After soloing for the first time on New Years eve this year I have been having a blast every chance I can get up practicing at all the local airstrips and enjoying the views that Alaska has to offer! I am up to 21.6 hours so far and should be starting cross country this weekend.

Cool, man. Looks awesome.

Outstanding......

Excellent!! I have a sense you understand how very, very lucky you are to be learning to fly in a tailwheel airplane and in such a beautiful place

Good job and savor the moment

Congrats and happy to see another Alaskan take to the air.
Fly safe and hope to see you at the air show this year.

Ken in Alaska

DBI wrote:Excellent!! I have a sense you understand how very, very lucky you are to be learning to fly in a tailwheel airplane and in such a beautiful place

Good job and savor the moment

Thank you! I definitely do, It had been a dream of mine to both make it to Alaska one day and also to become a pilot. At 43 I have finally been able to do both.

akflyer2001 wrote:Congrats and happy to see another Alaskan take to the air.
Fly safe and hope to see you at the air show this year.

Ken in Alaska

I will be there Ken! Looking forward to meeting you and other forum members!

Congrats from another newly soloed (1/11/13) AK pilot. I have been flying around Alaska with my dad since I was a kid. Flying by yourself takes it to a new level. You can't beat using a magic carpet to get out and experience this place.

Congratulations to you and AK454. Get those cross-wind landings down and you will really enjoy those taildraggers. Palmer is a great place to practice x-winds as we have a lot of wind along with a gravel strip to take the bite out of those gusts. Then come on out to the Wrangell mountains and get the kind of photographs that you have dreamed of.

AK454 wrote:Congrats from another newly soloed (1/11/13) AK pilot. I have been flying around Alaska with my dad since I was a kid. Flying by yourself takes it to a new level. You can't beat using a magic carpet to get out and experience this place.

Congrats to you as well! Who are you training with and what plane?

Nizina wrote:Congratulations to you and AK454. Get those cross-wind landings down and you will really enjoy those taildraggers. Palmer is a great place to practice x-winds as we have a lot of wind along with a gravel strip to take the bite out of those gusts. Then come on out to the Wrangell mountains and get the kind of photographs that you have dreamed of.

I have been practicing out on the gravel strip at Palmer a little bit, but so far not alot of crosswind. Usually there is too much wind out there for me to practice in at this point though so it has been limited. I have been hitting Wasilla, Willow and Birchwood the most.

Hunt'n'photos wrote:I have been practicing out on the gravel strip at Palmer a little bit, but so far not alot of crosswind. Usually there is too much wind out there for me to practice in at this point though so it has been limited. I have been hitting Wasilla, Willow and Birchwood the most.

All three are great places to practice, but Birchwood can get a bit crowded. Willow is my favorite for taildragger practice and you might also want to try Goose Bay across the inlet.

Keep having fun.

Hunt'n'photos wrote:

AK454 wrote:Congrats from another newly soloed (1/11/13) AK pilot. I have been flying around Alaska with my dad since I was a kid. Flying by yourself takes it to a new level. You can't beat using a magic carpet to get out and experience this place.

Congrats to you as well! Who are you training with and what plane?


I am training with a long time family friend who is a CFI. He doesn't take very many private pilot certs, he usualy does bi-annual reviews and instrument ratings. I am flying in a C-172 that I bought this fall. I am looking foward to start doing some cross country in the near future.

OMG I love this forum. This thread is making me miss AK very much. We just moved back to SD to be nearer our kids and grandkids. We were living in outside of Delta Junction, and last April I was flying all of these strips your talking of, as I was receiving my BFR and tail wheel endorsement. 88 take-offs and landings in 4 days. Wow did I love it. I think Goose Bay was my favorite. Congrats on soloing and never stop learning. Also, know your learning in the best place to fly in America.

Clear Skies,

180jocky

Wow! That looks awesome! What an amazing place to learn to fly in and in a proper aircraft too

180jocky wrote:OMG I love this forum. This thread is making me miss AK very much. We just moved back to SD to be nearer our kids and grandkids. We were living in outside of Delta Junction, and last April I was flying all of these strips your talking of, as I was receiving my BFR and tail wheel endorsement. 88 take-offs and landings in 4 days. Wow did I love it. I think Goose Bay was my favorite. Congrats on soloing and never stop learning. Also, know your learning in the best place to fly in America.

Clear Skies,

180jocky

180jocky,
I spent a ton of time in South Dakota during two different tours stationed at Ellsworth. My wife is from a tiny little town on the Missouri river there and if we ever leave Alaska that is where we will go. But that is a big if! We both love Alaska and will be retiring here for as long as she can handle the long winters! My son is currently going to college back in Vermillion too so that gives me a reason to come down and go pheasant hunting from time to time!

Nizina wrote:

Hunt'n'photos wrote:I have been practicing out on the gravel strip at Palmer a little bit, but so far not alot of crosswind. Usually there is too much wind out there for me to practice in at this point though so it has been limited. I have been hitting Wasilla, Willow and Birchwood the most.

All three are great places to practice, but Birchwood can get a bit crowded. Willow is my favorite for taildragger practice and you might also want to try Goose Bay across the inlet.

Keep having fun.

My instructor originally told me we would be spending quite a bit of time at Goose Bay, but there has been a rash of kids go out there on atvs and tear up the strip enough to where he didnt feel comfortable taking me out there so far. Hope that changes soon!

Hunt'n'Photos wrote:
that gives me a reason to come down and go pheasant hunting from time to time!

When and if you do that send a PM my way. I could fly out wherever you're staying and maybe go fly around a bit.

I have seen pheasants down around Ninilchik and Homer, maybe AK has a a season (ha).

My wife and I are thinking of any plan we can to be able to go between SD and AK and still make a living. So if we ever figure it out maybe I'll look you up, up there. Also, the guy I bought my plane from lives in Eagle River, small world.

Clear Skies,

180jocky

I definitely will 180! And look me up when you get back. I am sure you be back up here soon!

Awesome Photos Man! You're living my dream. I am working on it too...but you are much farther along than I am.

Good Job!

Sweet deal!