, a contiguous wetland. It always was, and under the old federal protections, we had some teeth. I’m pretty sure the Dept of Ecology was never consulted in regard to covering over that Peat Bog and destroying it. There have been so many egregious things done to these wetlands by the County and by the Port. All the more reason to not further damage the wetlands. The most egregious was when former commissioners decided to throw out the Army Corp ratings in favor of ‘site-specific’ wetlands, which do not have to factor in contiguity AT ALL. This makes none of them protected, of course and it drives the whole stormwater issue and the rerouting of natural water flow – all disastrous to the lands and waters where this is done
And so on. .- – – – – –
Robert; thanks for correcting me and clarifying some things. I knew this guest ed would have some inaccuracies because I idiotically went to sleep from mental and physical exhaustion after being involved with the port for almost 3 years. I record what I hear at meetings by taking notes. I have often encouraged the Port to record its meetings and now that there is more money available and there will be going forward, maybe that can happen.
These commissioners won’t stay forever, so we had better be prepared to have people run who really care about what is happening and will stand with us in approaching the FAA for the best result possible, which includes making a B-2 narrow category for us. But it won’t matter without citizen involvement.
Pilots do have a stake and a voice whether they live on Orcas or not; if you come here and enjoy our airport, you are a stakeholder – especially pilots with small planes who are well aware of what has happened with other airports and don’t want to see it happen here – so thank you, Geri Silveira, for making thoughtful comment. I too am saddened that the biplane hangar will go. I just found out about that at the last regular meeting – that it is slated to be torn down in early May. Please keep coming to our airport. We need pilots like you who understand what’s at stake. Written comment by any concerned pilots or people on the ground or people impacted by noise can be subnitted to the commissioners or the manager, who will pass them on to the commissioners .
Jet-A fuel is my main concern – but it’s more than that. It’s making a taxiway uphill to the East and industrializing that corner, changing the grade of that hill on Mt. Baker Rd. given the increased densities that have been approved for that corner of North Beach and Mount Baker Rd. It is the flight approach that goes over the only trees left in Eastsound Swale and all of the the clustered housing south of Enchanted Forest Rd, since most of the rest of the Swale trees have been cut down between the Port and the County’s rampant push for UGA development and increased densities.. It is the conflict of the airport with the town and the conflict of the town with the Natural World and the idiotic idea of making this area an “urban” growth area with Seattle densities. It is the choosing of profit over Life ad nauseum. These things get a person down on the deepest level. Please, if you read this, comment on it! . Share the link. Come to meetings. Learn what is going to happen and why it ought never to happen needlessly to a small rural airport.
It is still my firm belief that we do not need to do all these Port projects if we had just insisted on the B-2 narrow category and kept at it with the FAA. – that would be the end of the ridiculous overblown things on that Master Plan and the projects the Port is about to undertake – all maximum development projects culminating in the maximum centerline separation to 75′ – and dictated by it – which is putting the cart before the horse’. If a B-2 narrow category changed that maximum separation distance, there could be a cap on wingspans to something more realistic than 79 that won’t endanger all of us below the flight path who must live in fear every day for our lives.
Come sit at my building, commissioners and Kim, from 7 a.m onward to the last Kenmore caravan. Spend some weekdays here, and in downtown Eastsound, and watch how close these planes come to our rooftop especially. Come hold your ears with us as we try not to lose more of our damaged hearing. Come and listen to the noise level now, and imagine it with 79′ wingspans, as Charles Toxey so sagely points out. Many of us at Lavender Hollow are losing our hearing from the noise, day and night. Come watch how close some of the planes and jets get to our rooftops; how every time I hear an airplane engine splutter on descent, I wonder if it will make it without hitting one of our buildings. With the increased air traffic, my anxiety has increased manyfold. I never used to feel anxious in town. Now the anxiety is constant, between the chainsaws and falling trees, the speeding cars, and the planes and now, cessna jets and private helicopters.
There WILL be an accident that will cause fatalities if we allow the FAA to force us to move forward with this forced maximum runway separation. It is only a matter of when. Depending on winds and if there is explosion on impact, that could take out a whole lot of us in clustered housing all the way to the Outlook Inn and if there is a firebomb, a lot more than that. Have any of you seen a small plane crash and explode on impact? Well, I have – it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean at Pensacola, FL. – so the fatalities were limited to the pilot and co-pilot. The pilot’s wife was on the beach to witness that too. I can never un-see that.
To convince the FAA how important it is to make a B-2 narrow category for airports like ours (we’re not the only one) would have entailed the commissioners coming to bat for us consistently – and the Public giving voice, en masse, consistently and persistently – and it still would entail that.
Robert, I appreciate the corrections and your sharing your opinion. I remember when you first made a bid for a commissioner seat. We had a really good and heartening conversation on how you didn’t want to see this airport come to the same fate as Paine Field. So I entreat you and the rest of the commissioners and our manager – Please, please stand by those words and desires, and stand up for the good of All. Don’t get mesmerized by all the money. I know some of you want to use it to good cause, but think carefully what snowballing effects it might have.
The FAA and the WPPA have one objective; growth of airports. Let’s not let this growth become an insatiable monster devouring everything we love. Unchecked growth IS a parasite that will destroy the host – this Land and these Waters – it’s not just about ‘we’ humans. I am so sick of anthropocentric thinking. It’s how we have ravaged the earth. We may have opposable thumbs and supposed big brains but what good are they when we lose our hearts and get seduced by money and profit?.
I feel great disappointment and sadness that people don’t take more of an interest in things that affect all life – not just human life – and instead take a ‘what’s the use’ attitude.. I will never understand that, or say “oh well” even if it seems too big and monstrous to do anything about it. That is false thinking. Even just one person can make a huge difference. This place is Home and as such, I have a responsibility to it – to the natural environment in particular. We can, and ought, to do better – and look for the best situation for all involved. I use my voice for the people and non human beings that have no voice or seat at the table. There is much we can do, and don’t let anyone tell you different – the FAA included.
I believe the commissioners are aware that OPAL and The Community Foundation have just bought Lavender Farm and have big development plans? Perhaps you had better get with them and try to work something out that is more realistic than this maximum plan.
Why not just do the drainage study this year to keep the monies, then get with the FAA in earnest about all that is at stake here. How about inviting Karen Miles to a Town Hall with We the Citizens and let her hear our concerns? Better rent a big hall for that!
The accountants know
if they bombard us with numbers and measurements, abbreviations and acronyms,
word salads,
we the simple people,
who count on an abundance,
an uncountable number of seeds and birds singing,
of uncontained breezes and empty evenings,
We the simple people,
Will slip inside ourselves
into an immeasurable, inert
despair.
Excellent article, Sadie. Having flown out of Orcas for over 25 years I have never seen Caravans have a wingtip to wingtip problem. In the event two wide wing aircraft need to land or takeoff at the same time one can pull off and wait to taxi with plenty of apron space available at the south end and even the north end if the pilot “tucks” it in the run-up area. It would be a waste of taxpayer dollars to move the taxiway even if the Port has millions to spend. How about just enlarging the apron at the north end (much less costly) and posting a sign and a Notam cautioning wide wing aircraft to use caution? Taxi “lit up” with taxi and anti-collision lights on.
Turboprop aircraft, not to be confused with turbojets, do use turbine (jet) fuel. It is doubtful that the operators would purchase fuel at Orcas anyway when they can hedge on better prices at other airports. Again, even with so much money available, I doubt the Port would see any profit in selling jet fuel. The turbine Caravan, Pilatus, King Air, Kodiak, and Meridian are actually quieter than many piston aircraft operating out of Orcas.
Thank you for your Eric – and thank you for that beautiful poem, Pegeen.
I just finished a meeting with two Port commissioners and the Port Manager. It was a good meeting and I think some good things will come out of it. One thing I want people to understand is that the Port Commissioners and manager really want to hear from us, and learn what this community wants for the Port and the airport. They also are happy to fact-check anything I write before I submit or email it out so I’m not giving wrong or misleading information.
I know I am alarmist about the environment, based on witnessing what has happened to it here and almost everything else. My passion and worst case scenarios get in the way sometimes but I don’t apologize for that. Still, I need to get my facts straight. Knowing how the Orcas rumor mill operates, I don’t want to generate a lot of misunderstandings or ill will , or read too much into things.
I asked Lin if I could write up something much shorter to straighten out some impressions I had, and gave here. She gave the go-ahead, so look for that soon.
I got the part about the 75′ runway separation completely wrong. There are two separate issues with the runway. Eric spoke to one of them in his comment, which was moving the taxiway to have a wider separation from the runway, which would be widened from 60-75′.. His solutions presented seem quite reasonable to me. I saw them as one issue, not understanding that they are two separate things.
More later.
Hi Sadie,
To relieve your anxiety about airplanes crashing into your home, it might be comforting to know that this rarely happens. At our airport in SoCal, which has been in business since 1945, there have been no lives lost to those on the ground on the off-airport approach and departure ends. (And we are surrounded by houses and businesses!) There are mandated clear areas on both ends, just like you have at ORS. Just like ORS, we have VASI lights that advise aircraft of a safe glideslope on approach.. We have many more operations at our airport than at ORS, so this bodes well for you. As for the noise, of course, that is personal. Some people cease to hear it all; others find it profoundly bothersome. I hope you will visit your airport (if you haven’t already) to see for yourself how important safety is to the management and to the pilots. No pilot wants to be an unwelcome visitor in your home.
I completely sympathize with you for your environmental concerns. Here, in the Los Angeles area, I have seen the land ravaged by developers who have no concern for the environment or for history. The sprawl here continues, and I don’t see how the population is sustainable. I admire you fighting the good fight, and I wish you success.
Sadie,
I so appreciate your diligence in tracking this important topic so consistently. I also appreciate the spirit of the comments and discussion that has followed. Thanks to Zoom I was able to attend that January meeting too. And although I didn’t comment at the end, I was really pleased at the tone of the discussion, the level of detail in the Engineering representative’s presentation, and the Board Chair’s skill and confidence.
While I can’t honestly say “I love airport noise,” I’ve been a lover of airplanes as long as I can remember, growing up practically under the east-west runway of Morrison Field ( now Palm Beach International Airport), in the days when my dad was a navigator for Pan American. Living on Seaview has been a pleasure in that I was far enough above the airport to avoid the exhaust, but close enough to know when various flights were arriving and taking off, and able to take a look from my deck if the Navy was arriving for some reason. I have experienced just a handful of very, very loud aircraft landing here – apparently requiring remarkably short distances to land and take off. I am emphatically opposed to encouraging any more of that degree of “airport noise.” I believe pilots can purchase their jet fuel more economically at a larger airfield, and that we should not stock it here.