North to Alaska
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
#0: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Wed 30 Aug 1995 (03:54 PM) Wherein I attempt to translate my Alaska flight into ascii. flying 230: North to Alaska #1: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Wed 30 Aug 1995 (03:54 PM) It was, of course, wonderful. We found ourselves making many decisions, and without exception found ourselves where we should be. I'm going to post a mixed lot of stuff, I have some statistics and lists that I want to keep somewhere, might as well be here. Will go into the planning a bit, and try to put in a few stories, although hard to translate clouds and granite into words. flying 230: North to Alaska #2: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Wed 30 Aug 1995 (03:55 PM) Unusual travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God - Kurt Vonnegut In March, I flew over to London to meet my friend's parents. Her father pours a good single-malt, and somewhere in the flying stories, Frances' mother asked how far I could fly. We're not sure how the subject of Alaska came up, but I remember saying that if she came over to America, I'd fly her to Alaska. Then forgot all about it. So two weeks after I returned, Rosemary called and asked when we were going. I had no idea how far Alaska was, so I told her I'd get back to her. I found a world map that put Anchorage roughly 1750 great circle miles from SF, so figured probably about 25 hours via the Alaska highway. Ouch. The longest trip I've ever done was 10 hours to Boulder, CO, in two days. This would be 5 flying days in a row. I did some rough cost estimates, and ran the numbers back to her. I figured 14-21 days, depending on weather and sightseeing days. Discussions of vacation and job status followed. For various reasons, time wasn't a problem for us, and we worked it out so Frances could join us in Anchorage for the trip back, if we made it that far. flying 230: North to Alaska #3: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Wed 30 Aug 1995 (03:55 PM) Planning started about six weeks in advance. I decided to divide it up: Book learning Navigation Airplane prep Survival stuff Emergency food Personal stuff Lodging First things first - I called AOPA and mail-ordered their Alaska and Canada kits. $11 brought an AOPA booklet on Alaska and Canada flying, which gave a first peek at Canadian flight rules, and rough route maps. Also included US and Canadian customs and immigration booklets and forms. Next, off to the Nut Tree, where I picked up a thick book called the Alaska Airmen's Association Logbook. While this was packed with info, it wasn't in a very usable form. A much better book was Your Alaskan Flight Plan, by Don and Julia Downie. Very well organized, and full of photos and descriptions of routes, airports and communities. While at the Nut Tree, I also picked up US World Air Charts for the route. Read through the books, which gave me a pretty good idea about rules, routes, weather, etc. The Downie book comes pretty close to capturing our experiences. Finally, AAA for road maps of the route, and the Western Canada/Alaska tour book, which proved invaluable for locating motels and restaurants along the way. flying 230: North to Alaska #4: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Wed 30 Aug 1995 (03:55 PM) Navigation. I took a layered approach to buying the charts, approach plates and supplements (Canadian for Airport Facility Directory). First, I bought the US World Air Charts for the entire route. Later, I found the Canadian WAC's, which actually covered the route better and with more local detail. Next came the US and Canadian sectionals, some delayed a few weeks because of new issues coming out. Canadian WACs and Sectionals are quite different than US, different colors, airport info, etc. Biggest difference is that they are issued irregularly, often years between. As a result, the airport info is often out of date, so the Supplement ($28, good for two months only), is critical. Just before I left, a new Vancouver sectional and terminal chart was issued, another $20. Canadian charts are $12.95 for a sectional, $8.95 terminal. I decided not to buy a Jeppesen trip kit, but picked up a fed Plate booklet for the Pacific Northwest and for Alaska, and the fed charts for IFR. I decided early on not to do any IFR in Canada, because of the high MEA's and my unfamiliarity with the country and slightly different rules. The WAC's turned out to be a good investment, because Frances and Rosemary enjoyed following along, even when I needed my chart right in front of me. I also purchased a Canadian "Alaska Highway" sectional, which covers most of the highway from Fort St John to Northway. I ended up not caring much for it. The topology used a different color and contour method than the other sectionals, much harder to interpret. It tended to make passes look easier than they were. I wouldn't recommend it. I couldn't find a copy of the Milepost, the definitive Alaska Highway tour book in the US, but found one easily in Canada. Highly recommended. Rosemary and Frances also brought their own tour books, and of course we each brought a novel for bedtime reading. The next post is a complete list of charts, plates and books. flying 230: North to Alaska #5: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Wed 30 Aug 1995 (03:55 PM) Books: Your Alaskan Flight Plan Don and Julia Downie The Alaskan Airmen's Association Logbook Don Bowers Western Canada and Alaska Tourbook AAA The Milepost Milepost Inc. Canadian Guide for Private Pilots Canadian Customs Night Flight St. Exupery 2 novels Booklets: Know Before You Go US Customs US Customs for Private Pilots US Customs Canadian Guide for Private Pilots Canadian Customs Western Region Airports Transport Canada Alaska Terminal Area Pilot Bulletin FAA Alaska Terminal Area Pilot Bulletin FAA Charts: US World Air Charts CD-11 Anchorage CD-12 Whitehorse CE-15 Ketchikan CF-16 Seattle California Air Chart Canadian World Air Charts WAC D-12 Whitehorse WAC E-15 Vancouver US Sectionals and Terminal Charts Los Angeles Los Angeles Terminal San Francisco San Francisco Terminal Klamath Falls Seattle Seattle Terminal Salt Lake City Great Falls Whitehorse Anchorage Anchorage Terminal Seward Fairbanks Dawson Canadian Sectional and Terminal Vancouver Vancouver Terminal Calgary Prince George Fort Nelson Alaska Highway IFR Charts Jeppesen 5 SW state coverage US Northwest Terminal Procedures Alaska Terminal Procedures US IFR Enroute L-1/L-2 West Coast Airports US Southwest Airport Facility Directory US Northwest Airport Facility Directory US Alaska Supplement Canadian Flight Supplement California Pilots Guide (blue book) Jeppguide pages for Oregon and Washington Road Maps AAA Alberta/British Columbia AAA Alaska/Northwest Canada AAA Vancouver flying 230: North to Alaska #6: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Wed 30 Aug 1995 (03:58 PM) Tomorrow - preparing the airplane, survival stuff and food. flying 230: North to Alaska #7: Hoover Chan (hchan) Wed 30 Aug 1995 (09:25 PM) Great stuff. Good to see you back. flying 230: North to Alaska #8: newfdog - used to be - - (harwell) Thu 31 Aug 1995 (08:34 AM) bb - keep it up. This is like reading an old fashioned serial. flying 230: North to Alaska #9: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Thu 31 Aug 1995 (09:29 AM) Airplane I own a pretty straightforward 1980 Cessna 172N, standard avionics plus King DME, 40 gallon tanks, 105 knots for 4 hours at sea level, 5 at altitude (because of the lower engine power). I've been blessed by having two operating partners, both United Airlines A&P's, who keep the plane in superb shape. The only problem was the engine, which had 1950 hours on it, and was becoming a real oil-hog. When it started getting less than 2 hours per quart, we decided to get into the shop and do the overhaul. Even with swapping engines, we only got out of the shop about two weeks before departure, and had to work hard to put 15 break-in hours in before a complete pre-trip inspection and first oil change. Fortunately, nothing went wrong, and the plane performed flawlessly. The other major purchases were an upgrade (actually a downsize) from my trusty ICOM A20 hand held to the new ICOM A22, with more features for half the weight and two thirds the size. I was able to sell the A20 for a decent price, and test the A22 several times before departure. The A22 features much easier tuning, better headset adaption, and most useful, the marine weather stations! But most important, I finally sprung for a moving map GPS, the Garmin 90. I can't say enough good about this box. I never relied on it completely, but the trip would have been far, far harder and more stressful without it. Once I figured out some strange quirks about airport naming, I found I could put in an incredibly detailed route, and get more info about where I was, what was around me, where I was going and when than any pilot has a right to know. Question for ICAO experts: I learned quickly that Canadian airports start with C (and have lots of Y's and X's), and Alaska airports start with P, but some Alaska airports seem to have two official names. The second name starts with PA, followed by the first two letters of the FAA name. For example, Merrill Field isn't PMRI, as charted, but PAMR. Northway is PAOR instead of PORT. But Anchorage is PANC, just like the chart. Any ideas? The GPS easily got 20 hours on four AA's in battery saver mode, which works so well I never tried the regular mode. I would take it to the motel each night and program in the details of the next days' flight, and when we had to divert because of weather or fuel changes, it made enroute flight planning a snap. I can't imagine how I flew 1000 hours without it. The only problems are that about once a day it would suddenly lose signal, and also separately, once a day it would mysteriously turn itself off. In both cases, I could turn it back on and it would reaquire in seconds. I think it turns itself off because of weird quirks in the software, the thing is obviously doing some major number crunching all the time. The GPS is also a major distraction in flight, it makes it even harder to keep your eyes outside the cockpit. I won't let any of my flying students use one until after their private exam. Finally, picked up some spare ropes and chalks, which were useful in a number of spots. The plane flew perfectly, and never caused any anxiety at all. flying 230: North to Alaska #10: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Thu 31 Aug 1995 (09:31 AM) Survival equipment and food The next post will have our complete inventory. Both Canada and Alaska have laws requiring certain items when flying beyond 25 miles of town. Talking to other pilots and looking into airplanes, the rules seem to not be widely observed, but I took them seriously. Flying schools and charter operations in Canada had small yellow boxes that claimed to hold the minimum requirements (I didn't ask about guns), but didn't look like they'd be very comfortable on a night in the woods. The Canadian flight plan form has a box you check to verify you have the right stuff. The Canadian list is: Food with at least 10,000 calories per person Cooking utensils Matches Stove and fuel Compass Axe of at least 2 1/2 pounds Saw Snare wire Fishing equipment (rod and nets) Mosquito nets and repellent Tents, wing covers or orange signal panels Sleeping bags Signal mirror Distress signals First aid kit Survival manual The US list is almost identical, plus a *required* rifle, shotgun or pistol. Canada doesn't allow pistols (they are very strict about it), so I arranged to borrow a shotgun and picked up five rounds of buckshot and five so-called bear slugs. I received conflicting advice about the advantages of rifles, shotguns and different types of ammo, fortunately never had to test any of it. The following looks like a lot of stuff, but fit neatly in one small cardboard box and a plastic bin (except for the gun, fishing rod, tent and sleeping bags). The bin was packed in the plane so it could be quickly pulled out in an emergency. We made the decision to provide for comfortable camping, with good sleeping bags and a good tent, although we didn't end up doing any camping. Total weight of all charts, books, survival stuff and food was about 200 pounds, which put us right at gross. All airports had long runways, were below 2000' (except one 3000'), and we had cool days, so no problem with take offs. flying 230: North to Alaska #11: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Thu 31 Aug 1995 (09:31 AM) Food: Teabags Instant coffee 6 tins Instant Breakfast milk 2 gallons of water in small containers 72 granola bars, various flavors 24 ounces mixed nuts 5 packs dried fruits 2 packs mints 1 large box raisins 2 boxes fig bars 1 750 Jack Daniels Total calories 25,000 Camping equipment: Medium sized tent 3 compact down sleeping bags 1 foam pad 1 self-inflating pad Small folding sterno stove 6 sternos Small cooking pot Utensils Windproof matches Fire starter sticks Mosquito head nets (three) Mosquito coils Mosquito repellent (DEET and natural) Technu poison oak cleanser Aloe Vera Sun block Hand cream Candles Water purifier tablets Vitamin C for improving taste Three emergency space bags Sewing kit Spare sunglasses 3 good hats Anti-bear food bag Orienteering compass Medicine: Good medical kit Injury supplement Standard band aid box Sam splint Medicine for Mountaineering book Misc medicines Weapons and fishing: 12 gauge shotgun 5 rounds buckshot 5 rounds bear slugs Mickey Mouse "My First Fishing Rod" Plastic worms & bugs Hooks Sinkers Floats Large square fishnet Signalling: 6 rocket flares Large orange signal panel/tube tent Good signal mirror Whistles Small air horn Tools: Rope Small axe Eddie Bauer tool (shovel with misc stuff in handle) Small saw Razor blades Leatherman tool Large pocket knife Duct tape Standard aircraft equipment: 2 Aviation life jackets Recharger for ICOM Flight computer Plotter Headsets Flashlights Spare batteries (lots) Cassette tape player 10 Cassettes (never played) Pilot's personal relief device Clothes: Light coats Waterproof jackets Sweaters Personal clothes Toiletries Yes - it all flew! flying 230: North to Alaska #12: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Thu 31 Aug 1995 (09:32 AM) Personal stuff Not a lot to do, had to finish up one student at my flight school and get another one to a good stopping place. Got in for a long overdue visit to the dentist and got a haircut. Prepaid some bills, and put $200 advance on the phone bill, cause I knew I'd need it. Picked up $300 Canadian for a measly $220 US. Made hotel reservations for the first night out and in Anchorage, at a place that allowed same-day cancels. Then off to SFO to pick up Rosemary. Tomorrow - the plan (hehehe!) flying 230: North to Alaska #13: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Thu 31 Aug 1995 (10:41 PM) In Canada and Alaska, good airports with fuel are almost always 2 to 2.5 hours apart. In between are usually several fields without fuel, either associated with a lodge, or else emergency strips. I looked at the 25 hours to get to Anchorage, and decided to try for 5 flying days, mostly with two legs. Although we knew it would be subject to change, my initial plan was Arcata Salem Olympia Abbotsford (customs) Williams Lake Prince George Fort St. John Fort Nelson Williams Lake Whitehorse Northway (customs) Anchorage For a total of 5 flying days. I immediately added in 2 weather days, so made reservations in Anchorage for a week after we left. The route above follows good highways, including the Alaska Highway, the entire route. There are two major shortcuts available. First, you can go up the coast, via Prince Rupert and Juneau. I ruled this out because there are several long over-water sections where the fuel point of no return is right at half way. The other option is a line called "The Trench", which runs perfectly straight from Prince George to Watson Lake. This is a tempting option, because it saves 240 flying miles, and saves crossing the Rockies twice. But it is 350 miles with no fuel, no road, and no weather reporting except at the beginning and at the end. The Trench is very tempting, because it is a perfectly straight shot, with low altitudes and easy navigation. But there is no turning back, and very few places to put an airplane. I decided that flying the Alaska Highway, with the towns, scenery and history along the route, would be the safest choice. flying 230: North to Alaska #14: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Thu 31 Aug 1995 (10:42 PM) Rosemary arrived on a Friday afternoon. We bought the foodstuffs that evening, and spent Saturday packing the supplies and driving down to load the plane. The materials fit perfectly. I had an idea of what I would leave if I had to, but everything fit. Sunday morning we left the house at 8am, and were off. Weather forecasts for the first day were excellent, and we had an easy run up the coast to Arcata. At Arcata, we had our first adventure, when the very nice fuel guy put .5 gallons into our wings, hissed, spit, and went dry. Empty. Kaput. I briefly considered continuing on to Crescent City, but if there were any problems, we would have been in trouble, so we backtracked 10 miles to Murray Field, Eureka (after phoning back to make sure they had fuel). Bonus stop, then back up the coast, opening our flight plan as we flew over Arcata again, and on to North Bend, then inland to Salem. I don't need to describe to California pilots the beauty of the North Coast. Late lunch in Salem, refuel, then a tour up the river to Portland, right over Portland International, and then up to 10,500 for a spectacular fly- by of Mt. St. Helens. Back on the power, glide down the 40 miles to Olympia, home of Olympia beer, State Capitol, southernmost point of the Puget Sound. We picked Gower Air Services at random, and got excellent fuel and tie- down service, and a quick cab ride into town, to the Westwater Inn, on a plateau overlooking the Sound. Walked the mile into town for dinner, a perfect end to a perfect first day of flying. We toasted the beginning of our great adventure. flying 230: North to Alaska #15: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Thu 31 Aug 1995 (10:43 PM) Coming tomorrow - What Airshow? and Why is that canyon full of clouds? flying 230: North to Alaska #16: Richard Buckberg (buck) Fri 01 Sep 1995 (09:27 AM) These are great stories. Thanks for writing them up. flying 230: North to Alaska #17: George Madsen (gpm) Fri 01 Sep 1995 (04:08 PM) I love it, I've been dreaming of doing this for years, Please, keep writing. flying 230: North to Alaska #18: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Fri 01 Sep 1995 (11:55 PM) A brief delay while I do a two day boat race. Back Sunday! flying 230: North to Alaska #19: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Mon 04 Sep 1995 (09:56 AM) Customs We had no trouble with Customs, US or Canadian, but there was no other subject (except perhaps mosquitoes) with more warnings, cautions and advice in the books and materials from AOPA. Apparently if things go ok, no problem, but if things go wrong, there can be big problems, including $10,000 fines and confiscation of aircraft. The rules are pretty clear, pick an airport of entry, find the hours and phone number, call them during business hours and make a reservation at least one hour ahead of time, and they'll be there. Nominal overtime charge if you arrive after normal hours. You can make the call directly and/or use the ADCUS box on your flight plan. We did both, although when I called Canadian Customs in Abbotsford, they said I didn't need a reservation, they much preferred the ADCUS system. The Canadians did say they didn't trust ADCUS going into the US, and each time we entered the US, we did get a US reservation by phone easily. Both Canadian Customs were extremely quick, efficient and pleasant. They glanced at our passports, stamped Rosemary's UK passport, and gave us a little slip of paper to keep the airplane in the country 6 months. US Customs was more paperwork, more simple questions, and they literally glanced inside the plane. No problems at all, but find out the rules and follow them, don't enter the US without a reservation you personally obtain, and when you arrive, don't leave the airplane until the agent appears. FSS can help if you need directions to the parking area or if the agent is delayed. flying 230: North to Alaska #20: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Mon 04 Sep 1995 (09:57 AM) We left Olympia under medium-high clouds, which got quickly worse as we headed north past the Olympics, the San Juan Islands, over Whidbey Island and one mile north of the border to Abbotsford. Abbotsford's class D airspace actually extends into the US, and they were very polite in talking us in. Unlike the US, with "approach" and "tower" frequencies, they use an "outer" and "inner" tower frequency. When we briefed in Olympia, FSS told us we'd just missed the Abbotsford International Airshow that weekend, but there were still hundreds of planes on the ground. Most of the display aircraft hadn't left yet, so we could see several large C-5 style transports, many fighters including a Stealth, and many older transports, including dozens of DC-3's. We cleared Customs in a light but building rain, fueled, and ran over to the FSS in the tower. More rain coming from everywhere. They had a really nifty set of remote cameras set up in the canyons east and north, along our flight, that showed many layers of clouds right down to the deck. The worst spot was at Hope, where a dozen aircraft were stuck on the ground, only 30 minutes from Abbotsford. We could see the pilots on the TV, staring forlornly at the clouds. So we sat in the lounge, running out every 15 minutes to see another interesting aircraft taxi by or do a low pass after take-off. Got a picture of my plane with the Stealth taxiing by. Once an hour, we'd check the weather which was gradually improving. 3pm was our go-or- stay point, because I didn't want to get too tired for the 4 hours to Prince George, so at 3 we decided to take a "look-see". We filed and launched up into the Hope Canyon, and got about 15 miles up before the clouds just got too bad. Did a classic canyon 180 and headed back. This was Rosemary's introduction to mountain flying, and she took it very well, although I did have to explain why I had to fly so close to the right wall. We tied down in a quaint grass overnight transient area, refueled, and a local flight school recommended a moderate motel and gave us a ride into town. flying 230: North to Alaska #21: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Mon 04 Sep 1995 (10:40 AM) The next morning it was still lightly drizzling, but the clouds were higher and thinner. The initial camera views weren't encouraging, but they started lifting, and we filed and flew at noon. The Hope canyon was tight, but flyable. We saw that the spot we turned around was only a mile from Hope, but no regrets. Another plane tagged along behind, and we passed along hints of the best side to pass clouds and where we'd found turbulence. A Russian 12 seater had left about 45 minutes ahead of us, and we had some concerns when we saw it heading back, but Flight Service said they couldn't get a pilot report out of them, and didn't know why they turned around. We were mostly about 1000 feet above the river, with canyon walls up to about 6,000. The overcast covered the rim, and we had to dodge occasional puffs, but not bad going. We had to follow two tight Z shaped turns in the canyon, one called "Hell's Gate". After about 90 minutes of canyon flying, we broke out into a broader plain, and followed a river and an NDB to Williams Lake, landing in light rain. Another beautiful Canadian airport, very polite and helpful FSS people. They said it generally improved to the north, although with a strong low and thunderstorm over Fort Saint John. We filed for Prince George, but decided to extend through the Rockies to the east if the weather held. The next two hours were probably the easiest on the trip north, gentle valleys, moderately high clouds. We passed Pr. George and continued. The thunderstorm was still over John, but we had a good alternative at Dawson Creek. We entered the Peace river canyon at MacKenzie, a 60 mile shot east to Chetwynd, then plains to John. As we entered the canyon, the winds and turbulence increased, and the GPS started showing more and more tailwind. By the time we reached Chetwynd, we were clocking 140s and low 150's over the ground, aimed just north of a huge black cloud headed south from John toward Dawson. The FSS at John said it was clearing but windy, come on in. We did the last 60 miles in about 20 minutes, did a 180, and landed almost stopped on 20. I taxi'd into the first FBO I saw, tied down, and was very glad to be on the ground. Quite a day of mountain flying. The FBO (Frontier ESSO), couldn't have been nicer, suggesting a hotel and loaning us their gray bomber courtesy car for the night. I was ready for a rest. flying 230: North to Alaska #22: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Mon 04 Sep 1995 (10:40 AM) Tomorrow - I get a rest or How to Spend Four Days in Fort St. John. flying 230: North to Alaska #23: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Mon 04 Sep 1995 (11:06 PM) The next morning woke up raining hard. We had to return the Grey Bomber to the FBO, so checked out of the hotel, placed a 6pm hold on another room, and headed out to the airport. The Bomber, a massive Lincoln Continental Towncar, circa 1973, was used mostly by the crews from two Mitsubishi MU-2's that flew the Fedex and Purolator loads from Vancouver each day. We got to know them pretty well, they arrived each day at 10am and left around 5pm. Weather guy said to forget it for the day, so we rented a car and drove up to Hudson's Hope, a small trading post 90 km west of St. John. Nice drive through the rain, and we got to see a lot of the beautiful Peace River valley. Another dinner, another night in St. John. Next day, same thing. We decided to keep the car another day, and drove down the Alaska Highway to Dawson Creek, to see the Milepost 1. It was good to drive on a little of the Alaska Highway we would follow for so long. They have a 10 km stretch of the old road (most has been straightened and paved) as a historic feature, including a most beautiful old wood bridge. We easily spent the day in museums in Dawson, and doing our laundry. And another dinner and another night. It had cleared a bit in the afternoon, so the next day we decided to stick it out at the airport and at least try to make Fort Nelson, 2 hours up the line. We had fallen in with a group of three aircraft also headed north, two Tri-Pacers and a Grumman Tiger. There was much discussion of routes, and we decided to try the railroad route to Nelson, which was much lower and flatter. They decided to try the highway, and we all set off about the same time. We flew north for about an hour, but the clouds got lower and lower over the railroad, until we were at 500 agl and no horizon ahead. Another 180, and back to Fort St. John. No sign of the other three folks, we hoped they got through to Nelson via the highway. At this point, my mood was pretty low. It was our fourth night in John, we'd pretty much done the sights, and I really missed Frances. I was wondering if we would ever leave St. John. I asked the FBO guy what the old record was, and he said one guy was stuck there 9 days till he had to leave his airplane for the winter and fly home commercially. The Mitsubishi guys were really sympathetic. Every day we watched the commercial flights into St. John unload passengers, and I suggested to Frances that she fly up the next day and join us there. But flights from San Francisco were surprisingly complicated (stopovers in Seattle and Vancouver) and expensive. We decided to give it one more day, and see if we could get out. And another dinner, and another night. flying 230: North to Alaska #24: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Mon 04 Sep 1995 (11:08 PM) Tomorrow - On the Road Again or Do the Airplanes In That Field Look Familiar? flying 230: North to Alaska #25: Out of the Blue of the Western Sky comes (pk) Tue 05 Sep 1995 (12:54 AM) What's the limiting factor on IFR flight in those conditions? Is it the absence of airport electronic approach aids, or routing services, or what? Seems like the terrain is low enough to fly over. Isn't IFR supposed to make you less dependent on clear skies? flying 230: North to Alaska #26: Richard Buckberg (buck) Tue 05 Sep 1995 (07:22 AM) I missed something - where was Frances? flying 230: North to Alaska #27: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Tue 05 Sep 1995 (08:16 AM) Frances was still in San Francisco. She couldn't take the entire 2 to 3 weeks off work, so we'd planned for her to join us in Anchorage if we made it that far, and she'd fly up to Fairbanks and then home with us. The first week was no problem, because she was at a conference in Kansas City (talk about different worlds!) but now she was back and had to decide whether to go back to work or wait for us. >IFR Good question. We probably could have flown to Nelson IFR, but I had brought no Canadian charts or plates. The FSS had a set I could have photocopied, but the MEA for that leg was 8,000 with the freezing level at 7,000. Also, the only alternate I could have filed would be St. John, and at 4 hours round trip I would have been on fumes coming back. Fuel was an issue on almost all legs. At the low altitudes (and full throttle), we only had a little over 4 hours of range, and airports with fuel were over two hours apart. So once we passed much beyond the half way point, we either had to continue to our destination or stop somewhere and wait for the weather to clear. Returning wasn't possible, and if we continued, couldn't land, and had to return to an emergency strip, we might not have enough fuel to make another try. And speaking of which, gotta run now, but we haven't seen the last of those tri-pacers... flying 230: North to Alaska #28: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Wed 06 Sep 1995 (09:41 PM) And on the fifth morning, we flew again. The forecast wasn't particularly encouraging, Fort Nelson was reporting 800 overcast, but the temp/dewpoint spread was increasing, and several planes had gotten through. We tried the railroad route again, and ran into low clouds at almost exactly the same place. But it looked lighter to the west, so rather than giving up, we headed west to the Highway, then north. We had to pick our way through some passes, and Fort Nelson was holding at 800. We broke out of the high country, over a long flat river. Just to our left was Prophet "Field", a dirt strip carved out of the trees for emergency use. And on the field, we could see four airplanes, our two Tripacers, the Grumman and one more. We also saw a number of tents and a small fire. We waggled our wings and continued. As advertised, the clouds were much lower over Nelson, but airplanes were landing with special VFR clearances. While Nelson didn't have a tower, it had a charted class D airspace and a combined weather observer/radio person. Unlike in the US, she was apparently allowed to suggest SVFR (an approved exception to the VFR 1000' ceiling rule), and we had no trouble skimming in at 500 agl. Although we were tracking a good NDB, the GPS was great for maintaining situational awareness, right up to runway diagrams on the map 5 miles out. We reported spotting the other aircraft, and the operator confirmed receiving a phone close from them the night before. Apparently they had gotten close to Nelson, but couldn't get in, and found the way back through the pass blocked, so had to spend the night on the dirt strip. We spent about two hours on the ground at Nelson, but then it started clearing to the west, so we decided to try the next pass. Just before we took off, the four aircraft showed up, and they decided to wait and see if we made it before they launched again. The next pass, over the highway, was completely socked in, but a local had suggested a short detour around it, following two rivers. We tried it, checking our escape route back, and were successful. The next two passes were a bit lower, and we squeaked through. The ceilings finally started lifting as we approached Watson Lake. flying 230: North to Alaska #29: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Wed 06 Sep 1995 (09:44 PM) Watson Lake is a beautiful airport, in a large flat area surrounded by hills. The airport is right on the lake. We fueled and briefed and swatted mosquitoes. It was already 6:30, but ceilings were generally okay toward Whitehorse, so we decided to press on. Daylight lasted till almost 10pm, and we only had two more hours to go. The fuel guy was just about to go home, but we suggested he wait around another half hour, in case the caravan showed up. Sure enough, we heard them on approach as we departed. No real problems for the next two hours, just some heavy rain in late afternoon showers. Clouds were still everywhere, as always, but no evidence of low stratus. The mountains were incredible in the late sun. 90 minutes into the leg, we came out into another relatively flat valley, and coasted into Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, in only a light drizzle. We saw a number of float planes on the ground and flying the valley in the last 50 miles. The tower (our first real tower since Abbotsford) split up the float and land planes, and got us to our respective runways. We fueled and got a quick outlook briefing, where they told us not to get up early in the morning. We walked over to the terminal building, but it was locked up tight, not a phone or cab in sight. Walking back to the FBO, we saw a van pull out, and hitched a ride. Turned out to be Fred, the controller that had talked us in. He gave us a lot of local info on our way into town, and got us safely into a hotel, the Gold Rush Inn. It was almost 10 when we hit the bar, and had only gotten half way through our first beer when the door swung open and the caravan walked through. Of course, we all started buying beers and they told us the details of their night on the emergency strip. The guys had done the tent thing, but the two women and one guy hitchhiked the highway into Nelson. We tried to find a restaurant that could take the lot of us, but the town apparently rolled up tight at 10pm. We ended up ordering a load of pizzas with the blessing of the bartend, who was doing pretty well on beer sales. The ten of us drank til 11:30, when I left to call Frances. We decided she would go ahead and leave the next day for Anchorage, hopefully to join us the next day. I crashed after that, but Rosemary helped the gang close the place down. A wonderful night of camaraderie with shared adventurers. flying 230: North to Alaska #30: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Wed 06 Sep 1995 (09:45 PM) Tomorrow - We Reach Alaska or How Many Planes Can Merrill Field Hold? flying 230: North to Alaska #31: newfdog - used to be - - (harwell) Thu 07 Sep 1995 (07:22 AM) keep up the good stuff! flying 230: North to Alaska #32: Armchair Stick & Rudder Guy (kerry) Thu 07 Sep 1995 (09:00 AM) Great stuff, Brian! flying 230: North to Alaska #33: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Thu 07 Sep 1995 (05:05 PM) We slept in the next morning, had a leisurely breakfast, and walked around Whitehorse. I think of all the place on our trip, this was my favorite. The reason isn't obvious, the downtown is very typical of other Canadian cities with tourists, but there was something about the character of the place that made it special. The airport is on a plateau overlooking the city, and the east side is restricted by the Yukon river, rapidly flowing north to Dawson, then west to Nome and the sea. They have a beautifully restored riverboat, the Klondike. Everyone we met was very friendly and helpful. As Fred put it the night before, "In a territory (state) with only 32,000 people, you don't stand people up on dates". At 11 we took a cab up to the airport, but the weather was still iffy for Northway, Alaska. We spent an hour in the excellent transportation museum near the airport, then briefed again and went for it. Yet another day of canyon flying, more clouds, getting slowly higher but still peeking through canyons at 800 feet off the ground. Once again broadening out as we crossed the border, and down over 10,000 lakes into Northway. Customs was straightforward, grabbed a cup of coffee and filed for Anchorage. It would be a close race to get to Anchorage before Frances, including a one hour time change. Fairly easy flying, still weather of course, but high ceilings. Headwinds. We flew by several small glaciers, hints of more to come. And another broadening and the GPS said we were 40 miles out and we rounded a corner and the sky was clear and there was Anchorage. I won't describe the insanity of Anchorage flying in detail, but I was glad I'd briefed the route and called ATC 30 miles out and used the magic "Unfamiliar" word. Suddenly there were airplanes everywhere. 12 minutes later, we were just east of Merrill, and number 4 to land straight-in. I'd spotted the sign for the Merrill Field Inn on final, taxi'd to a likely looking transient spot, and shut down. We'd made it. flying 230: North to Alaska #34: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Sun 10 Sep 1995 (03:50 PM) I'm going to stop the day-to-day narration at this point, but hit some of the highlights of our Anchorage visit, the trip north past Denali to Fairbanks, and the trip home. Much more flying, seeing things again from the other direction, sharing with Frances, etc. We only had one more day when we couldn't fly, in Fairbanks. Once we started south, we covered the distance in 5 straight days of flying, some 6 hour days and one 3 hour day. flying 230: North to Alaska #35: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Sun 10 Sep 1995 (03:52 PM) We actually landed within 10 minutes of Frances' flight (different airports), so met up at the motel. The next morning we put the plane into Vern's Air Service for a 50-hour inspection and oil change. No problems. We spent two days in Anchorage, renting a car and seeing the Turnagain Arm, a huge tidal bay with 30+ foot tides, the Alyeska Ski Resort, great scenery with a hideous hotel, and the highlight, taking a glacier boat tour out of Whittier. The tour was fantastic, $120 per person for six hours, and well worth it. 29 glaciers, at least 4 almost within touching range. Many opportunities to see chunks "calving" off. We saw about 4/5's of Denali on our trip north, the very top was enclosed in clouds, but the glaciers were spectacular. In Fairbanks, we stumbled into a bed and breakfast on the Chena river, run by two enthusiastic pilots. Spent two days there, seeing the gold country, and the University where my grandfather was a professor, department head and aurora researcher for many years. Once we headed south, we made good time, stopping again in Whitehorse and Fort St. John, to introduce Frances to a few of the sights and the Grey Bomber. Everyone at the FBO gave us a warm welcome back. We then changed the itinerary a bit, stopping at Williams Lake, a quiet logging and tourist community in southern BC. The next day, we flew through the Hope canyon with only high clouds. For about 10 miles, we flew down at 500 agl, just for old time's sake, and I had time to admire the shear walls of the canyon. We continued nonstop across the border, cleared US Customs in Bellingham, then a low-level flight over the San Juans back to our first road stop, Olympia and the Westwater Inn. Finally, under high clouds over Portland to Salem, IFR to punch through lower clouds to the coast, a quick stop at Gold Beach just because, fuel at Arcata (yes, they had it), and home. flying 230: North to Alaska #36: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Sun 10 Sep 1995 (03:53 PM) Tomorrow, the full itinerary, a few statistics, and some closing thoughts. flying 230: North to Alaska #37: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Mon 11 Sep 1995 (10:35 AM) Following post is the complete itinerary and some really boring statistics. Read at your own risk. :-) flying 230: North to Alaska #38: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Mon 11 Sep 1995 (10:35 AM) The complete itinerary: 8/13 HWD ARC 2.2 Arcata, for fuel, out 8/13 ARC EKA .3 Murrey Field, Eureka, for fuel 8/13 EKA SLE 2.3 Salem, for lunch 8/13 SLE OLM 2.1 Olympia, Westwater Inn 6.9 8/14 OLM CYXX 1.1 Abbotsford, BC for Customs/Airshow 8/14 CYXX CYXX 1.1 Unsuccessful Hope Canyon attempt. Rio Motel 2.2 8/15 CYXX CYWL 2.0 Successful Hope Canyon, Williams Lake for fuel 8/15 CYXX CYXJ 3.0 Fort St. John, Pioneer Inn 5.0 8/16 Rain Day Rental Car to Hudson's Hope, BC 8/17 Rain Day Rental Car to Dawson Creek, BC 8/18 CYXJ CYXJ 1.9 Unsuccessful Fort Nelson attempt 1.9 8/19 CYXJ CYYE 2.2 Fort Nelson via highway, fuel 8/19 CYYE CYQH 2.3 Watson Lake, fuel 8/19 CYQH CYXY 2.4 Whitehorse, Gold Rush Inn 6.9 8/20 CYXY ORT 2.4 Northway, Alaska, Customs, fuel 8/20 ORT MRI 3.0 Merrill Field, Anchorage, fuel, Merrill Field Inn 5.4 8/21 Tour day Turnagain Arm, Alyeska resort 8/22 Tour day Whittier by train, 26 glacier boat tour 8/23 MRI FAI 2.3 Fairbanks, Chena Bed & Breakfast, University tour 2.3 8/24 Rain day Gold dredge tour 8/25 FAI ORT 2.2 Northway, fuel 8/25 ORT CYXY 2.4 Whitehorse, Customs, Gold Rush Inn 4.6 8/26 CYXY CYQH 2.2 Watson Lake, fuel 8/26 CYQH CYXJ 3.5 Fort St. John, Pioneer Inn 5.7 8/27 CYXJ CYWL 3.1 Williams Lake, Fraiser Inn 3.1 8/28 CYWL BLI 2.7 Bellingham, Washington, Customs, fuel 8/28 BLI OLM 1.0 Olympia, Westwater Inn 3.7 8/29 OLM SLE 1.0 Salem, OR, fuel 8/29 SLE 4S1 2.5 Gold Beach, OR, visit beach 8/29 4S1 ARC 1.0 Arcata, fuel 8/29 ARC HWD 1.8 Hayward, home 6.3 Logged hours 54.0 Tach hours 52.8 Trip days 17 Flying days 12 Successful flying days 10 Planned tour days 2 Unplanned rain days 3 Unsuccessful flying days 2 Total landings 26 Total refuelings 24 Hotel nights 16 (5 in Ft. St. John) Fuel (est) 448 gallons Most expensive fuel 2.80/gallon at Northway Average fuel 2.10 - 2.30/gallon Least fuel remaining 7 gallons, Ft. St. John on return trip Nautical miles (est) 5670 Statute miles (est) 6520 KPH 105 MPH 122 Mileage NM/Gallon 12.7 Mileage ST/Gallon 14.6 Costs: I'm not going to work out the total bill, but you can make your own estimates from the above data, plus the navigation and survival lists earlier. Add in 3 quarts of oil, $6 per tach hour for engine reserve, and $160 for the 50-hour in Anchorage. I also picked up the full fixed costs for the airplane partnership for the half month. flying 230: North to Alaska #39: "Bush" Battuello (bb) Mon 11 Sep 1995 (11:33 AM) When I was standing in the hotel room the first night in St. John, watching the rain pound against the window, I thought to myself that a trip like this changes a man. We'd just done two difficult passes, we were over a thousand miles from home, and much more than a thousand to go. I'm not sure how to describe it, mostly that we all do so much less than we are capable of, and this was just a glimpse of what was possible. I don't know if the trip was that much more difficult than just renting a Winnebago and heading up the highway, both require the vision to imagine yourself a long way from where you are. My greatest phobia was Customs, having had some bad experiences with them in a past life, but was of course easy. I had no fear of mechanical problems, and just about the right healthy respect for the weather and the terrain. Traveling north made an impression on me, I could understand how the pioneers must have felt headed west. Olympians are proud of their green country, the Abbotsford people enjoyed their northern farmland outside of Vancouver. The folks in Fort Saint John told us much about their oil- rich province, and their ecological discussions and trade-offs with the "southern" folk in Vancouver. And of course Whitehorse, with 24,000 of the 32,000 people in a territory similar to California, not yet a province in Canada. Alaska was an exception to the northerly rule. While furthest north, it was clearly grown with its umbilical firmly attached to the lower 48. The same flight rules, same automated FSS's, pretty much the same as Portland or any other interesting US city. But with an edge, the winters, the long separation, the strength needed to make it through the winter. I don't know how to describe Fairbanks. It is a small town trying hard to be American, standard airport, standard University, standard slightly seedy downtown. But the tundra is only a mile away, and there is nothing north. Its heart is still like Nome, or Barrow, or Fort Yukon. Planning the trip was clearly a major part of the fun. If you ever get such an opportunity, get the maps, read the books, and spend hours thinking about the survival stuff. The shotgun alone, borrowing it (thanks Buck and David), and all the discussions about the right ammunition for shooting bears set the stage wonderfully. While we had full camping equipment, I chose not to rough it. The flying days were long and often stressful, and I enjoyed the luxuries of staying in the better hotels. I respect very much living under the wing, but that will be another trip. I wouldn't have changed a day of the weather. The trip home was relatively easy (except for one thunderstorm), and it made me appreciate how the day-to-day battle to get north increased the value of the trip. We had some very serious doubts if we would get there, which made it much more fulfilling. Hundreds of people were *without exception* friendly, helpful and interested in our trip. I hope I can treat visitors here half as well. Many thanks, of course, to Rosemary for the idea and substantial financial help. And Frances for her patience in the planning process, using her living room as an expedition staging area, listening to our frustrations almost every night on the phone, and coming to join us. She is a superb co-pilot, good both with maps and the yoke. If you ever get the chance... ^bb^ |
Rosemary and I fly my Cessna from Hayward north
through Canada to Anchorage. Frog joins us for the trip
to Fairbanks and back home.
Click the picture to see the photos of the trip. Following
is a journal I wrote on the WELL, an early web blog.
through Canada to Anchorage. Frog joins us for the trip
to Fairbanks and back home.
Click the picture to see the photos of the trip. Following
is a journal I wrote on the WELL, an early web blog.