Flying in the NW USA

[b_r]

This is a pretty broad topic I suppose, but I'm wondering how many of you folks fly in the NW (portland, Seattle, etc) and in general what the flying weather is like there.

Considering a move, my father lives in Tacoma, and I love going there. It seems like most of the time I am there, it's either overcast or very scattered fog/low cig.

Anyone train or teach there?
Good flight schools (to teach at)?
What is the flight training market like there these days?

Any help you give or resources you can pass on I'd appreciate.

 

[Buzo]

I can answer a few of the questions. I did all of my flight training in Renton. The weather normally cooperated pretty good with us. There were a few times that we had to wx cancel, but not all that much.

I also taught here for just over a year prior to moving to Alaska. Since I haven't been actively teaching here for the past 8 months I can't help with the current teaching situation.

There are some good schools around here. If you are eligible for the Boeing Employees Flying Assoc. I would highly recommend it. They have a lot of nice planes and good quality instruction. It is tough to get on as an instructor there, but a good place to teach if you can. Crest Airpark in Kent is pretty good also.

The thing to remember is that you don't need 6000 ft ceilings to go flying. 3000 ft is great for any type of training. It also deters a lot of people from flying which helps out with traffic.

 

[DE727UPS]

Personally, I don't think you can beat learning to fly in the Northwest. Yeah, the weather can be bad but you learn to live with it and you will be a better pilot in the end for having trained here. Prices are high in the Seattle area. Around Tacoma, you best bet would be Spanaway or Puyuallup, or maybe Olympia. Fly into BFI with your CFI a few times. I can't believe they teach people to fly there...super busy, complex airspace, high prices, and a wild mix of traffic. We were going in there last week in the 727 and actually got passed by an Airpac Navajo on the parallel...I always slow down early at BFI to give more time to look for little guys trying to kill us. The Capt I was flying with said "This is the most unsafe airport we operate at"....I just had to laugh.

I don't it's unsafe, but it can sure get interesting....

 

[b_r]

The weather there looks like the most interesting part of flying. Not-so great weather around here is short lived when we get it, and if it is bad, usually thunderstorms follow.

I got my ratings (CFI soon) at one of the busiest Class D's in the country(and expensive), so I'm kind of used alot of mixed traffic, but BFI does look like it could get a little hairy.

Pop lives in Steilacoom, and there are a few guys w/ seaplanes on American Lake right near there--looks like a blast. Is Puyallup near there?

My wife and I might be going there near the holidays, I'd like to set up a few interviews for CFI positions--so thanks for the tips, and if you guys hear of anything, please pass it on.

 

[farwellbooth]

BR, I've flown out of Portland a couple years now and it's a really beautiful place. I can be over the ocean, desert, BFI in Seattle, valley, mountains, or desert within no time. I don't think I'd enjoy it as much over Kansas. Nothing personal! I found a great school that's much cheaper than an academy, I'm rarely grounded due to adverse weather, it's really the best situation for me.

Sometimes I worry about not having the contacts/networking/interviews etc. that an academy may provide but I'm ramping up the candidacy and confident it will work out. A simulator would be great too!

 

[Center_Mid]

[ QUOTE ]
Fly into BFI with your CFI a few times. I can't believe they teach people to fly there...super busy, complex airspace, high prices, and a wild mix of traffic.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep, that's exactly where I train and it can be a zoo on the busy days (which is pretty much any sunny day). Typical pattern: five 172s and one Seneca in line for the short runway, a GV, 737, LR 60, and a 172 on instrument approaches for the long rwy, an R22 for one helipad, a LifeFlight A109 for another, four or five others on the ground waiting to depart, and a UPS 727 giving everyone else the finger while he buzzes the admiral's daughter.

I've been flying out of Seattle (Boeing Field) since Jan. 2002. The weather here is a royal pain when you're trying to schedule flights during your PPL training. Between Nov and June, expect IFR or marginal VFR about 60% of the time. The late spring and summer are fine.

IFR training, on the other hand, is great. Lots of clouds most of the time, but the clouds are very often stratus layers with relatively little turbulence. Thunderstorms are pretty rare around here, especially the nasty ones they get in the midwest and in FL. You've got to watch out for icing at lower altitudes after October, but it doesn't get extremely cold here the way it does in the midwest or back east. We had no snow in Seattle last year. None.

My only complaint - the money. Rentals are very expensive in the Seattle area ($90-$130/hr for a 172, depending on the age & equipment). With an instructor, it adds up quickly.

 

[Center_Mid]

[ QUOTE ]
Anyone train or teach there?
Good flight schools (to teach at)?
What is the flight training market like there these days?

[/ QUOTE ]

The market is quite saturated from what I've heard from my instructors who are trying to get 135 positions. There aren't that many charter/freight ops around here compared to, say, FL or AZ. However, business is picking up, according to the flight school manager at Galvin Flying, the biggest 141/61 school at Boeing Field.

 

[TOMAHAWK]

Hey Guys,
I was fortunate enough to spend a month in Seattle over June and July 2001 at BFI. I stayed with a guy named Hal Meyer. Does anyone know him? He had a Beech Bonanza N5093C. This is were my passion for aviation really took off. I loved buzzing around the place in this plane and learning everything I could. By far the greatest moment was when I was at the holding point and a United 727 took off in front of me. That was surely a fantastic moment and one I will never forget. We never see 727 in New Zealand so it was a great experience.

I was also lucky to be able to give the control tower a visit. These guys seemed pretty layed back about there job and seemed to enjoy it very much. I couldnt beleive the feed they were having in the hour period I was there, chips, coke, sticky buns. No wonder most of the controllers I have met seem to be....how should I put this....festively plump.

Anyway best be heading back to school. Happy flying guys.
Ryan

 

[vsnick]

Hey Farewell, what is the flight school that you are attending that has the really cheap rates. I am currently trying to decide where to get my training done. Thanks

 

[Buzo]

Vsnick--

Checkout Crest Airpark and BEFA at Renton if you are eligible. Spanaflight down at Thun field also have decent rates.

 

[farwellbooth]

[ QUOTE ]
Hey Farewell, what is the flight school that you are attending that has the really cheap rates. I am currently trying to decide where to get my training done. Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

Stark's Twin Oaks Airpark

http://www.airnav.com/airport/7S3

$48 wet 150, $68 wet 172 IFR (w/ 180 horse engine vs. 160), all gps including 150s, Aztec for multi, Commanche for complex, and a couple Cubs for taildragging fun.

 

[vsnick]

That's pretty cheap. Thanks for the replies, guys.

 

[vsnick]

Buzo, what does it take to be eligible for the BEFA program. I don't have any ties to Boeing except for my uncle works there. I really don't know much about this program. Thanks in advance.

 

[Buzo]

I don't think an Uncle is close enough, they may have changed it though. Give them a call and ask. It is tough to find cheaper rates anywhere.