Achievements

Jacket Winners

2019
Dan Wood 100%
Andy Pomeroy 100%
Scott Hunziker 100%
Mary Ann Mc Clellan (100% earned in 2020)
Jim Mc Clellan (100% earned in 2020)
Greg Sykes 100%
Jim Murphy 100%

2020
Christine Gilbertson
Kim Gilbertson
Brian Behrend
Lynn Whimpy 100%
Debbie Gryniuk 100%
Joe Gryniuk 100%
Doug Pflugradt 100%
Tyler Finn 100%
Don Fitzpatrick 100%
June Fitzpatrick 100%
Richard Edgerton 100%
Lynn Wyatt
Jon & Dakota (1st K9) Counsell 100%

Fly Washington Passport Program High Achievers

As stamps are collected, achievements are unlocked.

April 2021 - Joe and Debbie Gryniuk receive their hard-earned flight jackets

April 2021 - Lynn Whimpy showing off his newly awarded flight jacket

Kim and Christine Gilbertson earned their Fly Washington Passport Program jackets in 2020!

December 2020 - Jon & Dakota (K9) Counsell, based out of S43, completed the program in their Cessna 170B. Favorite airport: Lower goose. Most challenging: two dozen airports in one day! Highlights: seeing parts of the state he's never flown even though he's lived here most of his life, Southwest corner of the state and the coast. Unexpected encounters: people he'd never met coming out and saying hi at airports. To the sponsors: THANK YOU, and please tell us how the average person can help behind the scenes.

December 2020 - Richard Edgerton just finished getting 100% of the Fly Washington Passport Program stamps. Way to go Richard!

We have our 4th 100% airport completion winner! Greg Sykes is based out of Arlington and completed the majority of the program in his 206, a friend’s 182 and a Seabee for the seaplane bases. Greg is the first participant to fly to all airports AND Seaplane bases. Greg’s comments: Great Program. Gives people a goal to fly somewhere. Highlight: Had fun taking people with him. It is like an Easter egg hunt. Favorite Airport: Sullivan Lake. Most Challenging Airport: Woodland and Ilwaco (wind)

7th Jacket winner and 5th 100% completion winner! Jim Murphy is based out of Shelton and completed all the airports in his RV7 (with wheel pants). He flew into every airport but SEA (he’s flown in 100’s of time previously). Jim says it was fun going to places he would not regularly have gone to, seeing all the airports and back country strips. According to him, none of the airports were difficult. The biggest challenge was the larger airports. Favorite Airport: Sullivan Lake

Lynn Whimpy, based out of KTIW, completed the progam in a Mooney and a Cessna 182. Favorite airport: Lynden. Most challenging: never landed on gravel, Snake River strips. Highlight: fulfilling a dream that he and his son had. Now, more confident going into strange airports when doing Angel Flights.

Joe and Debbie Gryniuk, based out of S50, completed 100% of airports in a Cherokee Warrior. For Joe, the most challenging airport was Woodland (wind shear). For Debbie, it was Point Roberts due to a previous experience. Debbie was amazed at how friendly everyone is and the trust other pilots have in people they do not know. Both say the program has inspired them to appreciate the diverse and dynamic state we live in.

Joe (and Debbie, not pictured) Gryniuk mentioned that in all their flights around Washington, the most unexpected thing they encountered was a naked man in a safety vest. (Safety man also not pictured.)

Doug Pflugradt, based out of M94 Desert Aire, is a 100% Completion/Gold Wings winner. Doug completed the program in a Kitfox Super Sport Model 7. Ranger Creek was his most challenging flight. Republic was his favorite airport, where he met the manager, swam in Lake Curlew, and flew in a float plane. His most memorable flight was around Puget Sound, where he flew to a bunch of airports, including PAE, SEA and BFI in one day.

Tyler Finn is based out of KBFI, and completed 90% of participating airports in a 182A. Favorite aiports: Sullivan Lake and Tieton. Most challenging: flying into Twisp and Methow due to gusty winds. The rocky runways of Little Goose and Lower Granite were unexpected. Flying around the Olympic Peninsula was his most memorable flight. Highlight: getting stamps with his daughter. He also shares that the program was EXTREMELY inspiring, and he challenged himself to fly into airports he wouldn't normally fly into. He says THANK YOU to the sponsors for supporting a program that provides motivation to explore the state.

Our first 100% award winner for the Passport program! Dan Wood, based out of Shelton, has completed every airport and seaplane base currently participating in the program!
Favorite Airport to fly into: Sullivan Lake.
Most challenging flight: The Snake River Airports, particular the airport with all the power lines.
Highlight of the program for Dan: the experience of going to places he never would have gone to. It has improved his confidence in his abilities. He has learned a lot about his flying ability and his airplane throughout the process.

Andy Pomeroy: first pilot to earn a jacket, and second one to visit 100% of all Passport Program airports! Favorite Airport: Sand Canyon, specifically his take off south over the canyon. Most Challenging Airport: Little Goose with terrain, wind and power lines. Funniest Story: Did 6 airports in a row in the North Central region and did not need to change his heading.

September 2019: Olympic Region completed, Jim and Maryann receive their second patches!

Shelton pilot Dan Wood shows his Gold Pin, earned by visiting 100% of Fly Washington Passport Program participating airports!

Fly Washington Passport Program is pleased to introduce Scott Hunziker, Jacket Winner! Based out of Auburn, Scott completed the majority of the program in his 182, with wheel pants. He flew to every location and received stamps at every location.

Scott’s flight track log. He says: Had a blast! Plenty of beautiful airports in the state with nice pilot’s lounges and courtesy cars. Favorite Airport: Stehekin. Most Challenging: Ranger Creek (weather)

At the 2020 awards ceremony, Corley McFarland, Tim Mensonides, and Max Platts present Dan Wood with his jacket.

And More Fly Washington Passport Program adventures...

Jim and Mary Ann McClellan

Brian Behrend

Thoughts on the program from pilot Lynn Wyatt

Thoughts on the program from Don and June Fitzpatrick:

I fly a 61' 172 Skyhawk and have it at Okanogan Legion S35.
Really don't have a favorite airport but there is a great restaurant at Richland, just south of fuel pumps, that serves Cajun food. Draw back is they close at 14:00.

Most challenging and most memorable was probably to Easton (ESW), Bandera (4W0), and down to Ranger Creek (21W) then home. Ranger is not conducive to standard patterns and tighter than normal canyon walls but beautiful with Rainier, the river and highway below. The scenery all the way is beautiful and especially swinging around and the views of Mount Rainier. The weather was beautiful and no winds to cope with. Rather unusual.

The worst thing I encountered was I flew with another pilot in his plane down to Little Goose (16W) and a couple of other airports and when we got over to Lower Granite (00W) I discovered that I had left my Passport Book back at Little Goose. Lost some time but worked out OK. Broke a golden rule, "PAY ATTENTION DUMMY". Also watch for deer on those two airports--had to pull up on Little Goose for a bunch on the runway.

I really like this program , it has inspired me to fly a little more and visit airports that I would have never gone into. Some no reason to go back.

Met mostly nice folks also a few grumps. Also I have seen some pilots fly into S35 that had no idea this part of Washington existed. They were surprised to see that we have asphalt and cement in this part of the state.

To the sponsors--thanks for being a part of and the reason this program can exist. General Aviation has a hard enough time and your support sure doesn't hurt. Thanks also Tim and Angie for your support to the program.

We did our flying in our current aircraft, a Cessna 206 H model, turbocharged. We have less than 500 hours on it. We bought it with 74 hours on it. We have updated it with stainless steel exhaust (due to a requirement to inspect the exhaust every 25 hours). We have also added the Sportsman STOL package, vortex generators, and AOA heads up package. Just for your information, we have taken out the rear two seats because we don't haul six people. We can easily put them back of course, but we have stored them in a mouse proof box because we seldom haul 6 people. We are so proud of our 206.

Our home base is in a hangar where we used to have our chapter meeting and hope to again after the coronavirus. Heated, counter for potluck dinners, sink for dishes, screen for films, etc. Twisp is the airport for most of the general aviation aircraft in the Methow Valley. It is about 25 hangars, on leased land from the town of Twisp. We are right next door, on fee simple land (with through the fence access). We support the Twisp Airport events, and for five years (when we were located at the Winthrop Smokejumper base) we had fly-ins that were sponsored by us and the O'Keefes.

Our favorite airport would be Stehekin. Our most challenging flight was around the Peninsula when we could get into some, but not all airports. We had to file IFR to get to our next airport further south due to bad weather. We missed lading at three airports that were within our reach but protected by weather. That is the reason that I had to go to the Peninsula to get my last airports in my passport on the day of my last flight. The Highlight of the program was being able to land at Sea-Tac on the center runway, with no traffic due to Covid19, no landing fee, and a very friendly FBO. Most memorial flight was not for me to get a stamp, but to help Andy Pomeroy get his last stamp (for his first passbook) by flying with him to Stehekin. On that trip we had a great lunch at the bakery and were able to get a new member for WPA. When we went to Avey Field on the border there was no stamp and we later learned that the airport was not included. Being a relatively short field with very tall trees, we were disappointed. But we took a picture and put it in the passport anyway.

The program did inspire me to fly more and to renew what I had done 18 years ago. It brought back lots of old memories. It also inspired us to make stamps for the Backcountry Seminar and Flying program that the Methow Valley chapter did summer of 2019. That made it possible for about 35 pilots to get stamps that weren't a formal part of the program and set them off as something special. They loved it!

We really appreciated the sponsors and I think I realize the tremendous amount of work you have put into the program. I have told lots of non-aviators about it and they are also impressed. It was a good way for WPA to encourage flying and give another benefit.