Paine Field

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Paine Field

IATA: PAE - ICAO: KPAE
Summary
Airport type		public
Operator		Snohomish County Airport Department
Serves		Everett, Washington
Elevation AMSL		606 ft (184.7 m)
Coordinates		47°54′22″N, 122°16′53″W
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
16R/34L	9,010	2,746	Asphalt/Grooved
11/29	4,504	1,373	Asphalt
16L/34R	3,000	914	Asphalt

FAA diagram of Paine Field

Paine Field, also known as Snohomish County Airport (IATA: PAE, ICAO: KPAE) is located in Everett, Washington.

[edit] History

Constructed in 1936 as a Works Progress Administration project, the United States Army Air Corps leased the airport in 1940 and named it Everett Army Air Field. In 1941, the Army officially acquired the airport and named it Paine Army Air Field in honor of Second Lieutenant Topliff Olin Paine (1893-1922). The field remained an United States Army Air Forces airbase for the duration of World War II before being handed back to Snohomish County in 1948. In 1951 it was returned to military service and renamed Paine Air Force Base by the United States Air Force. Part of the Air Defense Command, the airport operated under joint military and civilian control until 1968.

In 1966, the Air Force had all but pulled out of Paine Field leaving it open for exclusive commercial considerations. On July 25, 1966, The Boeing Company announced that it would build the Boeing 747, a jetliner 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.

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 or simply the MRD.

[edit] Modern Day

Along with the Boeing Everett plant, Paine Field is home to the nation's largest aviation maintenance facility, operated by Goodrich. It is served by a Federal Aviation Administration control tower, and has precision and non-precision instrument approaches available to pilots.

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. The facility was opened to the public on December 17, 2005. The Museum of Flight also has a restoration center based on the field, as well as the Me 262 Project at the northwest gate.

Paine Field is home to three flight schools — Regal Air, Northway Aviation, and the Northwest School of Aviation — making it a popular destination for flight training.