Hello Backcountry Pilots,
Just doing some Alaska trip logistics. Is 100LL available in Northway, AK this summer? Or does a guy have to fly to Tok? Does Beaver Creek, YT have 100LL too?


Thanks,

James

James, I came up in April. Northway does not have fuel Tok does. I didn't stop in Beavercreek, overnighted in Whitehorse and the flew direct to Northway. Brief stop for Customs, then on to Tok to refuel. Good luck with the trip, feel free to contact me if you have any questions . . .

John

And, Tok does not have customs, so you'll have to clear in ORT or go all the way to FAI.

MTV

No fuel in Beavercreek either...fly to Northway to clear customs, call from Whitehorse (2 hrs ahead of time anyways). then go on to Tok for fuel. If you stop by Whitehorse, I'lll hook you up with cheapest fuel on site and a parking spot.

I keep telling everyone who wants to hear it, if you're coming back Whitehorse (CYXY), make sure to touch base with me

Cheers

Hey Guys,
Thanks for the good information. What I was looking at was information for the return trip via Anchorage and topping off at Gulkana, Alaska $$$. From there Tok is pretty much out of the way flying to Beaver Creek, YT to clear Canadian Customs. I don't have the range to fly from GKN to Whitehorse non-stop. Its just easier figuring the logistics out here at my desk over a cup of coffee than in the middle of Alaska standing under my wing in the rain with no cell coverage.

Thanks again,

James

Take cans then, and stop to top off at Beaver Creek while you're doing Canadian Customs.

MTV

If your flying here in Alaska it is wise to bring 5 gal. cans = 20 X gal. avgas in some areas is far between points if your burning 100 ll. Most areas do have gas. but to bring it to you the price is quite higher then picking it up in 5 gal cans if you can get to a pump. Some spots you can land in the road and pull up to a pump. I have done it many times. If you can burn auto fuel you will have no problem. Good luck and safe flying..

Ken , Stinson flyer

James,
Beaver Creek has auto gas and it is about a mile walk to town! So they told me anyway at White Horse.
As far as I could tell NO Fuel between White Horse and Tok!
The other option if you want a most spectacular trip could be to go from White Horse to Skagway or Haines( I think you can check in that way) over the hill to Yakutat, Cordova, Valdez, or direct to Anchorage from Cordova, Little over the water but not much and some of the most Spectacular scenery you can get!
Can probably find you a place to overnight in Haines, Yakutat, Cordova.
If you don't go up that way You should consider it coming back down.
Guys and Gals at 40 Mile Air in Tok are pretty good people.
Definitely get in touch with Tundra in White Horse, saved Over$.20 a littre there.
Also PM if you want as I will give you my #s and have a friend at Scoop Lake Outfitters, That's about a 100 miles south of Watson Lake, Look it up on the net. One of the most Beautiful places in North America!! Had to clear the strip when I came up as there were about 30 head of Elk on it, Moose in the Lake, Loons bothering you all night with there noise, and Big Pike in the Lake Splashing away, Couldn't hardly Sleep for all the racket!!
Talk to ya soon.
GT

Would be great to do the trip through Skagway to clear customs, but the weather through White Pass was always down. Have others found otherwise and I was just unlucky?

James, A few years ago you were talking about how you were bringing extra cans. How much tankage are you planning on carrying? I always carried 15 gal, but that was all I could fit with the peoples in the plane. With the AKbushbags I would have brought significantly more. Nice to have a relatively safe system for filling out of your wing tanks, as well. With the long range tanks I would fill them and leave the cans empty. After getting to base camp, would fill cans from the wings before going to play on the shorter landing areas.

The distance from Gulkana to Whitehorse is only about 350nm when vectoring around the hills. People talk about doing the trench which is a good 350nm but then get worried about going from Whitehorse to Tok which is only 275nm (more direct over Aishihik and the Nisling, but more remote)??? Plenty of places along any of the routes to stop and top off from your cans.

Remember, if anyone has high compression cylinders and finds themselves needing to run mogas. Fill the just one tank, if you can, and then take off on the 100LL remaining in the other tank. Only when you get to altitude and reduced power settings, switch to the Mogas.

Can sometimes go to Haines Jct. and follow the hiway to Haines and bump back over to Skagway if you need, used to go that way a few years ago coming back from White Horse to Yakutat.
Just behind Haines is a glacier, up over the summit and down the Alsek to the beach. I think 3400 was elevaion.
Could also follow Alsek River down to the beach and check in with Park Service At Yakutat, but probably can't do that anymore?? Not sure how the rafters are doing it now?? Been gone to long!?
Had $50,000 bond at that time.
GT

You guys are awesome - I was just about to ask pretty much the same questions, and here they are answered already!

Is ethanol common in the mogas in Canada? My engine can run mogas, but the last thing I want to do is trash the seals with ethanol while I'm still a long way from home.

Back country Tundra wrote:
{ I keep telling everyone who wants to hear it, if you're coming back Whitehorse (CYXY), make sure to touch base with me
Cheers}
Sure wish I had know this last year! I am planing on a trip again in 2012 sure would like to stop in and see your plane.
Doug

Hey George, Matt & Backcountry Pilots,

Thanks for the information. My Maule only holds 40 gallons at about 10 gph, so I plan on carrying (4) five gallon Walmart gas cans onboard. I drilled breather holes for the back so they will at least they pour, but do take up a lot of space. My wing-man in his Cessna 170 is in the same boat. Sure wish I had some of those collapsible gas cans, but I’m in the wrong tax bracket. Anyway looking forward to a great Alaska trip/hunt & fish.

James

WOW James, you got all of that in your plane?
Just kidding.

Hey Matt,

Here is something for your 7gcbc. I have a Sorensen 90 gallon belly tank that is made for the citabrias and scouts that I never used. I was thinking of just skipping Canada altogether and going non-stop. Add that to my 70 gallon wing tanks and I have 160 gallons. That's 16 hours at 120 mph, or 1920 miles (+ or -).

Now figuring the weights is another matter?

I got it from a guy who brought a 7eca from Africa to Florida.

John
Put that on AK list and you could sell it in a minute.
GT

Super Maule,

Last year we topped off at Tok then had lunch at Chicken, AK. We did Canada customs at Dawson, Yukon (a very easy and pleasant experience) and went straight to Watson Lake, skipping White Horse altogether. I would do that way again.

Matt 7GCBC wrote:Would be great to do the trip through Skagway to clear customs, but the weather through White Pass was always down. Have others found otherwise and I was just unlucky?

I live 15 min flight from the pass...it's bad luck... its definitely NOT always down, a lot of clear days and easy to fly through. Clearing customs in Skagway or Haines is easy as well... next time I go to ANC, I'm for sure going over the water...Skagway to Yakutat and take a look at Dry Bay and the Malaspina glacier then up to Cordova/Valdez and ANC. Missing out on Whitehorse is a shame, it is a beautiful city to spend a day or two in...really is beautiful place.

Flying or driving to Chicken is a great gig too..worth the stop, lots of history and really neat old gold mining town although some folks are still giving it a shot!

Another Option is to fly over Kluane/St-Elias mountains from haines Jct to Yakutat...on a clear day its "MONEY" and you save on fuel at 9500'!!

Now, as far as mogas goes, yes, lots of folks with older Lycoming engines (my buddy's 180 for example) use it, mine is fuel injected 100LL only so I wouldnt know.

I'm trying to fly to Juneau tomorrow night over Atlin and the Taku river down to the Taku glacier and then JNU...weather forecast not the greatest so we'll see.

Cheers, BCT

Hello Backcountry Pilots,
Just wondering if they had tie-down fees at the Lake Hood Airport in Anchorage in August? After some caribou hunting up North I was planning on some hotel camping at the Marriott Residense Inn in Anchorage before heading further south for some salmon fishing near Soldotna with Jeff aka: maule CFI. There would be two airplanes for a couple of days.

Thanks,

James

James
There are a couple right behind the fuel tank on Lake Hood, then if you taxi around the lake towards International there is a couple of rows of transient parking there.
No charge for a few days parking.
I have a KAW. Vulcan parked at a friends house about 1/2 mile walk from the tiedowns, if you need a car I can come up with one of those for you also.
GT