Alex Clark
Registered User
Life Long Alaskan
We had a call last night from RCC (rescue coordination center) in Anchorage that there was a float equipped PA-12 overdue. It was last heard from in the Homer Alaska area on Saturday, heading south through the mountains that separate us from the Gulf of Alaska.
As it would turn out, the pilot is one of our Supercub brothers who is on this site. He had called me a few days before to talk about getting together down here.
We (the local CAP) launched a search mission this morning and checked out his possible route. No dice. Just lots of low clouds and some real butt kicking turbulence.
BUT, as LUCK would have it, a local Beaver Pilot, Jon Berryman, reported that he had seen a Piper matching the description moored in a remote lake on Sunday. He said that we had flown over the correct lake but the plane was almost impossible to see unless you landed there.
Berryman flew back out to the same lake and found the overdue PA-12 and both pilots safe and sound. It turns out that they had run into some fuel leak problems and just needed some fuel.
Beaver Driver Berryman, brought one guy back with him and the Super-cubber PA-12 pilot is staying out with the borrowed PA-12 until the currently approaching storm clears and fuel can be flown back out to his location.
A good happy ending.
As it would turn out, the pilot is one of our Supercub brothers who is on this site. He had called me a few days before to talk about getting together down here.
We (the local CAP) launched a search mission this morning and checked out his possible route. No dice. Just lots of low clouds and some real butt kicking turbulence.
BUT, as LUCK would have it, a local Beaver Pilot, Jon Berryman, reported that he had seen a Piper matching the description moored in a remote lake on Sunday. He said that we had flown over the correct lake but the plane was almost impossible to see unless you landed there.
Berryman flew back out to the same lake and found the overdue PA-12 and both pilots safe and sound. It turns out that they had run into some fuel leak problems and just needed some fuel.
Beaver Driver Berryman, brought one guy back with him and the Super-cubber PA-12 pilot is staying out with the borrowed PA-12 until the currently approaching storm clears and fuel can be flown back out to his location.
A good happy ending.