PORT ANGELES — Did you hear several jets pass over the city Thursday near William R. Fairchild International Airport?
Rick Mowbray, chief pilot at Rite Bros. Aviation in Port Angeles, said Friday it could have been a small business jet practicing approaches to the airport.
At least one Port Angeles resident reported hearing jets flying low and loud Thursday.
The jet never landed there, Mowbray explained, but did get within about 200 feet of the runway before accelerating and climbing back up to about 1,500 feet by the time it reached the other end.
The jet was a Falcon, a line of business jets made by French manufacturer Dassault, Mowbray said.
Mowbray and Rite Bros. owner Jeff Well said Friday this single jet was the only such aircraft that got that close to the airport Thursday.
The jet made three separate passes, Mowbray said, likely because the pilot was practicing airport approaches to stay current with Federal Aviation Administration requirements.
“They did three practice approaches here, and then they went back to where they came from,” Mowbray said, adding that he did not know from where the jet originated.
Mowbray said pilots from all over the state often choose Fairchild airport to fly these practice approaches because it is less busy than Seattle-Tacoma International Airport or the airfield in Everett.
Everett has the primary airport for this sort of practicing, making it a particularly busy facility.
“It’s not unusual to have to wait to get in,” Mowbray said, adding that pilots often have to orbit the airport for a while before they are allowed to approach.
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Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@peninsuladailynews.com.
