Vans RV-6 are awesome. Want to go up high, better bring some oxygen. They'll for sure go higher than you can breathe.
Been waiting for a day like the conditions met on August 28, 2021. Beautiful blue sky with some cloud layers north of Denali and Mt Foraker. Windy ty showed no winds near the peak of Denali.
Loaded up my oxygen system , topped off the tanks, Denali is almost 500 Miles round trip.
Local conditions were CAVU and staying that way. Just to the West of my planned route towards the peaks, there were some head winds at 14,000+ ft. Great! Stay below them and I could cruise almost all the way to Mt Foraker without much of a headwind.
Planned altitude for the trip up is 12,500ft until ready to cross the Alaska Range to get some photos of the North Face.
By approaching Mt Foraker from the West, I will basically complete a 360° photo opportunity.
The West will be covered on the approach.
Crossing over the Alaska Range to the West of Foraker, I will do a right turn and fly towards the East. This will give me full view of the North face.
A final turn to the right giving a Southern heading will take me home.
Today’s photos will be combo photos showing what the view really looks like.
Here is a screenshot of my GPS:
I live in Nikiski, Alaska. We are considered a village. I’m helping a crew to try and incorporate Nikiski into a legal city. If we do, a certain mountain that is part of the Tordrillo Mountain Range will become the highest point in our new city.
Sight seeing on the way to Denali, the first photo is the Tordrillo Mountains and glaciers. To the left the first steep snow peak is Mt Spur. Mt Tobert is the next biggest mountain as you travel along the ridge. It will be the highest point in our new city. 11,413ft high.
Denali has a map. You have to follow certain routes and rules to fly there. Below 15,500ft there is a frequency map and points of control:
Most commercial flight operators are below 11,500ft when flying. At 17,500 I was well above all traffic on the radio.
As I cross over Skweentna, Alaska, Mt Foraker is huge in the distance.
Time to take some photos and initiate a climb to 14,500. Want 14,500 well before the Alaska Range, eventually I'll be level at 17,500ft, just shy of 3,000ft below the peak of Denali.
I cross over the Alaska Range at 17,500ft, throttling back to start taking photos of the side I don’t see very often, the North Face.
A different angle showing both peaks Mt Foraker in the Front Denali in the back
Looking Directly at Mt Foraker Northwest face
More photos to follow.
Mike
Been waiting for a day like the conditions met on August 28, 2021. Beautiful blue sky with some cloud layers north of Denali and Mt Foraker. Windy ty showed no winds near the peak of Denali.
Loaded up my oxygen system , topped off the tanks, Denali is almost 500 Miles round trip.
Local conditions were CAVU and staying that way. Just to the West of my planned route towards the peaks, there were some head winds at 14,000+ ft. Great! Stay below them and I could cruise almost all the way to Mt Foraker without much of a headwind.
Planned altitude for the trip up is 12,500ft until ready to cross the Alaska Range to get some photos of the North Face.
By approaching Mt Foraker from the West, I will basically complete a 360° photo opportunity.
The West will be covered on the approach.
Crossing over the Alaska Range to the West of Foraker, I will do a right turn and fly towards the East. This will give me full view of the North face.
A final turn to the right giving a Southern heading will take me home.
Today’s photos will be combo photos showing what the view really looks like.
Here is a screenshot of my GPS:
I live in Nikiski, Alaska. We are considered a village. I’m helping a crew to try and incorporate Nikiski into a legal city. If we do, a certain mountain that is part of the Tordrillo Mountain Range will become the highest point in our new city.
Sight seeing on the way to Denali, the first photo is the Tordrillo Mountains and glaciers. To the left the first steep snow peak is Mt Spur. Mt Tobert is the next biggest mountain as you travel along the ridge. It will be the highest point in our new city. 11,413ft high.
Denali has a map. You have to follow certain routes and rules to fly there. Below 15,500ft there is a frequency map and points of control:
Most commercial flight operators are below 11,500ft when flying. At 17,500 I was well above all traffic on the radio.
As I cross over Skweentna, Alaska, Mt Foraker is huge in the distance.
Time to take some photos and initiate a climb to 14,500. Want 14,500 well before the Alaska Range, eventually I'll be level at 17,500ft, just shy of 3,000ft below the peak of Denali.
I cross over the Alaska Range at 17,500ft, throttling back to start taking photos of the side I don’t see very often, the North Face.
A different angle showing both peaks Mt Foraker in the Front Denali in the back
Looking Directly at Mt Foraker Northwest face
More photos to follow.
Mike
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