PacMan's Comm X-Country with pics

PacMan4x4 · May 17th, 2006, 00:29

What a great feeling to finally get this done...did my long (SOLO <sarcasm>) commercial cross country today. Ended up going from Elmendorf AFB to King Salmon. I had to cross the Alaska Range to get from the cook inlet area to the western side of the state. I made my way from Elmendorf and passed through Lake Clark Pass and straight to King Salmon. On the way back home I stopped in Illiamna to gas up and filed another flight plan before heading back through the mountains to return home. It was 5.7 hours logged into the ol' log book and was right around 600 miles total distance. This was the first time I had been across the Alaska Range to the other side, so it was nice to have made the trip. I took the liberty of attaching some photos so ya'll could see what I was looking at quite a bit today. Hope ya'll enjoy.

PacMan4x4 · May 17th, 2006, 00:31

More Pics of the Trip

PacMan4x4 · May 17th, 2006, 00:32

and some more....

PacMan4x4 · May 17th, 2006, 00:33

last ones....I promise:-)

ASpilot2be · May 17th, 2006, 01:39

Awesome pics

I am still having a hard time deciding whether I want to do my PPL training in the Palmer/Anchorage area, or up in Fairbanks. Decisions, decisions. Anyways, nice to see another part of the state from the air.

PacMan4x4 · May 17th, 2006, 01:52

Haven't been up to Fairbanks flying...yet. In my biased opinion, I like the Anchorage area...there is so much to see that is so close. But, while you are training, you aren't going to have to worry so much about the scenery. The Anchorage area would offer some crazy airspace to work in and out of with having the Class C mixed with different segments (merrill field, Elmendorf, Lake Hood, and Anc Int') plus the Part 93 special airspace rules. As long as you are flying somewhere....that's all that matters. Wish I had a nice sunny day that Aloft had on his x-country in Utah yesterday. It looked beautiful for his flight. Don't you have anywhere closer to do your training ASpilot2be? When do you plan on starting up?

Stone Cold · May 17th, 2006, 02:02

Just curious, what kind of temps do y'all have up there nowadays? It looks very cold in those pics (FL boy, Texas born and bred, saying this). Great looking country to do a flight in though.

ASpilot2be · May 17th, 2006, 02:06

I wish I had somewhere closer. I tried the only flight school in Southeast, but I dont think I could stand the instructor much longer. So Anchorage or Fairbanks is next closest. I would start training next February.

PacMan4x4 · May 17th, 2006, 02:19

TX...it's been sitting in the high 40's to low 50's for the last couple of weeks I've been home (Anchorage) for vacation. Was a helluva lot warmer last year at this time. It was only like 35 degrees at 4000 feet while I was screamin' through the pass in the ol' 172...not too bad.

ASpilot2be....have you been looking into any schools in particular for either location?

ASpilot2be · May 17th, 2006, 02:23

I have three schools in mind:

Mustang Air in Palmer
Warbelows in Fairbanks
Aerotech at Merrill Field

Ian J · May 17th, 2006, 09:59

Beautiful pics, pacman.

shooter13 · May 17th, 2006, 14:33

Great pictures. Love the mountains. Something tells me I have missed somethings in flight training. All we have around here is lots of flat land.

PacMan4x4 · May 17th, 2006, 16:52

Thanks Chinook....
Shooter....the one thing I can say I got plenty of during training was the scenery. I enjoy the flights up into the mountains flying over glacier fields... I know I'll be leaving here someday and will miss it when I'm gone. I actually do miss flying here since my recent year and a half of flying has been in Korea....it just doesn't compare to AK flying.

HH-60CC · May 18th, 2006, 08:08

Awesome pics! I really wish I got up flying while I was in Fairbanks

Cheechako · May 19th, 2006, 09:07

Thanks for sharing! It's a great feeling going through the pass, isn't it?
You posted a picture of my wife's home town, Port Alsworth (the one with two runways).

I can't wait to get up there in June. We'll be doing some flying, fishing, and even some fly fishing!

Ian J · May 19th, 2006, 10:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by PacMan4x4

Thanks Chinook....
Shooter....the one thing I can say I got plenty of during training was the scenery. I enjoy the flights up into the mountains flying over glacier fields... I know I'll be leaving here someday and will miss it when I'm gone. I actually do miss flying here since my recent year and a half of flying has been in Korea....it just doesn't compare to AK flying.

Hey pacman, would you recommend someone moving to Alaska to pursue fixed/ rotary wing flying? Heard the living is expensive and sparse there, but is the nature and beauty worth it?

PacMan4x4 · May 19th, 2006, 14:02

SkyWChris....yep, flew over Port Alsworth on the way out and coming back. As I was flying over I thought to myself....lucky bastages...a community with two landing strips, airplanes in the front yards and in the water, only a few houses, and in an isolated area where it has beautiful scenery. Some day I'll be able to live somewhere like that. I'll be heading back to Korea on 3 Jun so I'll miss ya when you come up....would've been cool to hook up with you. I'll be back in Anchorage for good in October, so maybe on your next trip up we could meet up somewhere.

Chinook...there is a lot of flying ops up here, especially during the spring/summer with tourist season. There are several operators around the area that move freight/pax around the villages and back into Anchorage all year long. One place I was looking at as a potential job in a few years, would take me out to the bush for 20 days on and 10 off... If you wanted to fly choppers, then there are several sighseeing outfits also. Housing is expensive, which is one of the reasons the wife and I will probably leave AK after I retire....and houses go quick.

meritflyer · May 21st, 2006, 15:23

Nice pics. Looks a little marginal in some places? Also, that is some terrain, eh?

PacMan4x4 · May 21st, 2006, 15:32

MERIT....some of the pics in the valley look worse than it was. It was a cloudy day in that area with bases at like 4,500 ft. I wouldn't have trekked through there in marginal conditions...especially with it being my first time through that particular pass. On the pics looking down through the valley...it looks worse in the pic than it actually was....had a good 10+ vis through there.

meritflyer · May 21st, 2006, 18:45

Cool. Nice pics.

Cheechako · May 23rd, 2006, 14:04

I flew through that pass in a 207 this winter and it got down to around "3 miles" vis through the narrows! No problem. . .

mrivc211 · May 24th, 2006, 17:59

Wow- Now I know why you like that place so much. Such beautiful scenery.

May 17th, 2006, 00:29	#1
PacMan4x4 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: OK City Posts: 462	PacMan's Comm X-Country with pics What a great feeling to finally get this done...did my long (SOLO <sarcasm>) commercial cross country today. Ended up going from Elmendorf AFB to King Salmon. I had to cross the Alaska Range to get from the cook inlet area to the western side of the state. I made my way from Elmendorf and passed through Lake Clark Pass and straight to King Salmon. On the way back home I stopped in Illiamna to gas up and filed another flight plan before heading back through the mountains to return home. It was 5.7 hours logged into the ol' log book and was right around 600 miles total distance. This was the first time I had been across the Alaska Range to the other side, so it was nice to have made the trip. I took the liberty of attaching some photos so ya'll could see what I was looking at quite a bit today. Hope ya'll enjoy.

May 17th, 2006, 00:31	#2
PacMan4x4 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: OK City Posts: 462	Re: PacMan's Comm X-Country with pics More Pics of the Trip

May 17th, 2006, 00:32	#3
PacMan4x4 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: OK City Posts: 462	Re: PacMan's Comm X-Country with pics and some more....

May 17th, 2006, 00:33	#4
PacMan4x4 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: OK City Posts: 462	Re: PacMan's Comm X-Country with pics last ones....I promise:-)

May 17th, 2006, 01:39	#5
ASpilot2be Old Skool Join Date: May 2005 Location: Paradise:) Posts: 4,493	Re: PacMan's Comm X-Country with pics Awesome pics I am still having a hard time deciding whether I want to do my PPL training in the Palmer/Anchorage area, or up in Fairbanks. Decisions, decisions. Anyways, nice to see another part of the state from the air. __________________

May 17th, 2006, 01:52	#6
PacMan4x4 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: OK City Posts: 462	Re: PacMan's Comm X-Country with pics Haven't been up to Fairbanks flying...yet. In my biased opinion, I like the Anchorage area...there is so much to see that is so close. But, while you are training, you aren't going to have to worry so much about the scenery. The Anchorage area would offer some crazy airspace to work in and out of with having the Class C mixed with different segments (merrill field, Elmendorf, Lake Hood, and Anc Int') plus the Part 93 special airspace rules. As long as you are flying somewhere....that's all that matters. Wish I had a nice sunny day that Aloft had on his x-country in Utah yesterday. It looked beautiful for his flight. Don't you have anywhere closer to do your training ASpilot2be? When do you plan on starting up?

May 17th, 2006, 02:02	#7
Stone Cold Old Skool Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: SE US Posts: 2,972	Re: PacMan's Comm X-Country with pics Just curious, what kind of temps do y'all have up there nowadays? It looks very cold in those pics (FL boy, Texas born and bred, saying this). Great looking country to do a flight in though.

May 17th, 2006, 02:06	#8
ASpilot2be Old Skool Join Date: May 2005 Location: Paradise:) Posts: 4,493	Re: PacMan's Comm X-Country with pics I wish I had somewhere closer. I tried the only flight school in Southeast, but I dont think I could stand the instructor much longer. So Anchorage or Fairbanks is next closest. I would start training next February. __________________

May 17th, 2006, 02:19	#9
PacMan4x4 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: OK City Posts: 462	Re: PacMan's Comm X-Country with pics TX...it's been sitting in the high 40's to low 50's for the last couple of weeks I've been home (Anchorage) for vacation. Was a helluva lot warmer last year at this time. It was only like 35 degrees at 4000 feet while I was screamin' through the pass in the ol' 172...not too bad. ASpilot2be....have you been looking into any schools in particular for either location?

May 17th, 2006, 02:23	#10
ASpilot2be Old Skool Join Date: May 2005 Location: Paradise:) Posts: 4,493	Re: PacMan's Comm X-Country with pics I have three schools in mind: Mustang Air in Palmer Warbelows in Fairbanks Aerotech at Merrill Field __________________

May 17th, 2006, 09:59	#11
Ian J Old Skool Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Manchester, CT Posts: 5,807 Blog Entries: 7	Re: PacMan's Comm X-Country with pics Beautiful pics, pacman. __________________

May 17th, 2006, 14:33	#12
shooter13 Old Skool Join Date: May 2002 Location: South Carolina Posts: 1,952	Re: PacMan's Comm X-Country with pics Great pictures. Love the mountains. Something tells me I have missed somethings in flight training. All we have around here is lots of flat land. __________________ "Life is nothing but a never-ending quest to be remembered everyday by someone somewhere as 'that guy'."

May 17th, 2006, 16:52	#13
PacMan4x4 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: OK City Posts: 462	Re: PacMan's Comm X-Country with pics Thanks Chinook.... Shooter....the one thing I can say I got plenty of during training was the scenery. I enjoy the flights up into the mountains flying over glacier fields... I know I'll be leaving here someday and will miss it when I'm gone. I actually do miss flying here since my recent year and a half of flying has been in Korea....it just doesn't compare to AK flying.

May 18th, 2006, 08:08	#14
HH-60CC Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Arkansas Posts: 525	Re: PacMan's Comm X-Country with pics Awesome pics! I really wish I got up flying while I was in Fairbanks __________________ My Logbook http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?emai...spam@gmail.com - Mike

May 19th, 2006, 09:07	#15
Cheechako Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Wasilla, AK Posts: 976	Re: PacMan's Comm X-Country with pics Thanks for sharing! It's a great feeling going through the pass, isn't it? You posted a picture of my wife's home town, Port Alsworth (the one with two runways). I can't wait to get up there in June. We'll be doing some flying, fishing, and even some fly fishing! __________________ Urban Dictionary: /chee-CHA-ko/ Alaska Airlines 737 FO http://www.AllAboutGod.com

May 19th, 2006, 14:02	#17
PacMan4x4 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: OK City Posts: 462	Re: PacMan's Comm X-Country with pics SkyWChris....yep, flew over Port Alsworth on the way out and coming back. As I was flying over I thought to myself....lucky bastages...a community with two landing strips, airplanes in the front yards and in the water, only a few houses, and in an isolated area where it has beautiful scenery. Some day I'll be able to live somewhere like that. I'll be heading back to Korea on 3 Jun so I'll miss ya when you come up....would've been cool to hook up with you. I'll be back in Anchorage for good in October, so maybe on your next trip up we could meet up somewhere. Chinook...there is a lot of flying ops up here, especially during the spring/summer with tourist season. There are several operators around the area that move freight/pax around the villages and back into Anchorage all year long. One place I was looking at as a potential job in a few years, would take me out to the bush for 20 days on and 10 off... If you wanted to fly choppers, then there are several sighseeing outfits also. Housing is expensive, which is one of the reasons the wife and I will probably leave AK after I retire....and houses go quick.

May 21st, 2006, 15:23	#18
meritflyer Old Skool Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Winchestertonfieldville Posts: 6,521	Re: PacMan's Comm X-Country with pics Nice pics. Looks a little marginal in some places? Also, that is some terrain, eh? __________________ The simplest answer tends to be correct.

May 21st, 2006, 15:32	#19
PacMan4x4 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: OK City Posts: 462	Re: PacMan's Comm X-Country with pics MERIT....some of the pics in the valley look worse than it was. It was a cloudy day in that area with bases at like 4,500 ft. I wouldn't have trekked through there in marginal conditions...especially with it being my first time through that particular pass. On the pics looking down through the valley...it looks worse in the pic than it actually was....had a good 10+ vis through there.

May 21st, 2006, 18:45	#20
meritflyer Old Skool Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Winchestertonfieldville Posts: 6,521	Re: PacMan's Comm X-Country with pics Cool. Nice pics. __________________ The simplest answer tends to be correct.

May 23rd, 2006, 14:04	#21
Cheechako Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Wasilla, AK Posts: 976	Re: PacMan's Comm X-Country with pics I flew through that pass in a 207 this winter and it got down to around "3 miles" vis through the narrows! No problem. . . __________________ Urban Dictionary: /chee-CHA-ko/ Alaska Airlines 737 FO http://www.AllAboutGod.com

May 24th, 2006, 17:59	#22
mrivc211 Old Skool Join Date: Sep 2000 Posts: 2,036	Re: PacMan's Comm X-Country with pics Wow- Now I know why you like that place so much. Such beautiful scenery.

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