Legs
8 CBA4 Midway - AJ2 Eagle Plains Nov 24th, 2019
9 AJ2 Eagle Plains - EZ2 Chapman Lake Nov 28th, 2019
10 EZ2 Chapman Lake - PABN Devils Mountain Lodge Airport Nov 30th, 2019
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It’s been a while since I last wrote you a report. I was in CBA4 Midway, having just delivered a load of ~200kg of goat cheese. After my arrival, we had a few days of bad weather and I stayed with the goat cheese man in his hiker’s hut.
After a while, I was craving a place that did not smell of goat cheese. And I need to get to Attu.
I decided to hop over to the next field along the Dempster Highway to try and find a job there. As soon as there was a small clearing in the clouds, I took off and climbed in a circle to stay out of the clouds (and the mountainsides) until I was on top of the murk. I had also been checking the weather in Dawson City, to get an idea of what it was like on the other side of the mountains, and that was looking good. So I could always fly straight there as a divert, if necessary.
I Follow Roads was not an option, and since there was no useful radio beacon within reception range, I went with dead reckoning. Please don’t ask me for the exact numbers, I don’t have them on hand anymore.
I flew through a bit of precipitation, but luckily the temperature was -29 Celsius. I did not calculate the exact numbers, but at <120 knots IAS, I don’t think that gives me any icing.
The weather cleared as I got within a few miles of Eagle Plains.
A slow pass to inspect the runway and a teardrop-like turn later, I was down on the gravel, and parked in the snow. This flight took me from the Northwest Territories into Yukon.
A few days later, there was a job for me.
A student Park Ranger had had his car fail him, and needed to get to Chapman Lake. Chapman Lake is right at the edge of the Tombstone National Park, a beautiful piece of Northern Canada.
The sun over the low foothills, and the Peel River. I decided to fly the second part of the route along the Blackstone River valley, to also get some sights of the mountains already.
At Chapman Lake, it didn’t take long for the next job to appear. Finally one that would take me a good distance in the right direction. But the cargo… Not again?!
The flight plan was simple: first head to Dawson City, using the DA NDB station, then continue to the Northway ORT VOR/DME station. From there, I had to fly the 203 radial to a distance of 44.3 nm to get to Devil’s Mountain Lodge.
Flying over Tombstone Territorial Park. Beautiful sights, but did you know goats smell just like goat cheese? Really getting tired of this smell already…
Spotting Dawson City along the Yukon.
A bit of flat countryside with lots of water around Northway. Reminds me of the Netherlands, just with a lot less people per square kilometer.
And then the last part takes me into the first of the Wrangell mountains.
Descending, it should be in the next valley.
Judging by the shape of the road and the mountains, I am in the right valley, just a bit too far west.
And indeed, there it is!
And down safely. You should’ve heard the goat on landing though!
I wonder what they’re going to do with a goat up here though?
Oh… Look at this stuff. Scroll down a bit.
Welcome to Alaska I guess.
So, this is about what I did these past three flights. Really enjoying the scenery (stock X-Plane) and the plane (Propstrike free Bush mod of default C172).