We showed up at the airport the next day to find miserable weather. Our flight was going to be a quick hop to Portland, only 36 minutes. There was heavy rain, low ceilings, and the wind was blowing around 20 knots. We put on enough fuel to get to Portland and then back to Seattle if the weather went below minimums at our destination.
We got the aircraft set for passengers and waited for them to arrive. Once we had them on board, we taxied out for departure. After a bit of a wait for other departures, we were cleared to position and hold ( that is pull onto the runway, all lights on, ready to depart when cleared ). Then we were cleared for takeoff. We were considerably lighter on this leg and it didn't take long to get right into the clouds.
The last time that I flew out of Seattle the view from the aircraft was gorgeous, great views of Mt Rainier, Mount St Helens, and the cascades. This time, nothing. We were in the clouds almost the whole time. We picked up a good amount of ice from 3,000 ft up to 16,000 ft. We leveled off at 17,000 feet and sped up. The ice was almost gone from the windscreen when we started the descent in Portland.
The weather in Portland wasn't as bad as Seattle, but close. It was rainy and windy. It was fairly bumpy on the approach, but no ice. We touched down in gusty winds and deployed the thrust reversers. Off the runway and into Flightcraft. Passengers were unloaded and the aircraft cleaned. Tonight the aircraft goes into the hanger, we arrange for that. Flightcraft is a nice FBO ( Fixed Base Operator ). The have a great looking lounge for the pilots and passengers to hang out in. Of course, the people were nice. Pretty much all the FBO's you run across in large airports treat their customers well.
Here is the Lear after we landed at KPDX.
The crew rented a car and headed to the hotel for check-in. It was only 10:30 PST so I was determined not to get TV lock. We decided that we would take a little drive down to McMinnville, Oregon to check out the famed Spruce Goose ( the large aircraft built by Howard Hughes ). The Spruce Goose is housed in the Evergreen Aviation Museum. So we headed out.
Now you would think that two jet pilots would be able to read a road map and find our destination. Not so. We made a wrong turn and somehow ended up taking a scenic tour of western Oregon. I had no idea how much agriculture was in Oregon. We saw the Oregon wine country, which is vast. I enjoyed our travels through the country and it certainly beats hanging out in the hotel.
After a few hours driving around Oregon, we finally pulled into the Evergreen Museum complex. The Spruce Goose is impressive. It's gi-normous and not surprising that it barely got into the air, even though it has eight engines, it seemed underpowered. The pictures I took do really do it justice.
We hung out in the museum for a bit, just taking it all in. There is some serious legend and history associated with this particular aircraft. The museum also had other aircraft sitting of historical importance. DC-3, Sopwith Camel, and a Mig 29 are just a few.
After the museum, we headed back to Portland to eat and retire for the night. As I have mentioned before in this blog, getting out and being able to see stuff I wouldn't normally see is one of the great things about my job.
The next day, the weather was okay for the flight back to Oklahoma. It took a lot less time to get back due to the tailwind. We touched down at our home airport and logged another successful flight by our crew. Good trip to the northwest, I hope we go back soon.
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