Alaska Trip Update

[BillTIZ]

North to Alaska!!

Left Las Vegas NV last Saturday morning. Lunch in Carson City and overnight in Eugene OR.

Sunday, Eugene to Bellingham, Customs in Abbotsford BC, then over Hope BC to Prince George BC.

Monday, Prince George to Fort Nelson and then Watson Lake.

Today, Tuesday, Watson Lake to Whitehorse, fuel, then to Northway AK for customs and to Gulkana AK for fuel, then on to Merrill Field, Anchorage AK.

4 day trip!!

Tomorrow, a side trip to Homer AK. Friday to Talkeenta and Fairbanks.
Saturday we start back south.

The aircraft has been dubbed "Bill and Jim's Magic Carpet", a 1965 T-41B, 125KTAS, 210HP and avg 9.5 gph.

This was taken this morning before we left Watson Lake YT.

Customs and eApis is a breeze going north. NavCanada Weather and services are excellent!!

 

[denverpilot]

Cool!

Don't make us use this graphic and mean it...

 

[One Short]

If you like side trips, Land at Seldovia. It is across the bay from Homer Spit. It is a really picturesque fishing village. The pattern takes you downwind down a fjord like inlet then turn base and follow the mountain down on final to a gravel strip. I thought it was pretty. I think the strip is 1800 ft but it might be longer.
At Talkeetna, eat at the Roadhouse in town. And if you have time fly up Ruth Glacier to Ruth Amphitheater. If you've never been to Alaska before, it is just awesome.

Barb

 

[BillTIZ]

Not many pictures with me in them.

 

[BillTIZ]

Two Glaciers, Tazlina Glacier and Lake and Matanuska

 

[BillTIZ]

8 August. Merrill Field to Homer, light lunch and back to Merril for fuel.
Talkeenta for the toursit thing and tonight in Fairbanks AK.

 

[denverpilot]

Nice! Looks like you've been blessed with decent WX too.

 

[BillTIZ]

When I left Fairbanks this morning, Whitehorse YT was IFR with low cielings and forecast to be 4000 BKN by the time I would arrive. Some low SCT levels between Burwash and Haines Jct. Sct clouds at 1500AGL turned to a thin overcast that lasted about 30 miles.

A fuel stop in Tok AK, eApis outbound and called Canadian Customs for my arrival time in Whitehorse. I arrived about 15 minutes ahead of schedule and called CANPASS. Canadian customs is all done over the phone. US eApis is web based for outbound. Still need to file eApis inbound and be met by a customs agent.

Photo's Mt Hayes, SW of Big Delta AK, tops out at 13,800MSL and the DC-3 weathervane at Whitehorse YT.

 

[BillTIZ]

Saturday, Nice trip from Whitehorse YT to Ft Nelson BC. Low Sct v BKN through Teslin. Higher clouds at Watson Lake.

"Low" is a relative term. Clouds were barely above the hill (mountain) tops, not much clearance for going direct over the hills. But follow the Alaska-Canadian Highway at 5500MSL and pleanty of room with no issues. 30-40 mile visibility and about 2500AGL some times 2000AGL through some passes.

Weather east of Watson Lake was higher clouds and by the time I was about 100 miles from Ft Neslon I climed to 7500MSL.

Clear Blue this evening in Fort Nelson.

Picture is between Teslin and Watson Lake. Teslin Lake is over 60 miles long. Halfway down the length of it, the highway turns east to Watson Lake.

 

[Everskyward]

I remember sitting in the FBO at Fort Nelson and being amazed at the guestbook. So many visitors from so far away!

 

[BillTIZ]

Ft Nelson to Grand Prairie for fuel and then on to Villeneuve, outside of Edmonton, for the evening.

Tomorrow, Edmonton to Lethbridge and US Customs at Cut Bank MT, then Helena for the evening. That will put me 6 hours from Las Vegas and home, weather dependent. A lot of thunderstorms in interior NV and along the I-15 corridor through UT.

Should be home by mid day on Weds at least.

 

[Threefingeredjack]

Epic trip and sounds like a blast. Flying in Alaska in the summer time is absolutely magnificent most of the time. Glad you had nice WX.

 

[BillTIZ]

Cleared US Customs at noon in Cut Bank MT, then on to Helena landing about 1400 local time. Afternoon winds kicked up and thermal bumps, thought I was already in Las Vegas!

Heavy smoke in the valley from local forest fires, almost burns the eyes trying to fly. AIRMET for mountain obscuration with smoke between here and Pocatello, VFR not recmmended. Another pilot reported Sun Valley to Helena at 13,000MSL with limited visibility. If I need to I'll file IFR in the early morning to get out of here. I can reach the 12,000MSL MEA.

So I decided to stop in Helena. It's another 2+ hrs to Pocatello in limited visibility and rough bumps.

 

[BillTIZ]

Epic trip and sounds like a blast. Flying in Alaska in the summer time is absolutely magnificent most of the time. Glad you had nice WX.

The whole trip has been great!! Alaska was smooth flying and clear, standard 8-12k scatterd vrb overcast stuff. Really only IFR for 1/2 a day.

FSS in Alaska is great, everyone opens and closes flight plans for you. Just file it.

NAVCanada FIS is great! They know the area, they know the trends, most major airports have an FIS rep on the field, traffic advisories and automatically open and close flight plans. Per airport have CARS, Civil Airdrome Radio Service, or something like that. Great service.

Why can't the "Lower48" do that?
Reminded me of all the FSS stations from the '70s.

 

[BillTIZ]

Arrived home mid afternoon on the 14th. 6.5 hrs from Helena with one lunch/fuel stop in Ogden UT.

Had to go IFR from Dillon MT to south of Malad City, the smoke was too thick for safe VFR through the mountains and the MEA was 12,000 and 10,000 MSL. No horizon, no ground contact and non radar south of Pocatello ID.

53 aviating hours, 5314nm, for the trip.

Where to next?

 

[Tim]

That is my plane in your picture you should have said hello!!!!!

 

[BillTIZ]

That is my plane in your picture you should have said hello!!!!!

Which one!!

I was tied down next to Ace Fuel. Michelle at Ace Fuel at Merill Field set me up to use that spot. I had a nice chat with a Super Cub pilot loading up fuel to put out in the field for his sheep hunt. He flies the Orange Kodiak on floats for the gov.

I was only there for one night and did not see too many people moving around.

Nice airport though.

 

[BillTIZ]

For those of you that have been following Kath's trip from Anchorage to California and back. Today's post on her Bettlejuice web site has her in Whitehorse YT after flying the "Trench" northbound to Watson Lake and more electrical issues.

 

[Tim]

Which one!!

I was tied down next to Ace Fuel. Michelle at Ace Fuel at Merill Field set me up to use that spot. I had a nice chat with a Super Cub pilot loading up fuel to put out in the field for his sheep hunt. He flies the Orange Kodiak on floats for the gov.

I was only there for one night and did not see too many people moving around.

Nice airport though.

The 170 on Floats. No body has money to go flying we are just waiting to pay fuel bills this winter.

 

[poadeleted21]

Arrived home mid afternoon on the 14th. 6.5 hrs from Helena with one lunch/fuel stop in Ogden UT.

Had to go IFR from Dillon MT to south of Malad City, the smoke was too thick for safe VFR through the mountains and the MEA was 12,000 and 10,000 MSL. No horizon, no ground contact and non radar south of Pocatello ID.

53 aviating hours, 5314nm, for the trip.

Where to next?

In my neck of the woods... should have stopped in. Hope Becks-U-Pump in Helena was good to you (I wish it was farther away, one of the best fuel stops in America IMHO) Dillon is where I go to do X-Wind/High DA practice. Hope you enjoyed your time in MT. Cut Bank is the best place to clear customs... good call.