Tag: KBFI

New RNAV (GPS) Approaches at KBFI

The FAA Instrument Procedures Information Gateway now includes the new RNAV approaches to runways 14R and 32L at Boeing Field (KBFI) in Seattle that were published on August 10, 2023.

Boeing Field management contracted with Hughes Aerospace Corporation to develop these approaches, but they are public use, and the charts appear in the databases in EFBs and panel avionics.

Note that these are not Authorization Required (AR) approaches (for more information about that topic, see Unscrambling RNAV, RNP, and Other Chart Naming Conventions and Notes). The new approach to runway 14R replaces the old RNAV (GPS) Y procedure, and it’s a welcome supplement to the ILS RWY 14R, which is often out of service.

Both approaches offer LPV minimums for WAAS-equipped aircraft.

Here are detailed views of the new RNAV (GPS) RWY 14R approach, which features tracks through Elliott Bay, keeping low-altitude traffic (and noise) away from the Magnolia neighborhood. I transferred information from the approach chart to VFR charts (at SkyVector). The positions of the fixes and the tracks are approximate, but they help you visualize the new flight paths. (For similar views of the new RNAV (GPS) RWY 32L approach, scroll down.)

Here are views of the fixes in the new RNAV (GPS) RWY 32L approach.

A Scenic Approach to Boeing Field

I recently flew the A36 Bonanza from Boeing Field (KBFI) in Seattle to Grant County Airport (KMWH) at Moses Lake, WA and back, taking advantage of a break in the weather to cross the Cascade Mountains again before winter weather makes such trips increasingly rare.

The return to KBFI included a visual approach that passed over Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (KSEA) to a swooping descent over Puget Sound and through Elliott Bay to runway 14R.

I also captured videos of the flight to and from KMWH, which you can watch on my YouTube channel here and here.

Flying the Blake Arrival at Boeing Field

Ride along as I return to Boeing Field (KBFI) after a quick stop for fuel at the Shelton-Sanderson airport (KSHN), southwest of Seattle.

I set up for the Blake Arrival, a VFR procedure that begins over Blake Island, which lies about 8 miles west of Boeing Field.

The VFR departure and arrival routes for Boeing Field are described on the reverse side of the Seattle terminal area chart, the so-called VFR Flyway Planning Chart.

I have created more detailed descriptions of each departure and arrival route, available as a PDF in my Aviation Documents folder at OneDrive.

The Blake Island Arrival is a “south arrival” for traffic inbound from the west. It’s used when Runways 14L and 14R are active. It begins over Blake Island at 2000-2500 ft to remain below the Class B shelf in the area. You then fly direct toward Lincoln Park, just north of the Fauntleroy Ferry dock, descending to cross the shoreline at 1500 ft, then continuing down to 1000 ft, taking care to remain below and clear of the overlying Class B airspace.

Boeing Tower usually directs you to fly a right base leg for runway 14R, but sometimes, to sequence you with other traffic, ATC needs to put you on a right downwind.

Or, as happened on this day, changes your runway assignment to 14L.

A Flight to Orcas Island

Orcas Island, the second most populated of the San Juan Islands, is an easy getaway by small plane. The flight is less than an hour from Seattle, even in Cessna 172, and in that short time the scenery changes dramatically from the high-rises along the Seattle waterfront to views of Mt. Constitution and other peaks that rise from the north end of Puget Sound.

I typically fly up the east side of the metro area and then island-hop to Orcas Eastsound (KORS) or Friday Harbor (KFHR), the two most populous towns in the islands. You can see that general route at SkyVector here.

The video below shows a flight on an almost-summer day. I flew the new (as of May 2021) Green Lake Departure from Boeing Field (KBFI). You can find a detailed description of that route and the other new VFR arrival and departure procedures at KBFI here (PFD). The routes are also depicted on the back side of the Seattle TAC chart, the so-called Fly chart.

Before you fly into KORS or KFHR, make sure you visit the websites for each airport:

  • KORS; noise abatement routes and related information here
  • KFHR; noise abatement routes and related information here

New VFR Procedures at Boeing Field

Boeing Tower (KBFI) started using new VFR arrival and departure procedures on May 15, 2021. The new procedures appear on the reverse side of the Seattle TAC chart, but the descriptions and graphics are difficult to understand. The descriptions on the airport website and from FAA are also hard to follow.

I have created an expanded guide to the new arrival and departure routes, with each route shown on the relevant section of the Seattle TAC chart (see sample below). You can download the PDF version of that document from my OneDrive folder here.

I have also started posting videos of the new procedures on my YouTube channel. Here’s the Aliki Departure when runways 32 are in use.

Blake Island Arrival

Across the Cascades

Here are two videos that show a relatively new route across the Cascades to or from the Seattle area. The GPS-based T268 closely follows the old V2 airway between SEA and ELN, but it zigs and zags a bit to stay over lower terrain. If you’re IFR, T268 offers lower MEAs–you can fly it westbound as low as 8000 ft. To learn more about T-routes, see New T-Routes in the PNW and New T-Routes in Las Vegas here at BruceAir.

Here’s the route flown eastbound from KBFI to Moses Lake (KMWH).

And here’s the return flight to Boeing Field.

A Busy, Blustery Day at Boeing Field

Even on a windy, bumpy Sunday afternoon, Boeing Field (KBFI) in Seattle can be a busy place.

I wanted to get some practice wrestling with crosswinds, so I took a short hop to nearby Bremerton, WA (KPWT) and then back to KBFI. Bremerton wasn’t busy. The wind there was 20-30 degrees off the runway heading and gusting to about 30 knots.

I was surprised on the return to KBFI, however, to find that the tower frequency was hopping. As you can hear in the first video above, one controller was working the two parallel runways on separate frequencies, herding a mix of VFR and IFR traffic, single-engine pistons and jets, helicopters and amphibs.

The wind at KBFI wasn’t quite as strong and it was more closely aligned with the runway, but Boeing Field lies in a valley, and the wind strength and direction often change dramatically as you descend to traffic pattern altitude and then to the runway.

Enjoy the ride. More flying videos at my YouTube channel: BruceAirFlying.

Two Practice Approaches

During training for the instrument rating, we fly most approaches to published minimums. But in real-world IFR flying, the weather is usually well above the visibility (which actually controls) and ceiling required to complete an approach and land.

I recently flew a couple of approaches in VMC (visual meteorological conditions), albeit with light rain reducing visibility. I couldn’t log the approaches for currency, but they were still good opportunities to practice IFR procedures, use the avionics in the A36, and keep my head in the IFR game.

The following videos also show what the runway environment looks like as you approach the decision altitude (DA), first on an RNAV (GPS) approach with LPV minimums, then an ILS.

Lincoln Departure at KBFI

Air traffic control has revised the Lincoln Departure at Boeing Field (KBFI) in Seattle. It’s one of the VFR procedures used at to provide an orderly flow of traffic below the Seattle Class B airspace and to avoid TCAS alerts in airliners descending over KBFI into KSEA.

As noted below, the initial altitude on the Lincoln Departure (which may be renamed the Vashon South Depature) is now 700 ft. MSL.

The Lincoln Departure almost always begins from runway 14R. It now requires a climb straight ahead to 700 ft. MSL, then a level 180-degree turn into a close-in right downwind over the Duwamish River, remaining at 800 ft. As you approach the South Park Bridge, almost abeam the control tower, turn left toward a school bus parking lot and parallel the main streets that head west over the ridge. As you reach the ridge, climb no higher than 1000 ft. Continue on a track between the north tip of Vashon Island and Blake Island. When you cross the SEA 323 degree radial, you can climb to 1500 ft. At the shoreline, you can continue to 2500 ft.