View Full Version : GA around Seattle
Pitts2112
1st Jun 2009, 20:18
Hi, all,
A question for my Left Coast American brethren, and well-travelled Brits: What's the GA scene north of Seattle like and is the weather as gray and drizzly as Wikipedia makes out?
buger T
1st Jun 2009, 21:41
It is. Be careful the go arounds though if your flying for Gama.
n5296s
2nd Jun 2009, 01:36
the weather as gray and drizzly as Wikipedia makes out
No mere written description could possibly do it justice. Think OVC005 -RA for weeks and months on end, apart from occasional periods of OVC002 +RA.
A few years back I interviewed with Seattle's OTHER famous employer (the one that doesn't build aircraft). Everyone went to enormous lengths to tell me what a great place it is to live, fabulous scenery, great outdoor stuff, vibrant city life... but all this was somewhat lost because on both occasions (and just about evey other time I've been up there) it has been as above.
If business is taking you there and you're hoping to do some flying, consider giving Alaska $200 or so and coming further south where the weather is as dependable but in a slightly more positive way.
That said, on the handful of days a year when the sun shines, there is actually some spectacular flying (see below). Just don't count on it happening while you're there. And since there are lots of rich Microsofties, there are plenty of GA fields - Boeing Field and Renton near Seattle, and plenty more further out. You won't have trouble finding someone to let you rent their 172.
(When a former employer of mine opened a development lab there, the people who transferred from Boston gave all the (Decnet) systems names like mildew, drzzle, ovrcst...)
n5296s
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3030/2814172001_289ec30eb0_o.jpg
Don't believe all the hype about it always raining.
I go out to Seattle on a fairly regular basis for work and most of the time I've been there the weather has been very similar to here in Edinburgh - variable, almost British. A lot of the times I've been out it's been dry and reasonably sunny but then again maybe I'm just lucky.
I rented from a place in Renton and did a great tour out to the East and then back for a low level circuit of Seattle. Helpful controllers, great scenery.
Alastair