Soaring into the Future – Pacific West and Intermountain regions host 2024 aviation workshop

Participants pause for a photo in the Pearson Air Museum.

NPS/M THEUNE

In the early 20th century, the airplane changed our thinking and view of the skies. It also changed history on the ground and a site at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site is an example of that change.

Adjacent to the southern shores of the Columbia River sits one of the most historic airfields within the National Park Service (NPS), Pearson Field. Early aviators came to this site to test aircraft on the vast grass field. In World War I, an onsite lumber mill made aircraft components. In the late 1930s, Pearson Field was the site of the first trans-polar flight between the USSR and United States. Airplanes that tell of our nation’s aviation history are preserved within the Pearson Air Museum, a site that’s open and free to the public throughout the year.

In FY’24, over a century after the first aircraft demonstrations at Pearson Field, aviation managers and practitioners representing national parks, two regional offices, NPS Branch of Aviation, and the DOI Office of Aviation Service met within the historic 1921 hanger for training, discussion, and to reflect on the future of NPS aviation management.

In mid-March 2024, nearly 40 attendees from across half the nation focused their efforts on the latest large-scale revision to NPS guidance, Reference Manual #60 - Aviation Management (RM-60). While the last major update for RM-60 was in 2019, aviation has changed a lot in five years, including unstaffed aircraft systems (UAS) operations, technology, and the increased use of aviation by NPS divisions outside of fire and aviation management and other government agencies in national parks. Bringing together so many in one place fostered an environment of shared experiences and ideas that helped guide the update. The latest version of RM-60 that resulted from the meeting at Pearson Field is available on the Reference Manual 60 page on the NPS Aviation website.

By continuing to strive for excellence, safety, and high standards, aviation within the NPS will continue to soar for the next 100 plus years by supporting the missions and stories of the United States and its people. To learn more about the National Park Service’s aviation program and history, visit the NPS Aviation website.