Iditarod Air Force support for dog sled race in Alaska

[AlaskaAV]

Every year there is a dog sled race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska called The Iditarod. The trail crosses many different types of terrane from flat bog to mountain passes in temperatures down to 50 below zero, plus or minus, at times and strong winds.
Along the way, there are food caches for the dog teams and mushers hauled in by a great bunch of pilots called "The Iditarod Air Force". Most use C-180/185 aircraft along the trail with mainline commercial aircraft staging supplies at hub airports. There are many Super Cubs also but due to the loads, the spam cans are the choice of pilots.

Along the way, there is a requirement of moving personal around from one check point to another especially the veterinarians.
Following is a link to one of the best written articles about this volunteer group that does so much in making the Iditarod race what it is today.

http://www.landings.com/evird.acgi$pass*66639789!_h-www.landings.com/_landings/stories/Iditarod-2004.html

If there are others out there that would like to comment on the Iditarod Air Force, please feel free to join in. Many outside of Alaska across the world might be interested in your experiences with the race. Same with other dog sled races in the Arctic where aircraft are involved.

 

[SimonK]

Iditarod Air Force

I've long thought it would be a blast to participate in the Iditarod Air Force, and now that I have my -14, I just might do that. I ran the Iditarod in 1994 and was always jealous seeing those guys fly on by at over a hundred miles an hour while I was plunking along at about 8, and thought if I could do that someday I would (of course I wouldn't deceive myself into thinking I could get 100 mph in the -14 :roll: ). Flying the -14 from Anchorage to Nome last month reinforced those 10 year old feelings and I am considering trying it out in the next couple of years. As I understand it, your fuel is paid for, everything else is volunteered. I still have a pretty good relationship with some of the Iditarod Trail Committee staff and could check further into this if people are interested. Just be comfortable flying in bunny boots though!

 

[AlaskaAV]

Simon
Having lived at Galena when the race was in that area, I have a very good idea of what you mushers went through along the trail. I also manned the central control room in a hotel room in ANC on the second race. A 24/7 period of fun for a couple of weeks. That was the year Col. Vaughn went lost for a couple of weeks on the trail. When they got him out and near a phone, he called me and gave me a two hour report on what happened which I taped. I sent it to the museum in Wasilla. What a story. Oh how I wish I could remember the stories about the dog teams that saved their musher when injured durring the races. The lead dog is worth it's weight in gold for sure.
A friend of mine who flew for our airline, Wien, was an avid supporter of the race in his 180. By some fluke and no one knows for sure why, he was lost while flying a film crew.
Oh the work those pilots go through just preheating their aircraft every day and still trying to do routine maintenance at 40 below zero. Just another day for the Iditarod Air Force Pilots though.

I envy you and the thought of jumping in and helping. What a great bunch of pilots for sure and as always in Alaska, instant friends.

 

[375handh]

Anybody familiar with ACTS, LLC Iditarod Expedition?

 

[AkPA/18]

Christina Young from this site took the Bush flying course from ACTS this summer and might have some info.


Mark

 

[Christina Young]

Christina Young from this site took the Bush flying course from ACTS this summer and might have some info.


Mark

I didn't go no Jay's (ACTS) Iditorod expedition (but have some pictures he gave me from it), but did take his bush / mountain flying class. I loved it and plan on going back next year (I have unfinished business in those mountains)! The course teaches bush flying operations, what survival gear to carry and how, how to select a landing place, landing on gravel bars, mountains, glaciers, etc and mountain flying. I found it to be a good companion course to Damian's bush course (at Andover Flight), because Damian's course builds the foundation and focuses on the techniques and building blocks, while Jay concentrates on the operational side more, applying techniques already learned in the actual backcountry environment. Bushflying I and Bushflying II, so to speak. I'll post some pictures of Jay's class on my website when I put my SS Aleutian diving pictures up in a couple of weeks.

 

[AlaskaAV]

Christina Young from this site took the Bush flying course from ACTS this summer and might have some info.


Mark

I didn't go no Jay's (ACTS) Iditorod expedition (but have some pictures he gave me from it), but did take his bush / mountain flying class. I loved it and plan on going back next year (I have unfinished business in those mountains)! The course teaches bush flying operations, what survival gear to carry and how, how to select a landing place, landing on gravel bars, mountains, glaciers, etc and mountain flying. I found it to be a good companion course to Damian's bush course (at Andover Flight), because Damian's course builds the foundation and focuses on the techniques and building blocks, while Jay concentrates on the operational side more, applying techniques already learned in the actual backcountry environment. Bushflying I and Bushflying II, so to speak. I'll post some pictures of Jay's class on my website when I put my SS Aleutian diving pictures up in a couple of weeks.

I will look forward to all of those photos Christina. I am sure it will enhance your web site.

That had to have been great training courses you took but I was not that lucky in my days. There were none like that available so I just worked with a company pilot that also had a CFI ticket and learned the hard way. Either his way or not at all. Since I was doing it only for fun with no idea of going into commercial flying, he only taught me the Odd things that most don't get into until many hours later. Boy talk about fun.

 

[AlaskaAV]

Re: Iditarod Air Force

I've long thought it would be a blast to participate in the Iditarod Air Force, and now that I have my -14, I just might do that. I ran the Iditarod in 1994 and was always jealous seeing those guys fly on by at over a hundred miles an hour while I was plunking along at about 8, and thought if I could do that someday I would (of course I wouldn't deceive myself into thinking I could get 100 mph in the -14 :roll: ). Flying the -14 from Anchorage to Nome last month reinforced those 10 year old feelings and I am considering trying it out in the next couple of years. As I understand it, your fuel is paid for, everything else is volunteered. I still have a pretty good relationship with some of the Iditarod Trail Committee staff and could check further into this if people are interested. Just be comfortable flying in bunny boots though!

An interesting note Simon.

I have an envelope that was given to me from the Iditarod Committee that was postmarked by the postal service in Anchorage and delivered to the post office in Nome that was carried by a musher in the second race. It was addressed to me in Nome oddly enough and I suppose because of my help for that race. What a prize and there were not that many carried on a dog sled. Some days it just pays to get up and get something done.

I may have told this before but it is interesting.

The control center for the Iditarod Race the second year was located in a plush hotel (just behind the old Federal Building on 5th) in downtown Anchorage on 4th Ave. There was a public information table manned by many volunteers maybe 18 hours per day in the lobby. What a great bunch of people, mostly women.

Since my phone calls and reports came in at all times of day and night, I didn't even get to watch TV other than myself on the local news.

Since I was working in Sales for Wien at the time, I made arrangements that all supplies for the race were given top priority after medical shipments to get them into the bush immediately. It worked and by doing that, the early Iditarod Air Force could move everything out of the hubs on time. I suppose in a way Simon, I started a precedent and am glad I did. That is one great thing about Alaska, everyone works together, competing airlines or not.

I volunteered to hold down the control center in a hotel room as my vacation that year. I set up my stereo reel to reel tape recorder with two phone taps on the two telephones I had so I could record two calls at a time on separate areas if needed. I set it up so I would work day and night with no relief for continuity doing press releases world wide. All of my meals, at my expense, were delved to my room by the hotel. Sometimes, I would order two eggs and get 4 and normal 2 slices of toast turned into 4. Everyone pitched in. Those guys that delivered them would not even take a tip, their contribution they said. I did get kind of tired of the hotel food though. There was one lady on the table down in the lobby that would call and see if I wanted something different to eat. Careful guys. She would go next door to the east to a really great place and tell them who it was for and bring back some outstanding meal. That place donated the meal for me in honor of the race. What a break for me and I would have someone to have a meal with since they always gave her two meals. Desert was extra. Careful guys....Desert....

I would get phone calls from all over the world asking for information about the race. All of that was recorded for later use by the Trail Committee. Everyone spoke in English and was told it would be translated later. I had no idea a dog sled race in Alaska had that much world wide interests in the 70s.

Simon, having run the race, you have to be proud just to have completed it and not carry the good old red lantern (if I recall right). We know we have a member here whose sister (as I recall) won the race one year as the first lady to win that 1000 mile dog sled race and no offense to her, I was pushing for a different lady to make it first lady to do so. She got shut down when a moose more or less destroyed her dog team not far from the start just out of Anchorage.

Ah, the good old days.

 

[SimonK]

The Ol' Days

That's great that you still have the mail carried on the second race, I bet that is getting pretty rare. It is still carried, and is a mandatory part of your equipment at each checkpoint. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on a few pieces at some point.

Sounds like an interesting "vacation" there, pretty busy times. It wasn't a very short race at that time either. Winning mushers come in at around 9 days now, not 18 like in the past.

I think most things are run out of the Millennium Hotel now, which is right there at Lake Hood (which I may add is a fantastic place to sit and eat halibut and chips during the summer at watch all the floatplanes go past).

Anyway, yeah, we were just happy to finish the race. I was a senior in high school at the time and tore all sorts of ligaments playing basketball (that took care of the HS basketball career :-? ) so I got a real late start on training. I had been running them 3 miles before the injury, and three weeks later when we could hook them up to a snowmachine to start training (no walking for me at that point) we shot right up to 20 miles to get back on track and they took it in stride. Amazing animals. Anyway, I finished about halfway in the pack, a pretty amazing experience.

Well, here's a thanks to you for volunteering your time to the race. I know you were there before my time but so many folks help out with their time and efforts to the race without any thanks. Sounds like you were pretty well appreciated though with all the chow people sent you.

Heading back to Nome tomorrow, and I have a new overvoltage relay in my pocket. We'll see if I can get the -14 back here on Thursday, a second look at the trail from the air!

Simon

 

[AlaskaAV]

Simon
Have a good trip back to Nome.

If you are ever around Dahl Creek and think of it, how about taking some pictures of that cedar log home just off the parking area. I built it back in 1967. What a place to live.

Did you remember the story about Col Vaughn when he went missing durring the second race? If not, I can PM you. It is not something suitable to publish here. He was some lucky guy.

 

[SimonK]

Don't think I did hear the story about Col. Vaughn on the second race, other than he was just lost for quite a while. Must have been pretty amazing to race back then- what an adventure!

Will do on the picture. Dahl Creek is outside of Kotzebue on the Kobuk River, right? I am looking forward to getting up there in the PA-14 to mess around next summer, what a blast that should be. How long did you live there? '67, now that must have been interesting!

Simon

 

[AlaskaAV]

Don't think I did hear the story about Col. Vaughn on the second race, other than he was just lost for quite a while. Must have been pretty amazing to race back then- what an adventure!

Will do on the picture. Dahl Creek is outside of Kotzebue on the Kobuk River, right? I am looking forward to getting up there in the PA-14 to mess around next summer, what a blast that should be. How long did you live there? '67, now that must have been interesting!

Simon

Simon
I will PM you that story about Col Vaughn. It might be considered to be little gross though. I had so much support from local pilots that joined in to look for him.

Dahl Creek airport is just north of Kobuk. On the link below, click on DCK east of Kotzebue and you will get photos of Dahl Creek. The home I built is on the northwest side of the parking ramp and can be seen in the photos.
http://www.alaska.faa.gov/fai/airports2.htm

I moved to Dahl Creek from Umiat in the winter in 1965 and was transferred back to Barrow in 1969 as the Wien station manager there.
I went in first into a very small 28 x 8 foot trailer, no running water, sewer, only a 1.4 kw generator and talk about cold. Later, my wife and a company crew at Umiat loaded up a company C-46 with our personal effects which were stored outside under a tarp at DCK. What a first winter. My wife had to melt snow in a 30 gal garbage can on a two burner Coleman stove.
The company bought a Pan Abode Cedar Log home and flew it in the first summer and my wife and I built the building in 45 days and moved in. My boss told me the company did not have enough in the budget to send out a work crew to build it so I made a deal. I would finish it at my expense and the company would pay me back the next year. He agreed but than came my requirements. I was allowed to bypass our money eating purchasing department and ordered everything inside and around the place from the good old Sears wish book. It really ended up as a showpiece if I may say so myself. Still, to me, Dahl Creek and the Kobuk Valley is God's back yard were He rested one day a week.