The Writing Loft
Sunriver,
a popular destination for pilots.
Sunriver:
Oregon's
Heartland Paradise
On the western border of Central Oregon’s high desert against the eastern slope of the Cascade Range, Sunriver is a popular Northwest destination for pilots. More than 1.6 million acres of the Deschutes National Forest surround the Sunriver Resort, providing a background like a beautiful landscape painting. To the west, the winding Deschutes River carries canoes and rafts lazily past trees and open meadows. To the east, Newberry Volcano dominates the sky. Its huge shield-shaped summit rises almost 4.000 feet above the surrounding lava plains, a graphic display of the area’s active geologic history.
Located 15 miles south of Bend, the planned resort community of Sunriver has single-family homes, condominiums, and several visitors’ lodges. With facilities including a post office, schools, and a shopping mall, the resort is self-contained. Attractions range from golf and tennis to rafting and hiking in the adjacent national forest. There’s even a volcanic national monument within a short drive.
When winter snow blankets the resort, activities change to cross-country skiing, ice-skating, snowshoeing, and myriad winter sports activities. Nearby Mt. Bachelor is known for its diverse ski terrain, large number of tree runs, and minimal lift lines.
Flying There
Sunriver Airport lies against the eastern slope of the Cascade Range on the edge of the relatively flat, open country of Central Oregon. It is in the shadow of 9,000-ft. Mt. Bachelor, ten miles to the west, and the 10,000-ft. Sisters, ten miles beyond. The Juniper MOA, 35 nm to the east and southeast, and the mountains just to the west create a north-south aerial corridor. Thus, arriving via Victor airways from points west, north and east, you will most likely approach Sunriver from the Deschutes VOR 25 nm to the north. Descending as you head south along the western edge of V-25, announce your position and intentions on 122.8 MHz.
Unicom may respond with airport advisories. If you approach from the southeast, you may choose to remain over lower terrain to the west of Paulina Peak, which is also a good position-reporting point. If you are heading north from Klamath Falls, you will want to turn a few degrees to the left of V-25 in time to arrive west of the airport at the traffic pattern altitude of 5,159 feet.
Noise abatement procedures call for all operations to remain west of the airport, resulting in a right pattern for Runway 18, with a dogleg on final to avoid flying over the community. For the same reason, departures from Runway 36 need to turn left after takeoff to track outbound 320 degrees until past the resort.
Sunriver, the FBO, is attended April through October and sells both 100LL and Jet A fuel, (541) 593-4603. After hours call (541) 593-1860 for fuel. There is a mechanic available on call for emergencies.
Continued...