April 8th, 2026- 10:34 PM- Editors Update: Thanks to the thousands of local residents who read this story and connected with it. When I published this story yesterday, April 7th, 2026, at 1 PM, nobody knew about this massive jet hangar project. Only 1 person, Miki Barnes, who is Hillsboro’s Aviation Dean and Community leader, had commented on the record. After our story ran, 10 or more of you took your time and submitted written comments to the land use file – directly to Planner Ruth Kline, who we featured in our story. Your comments, and my own testimony on the record, with very technical code sections that Sky Harbor, the developer, was violating.
News just came in that the Hillsboro Planning Commission heard our voices and that the Developer was unable to respond positively! Did we win? No. But we live to fight another day. My work as a community leader goes back over 35 years here in Hillsboro. This is maybe the 300th item I have worked on. My journalistic work was and is designed to be advocacy journalism at times. We have published over 1,000 news stories. A percentage of those are my Column, The Real Story, where I take a more active role. In these cases, I am acting both as a journalist, thought leader, and firebrand- the purpose being to get some of you involved and activated. This story is a perfect example of why this sort of work is important
Here is the absolute proof that after my article was published, and I submitted my own testimony into the Public Record for CASE FILE NO. DR-044-25 (SKY HARBOUR HANGARS) . At the bottom of the story, you will see the instructions I offered on how you all could step up. And so here is an email from earlier today from Ms. Kilne to the Planning Commission updating them on new public testimony:
Twelve of you read the story, took action, and submitted your concerns, and, for now, gained the attention of the Planning Commission, who have set the hearing for the next meeting or two. Presumably, the wealthy folks at Sky Harbour will go back to the drawing board and see if they can actually do a better job of their plans and of offering the people of Hillsboro something meaningful for asking for serious deviations from our land use codes for parking their jets!
Bigger Concerns: The current leadership running City Hall, Mayor Beach Pace and her team, chose not to send information about this very serious matter to the citizens of Hillsboro in the City View Magazine, which goes to all homes in Hillsboro. They chose not to post it to any of their social media. They chose not to post it to their social media pages, nor to go out and shoot videos promoting it, as some have done on other matters they wanted all of us to know about. No, they figured if they stayed quiet, the tech-bros would get their 42 Private Jets and corporate hangars slammed in on our already busy airport. The question is not why I wrote about it or why I served as the informant or advisor to all of you. The question is, why didn’t they? This recurring theme of hiding things from the working families and individuals of our City, our Hillsboro, is long overdue for a complete rehaul.
Did the City of Hillsboro Public Engagement Committee (PEC) engage all of us? After all that is why they exist. No- not that I know of. From their mission: Encourage and actively solicit citizen participation through a diverse and wide-ranging communication program. They did not do that.
Did the City Council execute the Community Engagement & Outreach program? The Council’s goal they set this year is to “Implement a Citywide framework with goals for equitable community engagement, including project-specific engagement.” This was the perfect time to do that. They did not.
- Why did the Hillsboro Community Engagement Department – the Engage Hillsboro program– not activate its formidable powers to let residents know about this project? After all that, the department states: “We want to ensure a wide range of community members with unique perspectives are participating in the engagement process.” And they also stand on a strong DEI platform to empower our citizens so that they can:
- Learn about current and upcoming projects
- Provide comments and ask questions
- Communicate with City staff
- Attend meetings and events
Let me state emphatically that these programs and goals are wonderful. And they can get used for things like the City Flag voting, promoting the Hillsboro Hops Stadium spending, or promoting the expansion of our Urban Growth Boundary for more Data Centers and factories. But the City leaders at the top tell our City Staff when and where they can engage us, weigh in, or do their jobs. And they won’t engage, inform, or advise us when there is a pet project, an insider’s deal, or something controversial like these airplane hangers for the wealthy. I suggest to you that Mayor Pace and others in power are not genuine about these matters, and that these programs are used as window dressing rather than for the real purpose of engaging and informing all of us. And we see it at every Council meeting in the way they act, and in their decisions and actions, all too often. I am not being mean or capricious. I am calmly stating the facts.
The Roman leaders, the corrupt Senate, and others had a strategy called Bread and Circuses, according to historians. Basically, they organized many public events in Rome and distributed free bread and the like. While they were doing that, they were carrying out our corrupt policies, doing shady back-door deals, and stealing the power from the people- people who ultimately forgot they built Rome, and that they have all of the power.
- Prevent Riots and Rebellion: A hungry and idle population is dangerous. Feeding and entertaining them kept the “mob” content and prevented them from turning against the government.
- Gain Public Approval: By sponsoring grand games, emperors demonstrated their wealth, power, and generosity, which was excellent for public relations.
- Distraction from Reality: It distracted the populace from political issues, corruption, and the loss of republican freedoms.
- Political Loyalty: Citizens, wanting to ensure their handouts continued, were less likely to challenge the ruling emperor. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Ok, I have said my piece. And you see that one person can write something, inform others, and within a few hours of hearing the news, those who heard it react and change the outcome of what was a done deal decision. Imagine if we all had information weeks before things were put to a decision? Imagine if these massive airport hangars, and the fact that Hillsboro residents will have 42 more large jets flying over them night and day, had been mentioned in the City View Magazine? I would like to think we would have seen a roomful of people tonight. To all of your that wrote in, thank you! Let’s commit to continuing this trend and to see what comes next on this. And now that you all wrote in, you all have legal standing to appeal this project if and when it is approved, and you will now receive letters from the City, as per Oregon Law, on this matter! Great job- now, back to work for me!
Published 4/7/2026 – 1:02 PM The Real Story – A Column
EXCLUSIVE: HILLSBORO, OR — A massive $38 million private aircraft hangar “campus” proposed for the eastern edge of the Hillsboro Airport (HIO) is headed for approval in the next 24 hours as the Hillsboro Planning Commission takes on the matter- an airport expansion that will bring 42 new private jets to Hillsboro and is expected to result in approximately 5,544 total aircraft operations per year, which averages to about 462 operations per month. This is a BIG DEAL, and yet no one is talking about it. Have you seen your City leaders, our Mayor, or the City View mailer informing you about this? No, I didn’t think so.
The project, spearheaded by the New York-based Sky Harbour Group (NYSE: SKYH), aims to build six sprawling hangars across 13.14 acres to house up to 42 ultra-long-range business jets. But while the applicant describes the development as a state-of-the-art “home base” for Oregon’s corporate elite, local opposition is calling it a “concrete fortress” that seeks to bypass the very city codes designed to protect Hillsboro’s neighborhoods and the Brookwood Parkway visual corridor.
In a formal Letter of Objection filed with the City of Hillsboro this morning, The Hillsboro Herald has laid out a technical case for why the Planning Commission should deny—or at least delay—the project. The brief highlights several “errors in fact-finding” by city staff and warns that the project, as proposed, fails to meet the mandatory requirements of the Community Development Code (CDC).
The Million-Dollar Question: Who Benefits?
At the heart of the Herald’s objection is a fundamental question of equity: Who actually benefits from these code violations? The aircraft targeted for this facility, such as the Gulfstream G700, carry price tags upwards of $75 million and cost millions more annually to operate. According to global wealth data, the average net worth of an owner in this “ultra-long-range” class is $1.6 billion. By requesting “Major Adjustments” to bypass setbacks and landscaping, the developer is asking the City of Hillsboro to waive its public standards for the benefit of the top 0.001% of global wealth, while everyday small businesses in the Silicon Forest are held to the letter of the law.
The hangars are going to sit right across from the Hillsboro Library, and the developer is asking to modify or violate our City Codes in a number of ways, as follows:
The “Laundry List” of Code Deviations: A Threat to the Silicon Forest
To accommodate the massive 198,694-square-foot footprint of this billionaire jet campus, the applicant has formally requested a series of Major Adjustments and waivers that directly target the Brookwood Visual Corridor—the protected “green gateway” to North Hillsboro.
- The Visual Corridor Intrusion (CDC 12.50.210 & 12.25.260): Under Hillsboro’s long-standing design standards, Brookwood Parkway is a designated Visual Corridor requiring a minimum 35-foot landscaped front-yard setback. Sky Harbour is asking to slash this protected buffer down to 25 feet for Hangar 5, physically pushing a massive metal wall into the community’s public visual space.
- Pavement Over Policy (CDC 12.50.210.B): The developer is requesting to replace 8,142 square feet of mandated corridor landscaping with a driveway, and an additional 863 square feet with parking. Instead of the lush, tiered greenery required by code, the public will be greeted by a “concrete fortress” effect.
- Landscape Preference Waiver (CDC 12.50.210): The applicant seeks to bypass the code requirement that gives landscaping “first preference” in front yard setbacks. This effectively treats Hillsboro’s visual assets as secondary to private jet logistics.
- The “Heat Island” Bypass (CDC 12.50.360): A request to totally waive the mandatory 30% tree canopy requirement. While they cite airport bird-strike safety, they have offered no ground-level mitigation (such as white, high-albedo cement surfaces) to offset the cooling loss from these missing trees.
- The Street Classification Loophole (CDC 12.01.500): An attempt to reclassify NW Airport Road as a “private driveway” to evade “corner lot” standards and further landscaping rules—despite the City’s own Transportation Plan identifying it as a planned Collector street.
- The Barbed-Wire “Benefit” (CDC 12.50.910.A): Proposing a circular “public plaza” as the required trade-off for these violations—yet placing that plaza behind an 8-foot-high security fence topped with barbed wire, rendering it a private amenity for the elite rather than a benefit to the residents of Hillsboro.
Miki Barnes – The Local Leader Who Has Fought For Decades
Dear Members of the Planning Commission,
We are strongly opposed to the Sky Harbour proposal to lease 14 acres at the Hillsboro Airport (HIO) for the purpose of constructing hangars for private and business jet aircraft. In addition, it is highly concerning that the Port of Portland has not performed an environmental assessment on this project. In fact, in the more than 50 years that the Port has owned this facility, it has never performed a comprehensive Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS).Out of 20,000 airports nationwide, HIO is the 8th most lead-polluted airport in the country. It is also a major source of noise, benzene, PM2.5, ultrafine particles, and a host of other toxins. This proposal, which will accommodate about 40 private jets, will primarily serve the
multi-millionaire and billionaire class of high flyers whose lavish lifestyles and travel habits will further degrade public health, the environment, and biological diversity in Washington County, a jurisdiction that is already severely impacted by the noise and toxic emissions generated by student and private pilots, charter jet companies, and other highly polluting aviation activity over the region. At a crucial juncture in the history of this planet, when many Oregonians are making a concerted effort to reduce their carbon footprint by driving less, using public transit, bicycling, walking, and supporting high-speed rail, this proposal promotes aviation growth and expansion on behalf of a wealthy few to the detriment of the greater good.Miki and Davud Barnes Read their full letter here: Miki Barnes
The “Ghost” Public Benefit
The biggest flashpoint in the upcoming hearing centers on these requested adjustments. Under the Hillsboro code, a developer may only reduce setbacks or landscaping if they provide a “verifiable public benefit” (CDC 12.50.910.A).
Sky Harbour’s offer? A small (314 SF) circular “public plaza” and a basalt bench near the corner of NE Brookwood Parkway and NE Airport Road.
Basically, the people of Hillsboro are being asked to accdpt a small cement circle to sit in, next to the Fuel Depot, adjacent to a 7-foot ribbon wire fence, and perched on the edge of Brookwood Parkway where thousands of cars speed by. Is this what the Billionaire Class, who will fly in and out of Hillsboro, sees as a public benefit? Perhaps some leftover opened champagne and caviar thrown into the street would provide more benefit. A useless little cement circle provides no meaningful public benefit. None. The codes that require an appropriate public benefit are not being met, and this is a disengenuous offer on behalf of the developers.
The “Private Driveway” Loophole
The Herald is also challenging the applicant’s attempt to reclassify NW Airport Road. By calling the road a “private driveway” instead of a “street,” Sky Harbour is attempting to evade 35-foot setbacks and corner-lot landscaping requirements. The objection notes that the City’s own Transportation Systems Plan (TSP) classifies Airport Road as a “planned Collector.” Furthermore, the City is already requiring a 48-foot restrictive covenant to protect the road for future use. The City cannot call it a collector for the purpose of a land-grab covenant while simultaneously calling it a driveway to help the developer bypass the landscaping mandate.
Heat Islands and “Pay-to-Play” Mitigation
With 13 acres of new asphalt and nearly 200,000 square feet of metal roofing, the environmental impact is a major concern. The applicant has asked to waive the mandatory 30% tree canopy requirement (CDC 12.50.360), citing the Port of Portland’s rules against trees that might attract birds. Instead of trees, Sky Harbour wants to install solar panels. But the Herald argues that solar panels on a roof do nothing to cool the massive “heat island” created by the parking lots below. The objection proposes a high-cost ultimatum: If the developer cannot plant trees, they should be forced to install High-Albedo White Concrete on their taxi areas, Grass-Crete parking lots, and use “Super Cool” reflective membranes (SRI > 78) on the roofs to protect the regional microclimate.
The “Jet Gap” and Cumulative Impact
The Herald’s analysis reveals that this isn’t a minor request—it’s a list of six separate code violations. From Hangar 5 encroaching 10 feet into the Brookwood setback to replacing 8,142 square feet of landscaping with a driveway, the cumulative effect is a total abandonment of the I-P (Industrial Park) zone’s purpose.
The scale is unprecedented for HIO. While Nike currently operates a high-profile fleet of 6-8 jets, the Sky Harbour campus is designed to triple that capacity, potentially adding 15 additional aircraft operations daily to Hillsboro’s airspace. This is not good for our community- Billionaires and their friends bombing in and out of our town, low over our rooftops- running off to do big deals and take lavish trips. How are we to interpret this and appreciate its importance?
BONUS CONTENT: The “Mystery Flights” from D.C.
While the Planning Commission debates setbacks and shrubs, a different kind of high-stakes activity is happening on the tarmac at HIO. Two “heavy hitters” from the Washington D.C. power corridor arrived this week and remain on the ground as of Tuesday morning. Their presence suggests the “Who’s Who” of the energy and defense world may already be measuring the drapes in these proposed hangars. Remember the Nuclear power tip we spilled last month? Or the claim that a retired military reader of ours gave us that the NSA is here to minitor the Data Center fiber traffic to China?
Keep an eye on these tails:
N650TR (Gulfstream G650ER): Arrived from Dulles International (IAD). The gold standard for global executive travel.
N750GX (Bombardier Global 7500): Arrived from Manassas Regional (HEF)—the primary hub for D.C.’s defense and policy elite.
Expect many more of these sort of flights expected in Hillsboro with the passage of this Hangar application.
What’s Next?
- The Planning Commission hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, April 8, at 6:00 PM at the Hillsboro Civic Center. Click that link to find out more, attend the meeting, or send in your comments. The Pubic Record is still open!
- Email your Comments to City Planner Ruth Klein- ruth.klein@hillsboro-oregon.gov – and reference CASE FILE NO. DR-044-25 (SKY HARBOUR HANGARS)
With a state-mandated “120-day rule” looming on July 13, the Herald is pushing for a continuance to allow time for more thoughtful discussion and to meet the requirement for Public Benefits.
“This project is a classic case of trying to fit a square peg in a round hole,” the Herald’s brief concludes. “Hillsboro residents shouldn’t have to sacrifice their codes or their environment so that 40 jet owners can have a faster ‘time to wheels-up.'”
Read our letter of Opposition here- Updated Letter of Opposition
A few years ago you did a story about how the Hillsboro airport was ready to do unleaded aircraft fuel but it wasnt available commercially. Unleaded fuel is now available and has been for 4ish years but has the Hillsboro airport switched over yet?
I do not know th answer to that- but I will find out. Based on what Miki Barnes had to say at a recent townhall, I believe it is still leaded.
Thank you Dirk. My wife and I are half looking for a new place and I had to set a hard limit of nothing north of E Main, nothing East of NE Jackson School Rd, and nothing west of NE 60th just to try and avoid the majority of the lead fumes.
That is not a bad idea – Orenco is a popular area but the exposure to Intel and the jets and airplanes is something that has changed the way we view that.
Local pilot here. While unleaded alternatives are becoming more available, there’s still a huge supply issue. GAMI 100UL (the more popular alternative with sweeping STC applicability) does not have an ASTM certification, and some aircraft and engine manufacturers are warning against it, at least for now. I believe there have been issues with GAMI’s fuel eating through seals (a big safety issue) and paint. There is also some concern about the continued supportability of larger vintage engines with new fuel types that cannot run MoGas as an alternative due to the lower octane. I’ve heard that Swift 100R is being used outside of the US successfully in experimental aircraft but I don’t believe they have reached full certification yet.
It’s a frustrating situation for everyone. The airplane I fly has an engine that could run on MoGas if we removed the ethanol from MoGas, with basically no modifications. Many lower horsepower engines can handle this (and some people do run ethanol-free MoGas in their aircraft, though it comes with its own challenges.) We also understand the issues with leaded fuel (which isn’t all that great for our engines to begin with – some models are especially prone to lead-fouling). The issue becomes certification, the cost to purchase an Supplemental Type Certificate (STC), and modification costs to the aircraft. In order for it to be feasible for FBOs to supply, it also needs to be a drop-in replacement that can mix with 100LL. Otherwise, FBOs will have to pay to flush or replace tanks, which is not financially feasible, especially for small businesses.
I can’t wait for unleaded fuel to be widely available for a number of reasons, and there are very valid critiques of leaded fuel still being used in the industry. But if it damages engines and puts both pilots and people on the ground in danger, it’s not acceptable. The goal is to be able to fully transition to an unleaded fuel by 2030 (2032 in Alaska).
Also, I would take everything Miki Barnes says with a grain of salt. She is well known for being extremely anti-airport, and chose to live under the flight path for an airport that was established in 1928. While I am fully aware of the health risks associated with lead (I work on general aviation aircraft myself) there is no known correlation between elevated lead levels in the blood of children and the distance those children lived from the airport (at least from the last study I saw) The aircraft that this expansion would be for do not burn leaded gas.
Well, to be fair, the Airport has had an ever changing history and altered its ownership, mission, and scope of use over the years- has it not? Have there not been runways and approaches expanded a lot over the years? if we play the history time machine game, many of us were here when there were no jets, and the growth has been very significant the last 2 or 3 decades. So that would mean that anyone buying a house should have known that the expansions would be ongoing and wihtout much limit?
The Problem with all the the AI development and associated development like this Airport Proposal is the Secrecy and lack of Public Discussion! As stated, the Lead and chemical pollution in the Brookwood corridor is LONG STANDING! It seems to me the Tradeoff is in favor of Business-as-Usual!
Until more Public Disclosure and Discussion is allowed, I register my oposition to this Billionaire Giveaway!
I agree, David – it has to stop. Or are they all beholding to them? Hmm…..
Yet the Legislature passed a new bill (HB 4177) this session that bypasses the public from knowing about the content of certain types of communication currently required under the Public Disclosure requirements. As far as I know, the bill is sitting on Kotek’s desk waiting for her signature. Dirk has covered this nicely in his write-ups.
This city needs to learn to Just Say No.
Agree – and they send out City View Magazine to all of us, but never once do they send out information on things like this, or Data Centers, or special development deals.
Thanks for weighing in!
Dirk
Just picturing the city manager and planners looking at that map of a PJ terminal across from a public library and thinking to themselves “This is fine. This in no way illustrates a growing class divide here in the region and, in fact, is something the people are clearly clamoring for. I bet they’ll even thank us!”
I wonder if they’ll light up the Brookwood overpass up like G7 to celebrate.
Tired of the wealthy taking more, and more. What are the rest of us getting?
I fail to see why your objections are valid. Certainly there are development plans that deserve scrutiny. This does not make that list but smacks of progressive agenda and control in a state who has the worst business accounting in years.
Failing in business, more defaults for new business starts in a decade, over taxation and extremely rigid building codes that make it difficult, failed school performance, millions unaccounted for in various public initiatives and projects. Its excessive oversight of concerns such as this that harms Oregon.
The violations of the land use codes should never be allowed without significant thought. 42 more jets a day flying low over Hillsboro schools, businesses, and residential neighborhoods is not good for the community, for property values, nor for the environment. Billionaires coming to look in on their Data Centers, that pay no taxes, does not impress any of us. Asking new businesses to pay their way and to comply wiuth our laws is not telling them not to come- it is welcoming them as equal community members under the law.
“We can’t even have a private jet jamboree at our second-tier airport?! Can’t make a living!!!”
Also, New York has a similar tax rate and a far more “progressive agenda” than this state and just scored Micron’s campus. It passed on Amazon HQ and NYC still ended up being a tech hub in spite of it. New Jersey has corporate taxes that would make the tax-wary Oregonian cry, yet has a growing biotech and pharmaceutical industry and a booming population. California’s corporate tax exceeds Oregon’s, but its economic growth exceeds not only Oregon, but any nation on Earth since 2019: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2026-04-06/california-s-economic-boom-proves-gavin-newsom-s-critics-wrong
PJ Woodstock isn’t going to help Oregon: Turning its windfall into tangible, measurable benefits and results for the population at large will. That means giving less of it away to boondoggles like this one.
What dose the city get from this? It is like all of the data centers big tax breaks and no money comeing back.
Exactly and don’t forget that when Intel sneezes, the state gets the flu. We (Hillsboro city) just keep “paying” w tax breaks and credits to attract our “abusers” and then whining about the results of pollution (discoveries found after the fact) and the big layoffs that definitely hurt our local people and businesses. Big money is owning more and more of our state and not covering the damages caused by their decisions. Once this expansion takes root, what follows? More zone changes, more money exchanged without input, and little if any corrections can be made.
This probably won’t even get posted, but it’s honestly ridiculous—you’re whining about this airport because of potential data centers while you literally depend on them every single day to run your site and everything else you use. The hypocrisy is wild. Maybe think for two seconds before complaining.
Well, Negative Attitude, I did post it And your fake email and IP Acount speak volumes. If you want to step into the Octagon, bring something more than this weak sauce.
The city council we have currently is appearing to try over and over to send things through behind our backs. They appear to me, to see no issue with Hillsboro residents paying for it without proper fielding. Our residents will pay for their ignorance in health, higher taxes, pollution ( noise and air) and livability. I will certainly remember this at the next election!
I am saddened by the continued open doors to businesses outside our control or time for thoughtful input. They are invited with no accountability to our feelings. The new stadium will certainly bring in more jets and money, but for whose benefit? Along with money I expect more openings for under cover activities. Call me a pessimist, but the council is not protecting this lovely city. The average resident in Hillsboro just wants to afford to live and feed their family. We never signed up for any huge deals the local government including the governor have been trying to slip through under our doors.
I can understand why many people I know personally are looking outside the state for a new dwelling. This is slowly turning into and extension of the CA/NY lifestyle and we can’t afford the burden of it in money or cost of living.
Bigger airports will push the need for Hotels. We will be like Vegas soon – lots of min wage jobs in the service sector.
Remember this stuff come election time!
Very well said – and I thank you for joining the conversation! Please continue to contribute!
All the best,
dirk
Sorry, just getting a good laugh out of the new low-tier minor league stadium bringing in “more jets.” While I love the idea of this new stadium suddenly inspiring Tri-Cities to jet its team into town for away games or the remaining members of Motley Crue taking a G6 in for the stadium’s first concert, I’m guessing the stadium’s net impact on HIO jet traffic will be zero. I’d be genuinely surprised if it added eight more busses to the parking lot throughout the season.
In reply to increased jet traffic because of the stadium, I was including the attendance expected for the venues at the stadium including concerts and other entertainment as well.
It is a fact that the head of a very large cartel, was arrested in May of 2025 per the Office of Public Affairs, for the largest Fentanyl shipment in DEA history in Salem. Hillsboro will look like a great little place for illegal activities and private dealings. Not every person that has unlimited funds will be held responsible for any increase in crime due to criminal activity that tends to follow money – be it celebrities or business owners. I’m just saying that we’re not just considering more jets, but who’s in them. Follow the money, as always.
We will be asked to cover more police, fire etc for the additional safety of the large increase of air traffic and yes, possible crimes that MAY follow. Not today, but it will come. I pray this will not increase the possibility of crimes in out county/state. I just ask that all concerns be considered both morally and financially.
The residents fought the noise issue of the helicopter school back in the late 90s or early 2000s because of the noise and the trainees were moved from above the residents to north of the airport. The noise from the jets is much more, but is so infrequent currently as to not be much of an issue. An increase of the hoped-for air traffice will be a much larger impact on this area of Washington County.
I’ve said it before: This place is getting more like Jersey by the minute. The farmland that turns into a bunch of warehouses and big concrete blocks along the highway that turn into a nice bit of patronage for the local leaders and gigs for the local construction outfits? Yeah, that was Central Jersey 40 to 50 years ago when the towns started throwing money around to attract companies and residents from the cities. Guess who followed?
And the sweet summer children of Oregon who think private jet outposts don’t draw their share of organized crime. I grew up in a neighborhood in the flight path of Teterboro Airport. My neighbor around the corner was one of the suspects named in this story. Not an isolated incident for Teterboro: https://nypost.com/2023/12/23/metro/nj-gangster-indicted-in-private-jet-coke-pot-smuggling-scheme/
Jersey… God Help Us!!
I see it happening.
P.S. Attendance at last night’s game, on a sunny, 78-degree Thursday, was just over 2,000. Capacity for the old ballpark was 4,500. This one’s 6,500. Let’s not fire up those jets just yet.
Isnt the Hillsboro airport the number one airport in the country for runway incursions? Then they want to add 40ish new jets to the mix as well? Sounds like we will be well on the way to most dangerous airport in the country.
The Western Pacific region is replete with runway incursions, with a rate more than doubling the eastern portion of the country: https://www.faa.gov/airports/runway_safety/statistics
In 2023, the year HIO racked up 30 runway incursions all by itself, it accounted for 7.2% of all runway incursions in the Western Pacific. By comparision, PDX tallied three (3) runway incursions in the three years prior. It’s almost as if the Washington County Old Boys’ Network has no idea what it’s doing and just want to watch the pretty planes do loop-de-loops every summer: https://www.kgw.com/article/news/investigations/hillsboro-airport-safety-risks-runway/283-e17ed518-3fc9-4d10-af10-a3c4f5c9580e
I assume you saw my editors notes- the hearing has been continued. Turns out people do read the Herald.
Now, help us out- incursions = ??
Good question. Typically, this means a pilot or maintenance vehicle driver has entered a runway without authorization. There are different levels of infraction, and while some incursions are simply a pilot entering an empty runway unauthorized, more serious offenses involve coming within 60 feet of another aircraft and risking potential collision.
Hi Dirk,
Thanks to your great reporting I became aware of this proposed project and myself and a handful of others went to the Planning Commission meeting last night and voiced our opposition.
Long story short, the project was continued until next month to give the applicant time to respond to some of the questions you raised in your article.
Thanks again for doing a great job of keeping the community informed!
You are very welcome! And THANK You for going and speaking up! I was committed before I found out about this – thank you for carrying a torch to city Hall!
I am once again dumbfounded by the lack of transparency and communication from our city leaders regarding these large projects that will affect so many residents. What is the value of the expensive City Views publication if not to inform residents of upcoming issues and events that will impact the community? I, for one, am tired of having to protect myself from the evidently hidden agendas of our elected officials.
The thing is JoDee, once you see it for what it is, you can not unsee it. The way the City provides piles of money to the Chamber, and the Chmaber is used as a political machine to send the pro industry candidates that the elite management need. When you see how the feel good programs and initiatives are promoted, only to be used for some projects, and not others. When we track who is promoted and moved up – who does who special favors and how money is spent. Everymove is calculated – and we only understand a fraction of it. However, for me it is like being Rannulph Junah after Bagger gets him to see the Field- once you see it, you will never unsee it.
Out of curiosity where did you get your numbers for the number of additional flights each year that these hangars would account for, as well as the number of aircraft these 6 hangars could house? Both numbers seem a bit inflated. I would guess it’s closer to 40-50 flights a month and at most 30 aircraft. Shk harbors business model is a bit different than the other FBOs on the airport. It’s very likely some of these hangars will only house 2 or 3 planes due to their business model.
Those numbers came form the applicants 700+ page application- so I did not pump anything up- in fact the numbers would be higher
There’s no way. Why don’t you personally speak to the developers of this project to get a real idea of the numbers. I’ve worked at this airport for 20+ years and could give you some realistic numbers if you would like. I know how many planes will physically fit in these hangars without running the risk of smashing them into each other, and your number is about 25-30% higher than is physically possible. I also understand from 20 years in the industry how often these aircraft fly, and it is not every other day, it’s more realistically 2-8 times a month depending on the company or owner operating the aircraft. The numbers they have put in their reports are very likely the absolute maximum possible under the best circumstances for the company owning the hangars. It’s so easy to just throw out garbage information on your platform here to get a reaction, but in this instance you are wrong unfortunately. I do not pretend to know anything about being a reporter, or anything about being a real estate agent, it’s time you stop pretending you know anything about airport operations.
I am simply using data from the applicants info. You are used to the jets and customers that are here. Sky Harbour is a big fo profit entity with a vast betwork of Jet owners and customers. My guess is that this will be different that what we are used to. Either way, the 42 Jets, the 198,500 SF of hangars, the trip numbers, are all in the massive application. I do not question that you know what you know. Even if it is only 8 flights a month per jet, with 42 jets that is still 4,032 flights a year – and they are predicting more. Are you saying there are no impacts from that? I guess I do not understand your arguments. If we need to show numbers that are possible to wake people up, so be it. Because no locals will ever ride on one of those jets, and we suffer the negative consequences, people have a right to have opinions and speak their voices as they desire. Commenting here is not a given, it is a privelege that no other media source allows- I hope you appreciate I allowed you the space to defend the project.
Dirk, I’m not for this project or against it. If it’s built so be it, if it’s not it won’t keep me up at night. I’m just pointing out that the numbers you’re suggesting are a bit inflated. When any new development happens, say a church or a grocery store, does the application state the actual number of people that they expect to show up at any given time, or the possible number? They have to state what is possible to probable so they know how big to make a parking lot, how many emergency exits should be in the building, what to expect for the worst of there is a fire, etc. that is what their application is stating, but that is not the reality, just wanted to point out the difference for those who are reading. And thank you for letting me do so.
THe increased noise pollution from Hillsboro to Beaverton and beyond is palpable. More jets will only increase that at all hours of the day and night. This Beaverton resident is a hard no to increased air traffic over our cities. If history as proved anything, its that trickle down does not exist. Be wary of public information campaigns that tout the benefits of more noise and air pollution at your expense.