PDX has been choked down to one runway for the last several weeks. Well, 1¼ if you count the Dash-8s using the cross-wind runway to fly to Seattle every half hour.
Have there been any delays? Have airlines had to cut flights? The place doesn't look like it's all that choked. Maybe we can get away with just one.
What? Stop building unneeded stuff at the airport? Surely the reader jests. The third runway may be off the table for now, but come some full moon, it will rise from the grave. The West Hills construction Mafia gets powerfully hungry sometimes.
Comments (6)
There has surely been lots of wasteful spending at PDX. Repaving a runway, however, hardly falls into that category.
Having the South runway--which is the longest runway and necessary for wide body jet service to other continents--continue to operate is NOT wasteful spending. It's necessary preventative maintenance.
Countless new parking structures? Wasteful. A big glass roof for the passenger drop off area? Attractive, somewhat useful, but surely wasteful. A 10,000 foot plus runway in good condition for an airport with regular intercontinental flights? Necessary. Having decent air service for a medium sized city that wants to attract new businesses? Necessary.
I have been traveling a lot the past two years--cruising past 100k both years--and the airport is given consistently high marks by every traveler.
There may not be a need for a third runway, don't want to comment on that, but as a city dependent on tourism and import/export business, we have to have a good airport.
Relying on just one runway for a busy airport would be the worst kind of penny wise / pound foolish thinking.
Some time in April, my return flight to PDX was delayed by "weather" in Portland. It was supposed to be a 2-hr delay or something hideous. We ended up being only 45 mins late. And the weather in Portland was perfect on arrival...
Rumor had it that the airlines made up the "weather" excuse when the real reason was runway maintenance of some sort. Pretty pathetic...but I guess the airlines are held responsible for hotels if a passenger misses their flight due to airline error.
Who puts a passenger up at a hotel if the airport screws up at no fault of the airline?
Guys, I am an aviation buff and a professional aviation photog. I do a TON of photography @ PDX. Currently one runway ops is not effecting times out there do to the massive reduction in flights do to the economy. The heavies,airliners, commuters, and fighters leave on time with delays in the single digit timeframe. BUT if this happened 16 months ago they would be very very stretched to accomodate everyone at peak times.
Often times a runway will be closed for repair at night for scheduled maint. But sometimes unscheduled service is needed and they will be down to 1 active. This has even been the 8000' north runway, yes heavies can use it too its just the ones that are loaded to the extreme cannot under certain conditions. Often times the Lufthansa A340 sucks up all 11,000ft on the south runway on a hot day with no wind! Here is a shot showing about how bad it can get when the south runway is closed during peak times:
The closest the A340 has ever come to running off the end of the runway I have EVER or would EVER care to see again!
My daily aviation photography blog can be seen here, 95% shot at PDX:
Charamba, Douro 2008
Horse Heaven Hills, Cabernet 2010
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills Pinot Grigio 2011
Avignonesi, Montepulciano 2004
Lorelle, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011
Villa Antinori, Toscana 2007
Mercedes Eguren, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Lorelle, Columbia Valley Cabernet 2011
Purple Moon, Merlot 2011
Purple Moon, Chardonnnay 2011
Abacela, Vintner's Blend No. 12
Opula Red Blend 2010
Liberte, Pinot Noir 2010
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Indian Wells Red Blend 2010
Woodbridge, Chardonnay 2011
King Estate, Pinot Noir 2011
Famille Perrin, Cotes du Rhone Villages 2010
Columbia Crest, Les Chevaux Red 2010
14 Hands, Hot to Trot White Blend
Familia Bianchi, Malbec 2009
Terrapin Cellars, Pinot Gris 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2009
Campo Viejo, Rioja, Termpranillo 2010
Ravenswood, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2010
Waterbrook, Reserve Merlot 2009
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills, Pinot Grigio 2011
Tarantas, Rose
Chateau Lajarre, Bordeaux 2009
La Vielle Ferme, Rose 2011
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio 2011
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir 2009
Lello, Douro Tinto 2009
Quinson Fils, Cotes de Provence Rose 2011
Anindor, Pinot Gris 2010
Buenas Ondas, Syrah Rose 2010
Les Fiefs d'Anglars, Malbec 2009
14 Hands, Pinot Gris 2011
Conundrum 2012
Condes de Albarei, Albariño 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2007
Penelope Sanchez, Garnacha Syrah 2010
Canoe Ridge, Merlot 2007
Atalaya do Mar, Godello 2010
Vega Montan, Mencia
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2009
Portuga, Rose 2011
Revelation, Chardonnay, Pays d'Oc 2010
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 2005
Monte Alto, Tinto Reserva 2005
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Cabernet, Indian Wells 2009
Espiral, Vinho Rose
Vin-Koru, Pinot Gris 2011
14 Hands, Hot to Trot Red 2009
Rodney Strong, Cabernet, Sonoma 2009
Abacela, Vintner's Blend #11
Portuga, White 2010
La Bourgeoisie, Red 2009
Januik, Red 2009
Three Rivers, River's Red 2008
Kirkland, Alexander Valley Merlot 2008
Muga, Rioja Rose 2010
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2009
Mauro Molino, Barbera d'Alba 2009
Garda Chiaretto Rose
Columbia Crest, Two Vines Vineyard 10 White
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley 2009
L'Hortus, Rose de Saignee 2010
Maculan, Pino & Toi 2008
McKinley Springs, Bombing Range Red 2008
Trader Joe's Pinot Gris 2009
Montes Alpha, Cabernet 2007
Gran Sasso, Sangiovese, Terre di Chieti 2009
Garda, Classico Chiaretto Rose
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 1999
Picos del Montgo, Tempranillo 2008
Chateau de Montmirail, Vacqueyras 2008
La Granja 360, Syrah 2009
Montgras, Carmenere Reserva 2009
Lange, Pinot Gris 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet 2008
Kirkland, Pinot Grigio 2010
Trader Joe's Coastal Syrah 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Merlot 2008
Trader Joe's Coastal Chardonnay 2009
Vieux Papes Red
Domaine de l'Aujardiere, Chardonnay 2009
Santa Rita, Cabernet, Medalla Real 2007
Penfold's, Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2008
Guild, Red, Lot #02 2008
Dievole, Dievolino Sangiovese 2008
Laforet, Burgogne Chardonnay 2009
Columbia Winery, Merlot 2007
Bonterra, Cabernet 2008
Elk Cove, Pinot Gris 2009
Maquis Lien 2006
Scott Paul, Pinot Noir, Le Paulee 2007
The Occasional Book
Neil Young - Waging Heavy Peace
Mark Bego - Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul (2012 ed.)
Jenny Lawson - Let's Pretend This Never Happened
J.D. Salinger - Franny and Zooey
Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol
Timothy Egan - The Big Burn
Deborah Eisenberg - Transactions in a Foreign Currency
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Slaughterhouse Five
Kathryn Lance - Pandora's Genes
Cheryl Strayed - Wild
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The Brothers Karamazov
Jack London - The House of Pride, and Other Tales of Hawaii
Jack Walker - The Extraordinary Rendition of Vincent Dellamaria
Colum McCann - Let the Great World Spin
Niccolò Machiavelli - The Prince
Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus - The Nanny Diaries
Brian Selznick - The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Sharon Creech - Walk Two Moons
Keith Richards - Life
F. Sionil Jose - Dusk
Natalie Babbitt - Tuck Everlasting
Justin Halpern - S#*t My Dad Says
Mark Herrmann - The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law
Barry Glassner - The Gospel of Food
Phil Stanford - The Peyton-Allan Files
Jesse Katz - The Opposite Field
Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
David Sedaris - Holidays on Ice
Donald Miller - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
Mitch Albom - Have a Little Faith
C.S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew
F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
William Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ivan Doig - Bucking the Sun
Penda Diakité - I Lost My Tooth in Africa
Grace Lin - The Year of the Rat
Oscar Hijuelos - Mr. Ives' Christmas
Madeline L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time
Steven Hart - The Last Three Miles
David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
Karen Armstrong - The Spiral Staircase
Charles Larson - The Portland Murders
Adrian Wojnarowski - The Miracle of St. Anthony
William H. Colby - Long Goodbye
Steven D. Stark - Meet the Beatles
Phil Stanford - Portland Confidential
Rick Moody - Garden State
Jonathan Schwartz - All in Good Time
David Sedaris - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Anthony Holden - Big Deal
Robert J. Spitzer - The Spirit of Leadership
James McManus - Positively Fifth Street
Jeff Noon - Vurt
Road Work
Miles run year to date: 21
At this date last year: 52
Total run in 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269
Comments (6)
There has surely been lots of wasteful spending at PDX. Repaving a runway, however, hardly falls into that category.
Having the South runway--which is the longest runway and necessary for wide body jet service to other continents--continue to operate is NOT wasteful spending. It's necessary preventative maintenance.
Countless new parking structures? Wasteful. A big glass roof for the passenger drop off area? Attractive, somewhat useful, but surely wasteful. A 10,000 foot plus runway in good condition for an airport with regular intercontinental flights? Necessary. Having decent air service for a medium sized city that wants to attract new businesses? Necessary.
Posted by Anon | July 2, 2009 12:46 PM
Well, the west hills "mafia" may be involved with the buildings at the airport, but the runways are usually done by paving companies:
http://tinyurl.com/ko9bvf
Wildish is from Eugene, and Kerr (I think)is from Woodburn.
Posted by PMG | July 2, 2009 12:48 PM
Do they do streets? Maybe somebody could send their names to Transportation Sue. She apparently has very few pavers on her Rolodex.
Posted by Jack Bog | July 2, 2009 12:49 PM
Anon: Seriously.
I have been traveling a lot the past two years--cruising past 100k both years--and the airport is given consistently high marks by every traveler.
There may not be a need for a third runway, don't want to comment on that, but as a city dependent on tourism and import/export business, we have to have a good airport.
Relying on just one runway for a busy airport would be the worst kind of penny wise / pound foolish thinking.
Posted by paul g | July 2, 2009 3:37 PM
Some time in April, my return flight to PDX was delayed by "weather" in Portland. It was supposed to be a 2-hr delay or something hideous. We ended up being only 45 mins late. And the weather in Portland was perfect on arrival...
Rumor had it that the airlines made up the "weather" excuse when the real reason was runway maintenance of some sort. Pretty pathetic...but I guess the airlines are held responsible for hotels if a passenger misses their flight due to airline error.
Who puts a passenger up at a hotel if the airport screws up at no fault of the airline?
Posted by JC | July 2, 2009 7:31 PM
Guys, I am an aviation buff and a professional aviation photog. I do a TON of photography @ PDX. Currently one runway ops is not effecting times out there do to the massive reduction in flights do to the economy. The heavies,airliners, commuters, and fighters leave on time with delays in the single digit timeframe. BUT if this happened 16 months ago they would be very very stretched to accomodate everyone at peak times.
Often times a runway will be closed for repair at night for scheduled maint. But sometimes unscheduled service is needed and they will be down to 1 active. This has even been the 8000' north runway, yes heavies can use it too its just the ones that are loaded to the extreme cannot under certain conditions. Often times the Lufthansa A340 sucks up all 11,000ft on the south runway on a hot day with no wind! Here is a shot showing about how bad it can get when the south runway is closed during peak times:
The closest the A340 has ever come to running off the end of the runway I have EVER or would EVER care to see again!
My daily aviation photography blog can be seen here, 95% shot at PDX:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vector1771/
Posted by Vector | July 3, 2009 1:34 PM