Paine Field

Paine Field
File:Paine field logo.png
IATA: PAE ICAO: KPAE
Summary
Airport type	Public Airport Department
Operator	Snohomish County
Location	Snohomish County, Washington
Elevation AMSL	184.7 ft / 56 m
Coordinates	47°54′22″N 122°16′53″W
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 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 a commercial airport located between Mukilteo, Washington and Everett, Washington.

Overview

Along with the Boeing Everett plant, the world's largest building by volume, Paine Field is home to one of the nation's largest aviation maintenance facility, formerly operated by Goodrich. For nearly 20 years, the Goodrich Corp operated the maintenance, repair and overhaul business at Paine Field. In the fall of 2007, Goodrich sold the business and its 950,000-square-foot (88,000 m²) facility to Aviation Technical Services (ATS). ATS does 'heavy' checks for a number of airlines and cargo companies. According to their web page, they average of 443 Aircraft Redeliveries each year.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 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.

Paine Field is home to four flight schools — Regal Air, Northway Aviation, Everett Helicopters and the Northwest Aviation Center — making it a popular destination for flight training.

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.

Military Use

In 1940 the United States Army Air Corps leased the airport and named it Everett Army Air Field. In 1941, the Army officially acquired the airport and named it Paine Army Air Field (AAF) in honor of Second Lieutenant Topliff Olin Paine (1893-1922).

When the United States entered World War II, there was a need to protect the Bremerton Shipyards and the Boeing plant and airfield in Seattle, which produced the B-17 Flying Fortress and B-29 Superfortress bombers. The airfield remained a United States Army Air Forces airfield for the duration of World War II, hosted by the 465th Army Air Force Base Unit. The following squadrons were assigned to Paine AAF:

• 37th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor), P-38 Lightning, 7-14 Dec 1941
• 41st Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor), P-39 Airacobra, 15 Dec 1941 - 21 Jan 1942
• 54th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor), Curtiss P-40, 22 Jan-25 May 1942
• 59th Fighter Squadron, Curtiss P-40, May-June 1942

• 329th Fighter Group, P-38 Lightning, 14 Jul - 10 Sep 1942

330th, 331st and 332d Fighter Squadrons

• 55th Fighter Group

38th Fighter Squadron, P-38 Lightning, 9 Sep 1942 - 23 Aug 1943

• 20th Fighter Group, P-39 Airacobra , 30 Sep 1942 - 1 Jan 1943

55th, 77th and 79th Fighter Squadrons

• 70th Fighter Wing, 15 Aug-8 Nov 1943

• 478th Fighter Group

544th Fighter Squadron, P-39 Airacobra, 27 Jan-31 Mar 1944.

• 406th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), B-25 Mitchell, 8 Dec 1941 - 20 Jul 1942

Detachments operated from: Astoria, Wash, and Marshfield, Ore, Apr-May 1942 performing antisubmarine patrols.

Detachments attached to 28th Composite Group and operated from: Elmendorf Field, AK Yakutat AK, Naknek AK, and Kodiak AK from Jun to Nov 1942

• 73d Bombardment Squadron (Medium), B-26 Marauder, 14 Sep - 1 Nov 1943

By the end of 1945, the military presence at Paine Field was all but gone. In 1946, the airbase began to be returned to county supervision. The final transfer of property back to Snohomish County was complete in 1948.

As a result of the Cold War, it was returned to military service in 1951 and renamed Paine Air Force Base by the United States Air Force. Part of the Air Defense Command (ADC), the airport operated under joint military and civilian control until 1968. The airport conceded use of all of the commercial facilities other than the aviation services to provide housing for the troops. The Air Force also had priority over the use of the airport.

The 4753rd Air Base Squadron was redesignated to the 86th Air Base Squadron which was later changed to the 529th Air Defense Group. In 1955, the 529th Air Defense Group gave way to the 326th Fighter Group (Air Defense). In 1961, the 326th Fighter Group was discontinued and was replaced by the 57th Fighter Group as the host unit at Paine AFB. Known ADC operational units assigned to the airfield were:

• 635th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, (ACWS), 1 July - 1 Sep 1950
• 529th Air Defense Group (25th Air Division), 8 Oct 1954-18 Aug 1955
• 326th Fighter Group (25th Air Division), 18 Aug 1955-10 Feb 1960

• 83d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, F-84 Thunderjet, F-86 Sabre, 27 Ju1 1952 - 18 Aug 1955
• 321st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, F-89D/H/J Scorpion, 18 Aug 1955 - 1 Mar 1960

• 57th Fighter Group, 1 Apr 1961-30 Sep 1968

64th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, F-102 Delta Dagger, 14 Mar 1960 - 10 Jun 1966

The Air Force Reserve also operated several troop carrier squadrons during the 1950s. These units operated C-119 Flying Boxcars and later C-124 Globemaster II transports. In June 1965 they were reassinged to McChord AFB.

• 65th Troop Carrier Squadron, 15 Apr 1955 - 16 Nov 1957
• 328th Troop Carrier Squadron, 16 Nov 1957 - 25 Mar 1958
• 97th Troop Carrier Squadron, 25 Mar 1958 - 30 Jun 1965
• 941st Troop Carrier Group, 22 Jan 1963 - 9 Nov 1965

In 1966, the Air Force began closing Paine AFB due to budgetary reasons and the facility was returned to full civil control in 1968, however the Washington Air National Guard remained and operates from part of the facility known as Paine Air National Guard Base to the present day.

Civil Use

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. This agreement defines the role of Paine Field to be as a general aviation and aerospace manufacturing airport. In addition Snohomish County has adopted the policy of not spending funds to subsidize airlines or to pay for the infrastructure needed to support commercial air service. Local governments including Snohomish County (the airports operator), and the neighboring cities of Brier, Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo, and Woodway have all adopted resolutions against the use of Paine Field for commercial airline flights.

See also

• Washington World War II Army Airfields

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• USAF Aerospace Defense Command publication, The Interceptor, January 1979 (Volume 21, Number 1).
• Mauer, Mauer (1969), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, Air Force Historical Studies Office, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. ISBN 0892010975
• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0912799129.
• USAFHRA Document 01109178
• USAFHRA Document 00176351
• USAFHRA Document 01082987
• USAFHRA Document 00056327
• USAFHRA Document 00420362
• USAFHRA Document 00456260
• USAFHRA Document 00106493
• USAFHRA Document 00463772
• USAFHRA Document 00436487
• USAFHRA Document 00435697
• USAFHRA Document 00201409

External links

• Paine Field website
• Future of Flight Aviation Center website
• Citizens supporting the MRD
• Biography of Lt Topliff Olin Paine - National Postal Museum
• Everett Public Library's Digital Collection/Northwest Room/Aviation
• Boeing Major Production Facilities - More information about the Boeing plant at Paine Field
• Hangar 201 Project - Hangar Space at Paine Field
• Resources for this airport:
  • FAA airport information for PAE
  • AirNav airport information for KPAE
  • ASN accident history for PAE
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart, Terminal Procedures