The year 2020 is the start of my fifth year with
WAMA, and as Executive Director, I’ve seen
the organization grow as a more encompass-
ing and professional organization over these
past few years.
Much of the growth of WAMA is due to the
strong leadership of our president, Tim Men-
sonides, who has done an outstanding job of
bringing forth new suggestions and keeping
the organization on track. Along with that, are
the committee chairmen, who have pushed to
move the organization forward. Although
each has responsibilities for their own airport
jobs, each of our committee chairmen are
dedicated, serious, and always come through
with a quality product at the end. We thank
those who have served on
the Board this past year and
welcome the newly elected
members, Adam Phelps as
president, Rich Mueller as vice president and
Brandon Rakes as director. A special thanks
goes to John Haakenson and Kelly Thompson
who have led the Conference Committee for
many years and will be leaving the Board.
The conferences have become bigger and
better with a boost in attendance, quality
speakers, and greater sponsorship. The 2020
conference will be at Sun Mountain Lodge near
Winthrop, Washington, and I urge you all to
attend. Registration information is available on
Executive Director Report
WAMA NEWS
www.wama.us January 2020 Volume 5, Issue 1
Inside this issue:
Executive Director 1
History Link 2
Upcoming Events 2
Meet Our Associ-
ates—Airside Solu-
tions
3
Airport Spotlight—
Sequim Valley
4
Annual WAMA
Conference Report
6
New Drone ID Rule 7
Welcome New Air-
port Managers
7
Sea-Tac’s New IAF 7
Airport Tour High-
lights
8
Welcome to the New Board!
President Adam Phelps
Do you know?
-That in the 10 years
between 2007 and 2017
Sea-Tac’s International
Travel grew by 107%?
(See page 7)
-What airport offers tiny
houses for vacation
stays? (See page 5)
-How long did the first
flight last in 1911 at
Snohomish? (See page 2)
Vice President Rich Mueller
Secretary Lorene Robinson
Treasurer Sara Young
Director 4 Rob Peterson
Director 3 Rob Hodgman
Director 2 Jennifer Skoglund
Director 1 Brandon Rakes
Past President Tim Mensonides
Associate Rep. David Field
Continued on page 2
By Marjy Leggett
On Sunday, May 7, 1911, Fred J. Wiseman
(1876-1961) makes the first powered flight in
Snohomish County, near the town of
Snohomish. Due to severe wet weather the
preceding day, Wiseman's craft, a Curtiss-
Wright-Farman biplane, is able to achieve
only about 60 feet altitude before its pilot
makes a rough landing at the nearby Bateman
farm. The entire flight lasts for less than a
minute in duration.
An Aviation Pioneer
Proclaimed at the time as a remarkable, per-
haps unique event for a Northwest communi-
ty the size of Snohomish, the first airplane
flight in Snohomish County history occurred
on the afternoon of Sunday, May 7, 1911, just
north of the present Harvey Airfield.
At the controls was Fred J. Wiseman, a former
racecar driver from California. He had been
flying only a year but had some noteworthy
accomplishments to his credit. In May 1910
he piloted the
first airplane
built in Cali-
fornia. In Jan-
uary 1911 he
placed second
in an air race
at Selfridge
Field in San
Francisco,
competing
against professional Curtiss pilots H. A. Rob-
inson and Lincoln Beachey. At the same meet
he ran up the longest sustained flight (more
than six minutes) and spent a total of 49
minutes 43 seconds in the air, the greatest
accumulated air time of the entire contest.
The following month, flying the same aircraft
he brought to Snohomish, Wiseman carried
mail between Petaluma and Santa Rosa, a
feat later recognized as the first airmail flight
in U.S. history. Link to the whole story
https://www.historylink.org/File/8491
this newsletter issue.
If you have an airport-related question, there
are many knowledgeable WAMA members
who will eagerly share their experiences, sug-
gestions, and solutions. Take advantage of
this wealth of knowledge network and send
your questions to me. I will forward your
request to the membership and can guaran-
tee you will receive a number of suggestions
to help with your situation.
WAMA’s mission is to strengthen airports and
airport management by fostering profession-
alism among airport operators. If we can
help you or if you have an idea that can help
others, please share. As your Executive Di-
rector, I am always glad to help you in any
way I can, so please reach out.
To all of you, a Happy, Healthy New Year in
2020!
Marjy
the website at www.wama.us.
The airport tours have been popular, giving mem-
bers a chance to tour other airports, ask ques-
tions, and pick up ideas that can be applied to
their own field. Thanks to Walla Walla, Arlington,
Moses Lake, and Paine Field this past year for wel-
coming WAMA members to their facilities. If you
would like to host an airport tour, please contact
us and we will work with you to schedule a time
to visit.
The bi-weekly WAMA Waypoints news bulletin,
started in 2018, is a platform for you to post an-
nouncements, requests, or items for sale. It also
keeps you abreast with the latest news happen-
ings at WAMA. Please contact me at direc-
[email protected] if you have news you would like to
share.
The Strategic Planning Committee has updated
the mission statement and goals for WAMA,
which were approved at the fall Board of Direc-
tors meeting. Check them out on page eight of
….Executive Director Continued
Page 2 WAMA NEWS
SAVE THE
DATES
2020
Jan. 14—Airport
Awareness Day—
Olympia
Jan. 16— Aviation
Caucus at 7:00
a.m. in Cherberg
Building, Olympia
Feb. 13— Aviation
Caucus at 7:00
a.m. in Cherberg
Building, Olympia
Feb. 22-23 — North-
west Aviation Con-
ference & Trade
Show– Puyallup
June 1-3 — WAMA –
Conference — Sun
Mountain Lodge
— Winthrop
HISTORY LINK: 1911—First Powered Flight in Snohomish County
Fred Wiseman and his wife in
1911
Volume 5, Issue 1 Page 3
What’s Happening
at WAMA?
Your Members at
Work
HUMAN RESOURCES
COMMITTEE
Year-end activities have
been keeping your WAMA
Human Resource Com-
mittee busy!
The Nominating Com-
mittee, under the auspices
of the Human Resources
Committee, put forth to
membership a great slate
of candidates for WAMA
Board positions. Welcome
to Rich Mueller and Bran-
don Rakes! In 2020 the
board will be made up of
the following: Adams
Phelps, President, Rich
Mueller, Vice-President,
Lorene Robinson, Secretary,
Sara Young, Treasurer,
Brandon Rakes, Director #1,
Jennifer Skoglund, Director
#2, Rob Peterson, Director
#3 and Rob Hodgman, Di-
rector #4.
The HR Committee also just
completed the annual re-
view of our Executive Direc-
tor Marjy Leggett. Our or-
ganization is fortunate to
have Marjy and the leader-
ship skills she brings to
WAMA.
—Jennifer Skoglund
Human Resources
Airside Solutions Inc., (ASI) is
located in Auburn, WA and is
a full line supplier of airfield /
heliport lighted navigational
systems, equipment and
technical services. They serve
the State of Washington and
the entire Pacific Northwest,
including Alaska and the US
territorial Pacific Islands.
Recent Washington State
airfield projects completed
include Seatac Runway 16C
Rehabilitation that installed
the 1st LED High Intensity
airfield lighting at SEA on the
RW 16C edge, centerline, and
touchdown zones. The run-
way distance to go and taxi-
way informational signs were
also upgrade to LED.
Spokane selected AirSide
Solutions this past year as the
supplier for their 2019 Ramp
Lighting LED Upgrade. All
commercial airline gate areas
were upgraded from older
technology HID lamp sources
to LED fixtures that greatly
enhance visibility and opera-
tional safety.
Airside Solutions has recently
been chosen to be the suppli-
er of the airfield lighting
equipment on the Grant
County I.A. RW 14L-32R Line
of Sight (LOS) Rehabilitation
project. As reported by Vice
President / Region Manager
Rick Lafferty, they will be
partnering with The Port of
Moses Lake, Granite Con-
struction and Neppel Electric
to provide the most techni-
cally advanced products and
systems to the project.
The primary lighting systems
to be installed will be:
• New High Intensity Runway
lighting.
• New Medium Intensity
Taxiway lighting
• New LED Runway Distance
Remaining & Taxiway Di-
rectional signage.
• New LED Runway End Iden-
tifier Light flashing system.
• Infrared Military Overt /
Covert RW lighting system.
• Runway 5kv cable replace-
ment.
Per Mr. Lafferty, the ASI team
that will be supporting the
Grant County I.A. project
includes the Project Manage-
ment, Sales Support, Tech-
nical Services and Operations
Departments.
Key ASI personnel include Presi-
dent / CEO Ronald Nelson and
Office Manager Cait Goodman
in Operations. Senior Sales Sup-
port Randy Ashby, along with
Warehouse Manager Jeff Eng-
lert and Conrad Alaniz in Ship-
ping / Receiving insure timely
product deliveries. The ASI
Technical Services Department
will be on-site during control
system commissioning, includ-
ing Tech Service Manager Gor-
don Winburn and Technician
Gregorio Esteban. Jake Nelson /
Senior Account Manager, will
be assisting Rick in project man-
agement.
You can learn more about all
products and services available
from AirSide Solutions at:
www.airsidesolutionsinc.com
Or you can contact Rick Lafferty directly at:
Meet Our Associate Members
AIRPORT OWNERSHIP & MANAGEMENT
Sequim Valley Airport is cur-rently operated by Andy and Jane Sallee, assisted by a Board of Directors totaling 8 people with varied aviation backgrounds. The Sallee family currently owns over 70% of the corporation’s stock with the remaining stock being owned by 24 additional long-term investors. Current reve-nues come from tie-downs, landing fees, fuel sales, hangar rental, association dues, and airpark lot sales. The airport operates with volunteer help.
HISTORY
Sequim Valley Airport was originally founded in 1983 when the Sallee Family identi-fied a need for a community public use airport for Sequim. The airport project began when airport founders Jack and Winnie Sallee purchased 55 acres where the main part of the airport is now located. The location was selected for its ideal flying environment, including a large level valley area between the Olympic Mountains to the south and the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the north. At that time there were 12 additional investors that helped finance the con-struction of the airport in trade for stock in the airport’s “Sub Chapter S” corporation. An Environmental Assessment and public hearing process
ABOUT Sequim Valley Airport (W28) is a privately owned, open for public use airport and resi-dential airpark located in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, three miles north-west of sunny Sequim, Wash-ington on the north side of the Olympic Peninsula. Conse-quently, Sequim has an aver-age annual rainfall of only seventeen inches giving the area the reputation of being the “Blue Hole” of the Pacific Northwest. This benefits the airport by providing condi-tions suitable for VFR ap-proaches on most days of the year. With spectacular moun-tain views in a rural setting we believe this is one of the most beautiful airports in Washington State. Sequim Valley Airport features a 3500’ x 40’ paved, lighted runway 9/27 at an elevation of 144’. Tie downs and car
parking are available. The air-port is used mostly by local general aviation pilots for both pleasure and business flying. These pilots usually have planes that are based in a T- hangar, outside tie down, or at Discovery Trail Farm Airpark. There are a frequent number of transient aircraft that fly in from other locations as tour-ists, to meet family, friends or conduct business with other local companies.
were completed and permits were obtained after which construction took place. Through the effort, dreams, contributions and volunteer work of many local people the airport came into existence and by 1985 had a paved run-way.
LOCAL BENEFITS
Sequim and eastern Clallam County are fortunate to have an airport that makes a sub-stantial contribution to the local area and economy over the years. This public use air-port was built and operated at no cost to the local taxpayers. If this airport were to be built today, obtaining open land and acquiring building permits would be difficult if not impos-sible. To achieve what we have today could easily ex-ceed $10 million in costs if constructed by a government entity.
AIRPORT OVERLAY DISTRICT
In 2007 a new Airport Overlay District was established in cooperation with Clallam County which created addi-tional zoning definitions and airspace protection. This gives the airport additional flexibil-ity over previous zoning that was more restrictive for air-port related development.
AIRPORT LAYOUT PLAN
Century West Engineering has been developing our first ALP
INTRODUCING SEQUIM VALLEY AIRPORT (W28)
Page 4 WAMA NEWS
AIRPORT SPOTLIGHT
Continued on page 5
SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE The WAMA Scholarship
Committee is happy to
report that all four pro-
grams, the Thomas Eller
Scholarship, Professional
Development Grant, Com-
munity Aviation Education
Grant, and Internship
Grant were all awarded to
worthy applicants in
2019. This is the first time
in several years all four
programs have been
awarded, and we look
forward to 2020 and an-
other successful
round. The application
period for all scholarship
programs is February 1 –
March 31 each year. The
committee will be up-
dating the forms over the
next couple of months and
begin our outreach to in-
form potential applicants
about the pro-
grams. Please feel free to
email Rob Hodgman at
if you have any questions.
—Rob Hodgman
Scholarship Committee
Sequim Valley Airport , a busy
and vibrant field, welcomes the
many guests and airport users.
and is in the final stages of completion. We are excited to have an ALP which helps us in our long- term planning and possible funding opportuni-ties from WSDOT in the fu-ture.
DISCOVERY TRAIL FARM AIR-PARK
As time moved forward, an airpark was established by Dave LeRoux and Walt John-son on land bordering the airport and is connected to the runway by a paved taxi-way. Discovery Trail Farm Airpark is a premier neighbor-hood for aviation enthusiasts. Located at the northwest cor-ner of Sequim Valley Airport, the airpark partners with the airport to provide a great place to live for pilots and their families. We feel it may be the best-designed airpark in the country. It is a neigh-borhood of 15 homes sur-rounded by 52 acres of dedi-cated farmland-farmland that will never be developed. Eve-ryone has a 52-acre backyard that someone else mows. We think this is the perfect blend of urban and country living.
TINY HOUSE CABIN RENTALS
Two tiny house vacation cabins were added to the airport in 2018 through a partnership with Wolf Indus-tries. Guests can fly in, bike in, or drive in. Our 2 cozy Sequim vacation rental cab-ins are conveniently located at Sequim Valley Airport and border the Olympic Discov-ery Trail. Both cabins fea-ture mindful design includ-ing an eat in kitchen, living room area, 1 bedroom with a Queen size memory foam mattress and luxury bed-ding. Other guest amenities include a full-size bathroom,
washer/dryer, and propane appliances and bicycles. These can be reserved using AirBnB.
OLYMPIC PENINSULA AIR AFFAIRE
Sequim Valley Airport hosts the Olympic Peninsula Air Affaire / Fly-In. This annual event features antique plane exhibitions, classic car show, hot air balloon rides, helicop-ter rides, remote control air-craft, aerial demonstrations, aviation crafts, music, food and more. The event is a lot of fun and provides us with a great opportunity to show off the airport, demonstrate what the airport provides and the benefits of having a local
aviation community. An esti-mated 3500 people attended the 7th Annual Air Affaire last summer. The 2020 Air Affaire and Fly-In will take place on August 29th 2020.
RECENT & UPCOMING PRO-JECTS
Recent upgrades include hangar remodel, new above-ground, 100LL, self- service fuel tank, and tiny house rentals which provide in-creased revenue. The airport has great potential for future income. Other recent pro-jects include a new website,
runway signs, and parking lot upgrades. Upcoming projects for 2020 include removal of the old underground fuel tank along with soil testing. Repav-ing the entry road into the airport and fueling area is also on the list for 2020.
THE FUTURE & INVESTMENT OPPOTUNITIES
Sequim Valley Airport is home to Discovery Trail Farm Airpark, as well as a great investment opportunity. The area is unique in that it has the driest climate of any public use airport in Western Washington. The airport has excellent long-term potential for any future owners. The close proximity to Puget Sound and the Seattle area make it an ideal home-base or investment property. The airport is owned by Sequim Valley Airport Inc., a Wash-ington Corporation, and has 26 shareholders. Our private investors come from a varie-ty of different backgrounds and have been a significant and deeply valued part of the airport’s success. Running the airport is a lot of fun and quite rewarding but as the primary owners are ap-proaching retirement, we have reached a point with the airport where we plan to find a new buyer or majority shareholder who shares the vision that we have enjoyed with the community over the
last 35 years. We’re looking for an individual or organiza-tion that would be interested in further development of
...Sequim Valley Airport Continued
Volume 5, Issue 1 Page 5
Continued on page 6
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
The WAMA Membership
Committee recently
worked with Treasurer
Young on emailing out
notices to the membership
informing them how to
sign up for a banner ad-
vertisement on the WAMA
website for the 2020 cal-
endar year.
By purchasing a banner for
the WAMA website, your
organization will get the
opportunity to advertise
its logo on WAMA’s
homepage and a chance
to be featured in our quar-
terly newsletter!
The committee is currently
preparing to send mem-
bership 2020 renewal no-
tices out on January 1st.
—Lorene Robinson
Membership Committee
Sponsorships and Speakers
WAMA thanks those who have already con-
tributed sponsorships to the 2020 WAMA Con-
ference. The Conference Committee is contin-
uing to seek sponsorships. Information on how
you can be a sponsor is available on the
WAMA website: https://wama.us/
Sponsorship-Opportunities .
As the agenda is being developed, the Confer-
ence Committee is also seeking speakers. If
you know of a top speaker who has an inter-
esting topic, please contact Kelly Thompson
[email protected] (509) 375-3060 or
Dianne Wakefield (509) 547-6352
2021 Conference Selection
The committee visited Bremerton, Olympia,
and Alderbrook seeking locations for the 2021
WAMA Conference. After careful considera-
tion, the committee selected Alderbrook and
will finalize details in the coming month.
New Committee Chairman
We welcome Samantha Peterson as the new
Conference Committee chairman and thank
John Haakenson and Kelly Thompson for their
years of dedication into making the annual
conference such an outstanding event.
2020 WAMA Conference It is not too early to register and to make reser-vations for the 2020 WAMA Conference. This year’s conference will be held at the Sun Mountain Lodge near Winthrop, WA from June 1-3. Registration is available on our website at https://wama.us/event-3646472 . We recommend making your lodge reservations early. There are no other hotels close by. To make a reservation, call 800-572-0493 or 509-996-2211 and tell them you are with the Wash-ington Airport Management Association. The code is 45N9AR. Below is a list of room rates. Note that your credit card will be charged one night’s lodging when you make your reserva-tion. Main Lodge—$154 per night Mt. Gardner—$154 Mt. Robinson—$154 Patterson Lake Cabin—1 Bedroom—$162 Patterson Loft Suites—$222 Patterson Grand Suites—2 Bedroom—$378 Sun Mountain Lodge is family friendly with play-ground equipment, horse riding, many trails to walk, and much more. Visit their website at www.sunmountainlodge.com for more infor-mation.
Make Plans Now for the 2020 WAMA Conference
Page 6 WAMA NEWS
LEGISLATIVE
COMMITTEE
this beautiful facility including a possible restaurant, event center, additional hangars, corporate hangars, and aviation-related businesses. We feel the future and potential for this airport and facility is excellent.
Please view our websites for more infor-mation.
Airport Site: www.sequimvalleyairport.com
Airpark Site: www.discoverytrailfarmairpark.com
Investment Site: www.sequimairports.com
Air Affaire Site: www.olympicpeninsulaairffaire.com
...Sequim Airport Continued
The Legislative Committee
is gearing up for the 2020
State Legislative Session
and for Airport Awareness
Day on January 14th. The
committee has met and is
in the process of setting its
goals. Updates will appear
in the biweekly WAMA
Waypoints bulletin.
Susie Tracy, our WAMA
lobbyist, has been offered a
contract for this coming
year.
Rob Peterson
Legislative Committee
FAA on December 26, 2019 released its proposed rule for drone remote identification, kicking off a process that's taken years to unveil.
The rule, which would require drone operators to broadcast identification and location infor-mation, has long been seen as a necessary prerequisite for other broad expansions of drone oper-ations, like beyond the visual line of sight or over people, but was slowed down by the necessity of first legislating around law enforcement authority with regard to drones.
You can read the notice of proposed rulemaking here. Public comment is invited for the next 60 days.
To view online: https://subscriber.politicopro.com/transportation/whiteboard/2019/12/faa-publishes-drone-remote-id-rule-3975314
FAA Publishes Drone Remote ID Rule
Public Comments Open Until February 24
Volume 5, Issue 1 Page 7
AIRPORT
COMMITTEE
The end of 2019 for the
Airport committee end-
ed on a quiet note with
setting up the last tour
for 2019 at Paine Field
with the first privately
funded terminal in the
State of Washing-
ton. The committee will
be handed over to the
new chair, Rich Mueller,
for 2020. A core part of
the airport committee is
having membership
that covers all sizes and
types of airports. If you
would like to join the
committee, please
reach out to me, Adam
Phelps or Rich
Mueller. Dates for 2020
meetings should be
coming out soon!
—Adam Phelps Airport Committee Chair
JOHN ROE
WAMA welcomes John Roe, who has taken the position of managing the Lewis County air-ports—Toledo and Packwood. John is excited about the projects he will be leading and WAMA wishes him all the best in his new endeavor.
RODNEY PROPST
Rod just joined the Pierce County Airports as airport manager and assistant ferry manager
as of mid-December. He will be overseeing Tacoma Narrows and Thun Field. WAMA wel-
comes him to Washington and to the WAMA family.
Welcome New Airport Managers!
In 2017, when leadership at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) decided to build a
new International Arrivals Facility (IAF), they knew they had to leverage airport resources in a
cost-effective manner to enhance customer experience. At nearly 50 years old, the existing facil-
ity could no longer accommodate Sea-Tac’s demand for international travel, which grew 107
percent from 2007 to 2017.
To read more about this project, copy and paste this link into your browser:
http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/acrp/acrp_iop_059.pdf
By Tanya Snyder
Since our last newsletter, we have had several new airport managers join our aviation family.
WAMA welcomes them!
Sea-Tac’s New International Arrival Facility Gets an Upgrade
As reported from www.TRB.Org/ACRP Oct. 2019
Here are a few pictures from the two latest airport tours—Moses Lake’s Grant County (MWH) and Paine Field (PAE). Please
contact Rich Mueller or Adam Phelps if you would like to host a tour of your airport.
Kandace Harvey Harvey Field 9900 Airport Way Snohomish, WA 98296
Phone: 360-568-0834 Ext. 224 Fax: 360-568-0834 E-mail: [email protected]
www.wama.us
WASHINGTON AIRORT MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
MISSION: To strengthen airports and airport management in Washington State by
fostering professionalism among airport operators.
GOALS:
1. Professionalism
Goal 1.a. Provide networking and educational opportunities for airport personnel and affili-
ates in Washington State.
Goal 1.b. Establish and maintain relationships with academic and vocational programs.
2. Legislative Action
Goal 2.a. Monitor rulemaking and inform membership.
Goal 2.b. Educate and where appropriate, advocate for policy positions on behalf of WAMA membership.
Goal 2.c. Establish and maintain relationships with key legislators and policy makers.
3. Organizational Efficiency
Goal 3.a. Manage WAMA in a financially sustainable manner.
Goal 3.b. Provide effective governance and staffing for WAMA.
Goal 3.c. Maintain effective committees for WAMA.
Airport Tours
Newsletter questions? Contact Marjy Leggett [email protected]
PAINE
FIELD
Attendees tour the
Paine Field Fire Sta-
tion and new Termi-
nal Facility.
GRANT
COUNTY
MOSES
LAKE
Boeing 737 planes parked
at Grant County Interna-
tional Airport
WAMA members had the
opportunity to tour inside a
C-130 aircraft.