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Summer Trip to Alaska

Jerry Gaston

Registered User
Bozeman, Montana
I am planning a summer trip to Alaska on straight floats as soon as weather permits. Would like to leave my cub in Alaska somewhere and return to Montana for acouple of weeks but return several times to enjoy the seasons ie: fishing, hunting etc Then plan on returning home sometime in late sept.
How hard would it be to fly straight floats from Bozeman Montana up to Alaska along the Alaska Hwy? Can a guy find enough places to fuel up (auto gas).
Where is the best place to leave a SC for several weeks.
Is any one from Alaska planning on going to SW Alaska during the summer that would let me tag along?
 
Hi Jerry,

Sounds like a neat trip :D I live in Dillingham which is considered Southwest Alaska. Dillingham is roughly 350 air-miles off the road system(bush) West and a little bit South of Anchorage. I'm not sure about all of the logistics of getting the Cub to Anchorage on floats, but I'm sure it can be done, and I would think fairly easily. Once you're in Anchorage you can tie-up at Lake Hood. If you're interested in poking out this way we can be found on a Kodiak Sectional, you'll want to come through Lake Clark Pass on your way out here, and stop in Port Alsworth for go-juice, snack and pee break. Once you got the Cub out here you can fly commercial back & forth via Alaska Airlines.
At any rate, I'm sure we can help w/ the SW Alaska portion of your trip. We can find you a float tie-down out here, turn you onto some places for fishing & hunting, plus of course shower you w/ our Alaska size hospitaily@!
 
fuel on trip north

Howdy,

You might want to check with the author of "true north." His name escapes me now. Lives here in MN and has done a few flights on straight floats through Canada to Alaska.

I would bet he would be a fountain of knowledge!

Roger
 
Don't think for a second that you can just show up and tie-down on lake hood. You will need to have a commitment from someone before you go. I'll try to think of some people with spots on Campbell Lake or Fire Lake out by Eagle River. If you have to be a Lake Hood you could have you're airplane pulled out and sat on a land tiedown at international. It will cost 50 bucks to be put in the water and 50 buck to be put back at the tiedown. For short stints of 72 hours or less you could park in transient spot at hood.

I'll try to work on a list of good spots to stop and appropriate info for getting to AK on floats. I know Price George and White Horse will have you in the rivers. How do you feel about that.

Wood Lake, just above Kelowna, BC has a great hotel and sports bar/grill about 100 ft from where you park on floats. Williams lake has a hotel at the top of a small hill above the float pond. Easy walk to restaurants. I'll keep working on a list and try to get back to ya.

Have you thought of flying up on wheels and borrowing a set of floats? I could help with some contacts there.
 
Jerry:
I may be able to find a hole to keep your Cub in on Arness Lake here in Kenai.
 
Jerry

You would be more then welcome to tie your cub up at my dock. I am about 70 road miles out of Anchorage if you are intersted PM me back.

Cub_Driver
 
Jerry:

I'm on floats all summer, so let me know what your plans are and we can chase each other around a bit.
You'll find some of the most beautiful places in the world with your cub on floats here. My favorite is the Prince William Sound.
 
There is an article in the 2001 "Water Flying Annual" (vol 23) titled Atlanta to Alaska on straight floats. They did it in a Maule.

Lets see - from your neck of the woods the route was

Frot Peck , MT
Poison , MT
Seattle , WA
Campbell River, BC
Ketchikan, AK
Petersburg, AK

You can get back issues from SPA

or www.seaplanes.org

GR
 
If I could rent a set of floats in Alaska it would be easier to get there for sure. I'm set up for EDO 2000 if that makes any difference. I have read the Alaskan Log book but it had very little about flying floats. sounds like it would be better going up thru BC with stops at Williams Lake and Prince Geo. I guess I'll have to study the sectionals a little more along with the Canadian Flight supplement.
If any one has flown this route on floats I'd appreciate some dialogue.
Why are Alaskans so hospitable? Is it because you can hunt wolves now? :D
 
alaskans are so hospitable because when lower 48 pilots come up there they do them in and dismantle their planes and use the parts to rebuild their own ones as they always crash them up.
 
Jerry:
Its a "golden rule" thing. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.... I may be in Montana someday.... I enjoy showing people arround Alaska and am always looking for an excuse to fly. Will help out anyway I can. Need a place to stay in Anch. Give a call.

As to Flyers comment. If you do wreck your cub up here. Don't leave it unattended for long as there is a strange element in the bush that "evaporates" unattended cubs quickly.
 
see its true. everyone that i know that goes up there never seems to come back. so those alaskans must be doing something to the poor souls that venture into that untamed wilderness full of crazy people.
 
The author of "True North" is George Erickson, lives in Ely MN. I'm not home right now, so I don't have his phone number, but he's probably listed. I met him at Oshkosh last year, and I bet he'd be happy to talk to you about flying floats.

Anne.
 
Crazy people huh??
I'm crazy alright.... about Alaska!
Many people come up here for just a vacation and never leave.
If they happen to be pilots then they feel they have found paradise!
 
Jerry,

It sounds like that you have a few options already, but I too have a place to keep you airplane and I also have a B&B on a lake outside of Wasilla. (50 mi N of ANC) Even if you have your lodging already you are more than welcome to keep your plane in front of my house.
I plan on having my PA-12 on floats and am always looking for an excuse to go flying so would be glad to show you around.
I'm sure that you can make it up on floats but you might have to come up the coast.

Ron

PM me for some more details.
 
Hey Jerry:

I've been at Wasilla with you, don't fall for the easy route.Watch for the roadside barriers. :eek:

Do you still snore? I do! :p

murph
 
Jerry

I have a lodge on Williston lake. It is located about 100 mile north of Mackenzie BC on the trench route to alaska
Mogas 1.10 per liter

Breakfast, lunch, supper and room for a night $100pp
Scott
 
Both George Erickson and the couple in the Maule from Georgia came up the inside passage from the Seattle area, which wouldn't be my first choice, due to weather, fuel, and salt water, and would be a long ways out of the way from Bozeman.

The Canadian government produces a document called the "Water Aerodrome Supplement" It is a very comprehensive document containing information on water landing areas, particularly ones with services, in Canada.

Take a look at the Alaska Highway route, either in the Alaska Airmen's book, or on a strip chart, then figure out your stops from the Water Aerodrome Supplement.

Once you leave Whitehorse (a previous respondent was correct, this is a river stop, so you need to understand moving water) you can clear Customs at Yarger Lake, which is a few miles east of Northway. You notify Customs ahead of time (of course) and they'll meet you there. There's no fuel there, though, but the Lodge in Northway will deliver gas there, I believe.

That'll get you into Alaska, from there, your imagination, avgas, weather and your wallet are your only limitations.

In Fairbanks, we have a great floatplane facility, and if you wanted to leave a plane for a few weeks, this would be a good place to do so. One of the operators here could yard the plane out with a trailer, and leave it in a tiedown till you return. Good airline connections to and from here, though probably not quite as good as ANC.

Course, Anchorage is a very nice city, and it's only about 100 miles from Alaska.

Well, that oughta get a rise.

Water Aerodrome Supplement can be ordered through Aeronautical Information Services, Transport Canada, Place de Ville, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A 9Z9, or the Department of Natural Resources, Canada, Canada Centre for Mapping. It also contains a tremendous amount of information on Canadian flight operations.

Also acquire a copy of the Supplement, Alaska, from any aeronautical mapping source office. It offers much the same information (landing sites, fuel availability, etc.) for Alaska. Sporty's Pilot Shop can probably sell you both the latest Canadian Water Aerodrome Supplement (make certain you ask for the WATER aerodrome supplement-there's a land aerodrome supplement as well) , and Alaska Supplement, as well as any other charts you may want.

MTV
 
to Alaska

Jerry, I have a new place just southwest of Prince George, locally known as West Lake, 52 07 09 N 121 54 46 W . I'm on straight floats at that time, you can tie up in transit and I can get gas if I have advance notice. You can stay there too, no charge. I'm wondering where Scot is on Williston Lake because I always need gas up there too. Bob.
 
Jerry, Just come by Battle Ground, (you know you were here last summer) land on the grass, I will take you to the Portland Airport and you can fly up to Alaska, or go Home? I will take your cub to Alaska on floats, I have done it many times! Just let me know what you would like me to take pictures of? (JUST KIDDING) There is great fishing in BC, Williams lake (Give our friends Tim and Bernie a call) they fly floats all summer. There is plenty of places to land and get fuel, (you got a belly tank) no problem.

Tim
 
Tim

How about you put that 12 on floats and fly up with Jerry? I will warm the barbeque up for you guys.

Cub_Driver
 
hows about you send me the floats, then I will do that, my plane is rigged for 2000 edo's with the rear struts shortened slightly--Remember it is a PA12 with 18 gear fittings.

You are so kind to offer, I will be looking for the truck?

Tim
 
MTV
All my friends in ANC have a saying. The only good thing about Anchorage is that it is CLOSE to Alaska!!
Mike
 
The first thing is to find a float base in Canada in which to clear customs?? Being north of you in Edmonton, Alberta area I am not sure where that would be? Once you are in Canada, there are many float bases up here on your route north. I work and live at a 3000 ft grass strip with a mile long lake right next to it. We are just out of the class C airspace and would love to meet you and help you out on your trip north. We have three Cubs in the shop right now for rebuild and love talking Cubs, so if your flite plane comes near us, please stop buy for a visit and a canadian beer, I have lots of space for camping and a spare truck for going to town.

Best Reagards

Phil
 
Tim If you would just spend some of that money and buy floats you could have lots of fun ...just think by flying slower(with floats) than you did last summer you wouldn't need radios you could use hand signals
 
Hello All, someone mentioned renting floats for a Cub? Is this true and if so do you know who to contact? I go up nearly every summer and would love to get my feet wet but living in the deseret it's hard to justify the expense of floats for a month's fun.
Thanks,
db cub 8103Y
 
You don't want to come to Fairbanks. The trout fishing is teh suck.

big22.jpg


trout.JPG


And the scenery isn't that good either.

t5.jpg


There is parking available at the Fairbanks float pond too.

Torch
 
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