each airport in the national airspace system has unique and distinct characteristics
this can sometimes lead pilots to use the wrong surface in taxi takeoff or landing operations
let's take a look at some of these tricky areas from the flight deck
snohomish county paine field is a medium-sized multi-use airport located approximately 25 miles
north of seattle's seatac international airport just east of the puget sound in everett washington
while it is primarily a general aviation airport there is a large boeing aircraft manufacturing
facility on the field test flights and taxi tests with large and heavy jet traffic are common here
the airport also has daily air carrier operations in addition to this there are
several flight schools located at the airport this mix of pilot experience
and aircraft makes paine field a challenging environment for both controllers and pilots
the airport configuration consists of two parallel runways 1 6 left and right and 3
4 left and right with staggered thresholds a full length parallel taxiway is associated with
both runway one six left three four right and runway one six right three four left
a complex taxiway system provides access to all services terminals and businesses primarily
located between the runways as with any airport with parallel runways with staggered thresholds
the potential exists for wrong surface landings full-length parallel taxiways
increase this risk even further pilots should note that runway 1 6 left 3 4
right is half the size of the larger 1 6 right 3 4 left keep in mind that you may be assigned
either runway and be prepared to positively identify your assigned runway as soon as possible
hotspot 1 is located at the south end of taxiway alpha between taxiway's alpha 9r and alpha 10.
this area is not visible from the tower pilots may need to give more precise
position reports to the tower when taxiing for departure on runway 3-4 left in this area
hotspot two is found at the other end of runway one six right three four left
taxiway alpha one leads directly to the approach end of runway one six right
and is the correct route for aircraft utilizing the full length of runway one six
pilots should not use taxiway alpha alpha unless specifically instructed to do so by atc
while not listed as hot spots there are several areas at the airport that
still warrant special attention from pilots especially first-time visitors
intersection departures are commonly used on runway 16 right 3-4 left at taxiway's alpha 5
and alpha 6. there have been several instances where a pilot is cleared for an intersection
departure on one runway and for whatever reason has tried to depart in the wrong direction
this has obvious consequences especially if there is traffic on final verifying your heading before
takeoff to ensure your clearance and heading match will go a long way in helping to prevent
this problem another wrong surface takeoff risk exists on the other side of the airport
aircraft taxiing from the large non-movement area west of the runway to depart runway 16 left
have sometimes called the control tower ready for takeoff while holding short of the non-movement
area misled by the line at the edge of the ramp near taxiway golf one when cleared for takeoff the
pilots then inadvertently turned onto and departed taxiway golf pilots should not contact the tower
for takeoff until they are holding short of the hold line next to the runway at taxiway golf one
a clear understanding of pavement markings and signage as well as being
aware of where you actually are located on the airport will help avoid this mistake
the last area to be concerned with is located at the intersection of taxiway's charlie
delta alpha and juliet this is simply a large and potentially confusing intersection
when departing or arriving clear understanding of your assigned taxi route including turns and
hold short instructions before you taxi will help avoid mistakes like the ones listed here
the use of moving map displays and airport diagrams will make this task that much simpler as
with any atc instruction if you are ever in doubt or confused ask the tower controllers would much
rather spend an extra few seconds clarifying or providing progressive taxi instructions then be
faced with a surface incident being aware of the hot spots and other configuration issues at paine
field will help pilots make better decisions and along with the air traffic control tower
keep the operation safe and efficient we hope this short video helps you prepare
for your trip to the snohomish county paine field airport it's always better to know before you go
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