Bye Bye Little Tires.
Good configuration for sidehill landings or strong crosswinds .... that's a joke.
Sent from my iPhone
Comments [0]
May 4
Apr 28
Photos of the Day -- Sombrero's on Ice
These are some new friends I put up on a secret glacier in the Chugach Mountains. They were in for 8 days and received nearly a foot of fresh powder during their stay. They did a good job of tracking things up, and I was pretty jealous, scroll down through the pictures and you will see why. They said their biggest problem during the week was keeping their beer from freezing ... now that's a good week.
Ross can shred the backcountry but struggles slightly with the athleticism and coordination of the can-can.
Looking up glacier towards the landing sight.
The snow was soft and fluffy, the sun was blinding, the terrain was steep, and the view was so-so ... but other than that it was awesome.
The landing light blaring is always a good indication of a pilot who left the master switch on, but never mind that because the view is great.
A view of camp from above.
I checked on them mid-week and the light was a tad flat, but the fresh snow sure was nice.
Bill skinning up solo for the last run.
One more view of the terrain.
Scott enjoying a sip of stout from a growler that waited patiently for them in the car while they skied.
Comments [0]
Apr 27
Photos of the Day -- Hangin' With Family in Girdwood
We went extravagant today and took the Cessna 185 down to Girdwood for a day of shredding corn snow at Alyeska Ski Resort. My wife is out of town on a girls weekend in Seattle, so her sister, and husband, and I, decided to do a little playing as well. It was a cloudless day on the slopes and my pasty white forehead took a nasty hit from the sun. We managed to get away without a single broken bone and had a beautiful flight home, the tailwind near Whiteout Glacier had us up to 216 mph ground speed. I need to do better at using the airplane for things other than work ... I forget how much fun it is. Thanks Meagan and Dave for a great day, I am blessed with an awesome family !!!
Comments [0]
Apr 26
Photo of the Day -- High Alpine Flying Will Be Here Soon
I was flipping through pictures from a few Summers back and saw this. It made me excited for the Summer months ahead. I remember I took this photo late at night, and the air was dead calm, perfect for pioneering new strips. It was the first time I had landed here, and it's turned out to be one of our favorite strips. I moved several rocks and tussocks and it's a lot smoother now :o) 5500' in the Chugach.
Comments [0]
Apr 25
I cliimbed up to 8000' on my way through the Chugach today. The temperature never dropped below 25 degrees and the wind blew steadily out of the North at 25 knots. It was a long, bumpy slog up to the glacier and a quick trip home. I have no idea of the name of this mountain I was just flying along, fiddling with my camera, and snapped this shot ... I love Alaska.
Photo of the Day -- Granite Out the Window
Comments [0]
Apr 18
Photos of the Day -- Look What My Friends Built Me!
This was the brains behind the operation, she looks young, but she did a great job of keeping everybody lined out :o)
This little project started in 2007 when I did the dirt work. This photo is Ali and I preparing to build the concrete forms, October 2011.
This photo shows my dad relaxing in the wheel barrow minutes before the cement truck arrived, we were really fighting to beat the frozen ground.
This is my nephew and daughter hard at work in the trench two days after the concrete pour. Ali was trying her hand at straightening J-bolts, and Vinny was running the shovel.
This was March 2012. It took me nearly 8 hours to dig the foundation out with the back hoe. We had almost 4 feet of snow on the ground .
This was last Monday April 9th when we started construction.
We set the trusses on Wednesday April 11th, with the help of MANY of my friends.
Building the mezzanine in the back of the hangar.
Our unfinished house, unfinished hangar, cabin, dirt runway, and the neighbors hangar.
The back of the hangar as it sits right now.
This is the front of the hangar without the door. It should fit both the 185 and the Cub very comfortably.
It took us 8 days to frame this thing up, and I couldn't have done a fraction of this with out my friends help. I hired Chuck and Joe Gerwig from Chuck's Custom Construction and Dan Lathrop from Bent Nail construction. Awesome guys, and super hard workers if you need any big projects done. I also had several other good friends dedicate hours/days of the their life to this little project and it turned out to be quite a successful barn raising. I could not be happier with the out-come, they did awesome work. The project will likely go on hold for some time as the finances catch back up with the progress. In the last 6 weeks I flew more than 160 hours and framed the hangar, it's been a productive Spring and I am super thankful, but it's time to slow it down a bit. I only express the productivity to explain the absence on the blog not to pat myself on the back. I couldn't have done any of this with out my friends and family ... we've been a bit busy lately :o)Comments [0]
Apr 14
Photos of the Day -- Dillingham, Caribou, and Springtime
I recently returned from a job in Western Alaska and here are some of the photos. We've been flying a lot this Spring and I am very thankful for the work. The weather has been mostly cooperative and we are gearing up for another busy Summer season. It's been nearly 50 degrees in Wasilla this week and the snow is melting like crazy. Everything that is not snow is a sloppy muddy mess ... especially my driveway. The sun does not set until nearly 930 PM and everybody is feeling the first signs of Alaskan Summer fatigue as the long days end with very short nights. Enjoy the pics.
The town of Dillingham on the Nushagak River in early April.
The coast of the Nushagak Peninsula in early April.
The Quicksilver helicopter working with caribou on the Nushagak Peninsula.
Caribou on the Nushagak Peninsula on the move
A portion of the Bristol Bay ice pack in early April.
The biologist and his caribou, somewhere near Quinhagak, Alaska during a capture.
A refueling point for the helicopter, Found, and Super Cub near the Great Ridge in Western Alaska
Me with caribou number "63". (The frequency of the collar around it's neck ends with "63", the caribou is not dead, only temporarily drugged during a capture procedure.)
My Super Cub sitting on the shore of Kvichak Bay in Western Alaska during a Short Break.
Comments [1]
Mar 21
Photos of the Day -- Out of Town
Watching the C-46 take off from Port Alsworth.
Somewhere near Lake Clark.
Fueling at Lake and Peninsula Airlines . The folks that own and operate Lake and Pen Airlines are some of the finest people on the face of the earth, the best of the best. We've stayed at their house/B&B for the past week and they have made our stay an absolute pleasure. Check out their Anchorage office for flights to Western Alaska or charter with them to anywhere in Alaska. Their equipment and personnel are unmatched.
Checking out some wolf tracks on Fishtrap Lake.
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I'm currently in Western Alaska on another flying job but wanted to take a few minutes to send along some photos of the past few days. The weather has been fantastic with the exception of some 30-40 mph winds that we fought for a short time before giving up and going home early. We just went through equinox so the days are getting much longer, and there is a little bit of heat now felt in the suns rays. Most of the mornings have started out at -15 F but by early afternoon it's nearly 10 above.
Comments [0]
