b'28 EATRAMPSThe effects of COVID-19 negated those efforts, however. Post-pandemic, EATs scheduled service with Horizon Air has fallen from three to four daily SEA departures in 2019 to the current two daily roundtrips. Despite the dip in commercial flights, Moyers says EATs airfield remains steadily busy with traffic from tenants and transient customers.Firefighting aircraft are based there when wildland fires occur, and the corporate aviation sector is growing. Looking out of his office window, Moyers sees business mainstays such as a Challenger 604, Beechcraft 1900 and Pilatus PC-12. Recent airfield enhancements pave the way for more scheduledHopefully well get there, he says of a return to pre-pandemic service and corporate traffic.traffic levels. The demand is certainly there.EAT occupies 700 acres just east of the town center, and That ties Wenatchee really closely with Silicon Valley, notesincludes the 70-acre Pangborn Airport Business Park. Currently, Norvell. the airport provides 90 direct jobs, supports nearly 200 more, and Naturally, changes in the local economy also drive changes tocontributes $33.8 million annually to the local economy. local air service.Its a large part of the community, Hurst says. Having a flight Prior to the pandemic, the U.S. Department of Transportationto Seattle is great, and hopefully with these improvements there awarded EAT a $750,000 Small Community Air Servicewill be flights to other locations. As Pangborn Airport grows, it will Development grant to support a push for nonstop service to thehelp the community to grow. San Francisco Bay area. Local businesses pledged more thanWhats Past is Prologue$400,000 in matching contributions in hopes of adding flights to/from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) for both leisure andEast Wenatchee and EAT are part of a colorful footnote in global business purposes.aviation lore. In October 1931, a pair of pilots was close to finishing the first-ever nonstop flight across the Pacific Ocean when its Bellanca CH-400, Miss Veedol, went off course and missed its intended RUNWAY FRICTIONlanding site in Seattle. Bad weather halted subsequent efforts to touch down in Spokane and also Boise, ID. TESTING ON DEMAND Exhausted and flying on fumes, the crew unceremoniously capped their 41-hour journey from Japan with a belly landing on a sandy airstrip in East Wenatchee. When EAT opened a decade later, it bore the name of Clyde Pangborn, one of the Miss Veedol pilots. While Moyers appreciates the past, he and the Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority remain focused on the next chapter of East Wenatchees aviation history. Next year, the Washington Air National Guard will relocate an Army Aviation Support Facility DOWNLOAD NOW from Spokanes Fairchild Air Force Base to EAT, bringing nine from the Google Play Storehelicopters and approximately 20 full-time jobs to East Wenatchee. *Message and data rates apply. Android and Google Play are trademarks In the wake of the recent apron improvements, planning is NAC-DFDof Google, Inc. Available for use: Android 4.4 and upTHE ONLY EQUIPMENT NEEDED FITS underway to replace the airports sole runway as early as 2025. IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND And a medium-intensity approach lighting system with runway alignment indicator was recently added to boost wintertime Dynamic Friction Decelerometer approach visibility. All of these projects and more keep Moyers Mobile Application for Android optimistic that EATs traffic will soon exceed pre-pandemic levels. For winter ops use only, Version 2.3 Copyright2009, 2017, 2023 NAC Dynamics, LLC All Rights Reserved* He hopes that growth will include service to the Bay Area. And ASTM, ICAO, & FAA APPROVED.perhaps in the not-too-distant future, some passengers will arrive COMING SOON FOR IPHONE USERS in eco-friendly aircraft.Weve built in capabilities to accommodate electric aircraft, Moyers notes. If thats the future and thats the way the industry goes, were positioned to grow with the investments we have 19982023 made. airportnac.com| |727.538.8744 info@airportnac.comOctober 2023AirportImprovement.com'