Port approves Air Force closure request
MOSES LAKE — The Air Force is coming to Moses Lake.
On Friday, the three commissioners of the Port of Moses Lake unanimously approved a request from the U.S. Air Force to temporarily close the runways and taxiways at Grant County International Airport for several hours on Saturday, June 16, and Sunday, June 17, to conduct a series of tests of the new KC-46 tanker.
“We are a unique airport,” said commissioner David “Kent” Jones. “We have all kinds of interesting things happening here, and from time to time, these activities inconvenience people. We try and minimize that.”
The runways and taxiways will be closed to allow the Air Force to deploy vehicles equipped with special electronics to simulate missile attacks on low-flying tankers and test the plane’s ability to evade and combat those attacks.
The KC-46 Pegasus, which is based on the Boeing 777, is the Air Force’s long awaited replacement for its aging KC-135 Stratotanker, which was developed in tandem with the Boeing 707 airliner and first entered service in the late 1950s.
According to Frank Chmelik, a Bellingham attorney who specializes in representing port districts, the Air Force has picked Grant County International Airport for the test because it’s flat and treeless, the air is clear, its relatively close to Boeing’s Seattle operations, and Boeing has support services here.
While the runways and taxiways will be closed from 9-11 a.m. and then again from noon to 3 p.m. on both June 16 and 17, Port Operations Director Rich Mueller said the airspace will still be open and port tenants — such as Mitsubishi Aircraft — can still do work on tarmac in front of their hangars.
However, Fred Meise, the owner of crop sprayers NorthWest AG, said he was concerned that the test will make it more difficult for crop dusters like himself to effectively operate, possibly missing a spraying contract, and sets a precedent for more disruptive closures in the future.
“The corridors that we fly through, we cannot put anything off, we’ve got to take care of the farmer,” Meise said. “This sets a precedent, and it’s not good for our industry. Time is of the essence.”
“I know a day lost in spring doesn’t get made up,” said Commissioner Darrin Jackson. “It’s gone.”
Mueller said in the event of an emergency, such as a LifeFlight or a U.S. Forest Service tanker mobilization, the airfield could be cleared quickly.
The public will also be invited to watch the test, Chmelik said.
“The planes will be coming in low and slow,” he said.
Charles H. Featherstone can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com.