A Busy ILS at Boeing Field (KBFI)

Описание: Short IFR flights can be more challenging than long cross-countries. You don’t fly through major changes in the weather, and fuel isn’t an issue. But as you’ll see in this video, compressing the tasks associated with instrument flying into a 20-minute hop presents several challenges, including getting an IFR clearance and release at a non-towered airport, followed immediately by an arrival in busy Class B airspace. Thanks to skillful controllers, on this day I didn’t have to cope with a hold.

On this late morning flight, a stream of long-haul airliners was inbound to Seattle as I returned to Boeing Field from Bremerton National.

The airspace over Seattle is crowded and complex. Boeing Field is only about 5 nm north of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, and when traffic is in a south flow, jets inbound to KSEA descend directly over KBFI as aircraft flying approaches to Boeing Field track a converging path along their final. The wake turbulence rules controllers must use add to what is already a challenging, dynamic situation. And in the summer of 2025, Boeing Field is down to one runway, further limiting the options both approach and tower controllers have to move traffic safely and efficiently.

Kudos to the Seattle Approach controller working traffic inbound to Boeing Field that day, and to his colleagues who were handling the arrivals overhead into KSEA.

Here’s the approach controller explaining the situation and offering to fit me in if can accept big changes in assigned airspeeds as he works the situation.
I was comfortable accepting the challenge, because the ceiling at Boeing Field was high with good visibility beneath the clouds. When the weather is low IFR, however, I want to establish a stable profile from the final approach fix to the runway.

This video also illustrates another challenge. Bremerton is a non-towered airport, and it does not have text or charted DPs. Instead, the Terminal Procedures Publication notes that ATC assigns headings per a Diverse Vector Area, depending on the runway you choose for takeoff. On this MVFR day, I needed to get my IFR clearance on the ground. Scud-running wasn’t an option.

Now join me in the A36 as I pick up my IFR clearance from Seattle Approach after I completed my pre-takeoff checks in the runup area for RWY 20.