PASCO, Wash. – If you’re in the Tri-Cities and wonder why Navy planes fly overhead, a quick history lesson can clear it up.
The Tri-Cities Airport’s story began in 1942 when the United States entered World War II. The Navy needed to quickly set up a base to train pilots for the war and decided on Pasco.
Malin Bergstrom, owner of Bergstrom Aircraft, said the Columbia Basin was selected for its favorable weather and clear skies.
“Great weather year-round. So they (the Navy) could literally train 12 months of the year. There wasn’t any tall obstacles for the student pilots to run into. No big mountains or forests,” Bergstrom said.
The pilots trained at the base were preparing for missions in the Pacific Theater, focusing on aircraft carrier landings and other responsibilities. After the war, the Navy didn’t have a use for its air station.
“So they transferred the ownership of the base to the city of Pasco for $1, but it came with strings attached,” Bergstrom said. “Those strings required the airport to allow Navy aircraft to come here pretty much any time they wanted to and practice.”
Today, the Naval Air Station on Whidbey Island sends pilots and aircraft to the Tri-Cities Airport for practice, including “touch and gos.” The Navy planes often seen flying over the Tri-Cities are Boeing 737s converted for Navy use, known as P-8 Poseidon, which are reconnaissance aircraft known for patrolling oceans and coastlines.
“I don’t think they have a published schedule of any kind. So we see them every week, literally,” Bergstrom said. “And sometimes they’ll just be one aircraft. I’ve seen some days where they have three of these Poseidon aircraft in the pattern, as we call it, going round and round.”
While the Navy’s presence at the airport is rooted in history, its continued activity serves as a reminder of the important role our region still plays in national defense.
“I think it’s an honor, a little bit when we hear those big gray airplanes, flying overhead, I think of it as the sound of freedom,” Bergstrom said. “These are airplanes and service members that are protecting us and serving their country.”
