LevelWing Posted July 27, 2021 Report Share Posted July 27, 2021 1 hour ago, Ragsf15e said: Honestly I don’t know, but it looks bad. Most of the smoke is blowing east. I use this site for visualization of where it’s going but it doesn’t give you altitudes. https://hwp-viz.gsd.esrl.noaa.gov/smoke/index.html# this is a shot from that site… Thanks. I'll keep an eye on this. I've been checking both regular weather forecasts as well as METARs/NOTAMs to see what pops up. Most of my route appears to be VFR but that doesn't necessarily mean no smoke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragsf15e Posted July 27, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2021 8 minutes ago, LevelWing said: Thanks. I'll keep an eye on this. I've been checking both regular weather forecasts as well as METARs/NOTAMs to see what pops up. Most of my route appears to be VFR but that doesn't necessarily mean no smoke. Yeah the forecasts aren’t good for allowing for smoke but the metars tell the story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thinwing Posted July 28, 2021 Report Share Posted July 28, 2021 this weeks bombadier jet crash at Truckee reminded me of flying into Truckee airport 2 years ago during the bucklake/paradise fire....the airport is reporting vfr but slantline vis to this pilot was nil...the Bombadier was Ifr but chose a visual approach ...flight aware shows him overshooting centerline at 2800 ft on a 3 mile final.Tree impact marks indicate he thought he was much closer to the runway than he was...three dead 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerry Posted July 28, 2021 Report Share Posted July 28, 2021 On 7/26/2021 at 6:59 PM, carusoam said: Any noticeable elevated CO reading to go with all that smoke? Smoke and CO probably get separated from each other… Best regards, -a- Nothing on my CO monitor but I noticed ash in the cockpit with my overhead vents open. At first I thought I had a bad case of dandruff. Visibility in Northern Utah and SE Idaho was about 3 miles. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragsf15e Posted July 29, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2021 9 hours ago, thinwing said: this weeks bombadier jet crash at Truckee reminded me of flying into Truckee airport 2 years ago during the bucklake/paradise fire....the airport is reporting vfr but slantline vis to this pilot was nil...the Bombadier was Ifr but chose a visual approach ...flight aware shows him overshooting centerline at 2800 ft on a 3 mile final.Tree impact marks indicate he thought he was much closer to the runway than he was...three dead Low vis couples nicely with hot/high. Higher than customary TAS/GS while circling in low vis near the mountains is a tough situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LevelWing Posted July 31, 2021 Report Share Posted July 31, 2021 The smoke in eastern WA is pretty bad. The visibility is so low it’s basically IMC. I tried a few different routes around the area and had to turn back. Hopefully the fire fighters can get it under control and the weather cooperates soon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaylw314 Posted August 1, 2021 Report Share Posted August 1, 2021 On 7/26/2021 at 7:51 AM, Ragsf15e said: The “smoke season” out west is putting a serious crimp in my summer flying plans. I live in Spokane, WA and we’re surrounded by fires (and tfrs), but the air quality has stayed ok. Flights to the coast have been ok because there aren’t many fires that way. I’d really like to get down to Carson City NV to see my parents, but there are huge smoke plumes filling up northern Nevada and southern Oregon coming from several fires. Ive used the ground air quality numbers and the noaa high resolution smoke forecast but I really want know the flight conditions at like 10,500’. Last year I flew through some terrible, 1/2nm vis type smoke and don’t want to repeat that. Has anyone crossed the northern sierras around 11,500’ or do you guys have another way to tell how high that smoke goes? I did call flight service and they were like tits on a boar… Thanks! I just returned from SoCal via an overnight stop in Medford last night, and the visibility was VFR down to about 6 nm due to smoke, so navigation by visual reference is a little iffy. The smoke seemed pretty even from the ground up to about 11-12,000' MSL, where it petered out pretty quickly. There was no smell of smoke and no detectable CO. Looking east towards Tahoe visibility was obviously much worse. Afternoon thunderstorms have been popping up in the Sierra's and Siskiyous, and that means new fires, TFR's and smoke can pop up on any given day, though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hubcap Posted August 1, 2021 Report Share Posted August 1, 2021 When I came back from North Carolina last week there was a Mountain Obscuration AIRMET in effect due to smoke from y'all out west. We filed IFR for 8,000'. We could not see the ground at 8,000' MSL which was probably about 5,000 - 6,000 AGL. Had to shoot an approach into KEVV due to the lack of visibility. First time I ever had to shoot an approach due to smoke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amillet Posted August 1, 2021 Report Share Posted August 1, 2021 I returned from Oshkosh yesterday leaving at 8:00 am. Flew at 8,000 to Mandan Y19 (Bismarck, ND). Was in smoke from western WI on. Visibility at Y19 was 1 3/4. Had to use the GPS approach. Next stop Great Falls. Smokey all the way but visibility was good enough for visual approach. Continued to home after lunch stop at 13,000. Smoke tops varied from about 12,500 to 15,000. Smoke didn’t disappear until about 40 miles from home. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragsf15e Posted August 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2021 Eastern Washington is completely socked in with smoke right now. Winds have switched and started pushing it down from Canada. After you guys flew in smoke around the west, take a close look at your airplane and see how dirty and sooty it is behind all the rivets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amillet Posted August 1, 2021 Report Share Posted August 1, 2021 I didn’t notice anything until I sprayed some post flight cleaner on the wings to wipe off the bugs. Then a black tar looking mixture of cleaner and smoke particles started dripping. There weren’t many bugs. I guess they’re smart enough to not fly in the smoke. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amillet Posted August 1, 2021 Report Share Posted August 1, 2021 By the way, I got to fill in three more states on my states visited graphic on the way to Oshkosh (WY, NE & KS) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LevelWing Posted August 1, 2021 Report Share Posted August 1, 2021 16 hours ago, amillet said: I returned from Oshkosh yesterday leaving at 8:00 am. Flew at 8,000 to Mandan Y19 (Bismarck, ND). Was in smoke from western WI on. Visibility at Y19 was 1 3/4. Had to use the GPS approach. Next stop Great Falls. Smokey all the way but visibility was good enough for visual approach. Continued to home after lunch stop at 13,000. Smoke tops varied from about 12,500 to 15,000. Smoke didn’t disappear until about 40 miles from home. It sounds like you and I were taking the same route just in opposite directions. It was pretty dense in the Grant County area going both east and south. I didn't have O2 and the Mooney was already anemic trying to get to 11,500. Maybe I should look into some portable O2 systems and try and climb above it next time. 15 hours ago, Ragsf15e said: Eastern Washington is completely socked in with smoke right now. Winds have switched and started pushing it down from Canada. After you guys flew in smoke around the west, take a close look at your airplane and see how dirty and sooty it is behind all the rivets. I didn't look that hard but I didn't see any obvious soot or dirt from smoke on the plane when I landed. I'll have to look closer next time I'm at the plane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragsf15e Posted August 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2021 32 minutes ago, LevelWing said: It sounds like you and I were taking the same route just in opposite directions. It was pretty dense in the Grant County area going both east and south. I didn't have O2 and the Mooney was already anemic trying to get to 11,500. Maybe I should look into some portable O2 systems and try and climb above it next time. I didn't look that hard but I didn't see any obvious soot or dirt from smoke on the plane when I landed. I'll have to look closer next time I'm at the plane. Definitely portable oxygen will help. Mine gets anemic up high if it’s loaded near gross or it’s real hot out. I’ve definitely cruised at 15,500 though when light and cool. You might try in the morning, but the temps aloft have been +15 c above standard which yields a significant density altitude, so you might still have trouble climbing real high. I flew from Spokane to Billings this morning and the smoke tops were around 14,000’. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeOH Posted August 1, 2021 Report Share Posted August 1, 2021 4 minutes ago, Ragsf15e said: Definitely portable oxygen will help. Mine gets anemic up high if it’s loaded near gross or it’s real hot out. I’ve definitely cruised at 15,500 though when light and cool. You might try in the morning, but the temps aloft have been +15 c above standard which yields a significant density altitude, so you might still have trouble climbing real high. I flew from Spokane to Billings this morning and the smoke tops were around 14,000’. @Ragsf15e Do you use a pulse oximeter? If so, which one? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragsf15e Posted August 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2021 2 minutes ago, MikeOH said: @Ragsf15e Do you use a pulse oximeter? If so, which one? Thanks! Yes, for sure. It’s a generic Amazon one. Seems to work well. I actually use it anytime above 10k which is often in the NW. It’s pretty surprising how quickly you drop below 90. I’m thin and reasonably fit too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted August 1, 2021 Report Share Posted August 1, 2021 An M20C can cruise pretty well at 14.5k’… Even at 12.5k’ for long flights, O2 can be very beneficial … Thick or thin… O2 adsorption to the hemoglobin is independent of the body it is flowing through…. With an O2 meter… you can watch how altitude, and breathing style can affect your O2 saturation level… A slow, relaxed breathing can allow for some extra low saturation numbers… Trying to compensate by breathing deeply and quickly causes a different type of challenge… by eliminating too much CO2… light headed feelings are probably next… PP thoughts only not a phlebotomist…. Best regards, -a- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LevelWing Posted August 1, 2021 Report Share Posted August 1, 2021 15 minutes ago, Ragsf15e said: Definitely portable oxygen will help. Mine gets anemic up high if it’s loaded near gross or it’s real hot out. I’ve definitely cruised at 15,500 though when light and cool. You might try in the morning, but the temps aloft have been +15 c above standard which yields a significant density altitude, so you might still have trouble climbing real high. I flew from Spokane to Billings this morning and the smoke tops were around 14,000’. It may be easier in the fall/winter to climb that high when temperatures are a lot lower. I think I'll give it a shot once I get a portable O2 setup. I've never used one so I'll probably take it easy and stay local to test it out. 2 minutes ago, carusoam said: An M20C can cruise pretty well at 14.5k’… Even at 12.5k’ for long flights, O2 can be very beneficial … Thick or thin… O2 adsorption to the hemoglobin is independent of the body it is flowing through…. PP thoughts only not a phlebotomist…. Best regards, -a- I think the highest I've been is around 13,000 - 13,500 and that was to climb over some smoke in another part of the country a few years back. The M20C did not climb that well. I don't recall exactly what I was seeing, but yesterday I believe I was around 200-300 fpm trying to get up to 11,500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted August 1, 2021 Report Share Posted August 1, 2021 180hp does get you there… Worth it for long flights… 310hp will only get you there faster! 14.5k’ is legal for a short period of time sans O2… With the NA engine, the MP change is pretty noticeable… Getting out of the smoke…. Going over tall hills…. Catching a really good tale wind… Really long gliding distance… Reasons I took my M20C up high…. Best regards, -a- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaylw314 Posted August 1, 2021 Report Share Posted August 1, 2021 2 hours ago, carusoam said: 180hp does get you there… Worth it for long flights… 310hp will only get you there faster! 14.5k’ is legal for a short period of time sans O2… With the NA engine, the MP change is pretty noticeable… Getting out of the smoke…. Going over tall hills…. Catching a really good tale wind… Really long gliding distance… Reasons I took my M20C up high…. Best regards, -a- Pedantic alert! above 14k' MSL requires O2 for pilot all the time So far my highest cruise has been 15.5k' MSL. Needed a significant amount of time to get up there, and you're certainly not going to get anywhere fast, but you'll get some nice mpg! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted August 2, 2021 Report Share Posted August 2, 2021 3 hours ago, jaylw314 said: Pedantic alert! above 14k' MSL requires O2 for pilot all the time So far my highest cruise has been 15.5k' MSL. Needed a significant amount of time to get up there, and you're certainly not going to get anywhere fast, but you'll get some nice mpg! Challenges with old memories…. They are fuzzy at best. Thanks for filling in the details… Best regards, -a- 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlunseth Posted August 3, 2021 Report Share Posted August 3, 2021 We have been getting it doubly bad here in the midsection of the country. The CA smoke goes north almost to the arctic then takes a sharp turn directly south, mixes with the smoke from the CAN fires, so we have been getting both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will.iam Posted August 3, 2021 Report Share Posted August 3, 2021 Ah canadian smoke better than California smoke. Oh wait that’s BBQ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aviatoreb Posted August 4, 2021 Report Share Posted August 4, 2021 I think we are experiencing Western smoke here in the east. Last week I flew to Portland Maine and it was there. Today I flew to Kingston-Ulster, NY - KPTD->20N and there was intense haze over my home county St Lawrence County, Adirondacks region northern New York. The ground stations were reporting sky unlimited and 10 mi - but that just didn't seem right. See pics. Sideways made for a pretty fish bowl effect though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skates97 Posted August 4, 2021 Report Share Posted August 4, 2021 On 7/26/2021 at 9:12 PM, LevelWing said: Thanks. I'll keep an eye on this. I've been checking both regular weather forecasts as well as METARs/NOTAMs to see what pops up. Most of my route appears to be VFR but that doesn't necessarily mean no smoke. On 7/26/2021 at 9:21 PM, Ragsf15e said: Yeah the forecasts aren’t good for allowing for smoke but the metars tell the story. Not necessarily. 50 minutes ago, aviatoreb said: I think we are experiencing Western smoke here in the east. Last week I flew to Portland Maine and it was there. Today I flew to Kingston-Ulster, NY - KPTD->20N and there was intense haze over my home county St Lawrence County, Adirondacks region northern New York. The ground stations were reporting sky unlimited and 10 mi - but that just didn't seem right. See pics. Sideways made for a pretty fish bowl effect though. The metar may report clear skies, but smoke is a different animal. In September 2020 we flew SoCal up to Sun River OR for the West Coast Mooney Retreat. Michael wasn't able to get through the day before because of smoke. We made it there and then on the way back we went out to the coast to be west of the fires and smoke. I was planning a fuel stop in Tracy KTCY and keeping an eye on the metar in flight. It was reporting clear below 12k and 10 mi visibility. I passed up some other airports along the way because my planned stop looked good. As we descended through a smoke layer it was nothing near clear skies and 10 mi visibility. If it was 3 mi that is extremely generous, it was probably more like 1 1/2 and the layer began at about 1,800' and went up to about 5,000'. I don't know what it is about smoke but it doesn't register right on an AWOS for ceiling and visibility. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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