The day dawned exactly as the forecast said it would; 200ft overcast in mist. A beautiful day to head to Canada. Thankfully the freezing levels were pretty high, so we filed IFR to Inuvik for our entry to Canada. From there we’d keep heading way, way east to Cambridge Bay, a total for the day of just over 1,000 nautical miles. The overcast was, as reported, only a few hundred feet thick and soon we were covering yesterday’s ground again,…
The next morning, conditions were a little better at Point Lay. As usual, we took a walk in to town and visited the store. We also met some members of the local tribal council and spent a little time with them before returning to the airport. Many of the locals had gathered on the apron, as today all four of the graduating high school class were due to fly out to start attending college; unfortunately, for reasons unknown, the aircraft…
The terrain north of Kako was composed of beautiful rolling hills, dotted with forest and lakes. Unalakleet is the home of the famous Flying Wild Alaska shows, although the airline has now merged with another. We didn’t see anybody we recognized. After fueling up we went to explore the town and grab a bite to eat. We ended up in a pizza restaurant that was very forgettable, with astonishingly slow service, but at least they were friendly, and even had…
Unsurprisingly, there are significant challenges when planning this kind of flight. The first is the choice of aircraft; the limited availability of AVGAS cuts out 99% of the piston general aviation fleet. We ended up leasing a Cessna 182 that had been converted to an aero-diesel engine produced by SMA – this runs on jet fuel, which is available almost anywhere. It comes with the added advantage of better fuel economy leading directly to increased range. The number of different…
I met James off his flight and we retrieved his luggage and the all important protective rifle. We grabbed a bite to eat and then set out to find a camp site. Merrill Field’s fly-in camp site was closed for the season so we headed 20 miles south east across the Turnagain Arm to Hope, a little grass strip nestled in a side valley. There was a 50kt wind blowing down the arm that led to some violent turbulence as…
As we approached Denali the overcast dropped slowly, leaving us flying down a tunnel topped by cloud and bounded on the other sides by forbidding rock. As we landed, it was drizzling with rain, and cold. We’d phoned ahead to ask about camping and been told that all sites were full, but when mentioning that we were arriving by air (and hence could not camp at the suggested alternative 20 miles away) they let us know that sites were still…
Several weeks on, and a slightly more direct routing of only four flights saw me stepping off a flight at Anchorage International to meet my companions for the next week, Elsa and Juvy, and resume the adventure around Alaska and northern Canada. First stop after arrival was to check out the aircraft, which was sitting snug and happy after its stay in the Alaskan summer. We had a remarkably poor dinner at a downtown Alaska restaurant before turning in for…
As I departed Sitka, the overcast fell behind me again. I climbed above the scattered layer, and in the distance ahead could see the 15,325ft summit of Mt Fairweather and its surroundings. By the time I drew closer, the skies were clear and the mountains and ice-flows of Glacier Bay were spread out before me. The pictures can hardly capture just how magnificent it was. I flew around over Glacier Bay for an hour, and the only reason I didn’t…
That night, I met up with a friend from the Pilots of America forum, Bill. He drove me around Juneau and introduced me to some of the local scenic spots. He was also kind enough to take me shopping for a proper waterproof jacket, something I had keenly felt the lack of that day in Gustavus! It was a pleasure to visit his home and meet his wonderful wife, as well. The next day, two friends joined me for a…
With the Trench behind me, today was the day; Alaska! The first part of the journey would be to head west to Whitehorse, at which point I would prepare the customs and immigration paperwork to make it back into the USA. Not always easy for a foreigner who spends the greater part of the year in Iraq. The first couple of hours flying took me along the Alaska highway west to the city of Whitehorse. Along the way I stopped…