PORT ANGELES — Dash Air Shuttle is delaying commercial passenger flight service from Fairchild International Airport yet again, until later this spring, and service also remains contingent on Federal Aviation Administration approval, company President Clint Ostler said Tuesday.
“I’m hoping it’s before May,” he said.
In the current main holdup, the company is waiting for Cessna to have a fuselage panel fabricated to replace a defective panel by early March, Ostler said. It’s for the first of three aircraft being inspected by the FAA, he said, adding that supply-chain issues are slowing the process, along with COVID-19.
“It has to come through Cessna,” Ostler said.
“It has to be manufactured a certain way using a special type of metal and has to be treated so it can withstand corrosion and whatnot,” he added.
“It has to be replaced so it can be approved by the FAA.”
The Tukwila-based startup company announced in April 2021 that within a couple of months, schedules, fares and other service details would be revealed as it received regulatory approval.
Target dates for commercial flights to start from Fairchild to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport — for the first time since November 2014 — have included July, Labor Day, before Christmas and March.
Ostler has said the company needs 45 days between the announcement of a flight schedule and the beginning of service to build up reservations.
“No one is giving us definite dates anymore because of the whole supply-chain thing,” he said Tuesday.
“It’s literally measured in weeks, not days anymore.”
Ostler said the schedule is yet to be determined.
He has said up to five Dash Air flights would begin daily at 6 a.m. from Port Angeles except Sunday and leave at 10:30 p.m. daily from Sea-Tac, except Saturday.
“We will likely ramp up to the early-late schedule by summer,” Ostler said.
What’s been lacking is the go-ahead from the FAA to fly the nine-seat, twin-engine Cessna 402cs commercially, Ostler said.
“I know it’s really frustrating. We take two giant steps forward and something like this part thing comes up and we can’t move forward at all until we see that part. We’re pretty confident it’s going to happen.
“I wish we could control supplies and people.”
Dash has hired a chief pilot, Josh Crabtree of Port Angeles, who, like other candidates for three other pilot positions, is a retired airline pilot who lives in Clallam County, Ostler said.
The FAA’s review of the other two aircraft leased by Dash Air is continuing, Ostler said. Dash owns the leases, Ostler said.
Ostler said Dash is the marketing entity for the flight service, which is being operated by Albany, Ore.-based Backcountry Aviation.
Backcountry Aviation Director of Operations Noel McDermott will pilot one of the aircraft this week in a check ride with an FAA-designated pilot examiner, a component of the agency’s review, Ostler said.
In a check ride, an FAA-designated pilot examiner will determine if McDermott is qualified to fly the 402c for scheduled operations, under the certification being sought by Dash Air (www.faa.gov).
Backcountry’s flight certificate is being modified to add the Cessna 402cs, which are about 40 years old.
“He has to be signed off to fly the airplane,” Ostler said.
“There’s a lot more rigorous maintenance program that is attached to (the aircraft).
“It it wasn’t for COVID, this probably would have been up probably six months ago,” he said.
“For little teeny things, it takes weeks to get. Either someone is out with COVID or there are shortages on inspectors, or we’re waiting for parts and things, so it’s really painful.”
Passengers are not expected to directly enter the Sea-Tac Airport terminal when arriving at the airport.
The plan is that they will land at the Signature Flight support services terminal, be shuttled to the main terminal, then go through check-in and Transportation Security Administration processing like anyone else arriving for their flight.
Agreements with Sea-Tac and Signature have yet to be made official, Ostler said.
“We are doing the shuttling, and we are in a good place with both Sea-Tac and Signature,” Oslter said.
For the return trip, a shuttle will depart from outside a Dash Air Shuttle kiosk on Sea-Tac’s baggage-claim level for the ride to Signature and the flight back to Fairchild.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
