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Creative Solutions - McKinley Park to ANC

N

Narwhal

PATRON
ANC
Grounded for a day at PAIN. Anyone have tricks to go south when it's socked in? I had to turn back between summit and Honolulu southbound today due to low ceilings. It looked like clouds met the ground where the highway dips down to follow the east fork chulitna river. It wasn't bad at all with 2500 AGL ceilings north of windy pass, deteriorated fairly rapidly after that with ceilings gradually decreasing to < 100 ft with rain. I kind of expected it from the webcams but had to go see for myself knowing I would probably turnback.

I thought about flying to fairbanks and going IFR but moderate icing forecast at MEA. Doesn't look like much change for a few days. Probably jusg going to leave the plane (c182) and ride alaska air since I have to be back in 24 hrs. I have about a 650 mile/5 hour range in the airplane.
 
Sometimes Isabel Pass to the east is better. But, a lot of folks don’t realize that Summit IS the top of Windy, and with moisture and southerly flow the conditions are precisely what you noted. I’ve turned around there many times. And some pretty hard core types pressed on, only to turn.

Check Gulkana WX and see if there’s a camera south side of Isabel. But the same conditions may prevail there.

MTV
 
What Mike said. But right now it's skunky everywhere you want to go. Isabel and Chickaloon cameras are no gos, too. Broad Pass may open up later this morning and it might not. If you are in a hurry, the jet may be your best solution. Assuming you can get out of PAIN... Good luck
 
Yeah, I'm just gonna airline outta FAI. Even worse today by the looks of it.

I'm sure it'll clear up immediately now that I've started the drive north :lol:
 
NWS Radar shows a gob of wet laying and rotating over PAIN-Windy Pass. Play it in motion mode. Good north.

Gary

Edit: My days of following a semi-trailer at 200' heading through there are passed
 
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BC12D-4-85 said:
NWS Radar shows a gob of wet laying and rotating over PAIN-Windy Pass. Play it in motion mode. Good north.

Gary
Click to expand...

Yeah, I considered going north and doing Isabella, chickaloon, or even going way west outta fairbanks and coming through merril or lake clark pass, but from the cameras it would all be a high stakes game of roulette, not to mention PAIN itself is socked in at the moment.
 
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The Southcentral Ak Area Forecast indicates some improvement by Monday. However.....the overall flow regime is soon forecast to shift from the west = typical for late July/early-mid August. Brings lower clouds and precipitation on a regular basis. There's been lots of wet in SW AK all summer.

Gary
 
20210724_172112.jpg

This was from 29,000 looking southwest. Would've been kinda sketchy coming through at the 11,000 MEA I guess. Plus, you'd be pretty much SOL if the engine quit even if you're on top, although I guess you can say that a lot of the time flying up here.
 

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I did that trip a few times either IFR or on top in a Maule or C-185. Pre-GPS with NDB and VOR/DME. Always wondered where I might be if it got quiet so marked the Sectional with periodic est for waypoints. Now at least the GPS map gives some reference. More wet crap coming Tuesday via a plume of sub-tropical moisture moving onshore and inland.

Gary
 
I vividly remember kids waving at me from the back seat of a minivan as I was sneaking though just north of Cantwell. Get-home-itis, hopefully I've gotten the antibodies by now.
 
^^^^Yes that's the idea. I followed my wife in our car part way to Wasilla once at a few hundred feet to get Crosswinds to mod the plane. Back when we were taught and then learned to memorize terrain features vs charts and use that to nav - follow course - do a 180 when mins achieved if better back.

My criteria in a Cub was when I lost sight of the terrain at 500' AGL over the cowl it was finally low WX. Was it worse behind or now? Is this a local squall that I can pass through? I'd drop to 2-300' and reevaluate. But sometimes we flew out of worse and now it's just poor but not as bad. The funnel of options do get narrow eventually. Now it's calm sunny days for me.

Gary
 
When it got to the point that the highway dropped into what looked like a 500 ft wide 100 ft deep ravine with the clouds touching the top of the ravine at east fork chulitna I had to go back. If I went in there and there was a power line across the road it was game over, plus there is no way I would be able to stay 500 ft away from cars anymore. This stuff below was pretty good compared to what I saw down there.

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It helps to fly the route in good WX at 500' just in case. I suggest that and some wonder why. Ideally the first time isn't the last.

Gary
 
Today was good. Bus and train ANC-McKinley park sold out so I had to jumpseat to FAI then ride train south (van services seemed sold out too). I wasn't going to take any chances not getting out after all that so I flew on top through the first blue hole I saw, which luckily was north of windy and cruised out at 12,500 southbound. Smooth rides above the clouds.
 

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Nice pic - peaceful. WX front is now hitting the western Alaska Range with rain later tonight into wednesday for that route and north. If you ever need a ride or help around Fairbanks send me a forum message or find me at Lot 188 of the float pond.

Gary
 
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