Full disclosure...I got my float rating at Kenmore, after doing some
training in Lake Union (and Juneau, but that's another story). Never used
Renton for a water landing even once. You are 100 percent correct in noting
that the seaplane base has a separate pattern, west of the final for Renton,
and I deserve the blowhard award of the year for saying otherwise. However,
note that on the sectional, the RTN Class D encompasses the seaplane base.

Fred Bahr has been flying for 45 years, mostly in this area, and is very
active in instructor safety meetings. If he wants to overfly the pavement on
his way to the water, that's fine with me...I have observed many other float
plane pilots doing the same thing.

Bob Gardner

"Seth Masia" wrote in message
...
Well, actually, I got my floatplane rating at Renton, and we often flew an
entirely separate pattern out over the lake, typically approaching
overwater from the north and turning an appropriate downwind at some
altitude below the Renton traffic pattern.

That was a dozen years ago; maybe practices have changed there.

Seth
N8100R


"Bob Gardner" wrote in message
...
There is no separate pattern, and as far as I know no one who operates in
and out of Renton considers the seaplane base to be separate in any way
from the airport. The Beaver was on downwind for runway 33, intending
(according to news reports) to fly down the runway to the north end and
then land in the water. This is a fairly typical float plane operation at
Renton. If you are suggesting that he should have made a pattern north of
the runway, between it and Mercer Island, it would appear that you know
nothing about float planes.

And, just to save some bandwidth, the school was being torn down because
it contained asbestos...that fact is complicating the examination of the
150's wreckage because he NTSB folks have to suit up to avoid breathing
asbestos dust.

Bob Gardner

"Seth Masia" wrote in message
...
The AP report is very sensible.

This accident reminds me of last week's thread about spotting
floatplanes over Lake Sammamish. In this case the Cessna was in the
pattern for Renton and looking into the sun -- but the Beaver was in a
separate pattern for Wiley Post, the seaplane base off the north end of
the Renton runway. Both of these guys should have been talking to the
tower and the tower should have been watching out for both of them.

Seth
N8100R


"Bob Gardner" wrote in message
...
Oh yeah. We had 0.7 inches of rain in July, and none since the first of
August...the next week or ten days are forecast to be dry, too.

Bob Gardner

wrote in message
ups.com...
Oh, Boy and this is rainy Seattle. Makes the M..gs closure look
sounder
every day.
Uncle Bobby RIP.

And that was SPLAT into a SCHOOL BUILDING.

Polarized sunglasses anyone?

JG