Nice trip to Halibut Cove yesterday with my friend Bob Breeden. Only place to land a wheel plane is a steep beach at low tide. Don't think many folks have done this before as we drew a good sized crowd of locals when it came time to leave. Really nice friendly little community. Definitely going back again.
https://vimeo.com/280763384
SQ2'n in Alaska
Thu Jul 19, 2018 1:13 pm
- Barnstormer offline
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- Location: Alaska
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Sun Jul 22, 2018 1:16 pm
Re: SQ2'n in Alaska
Saw you fellers in King Slammin this morning. Hope yall are having a blast!
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- IMG_20180722_101322.jpeg (49.18 KiB) Viewed 1953 times
- TradeCraft offline
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Sun Jul 22, 2018 3:21 pm
SQ2'n in Alaska
Hey! Wish I would have know you were there. Might drop in for fuel later this week, let’s trade contact info (pm me if you don’t mind)
Went up the coast past Dillingham yesterday. Ten thousand smokes today. Love seeing new country.
Went up the coast past Dillingham yesterday. Ten thousand smokes today. Love seeing new country.
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Sun Jul 22, 2018 10:36 pm
Re: SQ2'n in Alaska
I am not the least bit jealous.... 
- Flying Dave offline
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Sun Jul 29, 2018 10:35 pm
Re: SQ2'n in Alaska
Needed a decompression trip so headed to Alaska Rainbow Lodge to use as a base to fly out and explore for four days and fish for two.
Trip begins by crossing the Cook Inlet and flying through Lake Clark Pass
A day later sees us along the Bering Sea
The next day finds us in the mountains
Then it's two days of fly fishing for Rainbows, Dolly Vardon, Arctic Grayling, Arctic Char and King Salmon. I don't like to eat fish but have to admit that Dolly Vardon/Arctic Char is delicious.
Then off an another flight in search of Walruses and Whales
And finally it's time to head home, back through Lake Clark Pass
Trip begins by crossing the Cook Inlet and flying through Lake Clark Pass
A day later sees us along the Bering Sea
The next day finds us in the mountains
Then it's two days of fly fishing for Rainbows, Dolly Vardon, Arctic Grayling, Arctic Char and King Salmon. I don't like to eat fish but have to admit that Dolly Vardon/Arctic Char is delicious.
Then off an another flight in search of Walruses and Whales
And finally it's time to head home, back through Lake Clark Pass
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Mon Jul 30, 2018 6:04 am
Re: SQ2'n in Alaska
Fresh, unfrozen Dolly Varden/Arctic Char (tell me the difference if you can) is very tasty. Just doesn’t freeze well. And they are great fighters. When they’re in streams, you can catch a two to five pounder on most every cast. Fun fish.
Seems to me you’re having waaaay too much fun, Phil.
MTV
Seems to me you’re having waaaay too much fun, Phil.
MTV
Mon Jul 30, 2018 7:43 am
Re: SQ2'n in Alaska
mtv wrote:Fresh, unfrozen Dolly Varden/Arctic Char (tell me the difference if you can) is very tasty. Just doesn’t freeze well. And they are great fighters. When they’re in streams, you can catch a two to five pounder on most every cast. Fun fish.
Seems to me you’re having waaaay too much fun, Phil.
MTV
They surely are great fighters! I'll have to fess up and say that I've only eaten them right out of the river for a shoreside lunch. And I try to eat ones that I got to the net quickly. Not being a fish eater I'm only assuming, that like wild game, a fish that doesn't have heaps of lactic acid in their muscles (they do have lactic acid yes?) will taste better.
Dolly Varden/Arctic Char. It is my understanding that Dolly Varden are sea run, like Steelhead, and Arctic Char land locked like Rainbows. I was fortunate to fish for both on this trip.
As MTV knows I do love to fish and to go exploring. Wish I could get you hooked on the fishing bug Mike.
One of the things we explored on this trip was an old cannery. Amazing to see its size and imagine it in full swing, but now a ghost town.
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Mon Jul 30, 2018 10:49 am
Re: SQ2'n in Alaska
I was told once by a fisheries expert that both Dolly’s and Char can be sea run.....or not. He said the diagnostic difference between the species is one has two more scales on the midline than the other.
I never bothered to check any.
But I’ve eaten a lot of them.
MTV
I never bothered to check any.
But I’ve eaten a lot of them.
MTV
Mon Jul 30, 2018 8:34 pm
Re: SQ2'n in Alaska
I’m sure they are similar to a rainbow and a steelhead that they are genetically the same fish.
- AK_Logan offline
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Wed Aug 01, 2018 8:00 am
Re: SQ2'n in Alaska
Yesterday was one of those rare days when the flying Wx was perfect, even in the mountains. A friend joined Bob and I for a day of exploring to Prince William Sound.
When it came time to leave this first spot and Bob taxied through the little amount of water you see in front of his Super Cub river rocks glued themselves to the bushwheels and wouldn't come off even after Bob taxied the length of this bar. The danger of course being that on takeoff the rocks would be slung off the tires and into the propellor and these rocks were big enough to either seriously damage of destroy the prop. Fortunately at the other end of the bar was a clear water stream which once taxied through cleaned the tires. An important reminder to always check the tires before starting a takeoff roll when landing off airport or any turf strip.
The next place we landed was this beach to eat lunch and then hike up to a waterfall. While we were there a black Super Cub on floats spotted us and did a couple of orbits over us. On the last he chopped power, opened his window and hollered down to us "Very cool! Awesome!" Then wagged his wings and off he flew. It was a reminder to me that even though this is what I do frequently now it is still a very special thing in a very special place.
We finished off the days adventure at a spot where we like to go hiking.
When it came time to leave this first spot and Bob taxied through the little amount of water you see in front of his Super Cub river rocks glued themselves to the bushwheels and wouldn't come off even after Bob taxied the length of this bar. The danger of course being that on takeoff the rocks would be slung off the tires and into the propellor and these rocks were big enough to either seriously damage of destroy the prop. Fortunately at the other end of the bar was a clear water stream which once taxied through cleaned the tires. An important reminder to always check the tires before starting a takeoff roll when landing off airport or any turf strip.
The next place we landed was this beach to eat lunch and then hike up to a waterfall. While we were there a black Super Cub on floats spotted us and did a couple of orbits over us. On the last he chopped power, opened his window and hollered down to us "Very cool! Awesome!" Then wagged his wings and off he flew. It was a reminder to me that even though this is what I do frequently now it is still a very special thing in a very special place.
We finished off the days adventure at a spot where we like to go hiking.
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Wed Aug 01, 2018 4:07 pm
Re: SQ2'n in Alaska
I'm not liking you much anymore Phil! But please keep on posting this disgusting photo's and video's.. Great job and great life!!!
Tue Jun 18, 2019 11:09 pm
Re: SQ2'n in Alaska
Haven't posted in a while so thought I'd drop in and say "hi".
These are from today. Halibut Cove. There is no strip but there is a very short steep beach that I can land at low tide. Problem is I can't stay long because the tide rises at 6 feet an hour.
First picture is on the beach. Second picture is from the coffee shop looking at the breakwater. On the other side of the breakwater is where I landed. This picture shows better the steepness of the beach, the length and that the beach sits between two points.
Runmor had it that a group of German aviators were staying in Halibut Cove which is why I flew there, but I never found them so off exploring I went.
These are from today. Halibut Cove. There is no strip but there is a very short steep beach that I can land at low tide. Problem is I can't stay long because the tide rises at 6 feet an hour.
First picture is on the beach. Second picture is from the coffee shop looking at the breakwater. On the other side of the breakwater is where I landed. This picture shows better the steepness of the beach, the length and that the beach sits between two points.
Runmor had it that a group of German aviators were staying in Halibut Cove which is why I flew there, but I never found them so off exploring I went.
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Wed Jun 19, 2019 6:36 am
Re: SQ2'n in Alaska
Good to hear from you again Phil. 3 Texans stopped by the hangar yesterday on their way north. A nice husky flown by a fellow named Don, a 182, and a nice M6 flown by David Isham who said he knows you. Nice guys!
Wed Jun 19, 2019 7:53 am
Re: SQ2'n in Alaska
A1Skinner wrote:Good to hear from you again Phil. 3 Texans stopped by the hangar yesterday on their way north. A nice husky flown by a fellow named Don, a 182, and a nice M6 flown by David Isham who said he knows you. Nice guys!
You too David. Those guys are flying up to a great summer. Lots of great weather. Hope you've had a similar summer so far.
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Thu Jun 20, 2019 9:37 am
Re: SQ2'n in Alaska
Just to COOL.....Love the country there!
Thu Jun 20, 2019 10:37 am
Re: SQ2'n in Alaska
WOW does this bring back memories!
Mon Jun 24, 2019 1:01 am
Re: SQ2'n in Alaska
We've got a big wildfire on the Peninsula. Even though there are a bunch of mountains between where my friend and I flew today and it, the haze in these photos is from the fire.
Pee break and some hiking.
Very short beach- from where I'm taking the picture to the plane. And a pair of waterfalls.
Looks like this rock belongs in Yosemite, not Alaska.
Pizza break and a nap.
It was land in this stuff or big rocks. About the same really.
Pee break and some hiking.
Very short beach- from where I'm taking the picture to the plane. And a pair of waterfalls.
Looks like this rock belongs in Yosemite, not Alaska.
Pizza break and a nap.
It was land in this stuff or big rocks. About the same really.
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Fri Jun 28, 2019 11:37 pm
Re: SQ2'n in Alaska
For those that might wonder what all the hub-bub is about with STOL and precision landings- at times it provides access to places like this.
https://vimeo.com/345157673
https://vimeo.com/345157673
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Sun Sep 15, 2019 11:19 am
Re: SQ2'n in Alaska
After loosing most of the summer to smoke from a fire that started at the beginning of June and is still burning, a few days of rain knocked it down enough to allow getting out and exploring again. A friend joined me and off we went.
First stop was an area near a glacier lake that had released a month ago and flooded various rivers and lakes for a hundred miles to the Cook Inlet. What a fantastic day to fly.
This is what remains of the glacier lake. Just icebergs in the foreground and the glacier bits in the background that collapsed when the lake drained. The water actually went under the glacier in the background (this picture is the top of the glacier) when the ice dam at the bottom of the glacier gave way.
We continued on to an island that I had spotted earlier (and named Gilligan's Island) and wanted to explore. It took quite a few passes to find the only place to land. It required we straddle a gravel berm while landing in a turn with a washed up dead tree defining the end. On the right side was a high bank that if we drifted right would drop our wing and do bad things to it. To the left was a better choice to miss the line because if the wing dropped the land also drop away steeply.
Once my friend was down I made probably four passes to figure out the exact line before landing.
In this picture I am standing at the touchdown point. My friend landed first and I behind him. Turning around to back taxi and the turning around again to takeoff was a bit tricky so as not to drop a wheel off either side of the berm. The air was righteous with about 3mph on the nose.
And a hike on the island revealed just how beautiful it was.
First stop was an area near a glacier lake that had released a month ago and flooded various rivers and lakes for a hundred miles to the Cook Inlet. What a fantastic day to fly.
This is what remains of the glacier lake. Just icebergs in the foreground and the glacier bits in the background that collapsed when the lake drained. The water actually went under the glacier in the background (this picture is the top of the glacier) when the ice dam at the bottom of the glacier gave way.
We continued on to an island that I had spotted earlier (and named Gilligan's Island) and wanted to explore. It took quite a few passes to find the only place to land. It required we straddle a gravel berm while landing in a turn with a washed up dead tree defining the end. On the right side was a high bank that if we drifted right would drop our wing and do bad things to it. To the left was a better choice to miss the line because if the wing dropped the land also drop away steeply.
Once my friend was down I made probably four passes to figure out the exact line before landing.
In this picture I am standing at the touchdown point. My friend landed first and I behind him. Turning around to back taxi and the turning around again to takeoff was a bit tricky so as not to drop a wheel off either side of the berm. The air was righteous with about 3mph on the nose.
And a hike on the island revealed just how beautiful it was.
- Barnstormer offline
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Mon Sep 16, 2019 8:37 pm
Re: SQ2'n in Alaska
Keep it coming Phil, we are all enjoying the posts 
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