• If You Are Having Trouble Logging In with Your Old Username and Password, Please use this Forgot Your Password link to get re-established.
  • Hey! Be sure to login or register!

Winter Flight To Anchorage

Feb. '92 I flew my 185 from SW WA to Icy Bay( Yakutat area) for a job I had going there. I'd been to Juneau several times before, so knew the country from WA to Juneau. All I can say is plan on spending some time on the ground. I made it 50 miles beyond Smithers BC the first day and ended up turning around at Hazelton because of snow showers. Spent the 1st night in Smithers. By the grace of the almighty, made it to Juneau the next day via the Cassiar highway, Inklin and Taku rivers. Comming into Juneau, I had to gain altitude to clear the Douglas Island bridge in the fog. Spent 3 days hunkered down in Juneau. Spent my time visiting the ATC people in the tower cab at Juneau. Learned a lot from them as most were also GA pilots. Plan on extra time for the trip. "Time to spare, go by air" !! Be careful and respect the weather guessers. For your trip, the highway would be the safest.
85 Mike
 
Pick a time slot when an arctic high is moving in along the route about mid march. Cold and clear and lots of daylight by then. Head for Alberta and then fly the Alcan. Wear your longhandles.

Sometimes its pretty good flying between Thanksgiving and Christmas but there's not a lot of daylight that time of year to cover much distance. About 5 hours of sunlight in Anchorage in late December with an hour or so of twilight on either side of that. ...and that's when you can see the sun.

I wouldn't fly the coast route in the winter unless they were shootin' at me, and then it'd be a tough choice. A week or so on either side of the 4th of July is usually pretty decent.......

Hyrdflyr
 
Back
Top