Planning X/C to Lake Owyhee (28U). Does anyone have a recent PIREP on air quality in Eastern Oregon high desert for flying low and slow?



Mahalo!

Clear


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tcraft wrote:Clear
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Very good to know! Thank you for the report.

Great weather warm


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Came through yesterday evening, heading to PDX, fairly clear except for fire south of Hood.

When are you planning to come across? I’m in Burns, will be home after Monday the 6th.

Badstick wrote:When are you planning to come across? I’m in Burns, will be home after Monday the 6th.

Thank you for contacting me!

Unfortunately, I made two attempts to cross the Cascade Mountains this morning. Both flights the smoke was insane around Green Peter Lake! I couldn’t even see Mount Jefferson from Sweet Home.

Stopped into Albany Denny’s for a “Grand Slam Breakfast” on the way back. Then flew to the coast!

I may just stay on the coast until fire season is over!

SMOKE HERE:

IdahoWilly wrote:Came through yesterday evening, heading to PDX, fairly clear except for fire south of Hood.

Sounds good. What was the altitude? There is a strong inversion holding down the smoke in the valleys.

18:00 PDT, Redmond (KRDM) is reporting 0.75 SM is haze/smoke! Widespread IFR visibility.

Santiam Pass is IFR into Redmond. Smoke everywhere. I’m looking at a plan B right now.

06:00 PDT SMOKED OUT

8GCBC,
Just saw your original post. I've been trying to fly around Oregon for the last few weeks with my son. About the only places we were able to fly were along the coast. Anytime we headed to the east, we encountered bad smoke and would turn around. Smoke would move in very fast in some places.

The Columbia Gorge looks nice today.

Especially for low flying, I've found Windy's Air Quality Station map (Not PM2.5) to overlay quite well with visibility. The stations are obviously ground based, and are not forecasted, only real-time. Numbers around 100 start to be marginal (<10 Miles) in my experience. There are many more air quality stations than airports, so it fills in the gaps.

https://www.windy.com/pois?snowcover,44.815,-120.190,8

I've also started using live ADSB to take a look at where people are flying. It helps to know other people are taking the route I intend at the altitudes I use, and that conditions are good enough for them.

WWhunter wrote:8GCBC,
Just saw your original post. I've been trying to fly around Oregon for the last few weeks with my son. About the only places we were able to fly were along the coast. Anytime we headed to the east, we encountered bad smoke and would turn around. Smoke would move in very fast in some places.

Yes, agreed! Depending on weather and wind, it gets down right dangerous from the smoke and haze! The Coastal areas are gorgeous with cool fresh breezes, however. But, the forrest fires are inland thank goodness.

Note to ALL pilots: Don’t trust the NWS visibility forecasts. Be alert for unforeseen and non-forecasted weather, especially relating to fires.

jcadwell wrote:The Columbia Gorge looks nice today.

Especially for low flying, I've found Windy's Air Quality Station map (Not PM2.5) to overlay quite well with visibility. The stations are obviously ground based, and are not forecasted, only real-time. Numbers around 100 start to be marginal (<10 Miles) in my experience. There are many more air quality stations than airports, so it fills in the gaps.

https://www.windy.com/pois?snowcover,44.815,-120.190,8

I've also started using live ADSB to take a look at where people are flying. It helps to know other people are taking the route I intend at the altitudes I use, and that conditions are good enough for them.

New apps like “Windy” are mandatory! The METARs and TAFs around here are not very realistic.

Good information, thank you!

AIRMET for IFR SMOKE!

After finding myself grounded in Chico, CA for a week due to visibility....never ever ever trust the AWOS for visibility with smoke. It’s very generous. Even when it was saying 6-7, it was closer to 2-3 up and down CA for a long while