naten7 wrote:Hi,
I lived in Ketchikan for 6 years. I have a Taylorcraft. I had my plane up there parked on the ramp for some of those years. The fabric was run out anyway but now my plane needs a total restoration. Birds ate parts of the top of my wings. The rate of corrosion in Southeast is truly amazing if you are from the lower 48. The lower ramp where your aircraft will be parked gets a lot of sea spray and mist from the narrows. Ketchikan is where some aircraft go to die. There are several examples on the ramp that will never move under their own power again. It is doable to have your plane there, just plan multiplying your annual maintenance by a factor of 10. I am friends with a former Pro-mech mechanic and they have a large staff of mechanics that work full time year round just to maintain a fleet that does most of its flying in the summer. Most people who own their own planes in Ketchikan have them on floats and have the knowledge and experience to do their own maintenance. There are no hangers you can rent, but I did see one for float hanger for sale recently. All that being said one of the first things I want to do when I retire is restore my plane, put the floats on it and fly it around Ketchikan for a summer. It is one of the most awesome places you could fly a floatplane. Its not easy to have a plane there, but if you wanted life to just be easy, you would not be moving to Ketchikan. If you need help finding a place to stay or any other questions, send me a message.

Mister701 wrote:The first thing you need to do when you get there is order a pair of these for every member of the family:
http://www.lfsmarineoutdoor.com/xtratuf ... boots.html

obxbushpilot wrote:

Mister701 wrote:The first thing you need to do when you get there is order a pair of these for every member of the family:
http://www.lfsmarineoutdoor.com/xtratuf ... boots.html

Yep. Already picked some up. My wife swears she won't be wearing them, but I showed her the Guiness record set by the residents of Ketchikan for the most people to run a race in rain boots. Now she knows everyone wears them. A few days with wet feet and she'll come around.

mtv wrote:

obxbushpilot wrote:

Mister701 wrote:The first thing you need to do when you get there is order a pair of these for every member of the family:
http://www.lfsmarineoutdoor.com/xtratuf ... boots.html

Yep. Already picked some up. My wife swears she won't be wearing them, but I showed her the Guiness record set by the residents of Ketchikan for the most people to run a race in rain boots. Now she knows everyone wears them. A few days with wet feet and she'll come around.

Ummm, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but those boots don't keep one's feet dry......your feet just get wet from sweat, as opposed to external sources....

MTV

naten7 wrote:I never had a problem sweating in my extra tufs. They are the best footwear for living there. Your feet will stay a lot dryer with them on in any case. One day in Ketchikan I walked from the fbo to my plane one day wearing normal clothes you would wear in Seattle. By the time I had walked the 90 seconds my feet were wet inside my waterproof leather shoes because rain soaked through my pants and socks and drained into my shoes.
Speaking of bears, a black bear tore the front panel off the front of my garage door in Ketchikan. My dog ran him off before the bear got in. Its nice to have a good guard dog. Mine is a black lab/german shepard mix.