In the Rain Over Tacoma Narrows

August 29, 2020 — Here in the Pacific Northwest, the end of August means we're running short on reliable weekend VFR weather, so we need to get these flights in while we can. Derek starts school on Monday, and we go back to work as well — all virtually, of course.

A bucket list item of ours has been to overfly the Tacoma Narrows bridge, so that's what we're going to do today. While we're in the general vicinity, I'd like to fly out to Sanderson Field (KSHN) in Shelton, Washington so I can log this trip as cross country time. There's a bit of sentimental value in that as well — it's where we took Derek almost 10 years ago on one of his first aviation adventures. We flew down in a Diamond DA-40 and watched from the back seat as skydivers circled down from above.

As you can see, the controllers at Tacoma Narrows Airport (KTIW) were very friendly and they let us transit their airspace right over the bridge.

After exiting the Tacoma airspace, it took about 15 minutes to reach Sanderson Field. There was a NOTAM indicating that the runway was closed, and it turns out that they’ve temporarily converted the taxiway into a makeshift runway. That was a first for me!

The usual summer skydiving operations were in full swing, and Derek was happy that we were able to catch a glimpse of that.

After a brief stop at Sanderson, we made our way north toward the Hood Canal. It was a very fun flight, but we had to cancel plans for lunch at Bremerton due to deteriorating weather. Oh well, we’ll get to that part next time!

Thanks for watching, and we hope you enjoy the ride!