As an aerospace engineer and elected official, Renton’s airport has always been important to me

From 4:00-7:00 PM today I’ll be meeting people out at Renton airport for a BBQ fundraiser.  I would like you all to come and the details are here!  Here’s some background on our historic and vital airport, and some of my involvement with it.

Renton’s airport is important and historic:

The Renton Municipal Airport, Clayton Scott Field, is estimated to support 6.2 billion dollars a year in economic impact, including 18,000 jobs tied directly to airport businesses.  Aviation provides over a third of all Renton jobs and indirectly creates many of our other jobs. Along with living-wage paychecks, our aviation businesses pay about 38 million a year in taxes which help keep our city and schools succeeding.

Our Airport is also an important part of history. In 1922 it was a small turf runway called Bryn Mawr Airport. In 1935, two American icons, humorist Will Rogers and famed-aviator Wiley Post left the continental United States for the last time from Renton on their ill-fated trip to the Alaska frontier,  Our Seaplane base now bears their names. In 1943 Renton airfield was expanded and modernized by the US government to build the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. In 1954, our airport ushered in the jet age in commercial passenger transportation by launching the Boeing Dash 80 followed by the 707.   Also in 1954 local aviation pioneer Clayton Scott opened a business at Renton Airport alongside many other important businesses at the field.  ” Scotty” had flown out of Renton in 1928, served as Boeing founder William Boeing’s personal pilot, was the first pilot to land at Boeing Field, and ultimately became chief test pilot for the Boeing Company.  In 2006 Scotty flew himself to the Museum of Flight for a ceremony in which Marcie Palmer and I presented him with a banner naming the field after him.   From 1965 until now Clayton Scott Field has been the home of the 737, the best selling airliner in history.

The 2019 Master Plan Challenge

In 2019 the Renton Airport was undergoing a Master Planning process in order to maintain its safety, viability, and eligibility for Federal funding. The project was running into serious political challenges, and I helped work with the Airport Community, the Mayor, and the City Council to find a way through these challenges.

Our consultants on the project had identified an updated designation and new safety zones and clearances consistent with the most recent FAA Advisory Circulars for new airport design.  Unfortunately, these safety zones required us to extend the length of the airport by nearly 2000 feet, which either pushed it into the lake or right into downtown Renton.  The added airport length had already created great concern in the community, as we would have had to acquire anywhere from 40 to 100 new properties, including the sports field at Renton High School,  and do work in the lake and Cedar River that may not be allowed due to environmental concerns.  The airport could go all the way to Second Street.  Comments from concerned citizens and businesses continued to come into city hall, and it was clear that the project was facing severe headwinds.

We ultimately worked through these issues with the FAA, and our airport has maintained its classification and it’s financial viability for now.  But there are many more challenges on the horizon that will need elected leaders’ attention to keep our airport working for our community in the future.

For a detailed understanding of the technical issues involved in the Master Plan process, read more here in my 2019 blog on the topic

To search all my past stories on the airport, click here