Video: By Cessna 172 over Alaska I.

17.1.2018

Video: By Cessna 172 over Alaska I. Dear readers, today we start a new section of regular flight videos. In the first series of nine videos, we'll take you over Alaska.

Every Wednesday at 11 a.m. CET, we will be publishing a new video with short accompanying text on Flying Revue. Today´s video maps the route of the first stage of the Alaska 2017 expedition: Everett - Port Hardy - Juneau - Yakutat - Cordova.

Alaska 2017, part 1 - Everett, Port Hardy, Juneau, Yakutat, Cordova. Video: (c) Flying Revue 2018

My Alaska flight expedition started at Paine Field Airport in Everett, WA. This is where I rented a C172. Since the aircraft had not been originally insured for Alaska (as most US aircraft are not) the owner did his best to convince the insurance company to extend the coverage.

This among other things meant that I had to prove my ability to pilot the aircraft in IFR conditions. Another problem was the fact that the aircraft did not have an autopilot. This meant that I had to fly manually the about 80 hours of the expedition. On several occasions I indeed could not avoid IMC conditions. It would have been much easier with an autopilot…
In addition, the absence of the autopilot made it somewhat more difficult for me to take in flight photographs. On the departure day I loaded the aircraft, checked everything together with Jason, a very thorough technician working the aircraft owner. I then departed at around 1 p.m. for Port Hardy in Canada.
In detail, about the Alaska 2017 expedition, read this on-line special.
The first part of the flight took over 3 hours so refuelling at Port Hardy was essential. Since it was already evening I overnighted at a little hotel close to Port Hardy airport. The morning saw me departing at around 8 a.m. for Juneau, the capital of Alaska.
The weather was lousy – low cloud base and rain. This part of the trip was therefore a bit tense. After some 4 hours of flight and I managed to land at Juneau Airport. Here I had to clear US customs once more and then depart further to the North. I knew there were beautiful mountains and glaciers on my right but I could only admire the lower parts of the glaciers. Everything else was hidden in heavy clouds.
My flight finished at Yakutat Airport that day. To fly safely I kept following coast line where visibility was fine and no danger of any obstacles. After a good night sleep at a little B/B in Yakutat I continued on my journey to the North. The weather, however, got bad so I had to land at Cordova. This was the first time I was landing at a non-towered (uncontrolled) airport and co-ordinated over radio my landing with a B737 that was landing there at the same time. Rain continued through the rest of the day so there was no point leaving my room at a Cordova hotel.
Jiri Prusa