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AlaskaAv memories two

Will Rogers and Wiley Post last flight, Barrow, Alaska, 1935


This information comes to me from friends who were at the accident site so expect it is true because I trusted them and they were my friends.

http://www.wileypost.com/photos.html

On the morning of departure, everything seemed normal to those near by and I suspect that might be true because they were used to aircraft flying in by Wien and other pilots.

The aircraft had been fueled and at departure at sea lever, the temperature was very cool and from the looks of the photos, there was no wind. I was told the aircraft cranked up and as it warmed up by taxing down to the east end of the small lake nothing seemed out of normal.
They made a "rolling " start and immediately went to full power with the very heavy aircraft. For some unknown reason, they did not lift off in time and the floats hit the bank on the other end of the lake and more or less rolled the aircraft into a ball. Due to the airframe damage, it took a very long time before the people on site could get them out (no tools). Was anything said from the two? Not important.

Following is a link showing the aircraft that flew these unbelievable men out of Barrow to Fairbanks. Capt Joe Crosson was the pilot and you have read that name in my site before, one of the very early great bush pilots.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=14051&item=2244391708

There is a very beautiful monument at the accident site made from rocks from Oklahoma and a very nice bronze plaque in memory of the two wonderful men. Someone, or maybe even many, are keeping the monument maintenance up. I understand there is now a road to drive there.

Ernie
 
Ernie,

A bit of Alaska trivia here. In the Post and Will Rogers photos - The photo showing four guys standing near the plane- one of the last taken - the fellow standing between Post and Rogers is Leonhard Seppala.

Seppala was a very famous dog musher who was one of the major figures in the 1925 Diphtheria serum run to Nome. Today, one of the top awards given to Iditarod mushers is the Leonhard Seppala humanitarian award.

Although modest in stature, Seppala was a giant in the early days of Alaska. I've seen many photos taken in Alaska during the 20s and 30s with VIPs (movie stars, politicians and the like) that included Seppala. He was very well known and many sought him out to be photographed with him.
 
In everyone's life, it's the fun things that are worth remembering, especially in aviation.


After I left Prudhoe Bay and was assigned as the first outside sales person Wien had ever had, my life and work suddenly changed. I had bought a condo not too far from the airport and really had it made. Since there was an empty bedroom, I asked a lady friend if she would like to rent it so she would have a place to stay when on her time off from the slope. She did not work for an airline though. Sure she said and moved in that night.
This relationship went really well for some two years until she moved to the lower 48. When she was home, we split all the house work including cooking. If she didn't have a date and I didn't either, we would go out to eat at times. What was really nice is the she kept me out of trouble with some of my girlfriends and I did the same with her boyfriends. We got along a lot better than I did with my own sister really. Should have married that lady.....

Anyway, after a while, she left the slope and had a few great jobs in the lower 48 and ended up as a manager of new properties for an insurance company based in Hartford, CT. We often talked on the phone to keep up with what we were doing.

Now comes the fun part.

I had some time off and was headed to Maui as usual. Kathy called just to BS and I told her about my trip so she suggested I stop by her place on the way to Hawai'i from Anchorage. Yah, sure, she lived in Hartford. Right on the way she kept saying.
Anyway, off I go and when I got there she had set me up with a blind date and the four of us went out to dinner. The next day, I met her parents and talked to them for a while. That morning Kathy took me to the airport to catch my flight to Hawai'i. We had to stand in line while a group of secretaries checked in. Kathy started suggesting that I should stay another day and we would head to New York City to catch a show. I kept saying no and Kathy kept saying yes, please, kind of like an argument. :agrue: Very strange looks and smiles from those in line around us so we made it sound really suggestive just for them (really suggestive). Sounded like a good idea. I suggested to Kathy that it would be nice if we asked her parents if they would like to go with us. Kathy said there was no way they would do something like that. The mother took about 15 seconds to say yes and it took her dad about 20 seconds to OK the trip. Off we go where we took in the Christmas show at Radio City Music Hall. What a show. We ate is some hole in the wall spaghetti place that only had 7 tables and that cost a small fortune. Fantastic meal, the best Italian meal I had ever had. The parents decided it was late for them so they headed back to the hotel across from central park and Kathy and I went dancing. I had never been to such a disco (The Library) before. Anyway, early the next morning they took me to the airport where I caught a NW 747 (my first trip on a 747) to Seattle in first class which was usual when riding on pass. Four passengers in first class (3 full fare) and two flight attendants. Since I had no pass out of Seattle to Honolulu direct, I had to fly all the way back to Anchorage and than take the nonstop Western flight to HNL. Lets see, that was:
Anchorage/Seattle/Hartford/New York City/Seattle/Anchorage/Honolulu/Maui just to have dinner with a past roommate, all in three days and than from Maui back to Anchorage. Over 17,000 miles. Gee, that is about half way around the world. You have to figure my "sister" had to have really been a great lady and she was.

Ah, the fun of working for an airline but not nearly as much fun as a Cub in the bush but the flight attendants were a lot better. :wink:

My parents always knew I did a lot of flying and this is just an example.

I had met two couples from Toronto, Canada at the resort I was associated with on Maui and who invited me to come back and stay a few days with them in Canada. Sounded like fun.

One week when I was off work, I got a bunch of passes and headed out but didn't tell my parents about it. When I got to Seattle, I sent a post card and said something about getting hungry and thought I would go to Seattle for a hamburger. Next stop was at SFO where I mailed a card that said I wanted an ice cream cone. This goes on and on. Next stop was Salt Lake City, Denver and Minneapolis. There I changed over to National Airlines and went from Minneapolis to Detroit with 6 stops enroute. At each stop, I mailed a post card with some joke. I forget now how I went from Detroit to Toronto but of course a card from Canada. At one point while there, one couple and I drove over very near Montreal and at each small town along the road, another post card.

What was so interesting was when I was going through my parents personal effects after they passed away, I found a map that my mother had traced my trip on. I bet she had more fun on that trip than I did.

While my parents were still able to fly, I got them free passes on good old Pan American for a round the world trip on their flight number 1. Maybe that is why Dad tried so hard to get me to take flying lessons back in 1957. He was always good at looking into the future.

On one of my parent's trips to Alaska to see us, we were living at Barrow. When it came time to depart, I decided to send them on a tourist nonstop flight from Barrow to Kotzebue. Although my Mom and Dad had flown some with my brother in Nebraska who had a Cherokee 6, Dad had never been in the cockpit of an airliner. I asked the Captain if Dad could sit up front and of course he said OK. Back in the good old days when it was legal. I sent my wife along to keep Mom company.
The Captain on that flight was kind of (really was) a comic. Dad told me later he had no idea how easy it looked to fly such a big airplane, an F-27. I can just picture all the funny things the fight crew did to show off to my Dad. He said after that flight he was never worried about flying again. He was only supposed to be up front until let down but the flight crew talked him into staying during the landing. Thank goodness I sent my wife along.

On another visit, we were living at Galena. On the day of departure, it was 63 degrees below zero as I recall and 13 hours later it was 83 degrees when they arrived in Honolulu. Hard for them to believe.

Ah yes, aviation life.
 
As I call Dahl Creek, God's back yard.


I often refer to Dahl Creek and my time there. The most beautiful part of my married life with a wonderful wife.

Check the links below to start with.

To show the area, the first link shows the area where I built our company log cabin. That is just to the left and a little below W in windsock.

http://www.alaska.faa.gov/fai/images/KOYUKOB/DCK-c.jpg

This link is of the same area only from a different angle.
The log cabin is the silver building just to the right of K in windsock.

The next two links shows two cabins much the same as the one I built although not the same one. It was 3 bedroom and 1400 sq foot built of cedar logs from Renton, WA and flown in by C-46 by Wien.

http://www.northforty.com/thumbs/ed0829d61fc04741886f2b8235ee252a_200.jpg

http://images3.vrbo.com/vrbo/images/17227a.jpg

Ok, that sets the scene. What a summer it was. All photos of that era were lost in a flood at Galena. What a loss.

When we were transferred to Dahl Creek from Umiat just before New Years in 1965, all the company had was a 35 x 8 foot trailer that had been flown in with our C-82 (02B). Needless to say, not capable of 50 below zero temperatures with the 2 inch walls. My generator was 1.4 KW so we kind of had to be like Green Acres on TV. If we plugged in a number two, we had to unplug a 1 and 3. Shut off all lights and radio when we made coffee and toast. Oh was that place cold all the time. My wife had to melt very dry power snow in 2, 30 gal garbage cans over a Coleman stove burning 24/7 just to get water but the heat helped keep the HF and NDB radios warm. No sewer or well of course. Outhouse was a Porta-poti in the generator shed.

I told the CEO (a book has been written about him) I would spend the rest of the winter but not another winter so we talked it over. He agreed the company would buy a 1000 sq ft log building for quarters and use the trailer for "passenger terminal and cargo/mail storage". I talked him into 1400 sq ft with a floor plan of my choice and I would use our living room as passenger terminal. After all, we knew everyone anyway.
Ok he agreed so in due time, everything was flown in but then the VP dropped the bomb so to speak. He couldn't afford the labor to construct it. I have a feeling he knew what I would do next, after all, he did the same thing in Bettles many years before and I was ready for it. I agreed to build the building and any costs I would pay for and they would pay me back next year. Agreed but not on paper. Stupid? Of course but I trusted his boss, Sig Wien. Back in those days, word was law. I did get approval that I could bypass our purchasing department and order all materials direct and everything was my choice, no questions asked. That included the entire kitchen, bathroom, lighting, plumbing and wiring. Boy was that fun and Sears became my very good friend. As I recall, other than the work my wife and I spent on the building, I paid some $300 labor from start to finish at Dahl Creek. Now the cost of the first Christmas for the Kids in the new home was nearly a months salary. Who had more fun? My wife and I setting everything up all night long or the kids the next morning? Size wise, I suspect all the kids toys would have not fit in a C-207. My wife and I had agreed that this Christmas was just for the kids. Our present was just watching them.

For those not familiar with the Pan Abode cedar log homes, they are pre-notched and tongue and groove, about 2 inches thick. A really beautiful building when completed and with fantastic heating ratings. The Office at the resort I was associated with on Maui came from the same company. They went together just like the old Lincoln Log toys.
Even though my wife could do about everything, I needed a guy to help lift the logs so we hired an Eskimo from Kobuk that had built log buildings for years. Only problem was he could not speak English so my wife would translate. Worked great. All logs were identified by letters and numbers so all he had to do was look for the letters.
From the day we started looking for the logs for the foundation to the day we moved in was 45 days although it was not entirely completed yet but better than what we had. While doing all this construction, we also worked flight operations every day.
I had decided to use 8 large trees (18 inch butts and 4 on each end) for a foundation over bare gravel over permafrost. The logs would overlap the smaller ends in the middle of the house.
Now is where the guy from Kobuk was so unbelievably fantastic. It was so interesting to watch him just hunch down and look an hour or so. Once he made his decision, off he would go and he would tell my wife what he wanted me to do. He set the floor up so perfect that when we put the last pre-notched log on the crown some 12 foot high, it was less than 1/4 inch off. The roof had a bow up in the center but the next year, the crown was level and stayed that way. What a guy he was.
We put in solid oak shorts for flooring and rented a sander from Fairbanks to sand it down and varnish it with several coats. All wiring was surface mount because I didn't want to drill any holes in the wall for fear of frost. All light fixtures were of the old kerosene type and with a large wagon wheel in the middle of the living room and over the dining room table, again with the old type lamps and many small wall mount ones all over the house (all electric of course).

I ordered and assembled all the kitchen cabinets from Sears, sanded and varnished. Needless to say, all appliances and bath fixtures came from Sears too. I used copper tubing for all water lines so I could keep them away from the walls and near the eaves to keep them from freezing in the winter (60 below zero out side). I chose heating by two space heaters which didn't take any electricity to operate although I did install electric fan stack robbers in the stove pipes which gave us back some of the heat going up the stove pipes. At all times, we had kerosene lamps just in case we lost our generator. Lots of candles for my wife and I though after the kids went to bed. Under the floor, I put 2" of styraphone sheets between the 4" by 6" joists on 4' centers to help keep the floor warm and did the same thing on the roof under the aluminum sheeting. I installed a Sears 4 foot diameter round fireplace right in the middle of the living room floor and as a present to my wife, I built her a jade hearth around it. We lived in Jade country at Dahl Creek. Charcoal steaks all winter long. For me (us), I built a bar in one corner. Since we didn't have TV and all those wasteful things, we all made our own fun.

Our good friend, the project manager for Kennicott Copper, sent down a crew and equipment to drill us a water well but they couldn't get down deep enough and through the permafrost so it was back to hauling water but this time it came out of Dahl Creek which ran year around under the ice and snow. He had a complete water storage system built for us which included a 1200 gal storage tank that was built to fit inside the back door. I ordered all the pressure system and installed it so we actually had running water. I built a log septic tank to finish that out. Talk about a modern home north of the Arctic Circle.
Once the home was finished, I ordered 55 gal of Liquid Rawhide wood preservative for the cedar. Talk about beautiful. Just because you live in the bush doesn't mean you have to rough it, right?

Total cost "on paper" for the building was $13,000. Unbelievable really.

I suspect the crown on the west end of the house was over 14 foot high and in the winter, a snow drift was clear to the crown. The second winter there, there was over 15 foot of snow. Along the sides, the drifts were up to the eaves and I would have to climb out an east window to shovel the snow away from the doors and windows to get in and out and for an emergency exit. The local martins and white weasels really liked to live under the house and would come up and look in the windows just as the moose and caribou did. Would the kids feed them? Not that we saw.

My boss told me that the company couldn't afford to furnish me any ground equipment either. I had been turning around all flights with my snow machine the first winter. He agreed to fly in my Jeep at no cost though. That time he even had a smile on his face. Reminds me of Bush 4 years ago. Actually, when I left, I sold it for twice what I paid for it.
Still, I had to haul water out of Dahl Creek by snow machine in the winter in 5 gal cans, even at 50 below zero. Does anyone know what cold really is?

Again a smile from my boss. He was going to give us a new generator, a Whitte 6.5 KW. Really sounded great but by that time I knew there was a catch. They couldn't afford to build a shed for it. Ok, there I go again. I will build the shed but large enough for my Jeep so we would always have emergency transportation. Also large enough to age home made beer but he didn't know that. Agreed. I bought the material of my choice and the company flew it in. They flew in the new generator but I insisted that I would install it the way I wanted to and keep the mechanics away. I wanted it done right???
It was really great to have that much power too. We had an electric dryer. I even installed a complete runway lighting system (no labor costs) that the generator would carry if we didn't have too much power being used in the house. The weather bureau equipment and our radios didn't really take that much power. I did try that generator a few times in the summer when it was not being used to full capacity and would load it up to 100 percent overload (13 KW) for an hour or two just to blow the carbon out. Only a Cat generator would do that too.

After everything was done, I sent in copies of receipts (Kennicott made them for me) for reimbursement but no answer or check. After repeated radio calls, I jumped on a flight and went to Fairbanks. It was so great having a wife that you felt comfortable with leaving alone in the middle of nowhere with no help near by other than an HF radio. I was not able to see him that day but was allowed to the next day. I got my check within 2 hours with no problems. I never did that with him again. By the way, he got fired by the owner later but not for that and that is one story I probably shouldn't tell.

Because of the very remote area, we had to really consider our food supplies. At any time when a company flight went mechanical or weather, we had to feed every one of course. Come to think of it, the company never repaid us for that either but what the heck, the passengers were friends anyway and had we been in their home, they would have done the same thing. We always ordered everything by case lots and beef by half. Want a can of peas, order a case. Bread by case and eggs by half case. Always had to be ahead 30 to 60 days. I always used the same company in Fairbanks, Lindys, the best ever. On every order, I would always authorize them to send some $20 of new products they thought we might enjoy. Come Christmas time, a special present from them: a huge bottle of very special Italian wine which stood some four foot high. We usually ordered imported French wine for our use and for our Kennicott friends. We often were invited to Lindy's place for drinks when we were in town but that was back in the days when everyone were friends regardless.

When we were assigned to Umiat, I took my family back to Nebraska for a vacation and to meet my parents. I had a very good friend that worked for a general merchandise company, Gambles, so we worked out a plan for publicity for him.
The company agreed to sell us a freezer at a given price and give us free a gas cook stove free and that I would pay all shipping charges. Sounded great since the airline part was free for us anyway. The local newspaper was notified of the salesman's dream, selling a freezer to an Eskimo. Hit the front page of course.
Now comes the fun part again (gee, I have a lot of those don't I?) Somehow, there was an error in shipping. One set, freezer and stove, were shipped out of a warehouse in Minn and another from a different warehouse. So, we got two of each at Umiat. When we got to Dahl Creek, we sure put them to good use. I agreed with Gambles that I would pay freight charges but not for the extra units which they agreed with right away. Boy, can two huge freezers hold a lot of frozen food. We immediately sold one kitchen stove to a teacher in Kobuk for almost nothing (she wasn't paid that much anyway) and gave another one to a very good friend from Shungnak. Those from that area will remember the Cleveland name.

Did my wife work hard at Dahl Creek outside of company work? I had hired a live in house keeper/baby sitter and basically just a great family friend. She kind of became our oldest daughter in a way. She could always beat me at poker. On one trip to Hawaii, we almost took her with us but too old to pass off as a daughter because she was not much younger than my wife.

If you look at the mountains in the background in the photos, I drove my new Johnson snow machine clear up to the top of the one on the right one afternoon. Three layers of clouds below with the runway lights in the background. It was fun going up but very scary coming down for fear of rolling over.

I can tell you one thing, you had better have a great wife that loves you and that enjoys living in the bush if you are going to live in God's back yard. I was so very lucky, I had the best ever.
 
A little training can go a long way. Super Cub Fairbanks, Alaska


This story was published in Reader's Digest as well as other publications at the time around 1960, give or take a few years.

This flight was out of Fairbanks International in a Super Cub and as accurate as I recall it. If anyone has more information or can correct my memories, please post them. I am sure everyone would enjoy reading them.

Not many days before this flight, a pilot had talked his wife into taking some lessons so if something happened, she would be able to land the Cub. She had just finished several hours of ground school but, other than riding with her husband quite often, she had no inflight training.

Weather: clear and calm. Temp probably around 72

Just after lift off, the pilot suffered a massive heart attack and fell forward and needless to say, with some pressure against the stick. The wife was able to pull him back upright and knew she must pull the stick back or at least get control of it. She finally got her husband's hand off the stick and it didn't take long to get the Cub under control. She had enough training to understand the radio so got in contact with the tower. Ever try to see and adjust (if necessary) the radio in a Cub from the back seat with some over size person in the front seat? There was another small GA aircraft in the pattern so he was contacted and asked to locate her and help in any way posable. I am not really sure but suspect that pilot may have been an instructor with a student which to me meant a Cub or small Cessna.

Once the assist aircraft was along side and since fuel was not a problem, they spent some time just flying around so the lady could get the feel of the Cub. Most of this was over or very near Fairbanks so the airport would always be in sight. Needless to say, the entire airspace other than the area near the Air Force Base was cleared by the tower. You have to picture the problem she must have had keeping her mind on the aircraft with her husband in front of her and not knowing how he was doing or being able to help him.

Once the lady felt she was ready to try the landing (after all, she had to be worried about her husband and to get him in for medical attention), they made a long straight in final and all she had to do was stay along side the other aircraft. He set the glide slope and airspeed. Forget the flaps. She had maybe 10,000 foot of runway to play with.

As I recall it, she touched down rather hard on the main gear, bounced and got it back under control. This happened a couple more times and finally, one last time. The aircraft ended up on it's back but she was able to walk away.

Her husband didn't make it through the heart attack though.
 
I think it was a PA-12 and it happened in the late 70's or early 80's the airplane is still around here somewhere. She had just taken a pinch hitter coarse.
 
mit greb said:
I think it was a PA-12 and it happened in the late 70's or early 80's the airplane is still around here somewhere. She had just taken a pinch hitter coarse.

Thanks Tim

Could have been a 12 but I remember it before the 70s or 80s. Regardless, the time makes no difference. What a lady to have been able to accomplish that. I remember that there was not all that much damage done to the aircraft.
 
Strange landing in a Jet Ranger. Alyeska Pipeline Haul Road, Alaska

For a couple of years I worked as the relief superintendent for several employee housing camps along the haul road from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay. These camps were operated to house the engineers surveying the proposed natural gas pipeline route next to the oil pipeline. The camps had been shut down and had been put into caretaker status with two employees in each camp. They always liked to have me visit because I would always cook for them, usually my special prime rib roast packed in rock salt which would be enough for them for many days, stew and veggie soup later. Normally I drove from one camp to another but when the VIPs came in, we used a Jet Ranger. On this trip, all seats were filled but there was one less headset than passengers so, needless to say, I didn't have one.

On this one trip out of Fairbanks, we had just crossed the Yukon River northbound when all of a sudden, I saw everyone else tighten up their seat belts so did the same thing. I had not done that much flying in a helicopter before so was learning as we went along. I didn't really notice anything strange about the way the ship was flying but when the pilot turned toward the first camp where I usually lived, I knew something was wrong. He made a long straight in approach to the runway just after a 180 turn, just as a fixed wing aircraft would do. I would guess his ground speed around 20 mph when we touched down rather hard and slid 100 or so feet before we came to a stop. There was no engine cool down before it was shut down and there was no damage to the aircraft.

Since I lived in the area, I knew where the State Trooper's home and office was as well as the DOT maintenance base so all of us started walking there, a couple of miles and always on a road.

I really didn't want to say to much in front of our VIP passengers but did get the pilot aside long enough to ask what happened. Seems he lost his ability to hover because of a mechanical problem. We would have been in real trouble had not the haul road and airstrip been there. I guess that is called flying IFR. (I follow road)

His company sent out a real nice twin engine chopper (something similar to a Bell 427) and we completed the trip with no problem. It was really beautiful going through Atigun Pass in a helicopter for the first time and in that area, the pilot went a little off route and took us through a pass where he knew there were lots of Mountain Goats. He got real close to the slopes where there were probably 100 or more grazing. What a sight, something I had never seen before.

:cheers
 
An interesting story about Korean KAL 007 out of Anchorage International in 1983 that was shot down by Russia. So much mystery about this flight and why it may have been shot down. Even a strange flight number.

Consider these links.

http://aviation-safety.net/specials/kal007/

http://www.thenewamerican.com/focus/mcdonald/kal/kal2.htm

These are only a few links available but really interesting to read.

Several company pilot friends of mine who flew over the area near Elmendorf several times a day told me later they had seen that aircraft (a blue 747 is easy to spot on a US Air Force Base) sitting at Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage for some 3 days prior to that flight. It was than ferried over to Anchorage International to take flight 007. Wonder why a Korean aircraft would sit that long at an American Air Force Base?

As the aircraft departed the Bethel ATC check point westbound, it was several degrees (3 degrees) off course to the north and when communications with the flight were attempted, no contact. More or less, it was headed direct to an area where Russia had a rocket test firing programed. Needless to say, Russia was concerned with who was in the area.

A reader here has knowledge from one flight crew in the area at the time and he might like to add his comments here. Sure hope so. What has really been kept quiet are all the other US Air Force aircraft in the area including some KC-135 tankers for extended flight time. My information is that there was something like 26 aircraft in the area but please take that with a grain of salt. I could have bad information there. My Ex wife always told me I was wrong all the time anyway.

Although ordered to fire from ground control, the Russian aircraft pilot never saw the aircraft he was told to fire on. A comment later indicated he thought it was something like a US KC-135 or equivalent spy aircraft, not a commercial passenger 747 from what he saw on his radar. After all, there was not supposed to be a commercial flight within some 400 to 500 miles from the area.

At the time 007 was enroute, there was another Korean Air flight some 15 minutes behind 007 and that aircraft was on course. There were several comments between the flight crews when the trailing aircraft could not see any contrails from 007. There was never a proper answer or concern from the leading flight crew. At that point, I would suspect 007 was some 300 to 400 miles north of flight plan and right over the area of the rocket test firing.

From that point on, I believe my links will explain what happened.

My questions leads to strange suspicions. Why did the Air Force (read US government) charter that 747 into Elmendorf AFB and hold it there for three days? Were special cameras installed? Why was that special aircraft assigned to flight 007 when another KAL 747 was sitting at Anchorage International which according to flow charts, should have been assigned to the flight? Why didn't the flight crew of 007 acknowledge the radio contacts from ATC trying to tell them they were off course? Why didn't 007 acknowledge to a sister flight about the lack of contrails? Four hundred miles off course?

Ah, the mystery of flight at times.
 
Ernie

Ernie,

I'm half way through your writing and it is two things to me: an adrenaline rush to read, for one, and for two it helps me recall that rush I got from my Alaska flying adventures which started much later, in the 80's.

I'll read more as I have time. Keep them coming.

Glad you have such a clear recollection of rich life lived. Are you flying or getting to Alaska any these days?

Bob
 
Re: Ernie

Bob Breeden said:
Ernie,

I'm half way through your writing and it is two things to me: an adrenaline rush to read, for one, and for two it helps me recall that rush I got from my Alaska flying adventures which started much later, in the 80's.

I'll read more as I have time. Keep them coming.

Glad you have such a clear recollection of rich life lived. Are you flying or getting to Alaska any these days?

Bob

Thanks for the comments Bob. Really appreciate it.

Because of a back problem, I can't even fly commercial anymore. Three years ago, I went through my motor home completely for one last 3 month trip back to Alaska but I went down before I got ready to go. I still have it and haven't taken it out since but I keep hoping. I even have a great grand son in Anchorage now that I haven't seen.

The stories I am sharing are actually recaps of those that will be included in a book later (we hope). Keeps the bandwidth usage down here that way. Quite often one story will remind me of another and even a comment from a reader often turns on another light bulb. I never worked a 9 to 5 job in my life, it was always 24/7 for one reason or another so I got involved in everything. I suspect I got that from my Dad and living on a farm where whatever you had, you made yourself.

:cheers
 
Departure out of Anchorage International (OK, Stevens)
Aircraft: Cessna 207 on wheels.


This situation is almost unbelievable and recent enough that many will remember it and if you would like to add comments or correct me, please join in. It is kind of what not to do on departure.

Aircraft was on a company charter and I am not sure of the passenger load if any.
I have to assume a normal preflight was done but as you will see later, not all that sure it was done.

Aircraft was cranked and warmed up. A request for taxi instructions to a given runway with an intersection departure. All granted.
Aircraft took the runway on a rolling departure and just after lift off, it veered a little away from centerline due to a slight cross wind where it went in one wing first but from a low altitude.

OK spam can guys, what did the pilot forget? Pull the control lock on the yoke column in the cockpit. The one with the big red flag, Remember? Right in front of the pilot. That pilot didn't remember. Took off with all control surfaces other than the rudder locked up. He had pulled the lock on the rudder prior to taxi out. What is so hard for me to understand is that a pilot could taxi from his parking slot clear to the active runway, maybe 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile, and never move or attempt to move the control yoke and feel it locked up.
 
Intro flight Aircraft: L-19 In Korea


Sometimes I seemed to just fall into things when it comes to aircraft. When I was in the Army around 1960, a portion of the time was spent very near the DMZ in Korea where I was assigned to an Honest John Rocket unit capable of nuclear warheads which we also stored. My assignment was to keep track of all the classified material related to the manuals for the warheads as well as day to day operational material. I lived in my office which was a very restricted area. Ah, the good part. No guard duty, no inspections, Jeep on dispatch 24/7, meals served one course at a time in my office from the Officers Club next door. No MP could stop my Jeep on the roads no matter what I might do and I always carried a loaded full automatic carbine with big clip and a couple of spares. And people didn't like being in the Army? Hmmm When I left Korea, I was assigned to an aviation unit at Fort Riley Kansas (75 miles from home) so I was really on cloud nine. Mostly Otters and early Hueys. Paradise found. Fort Riley often had some rather strong winds and it was always interesting to watch those Otters land with a ground speed of maybe 5 knots.

My company commander was a Captain and also from Nebraska and a military pilot. One day he had to check out an L-19 to get his hours in to keep current. He flew up to our unit and landed on the short strip just out back of my office. He shut it down and walked over to ask me if I wanted to go flying. Kind of a good feeling for a Private First Class to be asked by a Captain if he wanted to go flying. Up stairs, all rank was forgotten. He almost never took anyone up when he did his recurrent training. Lucky? You bet.

This was the first time I had been around an L-19 but what an aircraft. I had been used to
J-3s and PA-18 90 horse Cubs. Talk about barn doors for flaps. Anyway, we went up and he really put the bird through it's paces. For me, first time upside down. I really remember one spin he put it into. Talk about hitting the sides of the cabin. I actually had bruises on my arms and shoulders from hitting the wall. He had warned me that the spin would really be tight and after all, you have to believe everything your company commander says. I had been shown spins in a J-3 but that was nothing to what that L-19 could do.
I was kind of surprised that he let me fly it for a while too. Could have fell in love with a spam can right than and there but I kept my good old Piper support. Lots of fun but overshowded when I took the stick on our Porter for the first time much later.

After that flight, every time he flew into that strip and as he was rolling out, he would power up a couple of times as he went past my office. Made my day for sure.
 
Seat storage on PC6 Porters.

It is interesting to read about the extended baggage areas of the Super Cubs and how useful there are. That is one thing I really missed when flying our club PA-18 in Alaska. I always carried a large emergency bag in the winter and with the sleeping bag, it became really cramped and it would have been great to have had the extended area just for the bag.

Our Porters had two different type of seats, 6 singles or 3 triples. On the right side of the fuselage behind the double doors was a special door into the tail area where there was a track system that we could put the seats in when we had an all cargo flight. Since the seats were rather light, there was no CG problem. What a great use of that area although many of our pilots would use that area to carry seal oil for the passengers in the summer due to the odor in the cabin. Needless to say, some oil would drip out onto the floor of the fuselage and on a summer day, say at Dahl Creek when it was maybe 80 or so degrees, a person really held their breath when getting seats out for a seat change. The mechanics in Fairbanks would hate to see those aircraft come in for normal maintenance. Someone had to clean that very ripe oil out (or were supposed to anyway).

When we got our first Porters, some of the guys had a problem on landing when the tail wheel would touch down first. A little info on how the Porter was built. No tubing and cross bracing as in the Super Cubs, just sheet metal and some small additional L sections. Needless to say, when the tail hit hard, it would buckle the fuselage just forward of the tail wheel but could still be flown back to a maintenance base. Bet it was always a main gear landing when they got there too. Finally, Wien came up with a plan to attach a rather strong and thick L shaped section of material on the outside bottom of the fuselage in that area to strengthen it up a lot. I understand they reported it to the manufacture and the newer aircraft came out with additional strength there too. After a short time in operation, the company suggested a wheel landing at all times if posable.
 
No McDonalds available at 33,000 foot. Aircraft: a 707 as I recall but not a 320.


Western Airlines flight departing LAX for Seattle and on to ANC I believe.

Departure was normal and with a full load of passengers. Just after climb out, the Captain called back to the flight attendants to bring up his breakfast. The flight attendant apologized and said there would be no crew meals because fleet service forgot to put them on board. She did bring him coffee but he wouldn't even drink it.
Do you suppose that senior Captain was a little upset? You bet.

Now this seems impossible but it actually happened.

The Captain, without talking to dispatch in LAX, requested clearance for a non scheduled landing at SFO. Landing was normal and he taxied up to an open Western gate without asking approval. This alone required another flight to sit on the ramp waiting for his slot. He shut it down as the ramp attendant moved the boarding tunnel up to the aircraft. Without saying a word to the rest of the flight crew, he got up and exited the aircraft. He went to a food service vendor in the concourse, got his breakfast and returned to the aircraft. All this time, the rest of the flight crew and all the passengers just sat on the aircraft.

Departure was normal and uneventful other than many, many requests for information from Western's management. The Captain talked to no one from Western. Landing at Seattle was normal and I understand that was where he ended his flying career with Western. Probably a good thing really. Something must have snapped.

Moral of this story: eat breakfast before taking an assigned flight.


By the way, I am not picking on Western, it is just that I worked so close with them when with Wien. "Western, the only way to fly". Art Kelly (president and CEO) ran a great airline until Neil Bergt took over from the way I looked at it. At one point, I understand that I was tapped to be hired away from the company I was working for to open up their new Prudhoe Bay operation. They flew one flight in and Neil shut that operation down. Thank goodness I didn't go with them but it would really have been fun to set it up.

At one point, I sent a section of the 4 foot diameter oil pipeline in Alaska to Art Kelly in LAX where it was prepared for display in their headquarters with a plaque thanking me. A photo of it (along with two beautiful flight attendants) made the front page of their company newsletter.

Another Western Airlines story, again in Calif.

I am not sure just where the flight originated but for some reason there had to be a crew change at either SFO or LAX. As I recall, this might have been because of a very late arrival and duty time of the flight crew. It is my understanding that the flight did not pull up to a gate but parked on the ramp away from the boarding gates where the crew change was to be made. A portable ramp was set up and the entire flight crew deplaned and left the passengers on board. Oh boy, what a mistake.
Again, as it recall it, the other flight crew didn't show up for some hour and a half. During this time, the passengers were getting kind of restless. One frequent passenger (not me this time :oops: ) decided to get into the galley and open up the snack trays and of course the liquor cabinets. What a party. I often wondered what happened nine months later.

By the time the replacement crew boarded all the service items were gone. It took another 45 minutes to restock the galley and empty the holding tanks.

As I recall, there was not one complaint from any passenger because they had so much fun during that 2 hours and had met so many new friends. Ah, the fun of working commercial aviation in those days.
 
Whale watching on final into Barrow Aircraft: C-46, F-27, 737. Tourists flights 60s and 70s.


Often when on final into Barrow from the west and on, shall we say, a relaxed downwind and very flexible crosswind, our flight crews would spot pods of whales and often some rather large Bowheads lets say in the neighborhood of 50 foot. That's 50 tons of animal, not fish, to those that do not know the size of Bowheads.

Many times, our guys would abort landing if weather permitted and would make constant angle turns around the animals so the passengers could see and photograph them. They would change the pattern from one side to the other so everyone would get a chance to see and photograph something they would never see again. The non flying pilot was always to monitor airspeed at all times. That was the airline law without exception.
What a great group of pilots we had. Probably grew up in Super Cubs, right?

Not long ago, a pilot, and a very good one and just happened to be female, that had her parents on board that apparently spotted a pod of whales just off shore on a trip from Barrow to Wainwright. Other pilots had reported them before. It is assumed (oh how I hate that word in aviation) that the pilot deviated from normal flight path (very good visibility and weather) so she could show her parents the whales. The bush operators in Alaska are not very strict with how the flight crew flew their flights. Who knows what happened. All were lost without a word. It is assumed, and that is a very dangerous word in aviation, that she just flat stalled out while showing her parents the whales and got below the curve. Who knows.

At one point while living in Barrow and working for Wien, I met a writer/photographer from France that was hoping to do a video/written article about whaling in the Arctic. Since he was from France, my wife really enjoyed having him around. Hmmmm A handsome guy from France and a very beautiful wife? Again, hmmmm She was happy.

Stupid me, I offered to drive him around on our snow machine on the edge of the ice pack on the Arctic Ocean (water temps at 29 F). I figured we drove over 350 miles over several days back and forth along the edge of the ice pack waiting for some whaling crew to capture a whale. Finally, one day, word came in that a crew got one. I immediately rushed over to the area where the whale would be brought onto the ice. The guy got all kinds of film of how the 45 foot whale was brought from water and up on the ice by a deadman (hole chopped in the ice with an ice bar across the top where a block and tackle was attached) pulled by maybe 50 people. Once the head was on the ice, another crew with ancient knives began carving up the meat (muktuk) and the flippers were cut first (the best part of the animal) and as fast as they could cut it off, others would load it on a sleds and speed off to the town and another snowmachine and sled would pull in place while the other crew pulled the whale up further. As I recall, it took something like 3 hours to cut up the 45 foot (ton) whale and not a piece of meat was lost. Thank goodness all the odor was lost. Once the animal was opened up, it was a sickening aroma and you had better be standing upwind. Party in town that night.

Last year, my son-in-law captured a 40 foot whale in a true hand built skin boat and fed the entire town of Barrow.. Hero of town so to speak. I didn't know about it until I watched national news one night and saw a helicopter slinging in a whaling crew from the ice pack that had split off from the main pack. Guess who? My daughter. She never did tell me about it though until much later and than admitted it was the second time the crew had to use a helicopter for rescue. What does a Dad say to a daughter that does the same thing he does?

OK, the guy got his film and lots of tape recordings and we went back to our place where we opened up a bottle of good French Wine which we always had on hand. Lots of VIP oil company personnel often visited us. Surprise, even in Barrow, French Wine. That was before we had to call deep fries Freedom Fries instead of French Fries.

Several years later while we were assigned to the airport at Galena Air Force Base, I got a post card from someone in France and in French of course. I took the card to a local teacher and she tried to translate it. What came out was that the kid had gotten my address (company address in Fairbanks) and wanted to know more information about Alaska. I replied with a multi page letter in English and answered every question he asked plus lots more information. Took the post office a couple of hours just to figure out the postage.
Where did he get my address? He wrote back and said out of the credits area of a book he read from his library written by the guy I had driven along the edge of the ice on the Arctic Ocean. OK, guys, now you can call me star.....

Did I mention the guy had offered his Chalet on the Riviera of France on the Mediterranean anytime I wanted to come over the big pond in return for my assistance with no charge? Always too busy to enjoy the trip even though there was an airline that had heard about the offer and offered free transportation to that area for us. Stupid guy, right? Well, maybe smart. He was handsome and my beautiful wife looked great in or out of a bikini. Hmmmm Joking of course but not about my wife.
 
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