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North to Alaska June 14 – June 27, 2008
By Jim & Dennis
Porebski
We began planning our journey to Alaska one year ago. Knowing that we would be traveling to some very remote areas and having the proper navigational tools and supplies would be an essential element in a successful completion of our trip. It can be very difficult finding charts and sectionals in FBO’s located in large cities, let alone the small airports located along our route.
The Alaska Airmen’s Association offers an excellent book describing flights along the Alaska Highway which starts at Dawson Creek and ends in Anchorage. A survival kit is also required by both Canada and Alaska. This can also be obtained from Sporty’s, as well.
The route we planned took us from Buffalo, NY, to Minneapolis, MN then to Winnipeg, MB, northwest to Whitehorse, YT, to Northway, AK, then to Anchorage, AK. This route would be 3000 nm long and expected to take 23 hours. We also determined that June offered the best weather for traveling.
The final stages of preparation had us talking with an Alaskan pilot, a local pilot who made the trip, and reviewing our plans with Bob Miller, our flight instructor.
We began our trip on Saturday, June 14th, in our Piper Turbo Arrow, (N3084Q) where we flew to Lansing, MI, then to St. Paul, MN, where we spent the night. The next day provided some major obstacles for us. Convective activity and low ceilings extended from mid-Canada down through the mid-west. Although our original destination of Winnipeg, MB, was unreachable, we found an alternate route through the storms to Grand Forks, ND. From there, we traveled to Regina, SK, and subsequently to Saskatoon, SK, where we spent the night.
On Monday, we flew to Edmonton, AB, then to Fort St. John, BC, and intended to continue on to Fort Nelson, BC. Here is where our first surprise occurred. Weather patterns in the plains promote afternoon buildups, followed by thunderstorms each day. Fort St. John also had no motel rooms available. We decided to attempt a flight to Fort Nelson but turned back when our storm scope started to sparkle. We continued back to Dawson Creek, BC, where we secured lodging for the evening.
On Tuesday, after an early start, we proceeded back to Fort Nelson, BC, Watson Lake, YT, then to Whitehorse, YT. Here we spent the night and planned on reaching Anchorage, AK, the next day.
Wednesday morning we met with Tim, the flight briefer at the airport, and found the route marginal VFR with low freezing levels (6000 FT). Tim, who had excellent skills at interpreting weather conditions, noticed that the temperature spreads along the route were increasing which meant that VFR conditions were improving. He encouraged us to continue on to Northway, AK, but to check with the traffic controller there as soon as we were able to pick up his frequency. The flight was uneventful, and we cleared customs two hours later.
In Northway, AK, the controller was also very helpful. Weather conditions along the route to Anchorage were marginal in certain places between passes. If we filed IFR, we would have to reach altitude at 10000 FT by spiraling over the airport before intersecting the airways. We opted to fly VFR and made the flight to Anchorage by following Highway One through spectacular mountain passes. We opted to land at Merrill Field instead of the International airport. This was a mistake, in that, very few services were offered at the FBO. When we opened the door, the attendant asked our intensions, and we responded that we were parking the plane for a while and we would like to procure a hotel room.
Surprise two occurred when she said “Good Luck”. This was the solstice weekend in Anchorage where they had their annual marathon, and most rooms were booked. We then took a taxicab to the Captain Cook Hotel where we told the clerk that the FBO secured our reservation. After a frantic search which proved fruitless, they finally found us a room for the night. The next day the concierge was able to secure the only room available, a smoking room which served as home to us for the next five days.
Weather in Anchorage is pretty consistent. The skies are overcast in the mornings and gradually break up in the late afternoon. Evenings are generally broken high clouds with sunshine and daylight until 11:30 PM. The temperatures never reached 60o F during the day. This was a very unusually cold spring for Anchorage.
We began our journey back on Monday, June 16th. The route back to Northway, AK, had overcast conditions with rain. The briefing we obtained indicated that the entire route would be VFR. IFR was out of the question because of low freezing levels. Once airborne, we were able to find Highway One and proceed through the passes. As we reached the halfway point, conditions deteriorated, and we had to land at Glennallen, AK, where we spent the night. The next day had similar conditions with low ceilings and low freezing levels.
North to Alaska - 3 -
Here in Glennallen, AK, we were fortunate in having Bush Pilots at the airport. One of them had made a trip along our route in the morning by scud running. When she returned early afternoon, she indicated that the clouds were gradually lifting along the route and breaking up to the north. Another stranded pilot we met made some phone calls to several lodges along the route and reported improving conditions. We decided to attempt a flight to Northway, AK, following our new found friends in their Bonanza. The decision was a good one, and we were able to reach Whitehorse, YT, that evening where we lucked out and found a motel room.
Knowing the weather patterns now, we were determined to get an early start. Tim advised us that low ceilings were present along our route so we filed IFR and proceeded to fly through wilderness back to civilization in Edmonton, AB, at 15000 FT.
Thursday, the weather conditions were horrible in both Canada and the mid-western states. We planned on flying to Winnipeg, MT, and determine our next destination. Weather conditions deteriorated along this route, and we landed in Regina, SK, where we spent the night.
On Friday, the sky had low ceilings with freezing levels at 8000 FT. We filed IFR and flew east to Thunder Bay, ON, then to Sudbury, ON, and finally home to Buffalo, NY, where we landed at 10:30 PM Friday Evening.
This trip proved very challenging, in that, we had to interpret weather information and patterns and alter our flight plans accordingly. Volatile weather patterns are particularly prevalent in central US and Canada this spring. Bob Miller, our instructor, prepared us for the conditions we encountered. Having completed many hours of training in inclement conditions, we were very confident with our interpretations and flight decisions.
The following items are some thoughts to summarizing our trip: · Expect the unexpected to happen · Alaska is very expensive compared with other destinations · Regina, SK, had avgas at over $7.00 per gallon · Accommodations in Alaska and Western Canada are difficult to procure · FBO’s along the route in the west provide very few services · Mornings and evenings offer the best flying conditions · Alaskan pilots are a special breed
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The
first step in planning was to obtain these navigational tools for
Alaska, Canada, and the US.Nav-Canada is a source for pertinent
Canadian charts and approach plates. The balance of our US carts
were obtained from Sporty’s and Jeppesen who provided a current
travel package for all of Alaska.