Ocean Shores — The Airport Advisory Committee of Ocean Shores reviewed and tightened safety and logistics plans for its upcoming Airport Appreciation Day during a special meeting Thursday, Aug. 14.

Committee members focused first on event safety after walking through a draft safety plan that mirrors last year’s document. Committee members confirmed helicopter arrival windows and agreed to distribute a revised schedule to RC flyers and other airfield users so pilots and hobby fliers know when rotorcraft will be arriving.

Why it matters: the event coordinates multiple airborne activities, static displays and public vendors on a self‑announced field. Overlapping operations — especially helicopters, model aircraft and parachute operations — create safety risks that the committee said must be managed by clear timing, radio coordination and pre‑event inspections.

The committee asked volunteers to double‑check aircraft tie‑downs and knots in the aircraft parking area so that loose ropes will not be drawn into helicopter rotors. The chair identified this as an action item and assigned primary responsibility to a committee member with a second person volunteering to back up the check.

Committee members agreed planned helicopter windows are roughly 12:00–1:30 p.m. for Airlift Northwest and about 2:00–3:00 p.m. for Life Flight; those windows are subject to change by a few minutes, the committee said. The committee said it will hold a safety huddle the morning of the event and provide written copies of the revised safety plan to participants.

The group also debated Toledo Skydiving’s expected appearance. The committee instructed staff to tell the skydiving group that parachute jumping is not permitted at the event; the group may attend with an information booth or fly in but may not conduct jumps. Committee members said that restriction is intended to reduce conflicts with other aircraft and to avoid creating additional emergency‑response risk on the field.

Logistics decisions included confirmation that honeybucket portable toilets were ordered for delivery Friday and pickup Monday, that event directional signs are scheduled for placement by public works or the convention center, and that the event banner has been located at the Palace Islands. Organizers said one food truck — Hot Mama’s — is confirmed; the committee discussed limiting the number of trucks to two or three so vendors can earn revenue and so electrical demands remain manageable. The committee encouraged food trucks to park on or adjacent to the paved area so pedestrians avoid muddy grass and goat‑head stickers.

Public Works staff reported there is no fogger for mosquitoes; officials advised volunteers and attendees to bring personal insect repellent and said staff would check grass and pest conditions in the days before the event. The committee also confirmed that the NOTAM timing should follow FAA guidance and that the FAA recommends issuing some notices no earlier than seven days before an event.

Procedural items assigned before the event included: checking and securing aircraft tie‑downs; delivering cones and safety vests the night before; distributing updated schedules to RC flyers and static display operators; confirming directional signage is in place on Friday; and conducting a 9:30 a.m. safety huddle the morning of the event.

The committee approved the meeting agenda and minutes during the session. No formal ordinance or permit decisions were taken at the meeting; staff said any city permit requirements (for example, for parachute operations) would be handled separately by the city.