Picture Album: Page Four Ty, Sharon, and I Fly Around Mt. St. Helens
November 18, 2001. Ty continues to build cross-country hours and to make many flawless landings. I am so proud of his fine aviator skills. It was a special joy to take our adult daughter, Sharon, on a flight around Mt. Saint Helens.
Mt St. Helens with Mt. Rainier in the background
Looking towards Mt. Adams
The south side of the mountain is more intact, but you can still see that
the full top is gone.
The north side shows the evidence of a final collapse as the magma chamber
quieted down, at least temporarily!
Here you can see Mt. Hood in the distant background.
We really did luck out with the weather. In actuality a pilot never really
trusts luck. Ty of course filed a flight plan and got a full weather briefing.
The FSS was very helpful. We also consulted the Airport Directory to learn
about some special procedures to follow and frequency to monitor and
self-announce our position on. Portland Approach helped us too, suggesting a
safe and smooth altitude. Always some special cautions for flying around or
through mountains as shown in the next picture....
The dark cloud cap in the picture above was fortunately several thousand
feet above us. Lens-shaped clouds in the mountains can be bad news, with
characteristic turbulence. We flew at 9,500 ft., an altitude suggested by ATC.
It was very smooth and viewing was perfect.
After we had circled the mountain in a counter-clockwise direction, as per
the directory, Portland Approach had us fly midfield right over PDX on our way
south. ..definitely the safest place to be in this busy airspace. That was a
thrill in itself.
On our way to Aurora State Airport, where we stopped for rest and to check
fuel, we flew right by downtown Portland.
updated 11/28/01