Ghery
Touchdown! Greaser!
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2005
- Messages
- 10,903
- Location
- Olympia, Washington
- Display Name
Display name:
Ghery Pettit
as opposed to LA basin...
Flying back from PUW to OLM this afternoon the weather on the east side was clear and a million, but the forecasts for the west side weren't as great. By flying down the Columbia River Gorge (our sea level pass through the Cascades) one can come in under the clouds. The preferred VFR method, for sure.
As we were approaching the Gorge near The Dalles I called Flight Watch for an update on the weather along our route. He reported ceilings ranging from 3000 feet to 5000 feet and seemed concerned about those numbers. I replied that it was just another wonderful VFR day in western Washington. The briefer replied that he had recently moved up to our area after 14 years in the LA area and was still coming to grips with the local attitude about what was a good VFR day. We chuckled about that and I went back to Seattle Center where I had been receiving flight following (a common occurance around here, I love our ATC folks in the northwest).
Here are a couple pictures my wife snapped as we approached and flew through the gorge. We stayed at 4,500 MSL until approaching Portland where I had to duck a line of clouds. I don't think I ever got much below 3,000 MSL until I was decending into OLM. Center called traffic around KLS, a C-182 above and to our left. I spotted him, watched him fall behind the Arrow, and then met the pilot as he put his plane away in the hangar next to the Arrow's. A fellow WSU Cougar. Small world.
Flying back from PUW to OLM this afternoon the weather on the east side was clear and a million, but the forecasts for the west side weren't as great. By flying down the Columbia River Gorge (our sea level pass through the Cascades) one can come in under the clouds. The preferred VFR method, for sure.
As we were approaching the Gorge near The Dalles I called Flight Watch for an update on the weather along our route. He reported ceilings ranging from 3000 feet to 5000 feet and seemed concerned about those numbers. I replied that it was just another wonderful VFR day in western Washington. The briefer replied that he had recently moved up to our area after 14 years in the LA area and was still coming to grips with the local attitude about what was a good VFR day. We chuckled about that and I went back to Seattle Center where I had been receiving flight following (a common occurance around here, I love our ATC folks in the northwest).
Here are a couple pictures my wife snapped as we approached and flew through the gorge. We stayed at 4,500 MSL until approaching Portland where I had to duck a line of clouds. I don't think I ever got much below 3,000 MSL until I was decending into OLM. Center called traffic around KLS, a C-182 above and to our left. I spotted him, watched him fall behind the Arrow, and then met the pilot as he put his plane away in the hangar next to the Arrow's. A fellow WSU Cougar. Small world.