Alaska Archives - Golf Hotel Whiskey

Cool Arctic flying videos to get you in the mood for winter

Winter tends to ground most recreational pilots in lower latitudes, but not in places like Alaska where cool weather still means cool flying and even cooler videos.

In this first video posted on the website of the Alaska Dispatch, Alaskan pilot Mike Collins takes you over the skies of Cordova in both a Super Cub and Cessna 185:

In this next video, also from the Alaska Dispatch, you will learn how to safely land your aircraft in a gorge during a blizzard:

Meanwhile, a quick look around on YouTube found this cool video (the person who uploaded it has a few other great videos as well) showing what to expect in good winter conditions for flying, skiing and sightseeing around the spectacular Glacier Bay National Park:

Finally, the Aviationist blog has found a really cool video shot from a cockpit of a NASA P-3B aircraft as part of an operation under a name of Ice Bridge which is intended to examine ice conditions at both the North and South poles. Its one of the largest surveillance missions covering both the Arctic and Antarctic regions with the main goals being to create a 3D map of the ice cover:

Pilot error: Asking the “why” question

Colleen Mondor has written a thought provoking essay for the Alaska Dispatch about what causes pilot error that is well worth reading by pilots everywhere. Colleen began by telling the story of how a friend of hers was flying on a a clear day in a single-engine Cessna 207 hauling a load of mail when he flew into a box canyon at a low altitude, hit the ridge line and cart-wheeled. Her friend did not survive.

The weeks and months after the tragedy was followed with the overwhelming question of "why," a question she has become accustomed to asking after a crash – an all too common occurrence in Alaska. She then added:

Why did a pilot seek to overtake one of my classmates on final approach at an uncontrolled airfield resulting in a fatal mid-air collision when I was in college? We will never know. Why did one of my co-workers at a Fairbanks commuter crash into the Yukon River when one engine failed on a twin engine aircraft? We will never know.

And while Colleen noted that Alaska is famous for its treacherous landscape and unpredictable weather, she was quick to add that such characteristics alone are no excuse for the state’s poor aviation safety record and the question everyone still struggles with after an accident is why pilots “sometimes abandon the most fundamental of flight safety lessons for nebulous chances at success.”

As for the NTSB, Colleen pointed out their task is only to determine what causes an accident. And even after the Probable Cause accident reports are completed, investigators often still do not know why a pilot made the last choices before a crash – especially if the crash was fatal.

As for Colleen’s friend who died in the Cessna 207 crash, the NTSB concluded he was flying at a low level because he was following a wolf pack. However, why he allowed the wolves to lead him into a box canyon he was unfamiliar with at a low altitude will always be a mystery…

Would seeing this written on an aircraft wing scare you?

Imagine you are a passenger on Alaska Airlines and you look out of your window and see the following message written on the wing of your aircraft:

According to FlightBlogger, Alaska Airlines was already forced to go on to Twitter to apologize by saying that the maintenance message (which had gone viral on reddit earlier in the week) was "inappropriate" and added: "We have followed up w/ the team.” Now, that sounds even more serious….. (Are heads about to roll down in maintenance?!!!)

However and in the reddit discussion forum where the photo was originally posted, a self-identified Delta Air Lines employee wrote that such an ominous (or darkly humorous!) message will do wonders to reduce paperwork:

"Marking apparent damage prevents reports from being filed at each station at which the aircraft arrives….”

Of course, Alaska Airlines passengers have no way of knowing that and I am not so sure if such a message would reduce the workload of the stewards/stewardesses aboard the aircraft!

Amazing video of an engine failure over Alaska

Hat tip to the FlightSchoolList.com for finding and posting this amazing video taken by a passenger in a Cessna 170B that experienced an engine failure back in 1989 while entering Mystic Pass in the Alaska Range. The scenery in the video is amazing but what will have you at the edge of your seat is when the engine quits. However and shortly before making a rough landing, the passenger turned off the camera in order to brace for impact.

No one was injured when the aircraft landed and the pilot did walk off 900 usable feet of gravel bar. Hence, a friend who is also an excellent bush pilot and an A&P flew in a borrowed engine and by using a spruce-legged tripod made from trees, he was able to swap engines right on the gravel bar in just four hours. He then flew the aircraft to the A&P’s hangar where he put together a "new" engine.

Ultimately, the pilot sold the Cessna in 1992 and he believes it’s still flying somewhere up in Alaska.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTiGU5TiYCE&w=480]

Mythbusters asks: Can an airplane fly covered only in duct tape?

Everyone knows that duct tape is useful but can an aircraft fly covered in the stuff? Apparently yes, according to the TV show Mythbusters. Moreover, there was an incident two years ago where an Alaska pilot was forced to repair his Super Cub’s fuselage and tail by wrapping it all up in duct tape after it was mauled by a hungry bear looking for food.

To test whether or not an aircraft could be repaired with duct tape and then fly, Mythbusters went to James Wiebe’s Belite Aircraft to first “maul” an aircraft with mechanical claw and then repair it with duct tape. The aircraft was able to fly.

If you want to see plenty of great (but copyrighted!) pictures of the duct tape airplane, check out James’ blog here. Otherwise, AVweb has posted several pictures (including the two below) of the aircraft that got mauled by the Alaskan bear.

Bad landing on a snow-covered runway

General Aviation News has recently published an excerpt from a March 2009 National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident report about an incident involving a Piper Navajo and a snow covered runway in Buckland, Alaska that is well worth repeating even though spring is almost here. According to the accident report:

The commercial pilot was attempting to land on the snow-covered runway. He applied the brakes but the airplane did not slow. It was about 500 feet from the departure end of the runway when the pilot realized that stopping was going to be a problem, but he elected not to abort the landing. The airplane slid off the end of the runway into a snowbank.

Luckily there were no injuries but the aircraft did suffer from substantial damage.

Upon closer examination of the runway, the pilot noticed that it was covered with light snow over ice. However, the pilot also pointed out that he had landed there the previous day and that the runway condition was acceptable. Moreover, he stated that he had not received any reports or instructions about braking action for the airport on the day of the incident. Nevertheless, the FAA Information Supplement for the airport notes that it is unattended and recommends a visual inspection prior to landing.

In other words and if you are flying in winter, be sure to check the runway conditions at the airport you intend to take off and land from – especially if it is unattended.