Christina Young
Registered User
Andover-Aeroflex, 12N
Or at least easier!
I just got home from Alaska, and since boredom sets in flying the same route over and over again (Alaska Highway to/from Fort St. John), decided to try the Trench on the way home this year, since at Watson Lake weather looked pretty good down that way.
Well, as you know one primary challenge of the Trench is the lack of fuel stops. It is about 450 NM from Watson Lake to Prince George (MacKenzie was out of gas). Sometimes, maybe, you can get autogas at certain villages at extortionist prices (and exorbitant landing fees charged for the privilege).
For someone flying a slow, 150 HP cub that goes only 85-90 mph I need to find gas, even with my 23 gal Dakota tanks, especially with headwinds.
The good news is that I ran across a great stopover for cubs that has a comfortable lodge and which will sell autogas! I was getting tired and the sun was getting low in the mountains when I flew over the Fort Graham, B.C. gravel strip, with a lodge located at the end of it. I was looking for a place to set up my tent for the night, and thought maybe it wouldn't be a problem to taxi to the other end and do it.
What a surprise to me when I found out that master hunting guide and veteran cub pilot Jordy McAuley, who I had met in Haines Junction, Yukon on my flight to Alaska two years earlier, now owned this lodge! Jordy and his staff provided wonderful accommodations, hospitality, great food, and autogas for my cub! I'm glad I stopped because the next day was terrible weather, with heavy rain and fog preventing any flying. If I didn't stop there I would have been stuck on some other gravel strip getting flooded in my tent while cooking freeze-dried meals in the non-stop rain.
I highly recommend this stop to anyone who flies the Trench. They will sell you autogas for your plane, and Jordy is eager to host other cubs needing a comfortable stopover on this long route. Fort Graham is about 260 NM south of Watson Lake.
One note - before you land, check for horses and grizzly bears, which frequent the gravel strip... you may need to do a low pass first to shoe them away, or land further down beyond them.
Here is a picture of the "Cub Corral" at Fort Graham (fuel tanks for autogas refueling on right side of picture).
I just got home from Alaska, and since boredom sets in flying the same route over and over again (Alaska Highway to/from Fort St. John), decided to try the Trench on the way home this year, since at Watson Lake weather looked pretty good down that way.
Well, as you know one primary challenge of the Trench is the lack of fuel stops. It is about 450 NM from Watson Lake to Prince George (MacKenzie was out of gas). Sometimes, maybe, you can get autogas at certain villages at extortionist prices (and exorbitant landing fees charged for the privilege).
For someone flying a slow, 150 HP cub that goes only 85-90 mph I need to find gas, even with my 23 gal Dakota tanks, especially with headwinds.
The good news is that I ran across a great stopover for cubs that has a comfortable lodge and which will sell autogas! I was getting tired and the sun was getting low in the mountains when I flew over the Fort Graham, B.C. gravel strip, with a lodge located at the end of it. I was looking for a place to set up my tent for the night, and thought maybe it wouldn't be a problem to taxi to the other end and do it.
What a surprise to me when I found out that master hunting guide and veteran cub pilot Jordy McAuley, who I had met in Haines Junction, Yukon on my flight to Alaska two years earlier, now owned this lodge! Jordy and his staff provided wonderful accommodations, hospitality, great food, and autogas for my cub! I'm glad I stopped because the next day was terrible weather, with heavy rain and fog preventing any flying. If I didn't stop there I would have been stuck on some other gravel strip getting flooded in my tent while cooking freeze-dried meals in the non-stop rain.
I highly recommend this stop to anyone who flies the Trench. They will sell you autogas for your plane, and Jordy is eager to host other cubs needing a comfortable stopover on this long route. Fort Graham is about 260 NM south of Watson Lake.
One note - before you land, check for horses and grizzly bears, which frequent the gravel strip... you may need to do a low pass first to shoe them away, or land further down beyond them.
Here is a picture of the "Cub Corral" at Fort Graham (fuel tanks for autogas refueling on right side of picture).