KSEA..operational tips, please

[FlareArmed]

Greetings,

I am flying into Seattle-Tacoma International next week in a business jet. I haven't been there before and was hoping for a few tips such as the normal runway usage, whether gate-hold is used, and any general tips from experienced players.

Cheers!

[captjns]

Like with any other flight... just be well prepared. Before you depart for your trip... review your area and approach charts, NOTAMS, AIM, Airport Facilitiy Directory, and any other publications you use in the course of your operations.

There are detailed STARS into KSEA depending on the direction of your arrival. If you arrive at off peak hours you are usually radar vectored for the final approach... to both north and south approaches. They also have Charted Visual Approache Procedures which are often used too. The Air Traffic Controllers have a tendancy to speak rather fast and may not always follow the ICAO phraseology format... so be prepared. If you are in doubt just ask them to repeat their instructions.

Taxiways are well marked.

Once in Seattle... sample some of the sea food and martinis... unlike any other place you have been.

Have a great trip and don't forget the tour at Boeing.

[stator vane]

go onto google and search LiveATC KSEA and you should get a link to enable you to listen to live transmissions.

i am on there now, but since KSEA is pretty much asleep, there is nothing going on. so instead i am on dublin.

i used to fly in and out of there quite a bit but that was 1995ish, but it is all very civilized and much easier than anywhere in europe and the UK in my opinion.

[captjns]

Another good web site is Airnav. You can down load the SIDS STARS and Airport diagrams as well. They are in the NOAA format rather than the Jepp version. But at least these charts will give you a good idea about KSEA.

http://www.airnav.com/airports/

Happy flying... and don't forget those martinis

[Ignition Override]

FlareArmed: How about flying near large mountains, such as the Cascades?
A {T.I.} Dart-powered Convair 600 hit a small mountain west of LIT in the 70s, and single, fairly isolated Mt. Petit Jean (unknown to the crew-they assumed that any high hill was up north in the Ozarks:ouch: ) can not even be compared to Mt. Rainier, or even most ridges in the Cascades.

Descending into SEA, we were often vectored away from the STAR, (also off of the TONTO Arrival into PHX, PDX etc).
Look at the approximate location and height (radial and distance from SEA etc) of Mt. Rainier and others, on the area chart. Notice whether the vector takes you in that general direction and how far you are from SEA. Can the other (non-flying) pilot keep his HSI/ND on the SEA VOR, on a specific radial with simple tuning or button-pushing?

An airport where lots of Boeing certifications are performed is just east of the Cascades with totally different, usually better weather, in case of a serious system problem.
Vectors can get us into serious trouble, as history shows. Maybe you should both simply trust ATC and the huge number of blocked radio calls we all enjoy in dense ATC areas.
That is how Frank Sinatra lost his Mom in a Lear, among many others.