PAEN to KFFA and Back Again

[crabandy]

Mike,

You need a narrator for this and an illustrator to boot to illustrate and narrate this adventure properly. Quite the adventure, keep burning 100LL!

[mbauer]

Mike


Combo Petersburg:


I really like Petersburg. People are super friendly, great place to walk around the docks and see the boats, often getting into long conversations with the people you just met.

Quaint little water hole frequented by the local fisherman. Have some commercial fishing buddies at home, so was able to keep up with most of the conversations. Different gear is the big difference.

Ketchikan charges a $5 General Aviation landing fee. You have to leave your airplane while a truck fills the tanks. Often not getting topped off. This happened to me on a flight in 1993.

Decided to look around at other airports and found Petersburg. The first time I went there, met the operator who runs the TEMSCO Helicopter Operation. After talking about 5-minutes he took me around back and showed me how to get fuel if they were closed.

Leave a note with how much fuel you drained from their big tank, call when your phone has service and pay with a credit card. I call ahead to let them (family run operation kids help with fueling/payments) know that I’m heading their way if it will be after hours.

Today was going to be a 11am landing. No need to call.

After I arrive, took the above combo photo. I stayed high because I wanted this combo to show the incredible view. You are looking at part of the Inside Passage in the photo.

After landing and fueling, decided to take the short walk into town. Offer was made to get a ride, but, sitting for the last 4+hours and looking at another trip longer than the first, wanted to walk.

In the hotel parking lot is a small food bus that has some of the best Mexican delights I’ve ever ate. I try something different each time, and take some Tamales with me for snacks.

Temp was near 60°F and it felt good to be back to normal!

While walking back to the RV, made a call to a briefer in Juneau for weather updates. MVFR past Cape Yakataga. That doesn’t sound good for crossing Prince William Sound. Cordova, PACV, was reporting sky obscured at low level.

Tomorrow a storm would move into the whole Gulf Coast/Alaska Pan Handle and it would be IFR for a minimum of 4-days.

Yakutat didn’t have any fuel available. But it was still good VFR and would stay that way for several hours. I have plenty of fuel in my tanks, so thinking I might have to land and spend a few days at Yakutat, decided to get in the air.

With the decision made to continue, I filed a flight plan and took off.

PAPG-PAEN 27JUN2021


Islands and Mainland photos:








Mt Crillion and Fairweather in the background:


Looking East:


Getting Cloudy:



Mt Crillion/Fairweather:


Mike

[mbauer]

Mainland:


Gulf of Alaska:




Combo Mt Crillion:


Mt Crillion/Fairweather:


Looking East:


Gulf again:


Black Rocks:


Yakutat:




Mike

[mbauer]

PAYA-PAGK-PAEN 27JUN2021

Once I reached Yakutat, PAYA, time to make a choice. Found blue sky to the North. I really would like to get away from the Gulf Coast if possible, weather heading this way.

I look at the blue sky and realize that it could be good VFR near Gulkana, Alaska PAGK.

I make a call to Juneau radio and talk with a briefer. Weather report for Gulkana was two hours old. Then the briefer looked at the weather cams.

He saw blue sky and clear visibility. Perfect, what is the weather like from Gulkana to Anchorage?

Mountain Obscuration between Gulkana and Palmer. That means might have to go low and follow the highway through a pass.

If nothing else, I can land at PAGK and camp for the night and try tomorrow.


Re-vise the flight plan and continue North instead of following the coastline around to Prince William Sound.

Malaspina Glacier zoom:


YUK:


Blue Sky:


New Way Home:



All the above without zoom:


Over Yakutat Bay, looking East where it turns into Disenchantment Bay, Hubbard Glacier feeds the waters:


Double YUK:


Prince William Sound to the left. I’m not flying into that, carb ice (temp 49°F), low visibility, really cold water below, with several islands. Blue sky ahead:



PAGK area:


Malaspina Glacier:



Mike

[mbauer]

Glacier View combo:


I like Turquoise:


STEEP:


Thompson Pass Ahead:


Interior Alaska:


Green Valley:


Almost to PAGK:


Green &Rocky Ice:


Nice View:


Whole new view to me:


Mike

[mbauer]

PAPG-PAEN 27JUN2021 Last Post

About this time the C182 was leaving Juneau after a refuel. He heard me talking with Juneau radio near Gulkana. He asked Juneau to have me go to 123.45 to talk.

Found out he was heading to Soldotna, right next to Kenai. The next day Glenn was heading home to Skweetna near Denali. He had IFR and decided to fly Prince Willian Sound.

It added approx. 84 miles to the path home to fly the Gulkana leg. The aux tank once again offered options the mains could not.

I got to see new views, well worth visiting again for future photo sessions.

Looking towards Prince William Sound:


Sun Again:


Bright:


Marked Gap in Clouds:


I marked the gap in the clouds over Knik Glacier. This where I descended from 14,500ft to 4500ft to get under the clouds. There was some serious flying going on to do this without shock cooling the engine, or flying into a rock cloud.

I used to fly Huey helicopters in the Anchorage area. Knik Glacier was a weekly visit. Sheep on one side of the valley; near Lake George Goat can be found. Bears are almost always present. There was a TFR for the recovery of some of the crew that perished in a 1950’s Air Force Cargo Plane accident that was recently found.

Don’t want to get anywhere near that.

Mt Marcus Baker feeds the Knik Glacier. From past experience I knew that if you can see the top, the Knik Glacier is open.

Here is Mt Marcus Baker from the back side:


Getting ready to descend:


Looking towards Palmer, Alaska PAAQ:


Last of the trip photos, you can see the short green colored valley on the GPS that is the Knik Glacier, the valley leads towards PAAQ where my path was plotted, but I'm cutting the corner to avoid the clouds you can see.:


Total Trip Miles 9112 in 62-hours of flying. Started June 11,2021 completed June 27, 2021.

I did not get to the lower half of the USA, still plan to fly to the Grand Canyon sometime in the future.

Next day, went to breakfast at Carla's. Capt John, and Vlad know why.

She had a new wall decoration up. After flying 1558 Statute Miles in 9.9 hours in one day, yesterday, this completely explained how I felt this fine morning:



Best regards,
Mike Bauer

[Vlad]

Originally Posted by mbauer

...snip...


Next day, went to breakfast at Carla's. Capt John, and Vlad know why.

She had a new wall decoration up. After flying 1558 Statute Miles in 9.9 hours in one day, yesterday, this completely explained how I felt this fine morning:
Attachment 19872


Best regards,
Mike Bauer

Good ol' Carla's. I have a decoration in mind next time I am there

[Crewser1989]

Looked like a really amazing trip! I just did a trip to Kitty Hawk earlier this year, however we spent much more time in the Smoky Mountains. I'll have to push west one of these days!

Thank you for sharing.