Seattle recommendations? KBFI, KRNT, something else?

[rahill]

Looks like a college trip to the northwest is in our near future so I'm looking for recommendations on airports in the Seattle area (University of Washington).  Looks like the closest options are Boeing Field and Renton, but driving a few more miles is a possibility if that makes more sense.  

 

We'll likely also be stopping in Eugene and maybe Corvallis, but the choices are clear in either of those places.

 

Thanks,

 

Rich Hill

N201CD

Palo Alto, CA

[Joe Zuffoletto]

It's been maybe a decade or more but I've stayed at KBFI twice and liked it very much both times. It's a great location.

[OR75]

Snohomish (PAE) is a sloa good option

You can visit the Boeing museum and actual production line on the field 

[Bob5151F]

Rich

 

I used to live in the Bay Area (DVO then RHV) and now am based at BFI. My son also went to UW.

 

I recommend BFI for convenience and it has better FBOs than RNT. PAE is a 45-60 min drive depending on traffic. The only downside to BFI is fuel is expensive. Also try to arrive/depart BFI between 9 AM and 4 PM. Early in the AM and in the evening there is a lot of big air cargo traffic at BFI you don't want to mix it up with. Be sure to check out the Museum of Flight which is on the west side of the field.

 

Bob

[M016576]

Clay lacy at BFI. You can't go wrong there.

[Bob5151F]

I agree. Clay Lacy is excellent

[tonyk628]

Clay Lacy +1... take a jaunt up to the islands (FHR) too! 

[AmigOne]

At $7.63 Clay Lacy better be nice. This past summer I used Aeroflight ($7.40 now) but I was coming one hour away from the east where I had topped of at much less. So I requested a top off at Clay Lacy and they gave me one night free parking irrespective of the amount of fuel I was buying.

[fluffysheap]

All the FBOs at BFI are pretty nice.  If you land or stay over a weekend, Galvin will give you $1.00 off their fuel price, making it cheaper than Clay Lacy (but still more expensive than RNT).  Maybe Clay Lacy has discounts available too, but they don't advertise them.  Both will give you free parking if you fuel up.  Honestly, for a downtown airport, BFI is not very expensive.  Still expensive in an absolute sense of course.

 

Renton is actually farther in practice because Boeing is right by I-5 and Renton is not.  Unless, of course, you're going to somewhere that's actually nearer to Renton.  If you happen to have a Car2Go membership, Boeing is near enough to places where you can get usually one of those.  Renton isn't.

 

Both have a lot of interesting aircraft.  BFI has the museum of flight and often has some random Boeing-built military castoffs sitting around.  Renton on the other hand usually has some amphibious aircraft since it's one of few places where both water and land runways are available.

[M016576]

At $7.63 Clay Lacy better be nice. This past summer I used Aeroflight ($7.40 now) but I was coming one hour away from the east where I had topped of at much less. So I requested a top off at Clay Lacy and they gave me one night free parking irrespective of the amount of fuel I was buying.

You want to talk about expensive fuel.., I was at KSUN last weekend- $8.00 a gallon for 100LL, $25.00 a gallon for TKS. One night in their hangar (a good way to preheat, right?) cost me almost as much as my monthly rent here in Oregon. Next time I'm up that way, I'm bringing enough gas for the round trip....

[BigTex]

I would consider Tacoma Narrows (KTIW).  It's out far enough you don't have to deal with SEATAC traffic but close enough the drive to be in Downtown Seattle is bad at all.  Fuel is also reasonably priced ($5.79 as of yesterday).

[fluffysheap]

Tacoma Narrows is pretty far from Seattle, and it's on the opposite side of Tacoma.  It's an hour away from downtown Seattle by car, longer if there's traffic.  It's as far as Paine Field in Everett.  Assuming you're not actually going to Tacoma, you would be better off with Renton for sure.

 

It's a fun airport to fly into, though.  The Tacoma Narrows bridge is right there (assuming it doesn't fall down again), and the runway is practically sticking out into Puget Sound.  Not recommended for Asiana pilots.