Category : Explainers(49)

Almost everything about every airport is complicated. And Sea-Tac Airport is more challenging than most. These short-form articles try to make things as simple as possible. Use them to branch off into deeper dives.

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  • 2023-03-05

    Aircraft Size Comparison – A320, A321, and Transcontinental/Transatlantic H2 Aircraft

    Technical diagram showing side-by-side size comparison of four aircraft types: Airbus A320, A321, and two variants of hydrogen-powered aircraft designed for transcontinental and transatlantic routes. The diagram illustrates the relative scale and configuration differences between conventional and hydrogen aircraft designs.

  • The Great Wall Of Sea-Tac

    In 1996, the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) gave final approval to the Port of Seattle’s proposal to build a Third Runway. The airport was originally sited on a small plateau about 430 feet above sea level, which ended immediately at the west side of what is now Taxiway Tango. The basic struggle in airport

  • Calculating DNL65

    We’ve often made the claim that DNL65 is not really a unit of measure. And when we say that it comes off as both condescending and patronizing. Okeedokee… If you want to understand DNL65,  you should probably start by going to the regulations governing Airport Noise Compatibility and Planning aka Part 150. Got it? Great.

  • Financials

    Below are the Certified Audited Financial Reports (CAFR) for the Port of Seattle over the past fifteen years. Before you embark on your light reading for the day, some generalities, including Why would I want to read a CAFR?. Port Finance 101 Structurally, the Port of Seattle is extremely complex. That’s not a question of

  • The Fourth Runway

    We’ve begun using the term “Fourth Runway” to describe two large projects (SR-509 and the Sustainable Airport Master Plan) as one system, which they are. The two projects have always been part of a regional plan begun over fifty years ago to meet the strategic goals of the Port Of Seattle and regional planners. The construction of SR-509 will affect the communities are great deal. But starting in 2027 the projects will also increase flight operations at least 33% and cargo operations by 300%.

  • Significant events in the growth of Sea-Tac Airport since 1996

    Introduction The growth of Sea-Tac Airport has definitely not been linear. There have been many fits and starts that don’t make for easy sound bites. For example, Sea-Tac Airport was able to run over 400,000 operations in 2000 on only two runways. By the time the Third Runway opened for business on November, 20 2008,

  • Flow and Flight Tracks

    A set of daily tracks from March 1 to March 18, 2018, giving a representation of North Flow and South Flow departure and arrivals. To make sense of these we suggest reading our article on runways and flow. People who complain about the flight concentration immediately notice the pattern to ‘the funnel’, ie. the points

  • SAMP For Dummies

    The Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) is the blueprint for increasing flight capacity by one third in the next ten years. It will have the same community impact as the Third Runway. In fact, it is happening now. How this is possible, and what it means for us.
  • 2020-06-03

    Why electric airplanes are no panacea

    The (very) good news is that there is more than one zero-emission aviation technology coming. But at the risk of being Mr. Negative, at least for airport communities, electric airplanes are no panacea. And we say that not to inspire despair but to tell residents the realities, which are: Each of these alternatives comes with

  • Are the airplanes getting louder and lower?

    No. And maybe. Objectively speaking, individual aircraft flyovers near Sea-Tac Airport are not getting lower or louder. (Before you click away in disgust, note that some of our members live as low as ‘760’, ie. when correcting for sea level less than 400 feet directly under the belly of an aircraft. No one is more