Well, after crashing 747s from coast to coast, I decided it was time for something a little more manageable. I'm at the age where I know what are my talents, and what are my limitations, and now I realize that some people just aren't cut out to be 747 pilots. 😂
I had a couple of days of fun flying my old favorite, the Lear Jet 45, up the western US, when the inspiration for another tour came along.
I had been flying up the central valley of California, across Oregon, and through Washington to land at Seattle (KSEA). It was such a scenic tour (described in detail in the "B2 Bomber came to lunch" thread) that I decided to spend more time in that part of the world.
I started by renting a Cessna 208 Amphibian at Seattle and flying back to Crater Lake in Oregon. For those who haven't been there, Crater Lake is so named because it is the remnant crater of a huge volcanic explosion, thousands of years ago. Now it is a deep cold lake, miles across, surrounded by the jagged edges of the blasted-out crater, with one little island off on the west end. The island, called Wizard Island, is all that remains of a second volcanic peak which formed after the inital explosion. The lake and the surrouding area is a national park, so of course it's illegal to land a plane on the lake-- so I HAD to put my plane there. 😀
If you want to attempt this stupid sim trick, the surface of the lake is at 6180 feet, and the lowest part of the rim (to the northeast) is at about 7000 feet, so that's the way to come in.
After after taxiing around Wizard Island on the lake, I took off again and headed to the northwest and landed at Astoria, Oregon (KAST), right on the mouth of the Columbia River. My wife and I visited there many years ago, when we did our first long driving trip in the first car we bought together after we married, and I have always remember it as a beautiful spot. To the west is the mighty Pacific Ocean, and to the north, across the Columbia River, is the state of Washington. The town is spread up the hillside overlooking the river, and when we were there was wreathed in a patchy fog. Very pretty.
I spent one sim-night in Astoria, then started up the Columbia, with the intention of flying all the way to the source of the river at Columbia Lake, in British Columbia (that's in Canada, for those of you who slept through geography class 😉 ).
I've been taking it low and slow, usually just flying a thousand feet or so above the river. Since the course of the river flows through mountainous areas, I am often flying with cliffs on both sides.
My rules for this tour are that I will stay on the river, and always land on the water when I stop for the evening, except when I need fuel, when I will land on an airport with a few miles of the river. So far, that should be easy because there are lots of little airports along the way, but I haven't needed fuel yet. Actually, I started this tour four days ago, and I'm still only 200 miles from Astoria! This is truly "low'n'slow" flying (although the C208A can move along at about 140 kias at this altitude).
So far I have stopped on the river near Cascade Locks State Airport (KCZK), the town of Boardman (nearest airport M50), and last night I set it down near Pangborn Memorial Airport (KEAT) somewhere north of Richland, Washington.
After I reach Columbia Lake, I'm considering a continuation of the tour by flying to the source of the Mississippi River in Minnesota, and following that river to the Gulf of Mexico.
I like flying the amphibian because there is a great deal of freedom in where you can go and where you can land-- any patch of water will do. No need to ask ATC for permission, just drop the flaps, cut the throttle, and set 'er down (just watch out for bridges!). This is my second amphibious tour, and I still have never actually landed on an "amphibious" airport. I suppose I should try it some day.
Ed
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