Trip to Alaska

[Don Jeffer]

I am starting to plan a trip to Alaska in my 182 for next year. I plan to fly from Virginia up through Canada, and then to Alaska. I would like to hear about "must see places" along the way, and routes that will keep me out of the O2 levels. I don't have a turbo or O2, (hey, I'm from the east cost). I'd also like to hear about the best times of the year to go. I keep my 182 on a 1,200' strip, so I don't mind short and grass, and I like camping with my plane. I don't have long range tanks, so 4 hours are about as long as I can go, and still have some reserve fuel. Look forward to hearing from some been there done that people.

[Janet Davidson]

Don,

A few years ago I helped a friend bring a t/w Maule from Palmer, AK to Vacaville, CA - in March! It was an amazing trip, hard work due to the cold, with the challenges those sort of temps bring, but something I would do again in a heartbeat. I wouldn't necessarily recommend March as a good time to try that trip, it just happened to be when we were available to move the plane.

We found the COPA had some really good information about flying to/from AK, routes to follow, what to take, etc, etc & we used that as a reference. I'm not sure whereabouts it is on the website, but I think it dates from the days when Cirrus organised flights up to Alaska, and possibly to Russia - if my memory serves me right.....
http://www.cirruspilots.org/Content/About.aspx


As for suggestions of places to stop en route? Wow - where to start.... Gatineau, ON has the Vintage Wings of Canada collection & is a 10 min flight to Rockford, the downtown Ottawa airport where you can go to the Canadian Aviation & Space museum - both well worth a visit. Heading west, consider stopping in Anoka, MN & set up a visit to Greg Herrick's Golden Wings Museum. You will need to call ahead to arrange a visit, but you won't be disappointed. As you head northwest, you might be able to visit the home of Joe McBryan's Buffalo Airways aka "Ice Pilots", the TV show. One of the places we stopped on the way south was Whitehorse in the Yukon. That night it was the coldest St Patrick's night since records began, apparently, but I definitely would like to go back again - it looked like an interesting town to spend some time. Watson Lake & that area were really pretty. We followed the main highway most of the way, and carried a satellite phone with us which had been rented for two weeks.

If I think of other suggestions, I'll add them too. I'm sure plenty other people will have lots of good ideas.

[Floatsflyer]

Another must see along your route should be The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre in Sault Ste. Marie in northwestern Ontario, a tribute to the history and importance of the pilots, planes and companies that opened the great Canadian north from the 1920's till today.

[Eiron]

It's been a few years since I brought my plane to Alaska. A friend and I flew from Washington state to Fairbanks with a few stops to follow my fathers route from 1959. For sure Watson Lake and Whitehorse were places to see. In a plane with pretty much the same performance as the 182, we took 12 hours, rarely got to 8500 feet, and only had to stop once for weather in June.

[JangoFett724]

Who is going to Alaska?

[Dana]

To keep your motivation up, here's a breathtaking series of pictures from an extended Alaska trip. Sadly, the pilot didn't survive the trip but fortunately the pictures did:

http://www.shaunlunt.typepad.com/