GA airports near Portland, OR

[rps]

I'll be flying into the Portland, OR, area for a business meeting. The
location of the meeting is closest to KPDX. Just a little farther is
KVUO. KHIO is also reasonably close, though much farther than either
of the other two airports.

So, it appears my choices are KPDX and KVUO unless I want to drive
farther from KHIO. The advantage of KPDX is the availability of ground
transportation services. Rental cars, cabs, and even a commuter train
are easily accessible. The disadvantage is that this airport serves
the airlines and I don't want to be vectored way off course so that ATC
can fit me into the approach. I also don't want to wait on the ground
on my way out for an extended period before receiving a departure
clearance. (I don't think I need to reserve a landing or takeoff slot
at KPDX, though am not sure.) KVUO is the total opposite --
GA-friendly but few very few services and only a non-precsion approach
(an LDA, at that). (KHIO is a reasonable compromise, but looks like it
will take much longer to drive to my meeting place in downtown
Portland.)

I'd love to hear that my concerns with KPDX are unfounded and that GA
won't be mistreated there. Anyone flown into that area recently?

[Ben Hallert]

I've flown into PDX in a Cessna 152, the hot-pants wearing, "I can't
believe it's not an ultralight" red headed stepchild of the general
aviation family and they treated me excellently. I contacted Portland
Approach from the south who vectored me directly over downtown and had
be call Tower. Tower had me cross midfield and then circle to land,
and this is all VFR.

Tower and approach were excellent, ground was super about getting me to
the FBO, and clearance delivery was basically "dial and go" with no
delays when I launched again.

Something to consider, PDX is in class charlie, not bravo, and while
it's busy, it looks like it has a lot of capacity.

I don't know how much it costs to park there, but flying into PDX is a
breeze, and I'll do it again next time I'm up there.

Ben Hallert
PP-ASEL

[Don Tuite]

The MAX llight rail line runs right by Hillsboro.

Don

[J. Severyn]

It is 41 minutes from the station near HIO (about a 200 yard walk from the
airport) to downtown by MAX light rail. It is a convenient ride.
Of course PDX has MAX service also, right from the terminal, and it is just
about the same time from PDX to downtown Portland.
See: http://www.trimet.org/schedules/maps/maxsystem.htm for details and
ride times.

Regards,
John Severyn
@KLVK (but visits son at college in Portland occasionally)

"rps" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> I'll be flying into the Portland, OR, area for a business meeting. The
> location of the meeting is closest to KPDX. Just a little farther is
> KVUO. KHIO is also reasonably close, though much farther than either
> of the other two airports.
>
> So, it appears my choices are KPDX and KVUO unless I want to drive
> farther from KHIO. The advantage of KPDX is the availability of ground
> transportation services. Rental cars, cabs, and even a commuter train
> are easily accessible. The disadvantage is that this airport serves
> the airlines and I don't want to be vectored way off course so that ATC
> can fit me into the approach. I also don't want to wait on the ground
> on my way out for an extended period before receiving a departure
> clearance. (I don't think I need to reserve a landing or takeoff slot
> at KPDX, though am not sure.) KVUO is the total opposite --
> GA-friendly but few very few services and only a non-precsion approach
> (an LDA, at that). (KHIO is a reasonable compromise, but looks like it
> will take much longer to drive to my meeting place in downtown
> Portland.)
>
> I'd love to hear that my concerns with KPDX are unfounded and that GA
> won't be mistreated there. Anyone flown into that area recently?
>

[Chris G.]

This is a very accurate experience. I was a student pilot on my night
X-C from SLE-SPB-PDX-SLE and we did a stop-and-go about 10:00 pm on
Runway 28L. Approach and Tower were BOTH very accomodating. Also, I've
flown in there with a friend for one of the FAA/ASF Aviation Safety
Seminars. We landed on 10L and taxiied to Flightcraft (the FBO and GA
parking). You can park the first 2 hours for free. After that, there
is a tiedown fee that (IMHO) seemed kinda spendy. IIRC, it *may* be
$10/hr with some daily max.

Have you considered Troutdale (TTD)? They're a pretty GA-friendly
airport. Also, you may consider Aurora (UAO). It is a VERY GA-friendly
airport and is just south of the PDX Class C. There are rental cars
available at both airports and UAO does have an ILS also.

Welcome to Portland!

Chris G.
(remove the .example to email me)


Ben Hallert wrote:
> I've flown into PDX in a Cessna 152, the hot-pants wearing, "I can't
> believe it's not an ultralight" red headed stepchild of the general
> aviation family and they treated me excellently. I contacted Portland
> Approach from the south who vectored me directly over downtown and had
> be call Tower. Tower had me cross midfield and then circle to land,
> and this is all VFR.
>
> Tower and approach were excellent, ground was super about getting me to
> the FBO, and clearance delivery was basically "dial and go" with no
> delays when I launched again.
>
> Something to consider, PDX is in class charlie, not bravo, and while
> it's busy, it looks like it has a lot of capacity.
>
> I don't know how much it costs to park there, but flying into PDX is a
> breeze, and I'll do it again next time I'm up there.
>
> Ben Hallert
> PP-ASEL
>

[gatt]

"rps" > wrote in message
oups.com...

> So, it appears my choices are KPDX and KVUO unless I want to drive
> farther from KHIO. The advantage of KPDX is the availability of ground
> transportation services.

KPDX is an international airport, so you'll have to deal with that. The
transportation including lightrail which will take you right downtown is
abundant, but from the Flightcraft area you might need a cab just to get to
the station unless you don't mind walking.

Another option to consider is KTTD, which is Class D and closer than HIO, in
Troutdale.

It's a 20-minute drive to downtown--30 minutes during rush hour instead of
45-60 of swearing at yuppie idiots coming from HIO and the scenery is much
better. The only issue you might run into from TTD is a car rental, but
rental cars/cabs are out there quite a bit and if you call Gorge Winds
Aviation (503) 665-2628, they'll be able to give you advise or possibly make
arrangements for you. (I'm not an employee, but can you tell I'm familiar
with it?) The owner of Gorge Winds is Marv, which is on the north side, and
he has the tiedown space and fuel operation too, and it's a very cleanly-run
and professional business. There's a "public terminal" on the south side as
well, but no FBO/fuel that I know of.

Plus, when you're at KTTD the Columbia River Gorge is just outside the
pattern (spectacular view!) and Mt. St. Helens is only about 1.5 round trip
in a Cessna. Of the three Portland airports, KTTD is the most convenient,
and Hillsboro is second but it's a longer and slower drive into Portland
during the day.

e-mail me if you have any other questions about the area. g a t t at
j u g g e r b o t dot c o m

-c

[Martin Wehner]

On Sun, 30 Apr 2006 21:03:54 -0700, rps wrote:
> I'll be flying into the Portland, OR, area for a business meeting. The
> location of the meeting is closest to KPDX. Just a little farther is
> KVUO. KHIO is also reasonably close, though much farther than either
> of the other two airports.

As other posters have pointed out, Hillsboro (HIO) is a great choice for
flying into the Portland, OR area.

If you are planning on renting a car anyways, you may still want to
consider Pearson Field (VUO). It is very close to downtown Portland, an
easy hop across the I-5 bridge.
For more information about Pearson Field, feel free to visit our site:
http://www.flyvancouverwa.com/airports/pearson

Enjoy the Pacific Northwest!
Martin

--
Martin Wehner )

Fly Vancouver WA | Unite
Aviation in and around Vancouver | Instant web site. Just add content.
http://www.flyvancouverwa.com | http://www.codecobra.com/unite

[john smith]

In article >,
Martin Wehner > wrote:

> On Sun, 30 Apr 2006 21:03:54 -0700, rps wrote:
> > I'll be flying into the Portland, OR, area for a business meeting. The
> > location of the meeting is closest to KPDX. Just a little farther is
> > KVUO. KHIO is also reasonably close, though much farther than either
> > of the other two airports.
>
> As other posters have pointed out, Hillsboro (HIO) is a great choice for
> flying into the Portland, OR area.
>
> If you are planning on renting a car anyways, you may still want to
> consider Pearson Field (VUO). It is very close to downtown Portland, an
> easy hop across the I-5 bridge.
> For more information about Pearson Field, feel free to visit our site:
> http://www.flyvancouverwa.com/airports/pearson

As I recall, rent the car in Washington state and avoid the Portland
tourist taxes.

[gatt]

"Martin Wehner" > wrote in message

> If you are planning on renting a car anyways, you may still want to
> consider Pearson Field (VUO). It is very close to downtown Portland, an
> easy hop across the I-5 bridge.

Second that in addition to my Troutdale recommendation, although the commute
can be ugly if it's rush hour. Pearson is a beautiful little airstrip with
a nice museum and historical facilities all around.

[gatt]

"Chris G." > wrote in message
reenews.net...

> Have you considered Troutdale (TTD)? They're a pretty GA-friendly
> airport. Also, you may consider Aurora (UAO).

Good call on both. Plus, UAO has an instrument approach. (Troutdale
doesn't.)

-c

[Jose]

> As I recall, rent the car in Washington state and avoid the Portland
> tourist taxes.

Be careful where you rent - some companies will not allow you to take
their car over the state line, and since Portland is right on the state
line, that m ay be a problem.

Jose
--
The price of freedom is... well... freedom.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

[skym]

I've flown to both TTD and PDX in my C172. Without a doubt I got
better service and treatment at PDX. The FBO at TTD seemed like they
really couldn't give a damn. The FBO at PDX treated me very well.
Also, the rental car situation at the PDX FBO is far better than at
TTD. FWIW, to me it's no contest. I flew VFR in to both, but IFR out
of PDX and it was very easy.

[gatt]

"skym" > wrote in message
oups.com...

> I've flown to both TTD and PDX in my C172. Without a doubt I got better
> service and treatment at PDX. The FBO at TTD >seemed like they really
> couldn't give a damn.

For future reference, the FBO(s) you're referring to at TTD appear to have
gone belly-up. Gorge Winds bought the main FBO facility recently (were
upstairs) and then acquired the fuel operation. Now it seems like you're
not out of the plane yet before the fuel truck is asking you if you need
topped off.

One of the fuelers was a Marine during the invasion of Baghdad. Great guy.
The owner is a retired cop, retired mayor, former Marine and runs the Oregon
Anti-Drug Consortium so he's reasonably squared away too, although he's
doing it for something other than substantial profit; he did almost all of
my instrument and commercial ground instruction for free.

Still no IFR approach, though. I hear they might be working on it but you'd
have to descend into the gorge, and if you tried to go missed on a
full-needle deflection you could fly right into the cliffs.

As far as the car rental, Troutdale has grown rapidly in the last couple of
years so business is much closer now.

-c

[Rowsign]

I'm based at PDX in a 206. ATC is very accomodating to GA and Flightcraft takes great care of all customers regardless of size. They have a great pilots lounge and they will give you a ride to MAX rail if you want. They also have rental cars if you require one. The fuel is not cheap, but I've paid more.

You should call clearance delivery when you depart even if you depart VFR; but that is no big hassel. They assume you want flight following to your next destination unless you tell them otherwise. If that is the field closest to your destination it is an easy stop.

Since the runway is so long, look at the airport diagram and try and get down to A4 intersection and you will taxi right to Flightcraft from the runway without a lot of fuss. The Alpha taxiway is pretty clear of the commercial guys so you will just taxi down to the end when you take off.

CJS

[rps]

I flew into KPDX yesterday. I chose it over KVUO because I wanted to
make it easier for some passengers (an unemployed friend and his
5-year-old son) I was planning to pick up to get to the airport. KPDX
and KHIO have a commuter train service, but KVUO doesn't. KHIO was
farther from downtown Portland, which is where my business meeting was
to occur, so KPDX it was. As it turned out, I picked my passengers up
by car after my meeting in downtown, and so I could have just as easily
have used KVUO. I would have liked to visit the museum and historical
landmarks there, but maybe next time.

The controllers at KPDX were friendly. They had me cancel IFR about 5
miles away from the airport so that I could cut my distance in
appreciably. Because I was coming in from the north, I flew very near
KVUO. While doing so, I was close to exchanging paint with a colorful,
small plane that approached me from the west and maybe 100 feet lower.
PDX approach called the traffic for me and requested me to change to
tower frequency and I saw the plane just as I was switching. I'm
pretty sure the other pilot saw me because I could see him straining
forward to watch me over his windshield. I was descending through
about 1200' at the time to get to PDX's pattern altitude of 1000, which
is the same as KVUO's pattern altitude. KPDX was landing to the west,
as KVUO should have been. So, the other pilot was either on the wrong
side of the airport for the downwind leg (which I understand to be
north of the field) or was departing in the opposite direction as
traffic at KPDX.

Landing at KPDX was unventful - tower sequenced me in between a Horizon
Air scheduled carrier turboprop (behind me) and a Citation jet (in
front of me) by calling my base leg. I turned off runway 28R at
taxiway A2 and parked at Flightcraft, where the parking fee is $10/day.
I had a rental car waiting for me at Flightcraft.

Weather in the area was CAVU and seeing the snow-covered peaks of
Mounts Hood, Rainier, St. Helens, and others in all their glory was an
awesome sight.

[Larry Dighera]

On 3 May 2006 08:33:30 -0700, "rps" > wrote in
. com>::

>I was close to exchanging paint with a colorful,
>small plane that approached me from the west and maybe 100 feet lower.


It appears that your Near Midair Collision should be reported:



http://www.faa.gov/ATpubs/AIM/AIM.pdf
7-6-3. Near Midair Collision Reporting

a. Purpose and Data Uses. The primary purpose
of the Near Midair Collision (NMAC) Reporting
Program is to provide information for use in
enhancing the safety and efficiency of the National
Airspace System. Data obtained from NMAC reports
are used by the FAA to improve the quality of FAA
services to users and to develop programs, policies,
and procedures aimed at the reduction of NMAC
occurrences. All NMAC reports are thoroughly
investigated by Flight Standards Facilities in
coordination with Air Traffic Facilities. Data from
these investigations are transmitted to FAA Headquarters
in Washington, DC, where they are compiled
and analyzed, and where safety programs and
recommendations are developed.

b. Definition. A near midair collision is defined
as an incident associated with the operation of an
aircraft in which a possibility of collision occurs as a
result of proximity of less than 500 feet to another
aircraft, or a report is received from a pilot or a flight
crew member stating that a collision hazard existed
between two or more aircraft.

c. Reporting Responsibility. It is the responsibility
of the pilot and/or flight crew to determine
whether a near midair collision did actually occur
and, if so, to initiate a NMAC report. Be specific, as
ATC will not interpret a casual remark to mean that
a NMAC is being reported. The pilot should state “I
wish to report a near midair collision.”

AIM 2/16/06
7-6-3 Safety, Accident, and Hazard Reports
d. Where to File Reports. Pilots and/or flight
crew members involved in NMAC occurrences are
urged to report each incident immediately:
1. By radio or telephone to the nearest FAA ATC
facility or FSS.
2. In writing, in lieu of the above, to the nearest
Flight Standards District Office (FSDO).

e. Items to be Reported.
1. Date and time (UTC) of incident.
2. Location of incident and altitude.
3. Identification and type of reporting aircraft,
aircrew destination, name and home base of pilot.
4. Identification and type of other aircraft,
aircrew destination, name and home base of pilot.
5. Type of flight plans; station altimeter setting
used.
6. Detailed weather conditions at altitude or
flight level.
7. Approximate courses of both aircraft:
indicate if one or both aircraft were climbing or
descending.
8. Reported separation in distance at first
sighting, proximity at closest point horizontally and
vertically, and length of time in sight prior to evasive
action.
9. Degree of evasive action taken, if any (from
both aircraft, if possible).
10. Injuries, if any.

f. Investigation. The FSDO in whose area the
incident occurred is responsible for the investigation
and reporting of NMACs.

g. Existing radar, communication, and weather
data will be examined in the conduct of the
investigation. When possible, all cockpit crew
members will be interviewed regarding factors
involving the NMAC incident. Air traffic controllers
will be interviewed in cases where one or more of the
involved aircraft was provided ATC service. Both
flight and ATC procedures will be evaluated. When
the investigation reveals a violation of an FAA
regulation, enforcement action will be pursued.


---------------------
§ 91.111 Operating near other aircraft.

(a) No person may operate an aircraft so close to another aircraft as
to create a collision hazard.