January Flyout

January’s Fyout was, well, different. With good weather forecast days in advance I picked Tacoma Narrows (TIW) as the unannounced destination. Then, four days before the flyout (when I generally start sending flyout emails), I discovered in a NOTAM that TIW had flight checking aircraft scheduled in the area around our arrival time. So rather than have hordes of us interfering with their activities I decided on Bremerton (PWT) instead. Weather would be the same, we haven’t been to the restaurant there (Amelia’s Hangar) for some time. Sounded perfect. The first email was sent. Monday’s weather check was good. Tuesday’s weather check, however, now showed PWT would be IFR early Wednesday morning but VFR by 11:00. That’s an alert to me, and Tuesday’s email advised that. Normally I provide a GO/NO GO email just after the 9:00 METARS become available day of departure but this time I announced a 10:00 confirming email would be coming on Wednesday and asked all flyout pilots to check that the flyout was still on. Cross your fingers.

Then came Wednesday and both Bremerton and Port Angeles were IFR early in the morning. Bremerton wasn’t forecasting VFR weather until noon. Not good enough. So at 9:00 I changed the destination to Port Townsend, suggesting that drive-ins would be welcomed. At 11:00 I canceled the flyout for any who were not already enroute.

Now the good news. By noon the weather in the area was VFR with good visibilities and broken clouds about 1400 ft. I rode over with Ray Ballantyne in his new (to him) Sportsman - YeeHaa!!! What a fun ride! Bud and Laurie Davis and Scott and Karen Brooksby drove in from Sequim. The Spruce Goose enjoyed serving seven of us lunch!

Then came Wednesday and both Bremerton and Port Angeles were IFR early in the morning. Bremerton wasn’t forecasting VFR weather until noon. Not good enough. So at 9:00 I changed the destination to Port Townsend, suggesting that drive-ins would be welcomed. At 11:00 I canceled the flyout for any who were not already enroute.

Now the good news. By noon the weather in the area was VFR with good visibilities and broken clouds about 1400 ft. I rode over with Ray Ballantyne in his new (to him) Sportsman - YeeHaa!!! What a fun ride! Bud and Laurie Davis and Scott and Karen Brooksby drove in from Sequim.The Spruce Goose enjoyed serving seven of us lunch!