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Two-Hour Lunch Flights Around Mount St. Helens in a Cessna 172

Type: story
Title: Two-Hour Lunch Flights Around Mount St. Helens in a Cessna 172
Date: 1990-06-01
Alias: Two-Hour Lunch Flights Around Mount St. Helens in a Cessna 172, Two-Hour Lunch Flights Around Mount St. Helens in a Cessna 172, Mount St. Helens Lunch Flights
Category: Aviation, Intel, Intel, Mount St. Helens, Hillsboro Airport, Portland, Oregon]]
Participants: Randal Schwartz

  • Two-Hour Lunch Flights Around Mount St. Helens in a Cessna 172

  • One of my favorite ways to accumulate flight hours—and share the joy of flying—was taking colleagues from Intel on scenic midday flights.

  • The Lunch Invitation

    • Around lunchtime, I would stroll around the office and ask:
      "Hey, does anyone want to go fly around Mount St. Helens today?"
    • Without fail, a couple of engineers would immediately jump up: "Oh yeah, let's do that!"
    • We would head across to Hillsboro Airport, strap into a Cessna 172, and take off for an unforgettable two-hour lunch adventure.

  • Navigating the Climb and Volcano Floor

    • Leaving Hillsboro, I would fly due north to skirt west of the congested airspace around Portland International Airport (PDX).
    • The FAA established a mandatory sightseeing altitude floor of 8,000 feet MSL around the volcanic crater.
    • In a loaded Cessna 172, it took almost the entire northbound cruise leg to climb up to 8,000 feet.
    • Once there, we would circle the dramatic crater, taking in the awe-inspiring views of the lava dome and post-1980 blast zone.

  • Cruising Downhill Over Downtown Portland

    • Flying back south was a breeze—with a gentle descent ("flying downhill"), the airspeed picked up significantly.
    • On the approach back into Hillsboro, I would route the flight directly over downtown Portland, Oregon, treating my passengers to sweeping aerial vistas of the city bridges and skyline before setting the Skyhawk down on the runway.
    • Because we didn't land at another airport, these trips didn't count toward cross-country requirements, but they provided invaluable total Pilot-in-Command (PIC) hours and unbeatable memories.
  • See Watching Fourth of July Fireworks Across Oregon from 3,000 Feet, The 52-Mile Fifty-Dollar Hamburger Run to Albany Airport, and My Pilot Training and Aviation Days.

What links here

🔗Eagle Flight Center 🔗 Earning My Private Pilot License in 39 Hours at Eagle Flight Center 🔗Mount St. Helens 🔗 My Pilot Training and Aviation Days 🔗 The 52-Mile Fifty-Dollar Hamburger Run to Albany Airport 🔗 Watching Fourth of July Fireworks Across Oregon from 3,000 Feet
These facts are as Randal recalls them, but much time has passed for most of this. If you find a factual error, please email realmerlyn@gmail.com.