Question regarding air approach into SEATAC

[winddncer]

Hello,

 

This question is for frequent fliers into SEATAC. My sister and I will be flying in from California and wanted to know what side of the plane to sit on to get a great view of Mt. St. Helens.

 

Geeky, I know. I remember when my dad used to fly to Seattle for business and hearing about seeing the side that had blown out. Since I've taugh 5th grade, I've had to teach about it several times. Now I wanna see it.

 

Thanks for your help.

[NWWanderer]

Coming from CA, it will almost certainly be on your right side...you can get a great view of many of the volcanoes--I saw Hood, Adams and Rainier sitting on the right side of the plane on my flight home from LA a couple weeks ago. Didn't notice Mt St Helens though on this trip...it's quite a bit lower than the other peaks so not as noticeable. And of course if it's cloudy you won't be able to see it.

[megr1125]

i would think that would depend on which way the wind is blowing...thus, which way you will approach the airport.....

 

it is west-ish of the airport...so IF you landed south to north you'd want to be on the left....but if you landed north to south, you'd want to be on the right...

 

it's ALMOST due west of the airport....about 100 miles away (driving as it doesn't seem that you can get there 'as the crow flies')

 

i am sure a real power flyer will pop by. (i deduced all that with google maps)

[winddncer]

Coming from CA, it will almost certainly be on your right side...you can get a great view of many of the volcanoes--I saw Hood, Adams and Rainier sitting on the right side of the plane on my flight home from LA a couple weeks ago. Didn't notice Mt St Helens though on this trip...it's quite a bit lower than the other peaks so not as noticeable. And of course if it's cloudy you won't be able to see it.

 

Thanks for the posts so far -

 

1st f/u - right side facing the cockpit or as you are Boarding. I overthink some times.

[winddncer]

i would think that would depend on which way the wind is blowing...thus, which way you will approach the airport.....

 

it is west-ish of the airport...so IF you landed south to north you'd want to be on the left....but if you landed north to south, you'd want to be on the right...

 

it's ALMOST due west of the airport....about 100 miles away (driving as it doesn't seem that you can get there 'as the crow flies')

 

i am sure a real power flyer will pop by. (i deduced all that with google maps)

 

f/u# 2

 

I too used google maps but started overthinking it. I grew up near Ontario Airport in southern California and, for the most part, planes only landed and took off East to West. The exception being during Santa Ana Wind Storms (that could turn a plane sideways on approach - I've been on one that did that once) and during noise control times (11pm - 6am) so that they don't take off over the more heavily populated areas.

 

I wasn't sure if SeaTac had if..., then... approach situations. which was why I need help.

 

Save me from my ADHD brain over-thinking this. My sister will be boarding the plane first in Ontario, then the flight stops in Sacramento to pick me up. I need to make sure she knows what side of the plane to sit on. (gotta love Southwest and their seat-yourself plan.

[NWWanderer]

Right side facing forward, aka, the right side of the plane ;-).

[megr1125]

IIRC Seatacs runways are north/south ish.

 

(I still don't get why you'd sit on the Right facing the coclpit if MSH is to the WEST (as in LEFT) unless the map is not correct.....)

 

i am not a pilot though so i do not know all the approach stuff....

 

(ya know...toss this over on the cruise air board...maybe FlyerTalker who IIRC lives in SEA-ish will see it and know...he's a power flyer!)

[Eaglecw]

It all depends on the flow of air traffic on that day. Sometimes it is on the Left side of the plane and sometimes it's on the Right side. Mt. St. Helens is just North of Portland Or/Vancover Wa. or about 100 miles due South of Seattle or about 45 minutes flying time from Seattle. 100 miles West of Seattle would put you just about into the Pacific Ocean. Coming up from Califorina on a clear day you should be able to see Mt. Shasta in Calif., Mt. Hood in OR., Mt. St. Helens in Wa., Mt. Adams Wa, and Mt, Rainier before you land into Sea-Tac.

[49er]

Hi winddncer,

We have made the flight up to Seattle many times (on Southwest) and we have always found the best viewing of the string of Volcanoes (Rainier, Hood, St Helens) is on the flight back to SMF particularly if you have a late afternoon flight. Be sure to sit on the left side of the plane. You might want to use http://www.flightaware.com/ a few days before your trip and you will be able track the route history of your same flight number. Their map is very accurate and also shows takeoff and arrival times. Of course weather is always the wild card which could change everything. Have a great flight,

49er

[scottbee]

This question is for frequent fliers into SEATAC. My sister and I will be flying in from California and wanted to know what side of the plane to sit on to get a great view of Mt. St. Helens.

 

Geeky, I know. I remember when my dad used to fly to Seattle for business and hearing about seeing the side that had blown out. Since I've taugh 5th grade, I've had to teach about it several times. Now I wanna see it.

 

'Coming from California' unfortunately may not be an accurate enough description. Assuming you're coming from Sacramento, today's flights passed to the west of the mountain, meaning you'd want to be on the right hand side (seats D E F) of the aircraft. http://flightaware.com/live/flight/ASA375

 

However, past experience says nothing about what might happen tomorrow. Most flights do pass to the west of Mt.S.H. (even though a direct track from LAX should pass to the east), but weather, could dictate something different.

[winddncer]

Thanks to everyone - I'll just wait until closer to the cruise and then start paying attention to this aspect of the trip. It was just a random thought I had this weekend and wondered if anyone knew. Guess there's no right answer.

 

Not sure of our departure time yet for return - we're holding off on booking air until a few weeks from now. My sister can't think beyond finishing the school year right now.

[kenish]

Flying into SEA from the south, the best bet is the RH side of the plane. Normally they will fly directly over Portland and Olympia then "jog" to the east over Tacoma for final approach. Keep an eye out for Portland and the Columbia River. Occasionally the approach goes almost directly over MSH...it's a pretty interesting view because 25 years later you can still see the "blowout" pattern, probably caused by different colored rocks and felled trees.

 

As others have said, the LH side of the plane is great on departure...you will get a pretty good view of Rainier, Hood, and Yosemite.

[denisey]

f/u# 2

 

I too used google maps but started overthinking it. I grew up near Ontario Airport in southern California and, for the most part, planes only landed and took off East to West. The exception being during Santa Ana Wind Storms (that could turn a plane sideways on approach - I've been on one that did that once) and during noise control times (11pm - 6am) so that they don't take off over the more heavily populated areas.

 

I wasn't sure if SeaTac had if..., then... approach situations. which was why I need help.

 

Save me from my ADHD brain over-thinking this. My sister will be boarding the plane first in Ontario, then the flight stops in Sacramento to pick me up. I need to make sure she knows what side of the plane to sit on. (gotta love Southwest and their seat-yourself plan.

 

You could always hedge your bets and get Sis to sit on the left side of the plane and you on the right, then swap if you need too!

 

But so far, on flights to Vegas, I've always had the mountains to the right on the way North and left on the way South.

[scottbee]

You could always hedge your bets and get Sis to sit on the left side of the plane and you on the right, then swap if you need too!

 

But so far, on flights to Vegas, I've always had the mountains to the right on the way North and left on the way South.

 

 

In Seattle the runways run almost due North South.

http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0904/00582AD.PDF So, if you're landing from the north, you'll fly slightly past Seatac and loop around. The only thing I'll guarantee about the seattle runways is that 34R/16L is closed for construction

[winddncer]

You could always hedge your bets and get Sis to sit on the left side of the plane and you on the right, then swap if you need too!

 

I thought about having her ask the flight crew as she boards. She gets on the plane before me. She thinks I'm psycho already, but she might do it. My dad says almost every time that he flew up to Boeing, MSH was on the right. The only difference was once when she was "gurgling" and they were making aircraft take a wide path.

[kenish]

Even the flight crew won't be totally sure. If they fly the standard approach, MSH will be on the right. Approach Control will be shuffling and sequencing the inbounds if SEA is busy or has weather issues. That can change the approach path and the flight crew won't know ahead of time what the specific ground track will be. (Who knows, you might get in a high altitude holding pattern and make a few circuits of MSH).

[Gardyloo]

Actually on flights to/from Southern or central California I've passed to the east of MSH at least as many times as I have to the west, depending on which corridor the flights are assigned to. It's really a crapshoot. Most of the time flights to/from LAX/SNA et al are vectored out over the Cascades and are in eastern Oregon and Nevada airspace until somewhere around Yosemite/Sequoia most of the year.

 

In general, nice weather in Seattle means final approach is from the south, as southerly winds usually mean marine airflows and clouds. So look at the long range forecast, but I'd definitely default to starboard north/port south for generic seat selections.