Two weeks in Alaska - Bush, Floats and Skis

TangoWhiskey

TangoWhiskey

Touchdown! Greaser!
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This morning, I booked two weeks in Alaska, June 13-28th 2015, with another pilot friend (retired 777 captain from AA), up at Don Lee's Alaska Floats & Skis (www.alaskafloats.com). Then I got my March 2014 AOPA Pilot, and page 50 has an article on another outfit up there, which just whet my appetite even more!

We haven't been to Alaska before... so my wife and I are looking forward to the trip, the sights, and the learning! Will get my tailwheel endorsement and floatplane rating as part of the adventure.

P.S.--They CAN do the ski training in June--they put wheel skis on, and take you up to a glacier at 7500' on Mt. McKinley, instead of doing it on the lake. SIGN ME UP!!
 
TangoWhiskey said:
This morning, I booked two weeks in Alaska, June 13-28th 2015, with another pilot friend (retired 777 captain from AA), up at Don Lee's Alaska Floats & Skis (www.alaskafloats.com). Then I got my March 2014 AOPA Pilot, and page 50 has an article on another outfit up there, which just whet my appetite even more!

We haven't been to Alaska before... so my wife and I are looking forward to the trip, the sights, and the learning! Will get my tailwheel endorsement and floatplane rating as part of the adventure.

P.S.--They CAN do the ski training in June--they put wheel skis on, and take you up to a glacier at 7500' on Mt. McKinley, instead of doing it on the lake. SIGN ME UP!!
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Don's a good guy. I flew with him in Afghanistan for a while. He'll do you right!

Tell him I said Hi!!
 
I saw him in one of the Alaskan Pilot shows. Seemed like quite a character. Enjoy.
 
Anymouse said:
Don's a good guy. I flew with him in Afghanistan for a while. He'll do you right!

Tell him I said Hi!!
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Cool, I sure will!

Hoping to connect with alaskaflyer from this board while we're up there, too. The guy I'm going up with is a also a park ranger (volunteer, in the Rocky Mountains).
 
Very, very cool!

Sounds like a great way to spend a vacation. Alaska is something else.


Alaska.JPG
 
TangoWhiskey said:
This morning, I booked two weeks in Alaska, June 13-28th 2015, with another pilot friend (retired 777 captain from AA), up at Don Lee's Alaska Floats & Skis (www.alaskafloats.com). Then I got my March 2014 AOPA Pilot, and page 50 has an article on another outfit up there, which just whet my appetite even more!

We haven't been to Alaska before... so my wife and I are looking forward to the trip, the sights, and the learning! Will get my tailwheel endorsement and floatplane rating as part of the adventure.

P.S.--They CAN do the ski training in June--they put wheel skis on, and take you up to a glacier at 7500' on Mt. McKinley, instead of doing it on the lake. SIGN ME UP!!
Click to expand...

COOL!!!!!
 
steingar said:
I saw him in one of the Alaskan Pilot shows. Seemed like quite a character. Enjoy.
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Was he the guy that lashed half a snowmobile to each side of the plane, and at one point said "Guys are either horny or hungry, so if you see a guy and he doesn't have a boner, give him a sandwich"? It was a 3-part series on Nat Geo, IIRC.

Troy, have fun! Alaska is high on my list of places to go soon, too.
 
Words cannot convey my jealousy. Please update us when the time comes!
 
If you are going to fly there, while around Denali is pretty awesome, may I recommend the Lake Clark Pass and Katmai National park as places to see as well. I lived there for 3 years.

I know of bear camps that were using skis at a couple thousand feet MSL tops through mid May. Have fun.
 
Sweet deal! I've thought of going to Brown's in Florida for a sea plane rating, but Alaska would be more fun!

I've had one flying trip to Alaska, I'm ready to go back!
 
Awesome! Very jealous here!

As always, pictures and video requested.

David
 
That sounds like an awesome trip, Troy! I don't have to tell you to have a good time, I know you'll have an absolute blast. :)
 
vfrfellow said:
wow. this is why I’ll be there in August. pirep requested.
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Amazing place. I flew up the inside passage without landing in Canada. No particular reason, just wanted to go non-stop from Puget Sound to Ketchican. It was really cool following the ship traffic and passageways. The views are crazy cool with the ocean and islands.
 
Geico266 said:
Amazing place. I flew up the inside passage without landing in Canada. No particular reason, just wanted to go non-stop from Puget Sound to Ketchican. It was really cool following the ship traffic and passageways. The views are crazy cool with the ocean and islands.
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we did a cruise through the inner passage. Juneau-Skagway-Victoria. One of my best vacations. My favorite part was the Mendenhall Glacier tour. We went up in a helicopter and walked around. You really can't appreciate the view from pictures.
 
I went up to fly with Don last summer. It was the most amazing flying I have done. Don is the nicest guy and a great pilot and more importantly an awesome instructor. At the time I was probably a 300 hour Sport Pilot with limited experience in heavier planes and no experience in tailwheel planes. For my first flight Don came out and said, tell your wife to grab her camera and come along as we fly up over the glaciers. It was interesting for my first takeoff with the tailwheel, but that was relatively easy compared to my first landing in a tailwheel :) Actually the craziest part was flying a plane that is so driven by the rudder.

Landing on the gravel bar was an amazing feeling. Don was hands off the yoke and only helped a bit on the rudder on the roll out. I subsequently landed on several back country strips and even on this really cool air strip on a hill. My second to last landing was on the Talkeetna village strip. That was amazing. It is very small with trees and other planes all around and final brings you in over the local tourist shopping area. Lastly I got an awesome opportunity to fly one of Don's float planes with another instructor. That was incredibly fun. I made a short video of my time with Don. Here is a link to my video. Enjoy your time, I can't wait to head back up there.

http://youtu.be/9l1-o_sBcfg

Carl
 
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