I had spent the last 2 previous flying hours just doing some training and a bunch of landings in my new to me plane. I was so excited to be able to get out on my own and just have a fun flight. We had a week of bad weather and then a 20 inch snow dumping, I couldn't wait to finally let the plane of it's leash. After clearing plane of snow on 3 separate occasions and doing the manual snow shoveling labor, the weather eventually broke and I was up and out.

For those who have followed my journey here on BackcountryPilot.org or are just joining in, the last time I flew up to the Knik river was a tragic event. An instructor nosed over a plane that I had just bought, it was my first time in the plane and my first tailwheel lesson. That was about 1 and 1/2 years ago. From that day forward, I had been dreaming about finally getting another airplane.

Within that hiatus time, I had gotten into a great relationship with a gal that inspired me to seek my dreams. I decided to go ahead and leap towards them even though my last tailwheel and owner experience was not so great. So over the last 2 months, I completed my biennial sign-off and tailwheel endorsement in a rented plane. A few weeks ago I bought a Piper PA-12 and have been itching to get back to the Knik ever since. I love everything about glaciers. I grew up in rural town in Tennessee with just corn fields and tobacco barns, it's all I knew until I moved to Alaska back in 2017 when I was 22. I got my PPL within 6 months of arriving in Alaska, only training after working my full-time gig. Later on, I wrote a trip report about receiving my Float Rating at Alaska Floats & Skis. At that point in time, I couldn't wait to have my own plane. About 6-7 months afterwards, I purchased a T-craft just for a licensed instructor to fail at showing off. I then took a year and a half hiatus from flying. The Knik being in the back of my mind the whole time. I saved up and bought something a little nicer, something I'm proud of and am so excited to be able to call my own.

Here's some pictures of my first real flying adventure out in my new plane. I will post future trip reports here on this forum topic. I'm happy to be able to share my experiences with a like minded group.

Knik Glacier




Found some off-road vehicles to solute to.


Making my way back for dinner up the river.


The snow piled up from the night before.

From a dream to reality; it doesn't get much better and only gets better, go forth and live large.

Sometimes delayed gratification brings bigger smiles. Enjoy!

Flyhound wrote:Sometimes delayed gratification brings bigger smiles. Enjoy!

That's what she said

That is freaking awsome! Have fun.

Dude get that snow off yer wings before they fold up like a bird! Pretty decent dump there.

Zzz wrote:Dude get that snow off yer wings before they fold up like a bird! Pretty decent dump there.

Haha right? Here's a picture of the area cleared about 2 hours later. Came back that night to another 5-6 inches of snow, it was relentless. Tail cover is on the way!

Good on you!

You're going to find that solid wing/tail covers in Anchorage have limitations. Place can get windy. Primary point: If you're going to keep wing covers on, and ANY wind comes up, get your butt to the airport and, if necessary, remove those covers.

In windy places, I MUCH prefer mesh covers. Yes, there's the issue of freezing drizzle, melting snow, etc. BUT, I'd rather deal with that than the cords on covers sawing through leading edges, and/or covers ripping and beating the hey outta fabric.

Talk to some of the folks who tie down where yours is. Winter there can be brutal. And, make absolutely certain your tie downs are SOLID. Again, if the wind blows, get your butt out there and tend the plane.

I can't tell you how many nights I've spent tending tiedowns/covers/etc. Get a big thermos for coffee.....

MTV

mtv wrote:You're going to find that solid wing/tail covers in Anchorage have limitations. Place can get windy. Primary point: If you're going to keep wing covers on, and ANY wind comes up, get your butt to the airport and, if necessary, remove those covers.

In windy places, I MUCH prefer mesh covers. Yes, there's the issue of freezing drizzle, melting snow, etc. BUT, I'd rather deal with that than the cords on covers sawing through leading edges, and/or covers ripping and beating the hey outta fabric.

Talk to some of the folks who tie down where yours is. Winter there can be brutal. And, make absolutely certain your tie downs are SOLID. Again, if the wind blows, get your butt out there and tend the plane.

I can't tell you how many nights I've spent tending tiedowns/covers/etc. Get a big thermos for coffee.....

MTV

I currently have a pair of both solid and mesh covers wing covers. The solid one's have been doing much better with all this snow and frost, I'm definitely keeping an eye on the wind though. I've noticed that I've been making the 25 minute drive to the airport way too much lately, might just have to move closer lol.

CompSciAndFly wrote:

mtv wrote:You're going to find that solid wing/tail covers in Anchorage have limitations. Place can get windy. Primary point: If you're going to keep wing covers on, and ANY wind comes up, get your butt to the airport and, if necessary, remove those covers.

In windy places, I MUCH prefer mesh covers. Yes, there's the issue of freezing drizzle, melting snow, etc. BUT, I'd rather deal with that than the cords on covers sawing through leading edges, and/or covers ripping and beating the hey outta fabric.

Talk to some of the folks who tie down where yours is. Winter there can be brutal. And, make absolutely certain your tie downs are SOLID. Again, if the wind blows, get your butt out there and tend the plane.

I can't tell you how many nights I've spent tending tiedowns/covers/etc. Get a big thermos for coffee.....

MTV

I currently have a pair of both solid and mesh covers wing covers. The solid one's have been doing much better with all this snow and frost, I'm definitely keeping an eye on the wind though. I've noticed that I've been making the 25 minute drive to the airport way too much lately, might just have to move closer lol.

Good for you. These airplanes are too much of a joy to ignore them when they could use some TLC.

You’ll do well as an airplane owner.

MTV

CompSciAndFly wrote:

Zzz wrote:Dude get that snow off yer wings before they fold up like a bird! Pretty decent dump there.

Haha right? Here's a picture of the area cleared about 2 hours later. Came back that night to another 5-6 inches of snow, it was relentless. Tail cover is on the way!

I neglected to add that it is also a really cool pic.

I bought a new camera and had my first landing at Inner Lake George. I hope y'all enjoy the video (P.S. It's always better in 4K)!!

Good video. You have the camera in the right place, somehow. Tail waggers keep it straight on takeoff, landing, and when directing their course to a target. Wing waggers have problems. Showing the rudder movement that way is good. Coordination is overrated in places where we don't want to turn.

CompSciAndFly wrote:I bought a new camera and had my first landing at Inner Lake George. I hope y'all enjoy the video (P.S. It's always better in 4K)!!

Nice, Logan. I enjoyed it and even watched the entire thing The blue ice is gorgeous.

Zzz wrote:

CompSciAndFly wrote:I bought a new camera and had my first landing at Inner Lake George. I hope y'all enjoy the video (P.S. It's always better in 4K)!!

Nice, Logan. I enjoyed it and even watched the entire thing The blue ice is gorgeous.

Haha thank you Zane! Can't beat that beautiful blue color.

I flew into the Picnic Table Strip for the first time yesterday, it was an awesome experience! I walked around near the water and the area for a couple of hours or so. Afterwards I jumped in the plane and went through the gorge and onto the Beaverponds strip. That was my first time landing there as well, what a sweet place! After the walking I did earlier near the Picnic table strip, I began to get a bit thirsty. Unfortunately, I forgot my water bottle. So if I was going to continue exploring the area near Beaverponds, then I was gonna have to grab some water from one of the streams. The stream was so clear, being glacial runoff, so I doubt I even needed a filter. However, it gave me a good opportunity to test out the Life Straw in my survival kit. I was really just recording these videos to send to my family once I got home, because I thought it was a funny situation. My girlfriend ended up editing it and putting it into a video for me. I think I'll be doing some more of the VLOGS in there future, because I thought it actually turned out pretty well. Especially since I didn't have to spend the time editing lol. So here it is: (subscribe!)

FWIW: I carry a large ziplock bag or two, fill it with stream water and then use the Lifestraw while in a more comfortable position that laying down face first.

I prefer the ground, makes the experience more authentic

Congratulations on perseverance…working hard, getting your license, not letting the mishap hold you back. Great—AWESOME—life story Logan.

Your video is excellent. Good job keeping that tail moving!

Keep us posted on your experiences. Hopefully we can link up in the Wrangell’s later this summer.