Okay, sitting here watching the East Coast getting ready to ring in the new year and figured I would check the weather for flying tomorrow. Here is what I am getting for current conditions for Colorado Springs

KCOS 010405Z 05008G104KT 10SM CLR M10/M13 A3015

Feel sorry for those dudes climbing Pikes Peak to set off the traditional fireworks.

Oh by the way, the winds are almost calm here. Either the system is screwed or someone just buzzed the automated system. Happy New Year everyone!

This one time, at band camp...

I sat on the ground at Kotz for days, mail and freeze piling up, trying to get to Point Hope but couldn't because of high winds. For days. Every flight elsewhere I'd get back and call the AWOS up there to see what it was doing. Finally. Winds calm.

I loaded my Sled, fired up, filed with FSS, and off I went to the northwest. As I'm trucking along I thought it was kind of strange. No radio traffic. I figured everybody would be headed up that way with the break in the weather. Oh well, I must have just been the quick one, and was gonna be the first one in.

Well, at about Chariot I was in the middle of an E-ticket ride, and Hoser the Wonder Dog was giving me that look. At Cape Thompson I knew I was gonna die, but I dialed in the AWOS, and by golly, still reporting winds calm. Oh well. I told the dog to hang on, because we're going to Point Hope.

Up and over Cape Thompson, and down on the deck for the run into Point Hope. A mile vis was a big lie, but if asked, I had it in blowing snow and freezing fog. I saw the buildings of town as I went over a few feet from the roofs, and a couple of left turns later had me on short final looking at the runway through the pilot's side window. It was slick, so I never bothered to take the crab out and just slid to a stop on the runway when I landed. I knew I could never turn around on the ramp, so I called Larry, our village agent, on the radio, and had him meet me on the runway to unload.

"What the f**k are you doing here? he yelled.

"Your winds are calm asshole, I'm bringing your mail. What do you think I'm doing," I shouted back

"What do you mean the winds are calm? It's blowing 60, 70 miles per hour"

"Well, your machine says they're calm!"

At that point he knew I was dumber than my dog. He looked at me and said, "The wind blew the sensor off the pole a few hours ago, it's broke."

Oh well... Sliding, ugly takeoff. A beating to where I thought the wings were gonna fall off. And one pissed off Red Heeler later, I made my way back home. As I landed I closed my flight plan with FSS, and my buddy the specialist, my good buddy, asked me over the air, "What the f**k were you doing up there?"

Asshole.

Gump

The very first AWOS was installed in Fort Yukon, AK. All went well till real winter set in, then the vis went to 1/8 mile. It would occasionally clear up, but most days it was really grim. Air taxis weren't allowed to "go look" under IFR with conditions that low, so no mail got delivered.

Turns out they sited the AWOS right next to one of the air carrier's buildings. The station agent would drive to work each morning in his van, and park it next to the AWOS. With the engine running, of course, cause it was -35.......exhaust created a 1/8 mile to 1/4 mile visibility on the AWOS.

Thing got moved later, and became a little more accurate....

MTV

Gump
I think maybe I rode into Cape Lisburn with you the next day, but you dog would not get in the plane.
GT

With a southerly wind Cape Lisburne is the most violent place I've ever flown an airplane. Ever. That place scares the shit out of me.

Gump

Man I never get tired of your stories Gump.
Keep them coming.

I'm a lurker here, but I also want to say that I enjoy Gump's stories, as well (and mtv, etc). You're making this 29 year old student pilot want to quit his dayjob and head to the Yukon!

Keep 'em coming.

Gump,
Was only in there once to clean up an oil spill on the beach.
Was so glad to get on the ground that I swore I wouldn't leave there, but after a couple of weeks was never so glad to see my ride. After my ride out, I swore I would never go back and that time I stuck to it!
GT

Spent the late 70's/early 80's at Lik camp, mineral exploration. I'm always glad to here of other people familiar with some of my old stomping grounds, Noatak, Kivalina, Kotz, Chariot, Cape Thompson and a lot of the DeLong Mountains/Western Brooks Range. Did a lot of flying around that area in a single Otter, Beaver, 500D, Hiller and 206. Hard to adequately describe that country and those people to people who haven't been there. Great fun.

Yeah, words just don't quite do it....

Damn, making myself homesick...

Gump