I gassed up at Toad river last Sept. and a few other times over the years, never called , just dropped in . Keep up the post & pics. .
Doug

Hope you got some real BBQ. Kansas City is the only place on earth to get it. Wish I could do a trip like this with my son. Good looking short wing.

At Toad River just announce your intentions for landing on 123.2 5 miles out. This is the Canadian frequency for uncontrolled strip. I am not sure if the strip is useable all winter it says in our flight supplement that it is not maintained in winter.toad River ph 250 232-5401 Identifier is CBK7.Another place Muncho Lake(ph 1 800 663 5269 there is a 3000 ft ice strip on the lake and a lodge. They had a fly-in there a couple weeks ago.They should have gas as there is a charter outfit that runs out of there. If you are still going the Highway route you can stop in Fort St John I have fuel just give me a heads up at [email protected] or text me 250 261-1883

I suspect the admonition at Toad River is a liability thing......if you bollux up a landing we told you not to land here.

I've never heard of anyone landing there and not being VERY welcome.

Great trip blog. You and Cedric will be looking back at this for decades......good on you for recording it.

MTV

mtv wrote:I suspect the admonition at Toad River is a liability thing......if you bollux up a landing we told you not to land here.
I've never heard of anyone landing there and not being VERY welcome.

Is it just me maybe gettin' a bit long of tooth, or does it seem like just yesterday we always used the highway itself to stop for gas and a cup of Joe. Airplanes were always welcome from one end of the AlCan to the other.

Gump

Troy

Nice flight log and make sure to take plenty of pictures. I took my son on a trip to the lower-48 and back a few years back in our 182. It was a very memorable and bonding experience, but I didn't take enough pictures. Things that looked mundane at each of the airports along the way are today quite special to view and remember. There are great places to stay and visit along the Alcan---Toad River being the first of several.

Nice looking new plane. If you cross into Alaska by way of Skolai Pass, you will probably fly over my place. Otherwise, I suspect that you will come through Northway and then down to Gulkana and Tahneta Pass.

Enjoy the rest of the trip.

Nizina

GumpAir wrote:

mtv wrote:I suspect the admonition at Toad River is a liability thing......if you bollux up a landing we told you not to land here.
I've never heard of anyone landing there and not being VERY welcome.

Is it just me maybe gettin' a bit long of tooth, or does it seem like just yesterday we always used the highway itself to stop for gas and a cup of Joe. Airplanes were always welcome from one end of the AlCan to the other.

Gump

There're still places along the highway you can land and pull off for gas. Problem is at this time of year, most of them aren't open. Toad River is open all year.

MTV

I walked into FSS at Whitehorse about five years ago, just to hear the specialist chewing on a guy in an experimental who wanted to land on the highway at Burwash to dump some gas in and get a bite to eat.

Man oh man... Doom and gloom, and you're gonna go to jail if they catch you. Maybe just the FSS guy being over protective, but he said the RCMP's attitude had changed, as had the laws about landing on the highway, and it was now a big no-no.

Gump

Sounds like you have maybe done this trip before, but just in case, the camping at the Watson Lake gazebo is really nice, especially on a trip like this with your son. At this time of year you'll probably be one of the first if not the first of the season, so expect to do some shoveling, but the Nav Canada folks should have a loaner shovel, and there should be stacked firewood for the barrel stove. Speaking of swans, I once awoke to a couple hundred of them taking off from the lake at dawn, right next to the gazebo, at this time of year.

Cheers,

-DP

Too late and too tired to add anything here, but wanted to thank everybody for encouragement, input and advice. This is why I love this site. Cedric and I are having a great trip but we are in a visiting and waiting phase now as we don't have our flywire yet. Hopefully post more in the next couple days.

Be aware that both Fort Nelson and Fort St John have landing fees now. Stretch it out to Watson Lake and then Whitehorse if you can do it safely and comfortably.

On approach to Torrington, the density altitude was reported as 5,000 feet. Since the airport is at 4,200 feet, that isn't a lot higher than the actual elevation, but I was already looking at this as a good warmup for the next few stops, where Buffalo would likely be the highest airport at 4,970 feet. For all you Western States flyers, these numbers are probably laughably low. But keep in mind that the highest airport I've landed at in Alaska is pretty low...probably PAIN at 1,720 feet. I definitely don't feel like a high altitude wizard.

The winds were light and somewhat indeterminate, but apparently sort of favored runway 10, so we flew downwind, got a look, and negotiated with an ag plane on the ground for sequencing of our arrival and his departure. As we came down, the airspeed and the groundspeed were noticeably at odds with each other. We started mushing while moving over the ground at speeds I don't usually expect, but the airspeed indicator doesn't lie. It played its normal tune, and we ended up touching down with a nice landing and getting a little help from the Unicom operator to figure out where we were taxiing to. The fuel tanks weren't apparent, and the fueling equipment was housed in little cubes that looked like weather covers, so I didn't recognize it as a fueling station.

We hit the restrooms, sat around and flew the armchairs for a few minutes with the gentlemen that were there, then loaded up and headed out. Still 5,000 foot density altitude. Still sort of favoring runway 10. We lined up and leaned to best power, then launched. The airplane took a little while longer than normal to get to flying speed, then started lifting off nicely. I verified positive rate of climb, reached down, and stowed the flaps. I didn't just dump them, but I didn't exactly milk them off either. We immediately started sinking back down to the runway, and mushing along. Pushed the nose down, watched the airspeed indicator, and we flew most of the runway between 50 and 100 feet AGL before we got enough speed up to be absolutely positive that re-initiating climb was not going to be a disappointment.

Hmmm...

Guess I better think about how I am going to do that, starting with the flaps are going to come up slowly next time...

We turned on course toward Buffalo and headed into the undeveloped country. We were climbing up to get above terrain, but we were going to try to climb higher than we needed to as a bit of a test. One of the routes we were considering taking was over Yellowstone National Park after leaving Buffalo. En route altitudes for that adventure were going to need to be in the 10,000 foot range, or close to it. Clouds on the landscape made for a lovely view, but there was definitely some vertical air movement going on.


We made 8,500 feet with no problem, but we were getting close enough to get increasing levels of updrafts and downdrafts, and we didn't have enough climb authority to feel like we could accurately hold our altitude in the face of the thermal activity. At one point we hit 8,900 feet, followed shortly by 8,250 feet. Which gave me pause. If we encountered similar thermal activity at similar altitudes over Yellowstone, we might find ourselves doing a high speed taxi instead of flying...

As we flew across the major expanse of high plains, I punched in nearest on the GPS to see what airports were around, as I like listening to the most relevant traffic. The nearest airport was over 50 miles away. That was unexpected. Those are Alaska sorts of gaps in infrastructure.

Nearing Buffalo, the breaks started to become pretty impressive below. I can only imagine the slow nature of foot passage over those folds in the earth, having never been down in them.


Looking at Buffalo, I knew exactly where the runway had to be, both because I remembered it from before and also because it was clearly indicated by the GPS. But it was still very difficult to pick out. Have a look at this photo, perhaps you'll see what I mean...


The wind favored a landing on 13, which is a slight downhill, but with winds around 10 kts, the downhill was a better option, so we entered left downwind for 13. A low-wing plane on the ground started taxiing and a Centurion called in from 10 north. We came around and landed while the low-winger was waiting at the taxiway, and the Centurion landed after we taxied off.

We taxied over to Johnson County Aero, where we parked last time we were here, and parked. I went in to ask about tie downs and fuel, and noticed the signs in the window. Apparently the owner has had enough. The signs indicated he would rather collect welfare than continue fighting to run the business. And it appeared he didn't appreciate the results of the most recent election, as that figured prominently on one of the signs.

I ran into him inside and he indicated he wasn't selling fuel anymore, as the self-serve installation around the corner had undercut him too much to make it worthwhile to continue.

On the way back out, the Centurion pilot came by and we chatted for a while. This was the polar opposite experience. The gentleman was incredibly upbeat about the day, the great weather, and the fact that he had been so happy about the weather he had commuted to work by plane that day, and was just getting back. Life was good.

Sort of like running into the two faces from the theatrical society logos in rapid succession.

Our friend Albert came and picked us up and Cedric got to go have all his hopes verified. He later told me that we had done a terrible job describing the awesomeness that Albert had stored in his trophy rooms.






I can see why he might like it...I pretty much like it myself...

Am thinking either going Dease Lake to Whitehorse, or McKenzie to Toad River to Watson Lake.

Troy Hamon wrote:Am thinking either going Dease Lake to Whitehorse, or McKenzie to Toad River to Watson Lake.

Call me when you get to Watson Lake, fuel pump is opened (Credit card). Careful with Toad River, at this time of the year the runway can be covered in snow (not maintain but yes, you can land anytime without prior auth). Last year in April I landed there...int the snow/mud... just be extra careful...you can circle it up first and look for the survey sticks...I killed a couple with my wheels. If there's a chance to land there, you look at the first 600-900 feet on the left hand side

Here's my April approach/landing on small 850's

Drop me a PM and I'll give you my #, you can stay here in Whitehorse, plenty of room. Cheers, J-M

Today's situation...seller's information (it is an LLC) is listed differently from how he listed on the Bill of Sale as the buyer. So we have now entered the phase where the airplane is parked and we get to run around and try to solve bureaucratic paperwork mazes while separated from the seller by a few time zones.

Should be fun. Anybody have any experience getting this stuff dealt with after the FAA slaps a rejection notice on your paperwork? What sort of time frame is realistic for getting this done now? Trying to evaluate my alternatives...mostly hoping I can get home within 14 days if I get cracking tomorrow.

Ugh. BTDT. Hanging out in NW Montana in my case, a few years ago. Two choices: Pay what under the circumstances is a very reasonable fee to an expeditor in OK City to walk paperwork in and out of the building, overnight it to you and the seller etc. (maybe you have one already?)

Or fly there yourself and do the same thing.

Really.

Can't remember who I used last time but they are all about the same and all located spitting distance to FAA HQ.

I had an issue when de-registering my plane in December, (so I could re-register it in Canada). I was pleasantly surprised to find it was easier to talk to a real person in Oklahoma than I would have ever guessed and they seemed helpful. I was able to do everything through overnight deliveries, but did have to wait a couple of extra days for Oklahoma to get to it. The idea of getting a local expeditor makes the most sense, rather than waiting the extra time to get to your case. Good luck.

Steve

If anybody has worked with one of the local expediter companies I'd love to know which one.

Looks like your spot says your back in Wenatchee. If you need a place to stay for awhile I have a nice waterfront place in Pateros. I'll be over tomorrow. You can fly into Chelan, or Brewster (free but no fuel) I can pick you up. Stay as long as you need. I plan on flying to Alaska some day and might need some help on your end??

avi8ter,

Thanks very much for the offer. At present, Wenatchee is my home base as I am staying with one of my brothers that lives here. I'd be happy to meet up if you are coming this way, but I'm going to sit tight for a few days trying to get the paperwork addressed and catching up remotely on my real job...

You are absolutely welcome to come see us and make use of us if you ever have need in Alaska. Always glad to help.

Troy