In 1996 congressional testimony, Dr. Stephen Hockaday argued against building a costly third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, contending that the Port of Seattle greatly overstated the frequency of poor weather conditions that would require it. He presented evidence that true instrument flight conditions occur less than 8% of the year—not the 44% the Port claimed—and that existing navigation technologies like Localizer Directional Aid approaches could address capacity needs at far lower cost. Hockaday warned that spending half a billion dollars on a runway used only 15% of the time would divert resources from better long-term regional aviation solutions.Open full document
Notes
Dr. Stephen Hockaday, a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at California Polytechnic State University, testifies against the construction of a third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. He argues that the Port of Seattle has overstated the need for the runway, misrepresented weather conditions that limit airport capacity, and failed to consider alternatives such as Localizer Directional Aid approaches. He contends that the half-billion dollar project would undermine the search for a better long-term regional aviation solution.