Ranger Creek State Airport, north of Mt. Rainier

birdus

birdus

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Jay Williams
Landing here was intense! Certainly the most interesting approach I've done, coming down the valley from the south, just above (and below!) the tree tops. I was at quite a low power setting, trying to make sure I was on speed (about 70 mph) as I dropped in over the trees on short final. For quite some time, I was just barely over the trees, paralleling the descending slope.

From geocaching.com:

Ranger Creek is a great spot to enjoy the outdoors. Snuggled deep in the White River Valley, you can marvel at the sheer cliffs and towering ridges around this regional airport and camping area.

Ranger Creek State Airport has a 2,875-foot asphalt runway and is a favored location for fly-ins, military training exercises, search-and-rescue training, and glider operations. The gorgeous ridges and narrow valley, coupled with its 2,650-foot elevation, make Ranger Creek a good test of a pilot's mountain flying skills. The airport is generally open from June 1 to Oct. 1.

The airport is surrounded by the Buck Creek Recreational Area, which has a popular Forest Service campground and offers activities ranging from hiking and mountain biking to fishing, horseback-riding, and target shooting. The glacial White River is just a few hundred feet away, and nearby hiking trails lead to waterfalls, Suntop Lookout, the Pacific Crest Trail, and Mount Rainier National Park. Deer and elk are commonly seen on the airfield and in the surrounding forest. For those who really want to explore, you can search out the old wooden dam on nearby Doe Creek.

Ranger Creek was once a state airfield, one of many throughout the Cascades that provided an emergency airstrip. It's now managed by the Washington State Department of Transportation Aviation and has been adopted by the Washington Pilots Association, Green River Chapter.

There are varying accounts on how the airstrip came into existence. One story declares: “When the U.S. went to war with Japan in the 1940s, there was great fear that our air bases would be hit. Ranger Creek Airstrip was built as a place for our war planes to evacuate to.” A different version states, “During the war years, Ranger Creek (Buck Creek) airfield may have also been a training field for Army Rangers and Air force P-51 Tank Busters as they prepared for war in Europe.” There is probably some truth in both historical accounts.

More recently, the airport is known for its role in setting state altitude records and some significant cross-country flights by gliders using the lee wave formed off Mount Rainier.

Ranger Creek State Airport (21W), facing south. Mt. Rainier is over the hills and just to the right of the photo.
RangerCreek-1.jpg

A tighter crop of the previous photo.
RangerCreek-2.jpg
 
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Wow! That's is intense! If it were me, I'd be telling any passenger, "Look... that airport's amazing. Pity we're not landing there" as I quickly check the GPS for the next alternate airport. :p
 
Ranger Creek is intended foe emergency use. When the Washington State Pilos Assn was a thing, we used to go out these remote strips (by car) and do grounds maintenance like cutting the grass, removing tumbleweeds, etc.
 
bobmrg said:
Ranger Creek is intended foe emergency use. When the Washington State Pilos Assn was a thing, we used to go out these remote strips (by car) and do grounds maintenance like cutting the grass, removing tumbleweeds, etc.
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AIRPORT REMARKS: Unattended. Arpt clsd Oct 1 to Jun 1 exc for approved mil and public safety/law enforcement helicopter
ops. Mountainous terrain surrounds arpt. Pedestrians, vehicles and animals on and invof rwy. USFS campgrounds east
and north of rwy. Guardrail and road runs full length of eastside of rwy. Ctc WA State Aviation Division 360–709–8015
or 1–800–552–0666 WA area for facility info prior to use. For acft accidents/incidents ctc WA state emergency operations
center 800–258–5990.
AIRPORT MANAGER: (360) 618-2477
COMMUNICATIONS: CTAF 122.9
CLEARANCE DELIVERY PHONE: For CD ctc Seattle ARTCC at 253-351-36

Looks like during the summer they are cool with just flying in to go camping
 
luvflyin said:
Looks like during the summer they are cool with just flying in to go camping
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I assumed he meant it was created for emergency use. It's definitely cool for anyone just to fly in there for fun. I've talked to the guy who manages Washington's state airports, both about this airport, and before I flew into Woodland, the second most challenging runway I've landed on (this one [Ranger Creek] being the most challenging/hairy).
 
birdus said:
I assumed he meant it was created for emergency use. It's definitely cool for anyone just to fly in there for fun. I've talked to the guy who manages Washington's state airports, both about this airport, and before I flew into Woodland, the second most challenging runway I've landed on (this one [Ranger Creek] being the most challenging/hairy).
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I suppose an airport could have been put there originally for emergency use. It probably would have been done by some government agency, like the forest service. But the Washington State Airports are a recreational thang. Parks, so to speak, for aviators. Maybe they inherited it from some other agency. I think. That’s my understanding of the State Airport thing.
 
Ranger Creek is good practice for some of the other state owned strips. A low approach (down the valley, not up) to make sure your plane has the required climb performance before you commit, FOD check the runway and to chase off the ATVs doing donuts is always a good idea.

On approach you'll learn the part about density altitude that isn't stressed enough in training- that your typical approach speed is now hauling some serious ass to go along with a runway that is already looking very small to a city dweller.

Pattern? Uh, sure. It's sort of possible at Ranger Creek. Some others not so much.

Suggest also Bandera, Easton, Skykomish, Lake Wenatchee, Tieton (my fave), Stehekin (my other fave).

Yes, built originally as emergency airfields (I don't think that applies to Tieton or Stehekin) Those strips need your voice to keep them open. Go fall in love with them.
 
That looks like fun in the right equipment!

If’n ya don’t mind a little unnecessary risk in life anyway. I don’t but some wouldn’t. It’s cool.

Doesn’t look super friendly in an engine out, but lots of places don’t.

Glad you got to go! Nice!
 
rtk11 said:
Wow! That's is intense! If it were me, I'd be telling any passenger, "Look... that airport's amazing. Pity we're not landing there" as I quickly check the GPS for the next alternate airport. :p
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That's how my trip in there went... Hmm... well... doesn't look too bad, come in for a lower check... Nah, you know what, screw that, let's go somewhere else.
 
Want fun, ? Stehekin.
look it up
 
It is a beautiful place. Landed at Ranger Creek some time ago in a Warrior. My one note in my "First Landings" record is, "Check the windsock before committing!" Though I don't remember it explicitly, I'm assuming my first approach resulted in a go-around.
 
chartbundle said:
That's how my trip in there went... Hmm... well... doesn't look too bad, come in for a lower check... Nah, you know what, screw that, let's go somewhere else.
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This was my second time there. First time, came in from both directions to attempt landing. Was a little fast on short final in both cases (80 instead of 70), so went around. By that point, felt a little stressed...it's a pretty small valley for me. Did exactly what you said. Went home. Decided I'd come back again now that I'd seen it. Came back and landed. Very exciting, for sure. In hind sight, after watching the video, I believe I could've landed just fine my first two attempts from both directions, but I don't regret my decision to leave and come back another day.
 
Thanks for the video. Man that runway is much narrower than I anticipated from the first picture posted. Looks like it's listed as 30ft wide, which is equal to the narrowest I've ever done ( Airpark East outside of Dallas ), but not sure I'd want to do it in non-optimal weather.
 
We just had a discussion about Mackay Bar airport on the TPP forum. You definitely need the right equipment, and the knowledge goes hand in hand to fly that safely.
 
birdus said:
I assumed he meant it was created for emergency use. It's definitely cool for anyone just to fly in there for fun. I've talked to the guy who manages Washington's state airports, both about this airport, and before I flew into Woodland, the second most challenging runway I've landed on (this one [Ranger Creek] being the most challenging/hairy).
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Woodland is interesting. I have family that lives there but my wife decided she wouldn't fly there with me after the Mooney that was overweight failed to go around and hit the bank on the north end.
 
red4golf said:
Woodland is interesting. I have family that lives there but my wife decided she wouldn't fly there with me after the Mooney that was overweight failed to go around and hit the bank on the north end.
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Yikes! Woodland State is 1953ft x 25ft. I'd be nervous going in there in any Mooney, let alone one that was overloaded.
 
MajorTurbulence said:
We just had a discussion about Mackay Bar airport on the TPP forum. You definitely need the right equipment, and the knowledge goes hand in hand to fly that safely.
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I have just over 40 hours actual flying time and an 85-horsepower Luscombe (no flaps), so I don't think anything special is needed for Ranger Creek. If it's hot, however, I would want to try and avoid going around to south because of the ascending terrain (although coming in that way [i.e., from the north, like in the video above] is easier) or being faster than necessary when coming from the south, as you're already dropping in over some trees, although going around to the north wouldn't be a big deal. Don't know anything about Mackay Bar, but I know some of those back country strips can be tricky, so I won't doubt you when you said you want particular equipment.
 
red4golf said:
Woodland is interesting. I have family that lives there but my wife decided she wouldn't fly there with me after the Mooney that was overweight failed to go around and hit the bank on the north end.
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They were taking off
 
Tom-D said:
This isn't the equipment, it is the knowhow.
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Good lord Tom. Seriously. Go pick a mechanical regs fight with someone else or something. :)

The quite reasonable assumption when saying equipment was that my brain would also be on board any equipment utilized.

In fact, said brain can think of a number of aircraft quite unsuitable for that strip.

I’ve been flying in and around mountains since I was 19 and know a bit about the knowledge risks. I think you can pick up on context and know that by now.

I’m usually one of the first people here to caution folks about getting some damn real training in flying mountain terrain before attempting it alone.

You know this. It’s not exactly new.

But you know, just in case it’s not clear and for safety culture and all...

Don’t leave your brain at home — bring it with some mountain training and experience or find a mountain CFI and let them pretend not to be sucking the seat cushion up their butt when you get too slow, so you can get a bit of practice in.

Mmmkay? Mmmkay, then! :)

Everybody happy now?

* No school busses full of children and nuns were harmed in the recording of this post or the upcoming filming misinterpretation by someone assuming things.

PETA was however notified about the tragic loss by natural causes of one very old chinchilla.

Safety first, you know. And legal s isclaimers always make everybody perfectly safe and consummate mountain aviators.

Ask anybody! Especially a lawyer. Would I lie? :)
 
birdus said:
I assumed he meant it was created for emergency use. It's definitely cool for anyone just to fly in there for fun. I've talked to the guy who manages Washington's state airports, both about this airport, and before I flew into Woodland, the second most challenging runway I've landed on (this one [Ranger Creek] being the most challenging/hairy).
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red4golf said:
Woodland is interesting. I have family that lives there but my wife decided she wouldn't fly there with me after the Mooney that was overweight failed to go around and hit the bank on the north end.
Click to expand...

birdus said:
Yikes! Woodland State is 1953ft x 25ft. I'd be nervous going in there in any Mooney, let alone one that was overloaded.
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I've driven by Woodland State any number of times, it's right along I-5. I remember when that Mooney blew the take-off attempt and wound up in the dirt off the north end of the runway. Staying in ground effect past the end of the runway just isn't going to happen with the way the ground goes up 10-30 feet right off the end.

Every time I drive by there I look at the tight approach from the south and think that if I give it a try I want my favorite CFI in the right seat.
 
red4golf said:
Yes, you are correct. Here is the video of the entire event. The person killed didn't have his seat belt on from what the accident report said.
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The rear passenger was wearing a seatbelt but not the installed shoulder harness. Apparently, the rear seat headrest and pilot seat headrest were removed at some point in time and that was seemingly the cause of death for that rear passenger. Even if the rear passenger was wearing the shoulder harness, it was postulated that the neck extension from the missing rear seat headrest may have been causative.

Why would anyone remove already installed headrests?

There were many errors in this scenario, some relating to suboptimal engine performance and others related to this CFI using an internet empty weight of this Mooney which, with the pretty heavy weights of his passengers, caused an overweight condition of 78lbs.:(
 
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denverpilot said:
Good lord Tom. Seriously. Go pick a mechanical regs fight with someone else or something. :)

The quite reasonable assumption when saying equipment was that my brain would also be on board any equipment utilized.

In fact, said brain can think of a number of aircraft quite unsuitable for that strip.

I’ve been flying in and around mountains since I was 19 and know a bit about the knowledge risks. I think you can pick up on context and know that by now.

I’m usually one of the first people here to caution folks about getting some damn real training in flying mountain terrain before attempting it alone.

You know this. It’s not exactly new.

But you know, just in case it’s not clear and for safety culture and all...

Don’t leave your brain at home — bring it with some mountain training and experience or find a mountain CFI and let them pretend not to be sucking the seat cushion up their butt when you get too slow, so you can get a bit of practice in.

Mmmkay? Mmmkay, then! :)

Everybody happy now?

* No school busses full of children and nuns were harmed in the recording of this post or the upcoming filming misinterpretation by someone assuming things.

PETA was however notified about the tragic loss by natural causes of one very old chinchilla.

Safety first, you know. And legal s isclaimers always make everybody perfectly safe and consummate mountain aviators.

Ask anybody! Especially a lawyer. Would I lie? :)
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There is only rule for mountain flying.

Don't hit anything :) Do not fly thru the mountains, go around, over.
 
Except for DA, the Ranger Creek approach reminded me of Whidbey Air Park. Thirty feet is plenty wide. Typical main gear width for light single is about 10 feet and the centerline is always in the same place. :)

Everyday, folks land on runway 25 at Oak Harbor Air Park (OKH) on Whidbey Island. 25' x 3265' and downhill with a 50' drop in first 1800 feet. Doesn't sound like much until you're starring down what seems like a ski slope. Messes with your round-out and flare.

I didn't think Woodland was tough, but it was weird landing lower than I-5 only 250' west.

My white whale is Strom Field at Morton, WA (39P). Been there thrice, never landed. Now I think it's psychological.
 
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Spanaway was 20' wide and I think there was another strip that was 16' or so. I was tied down at TIW and I was so happy to get a hangar at Spanaway that I never thought about the width.
My first time into Ranger Creek I screwed up and took off up canyon. I had a pretty uncomfortable time turning around to head back down canyon.

I miss the PNW. (Except for the rain.)
 
Domenick said:
My white whale is Strom Field at Morton, WA (39P). Been there thrice, never landed. Now I think it's psychological.
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I've landed there as a student pilot. It's way less scary than Ranger Creek and easier than Woodland State (at least to me). If I can do it, you can do it!
 
pmanton said:
My first time into Ranger Creek I screwed up and took off up canyon. I had a pretty uncomfortable time turning around to head back down canyon.
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I did a go-around to the south and can't imagine taking off that way! Yikes! Just doing a go-around in that direction was plenty exciting!
 
As a newish pilot, I have been practicing hitting my landing spots, exactly on speed, over and over at regular strips, and staying 100 percent on centerline.

Seems boring to fly in the pattern after getting your ppl, but it really helps when you have to plant the plane exactly in the right place and you know you can get it stopped in x feet, every time.

It also helps to practice slow flight, which again seems boring, but becomes vital for tight turns in canyons, or to overlook a field.

So after that, ranger Creek is actually very easy.

Every kind of flying has its requirements.
 
Ranger creek is beautiful, if it was grass would probably be my favorite strip in WA state.
Best to come early or late and avoid it when windy, it can get nasty when windy.
 
Thanks for the encouragement on Strom. I've landed at shorter runways, e.g., Stanwood, Spanaway, Cashmere, with no issue. I've landed in strong crosswinds. But for some reason, clear day, calm wind, Strom spooked me. Maybe I'll try it again on a trip back to St. Helens.

I'm a big believer in practicing slow flight and noting your lowest controllable AIS at each flap setting. I've had my Warrior under control (straight and level), though losing altitude, at 37 kts with full flaps. Now, I know not to worry about my final approach airspeed until it approaches 45 kts. I aim for about 55 kts (full flaps) over the numbers/fence/asphalt.
 
Domenick said:
Thanks for the encouragement on Strom. I've landed at shorter runways, e.g., Stanwood, Spanaway, Cashmere, with no issue. I've landed in strong crosswinds. But for some reason, clear day, calm wind, Strom spooked me. Maybe I'll try it again on a trip back to St. Helens.

I'm a big believer in practicing slow flight and noting your lowest controllable AIS at each flap setting. I've had my Warrior under control (straight and level), though losing altitude, at 37 kts with full flaps. Now, I know not to worry about my final approach airspeed until it approaches 45 kts. I aim for about 55 kts (full flaps) over the numbers/fence/asphalt.
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I came from the north and joined the pattern by just flying over midfield and turning left. At least then, there wasn't an issue with downdrafts along the mountain, and I was already at altitude, so I wasn't too concerned. I landed westbound. It's pretty wide open to the east of the field, where I was on final. There's really a lot of space on that end, flat and no obstructions, so if you come in that way, you really have plenty of space to maneuver and get set up on final. You're east of the town there, too, so no concern about houses or making noise.

A couple locals told me to ignore the left hand pattern and just go right on takeoff, as there are downdrafts along the mountain to the south. Besides, it makes the pattern a little tight. So, I went right, and departure was easy. I departed downwind to the east then and continued on to Packwood.

Hopefully, some of that helps.
 
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