Risks bigger than potential benefits

Although it may be certain that Paine Field will be developed to facilitate major airline carriers, that certainty must still be confronted.

I live within five miles of the airport. The noise from passenger jets is of little concern to me, even at takeoff. Airlines have done much to quiet their jets. And, at present, most airline traffic originates from maintenance schedules, and is very rare.

However, Paine Field’s development to accommodate daily arrivals and departures troubles me. It is a fact that most accidents occur during takeoff and landing. Densely populated suburbs exist on the final approach path for the main runway, 34 L. To allow daily traffic on this corridor is to increase the probability of calamity to countless people on the ground if an accident transpires.

Safety is probably the most important concern of airlines. How safe airlines appear, to those who use them, influences profitability. But accidents are inevitable. Unless all aircraft were to be grounded, perfect safety is impossible.

But for those of us on the ground, aviation safety standards should always be optimal. The economic benefits for the relatively few, as a result of expanding Paine Field, will never be worth the increased risk thrust upon thousands.

Daniel Palmer

Lynnwood