April Fly-Out to Skagit Valley

Hello April Flyout group

April’s flyout was a flight to Skagit Regional Airport with lunch at the Skagit Landing restaurant. The trip there included a look at the tulip fields in the Skagit Valley near Mt. Vernon. Each year the area holds a Tulip Festival and this year several fields had tulips in bloom.

Flyout participants included Jay Pearlman (RV-6A), Bill / Dot Shepherd (Super Aero), Ken Gross / Leslie Marks (RV-14), Dave / Joan Miller (J-3 clone), Colette Miller (Citabria), and Barry /Tracy Halsted (PA-11). Those flying from Port Angeles and Rakes Glen left with good visibility and over-cast skies. Clouds lowered with an indefinite ceiling approaching Diamond Point which made it appear visibility was poor, but at 900 – 1000 ft the area to the north showed distant sun and mountains. Those leaving Diamond Point soon made it to higher ceilings and good visibility. By the time we reached the tulip fields, high ceilings and excellent visibility prevailed and 8-10 tulip fields were in full bloom. What a pretty view we had! Meals at the restaurant were good. Had we known there would be ten of us coming it would have been good to give them notice, but even so they were able to place the ten of us at one table.

Coming home, clouds were high and visibilities were good. There was wind, however, and the air was somewhat bumpy the closer we got to home. Barry watched the Diamond Point group land without difficulty, but he aborted an approach to Rakes Glen’s short and narrow runway and landed instead at Sequim Valley Airport. The wind there was strong enough that he called Harry Cook for assistance in getting off the runway. Harry and a local instructor held the wings until the PA-11 was off the runway and tied down in the grass.

All together luncheon socialization was excellent and everyone had an enjoyable flyout.