JJS
July 4th 05, 06:10 PM
Back in May, I posted to the group, asking for advice on flying cross country from NW Oklahoma to Red Lake, Ontario.
The purpose was for a vacation / fishing trip. Some of you guys gave me some good advice and I thought I'd return
the favor in the form of a pirep.
My passenger and I departed on our long journey from Woodward, Ok at 6:30 am on a beautiful morning with low clouds
just off our right wing to the east. The weather had been "iffy" for the previous week and we'd hoped for an opening,
as the flight was to be vfr. We flew non-stop to Sioux City, Iowa's Gateway, KSUX, in 3 hours and 45 minutes in the
Cherokee 140. A bit of a tailwind boosted our speed by about 10 to 15 knots. We flew about 2500 agl to take
advantage of this tailwind. Any higher and it quickly diminished and turned into a head wind. Flying low gave my
passenger and I a wonderful view of the countryside. After fueling up and refreshing ourselves, we climbed aboard
again and 4 hours and 5 minutes later we landed at International Falls, Minnesota. Again, we flew low. Although we
had legal fuel reserves when I landed, it was too close for my own minimums. I'd called FSS while airborne to see if
Beaver MOA was active and was told that they had no current info and to use what was published. The chart said it
could be in use continuously, so I deviated around it and lost part of my tailwind and of course extended the leg
distance. It was around 3 pm when we landed in International Falls, so we refueled ($4.00 per gallon, yikes) and
decided to find a room for the night as Canadian customs closed at 4 pm and we couldn't make it in time. The Holiday
Inn picked us up in a van and took us to a decent, though not spectacular room.
The next morning they took us back to the airport. I called FSS and got a WX brief. They gave me a frequency to
contact Minneapolis center for a squawk code to use crossing the border. I filed a vfr flight plan. Then I called
Canadian customs and was told I couldn't arrive at Red Lake until at least 1/2 hour after I'd expected. I knew I had
to give them two hours notice and the flight was to take about 1 hour and 40 minutes. We waited for the extra time to
pass and then launched. I never asked why the requested delay. I opened the flight plan when airborne then called
center for my xponder code. The scenery on this leg was fantastic but semi-scary. We flew at 8500' agl during this
leg. I wanted some gliding distance available. There was no place to land except in the water or take a chance on
one of a few scattered logging roads that looked like a sure invitation to an insurance claim. I tuned 123.6 to get
Winnipeg radio at Red Lake and just listened for awhile to see if I could learn anything about the protocol. I began
picking the radio conversations up about 40 miles out. The area was very busy, with float planes taking off and
landing at Howey Bay, seemingly continuously, and with the land airport traffic mixed in as well. It was hard to get
a word in edgewise on the radio. The pilots were reporting position and time until control zone entry or until
destination. After an hour and a half or so of nothing but lakes and forest, I caught sight of Red Lake, Ontario.
The FSS operator was playing tower controller, trying to co-ordinate everyone and let them know of traffic conflicts.
I called in "Winnipeg Radio at Red Lake, Cherokee 8437 Romeo 20 miles out, inbound for the land airport." Hesitation
on the part of the FSS guy let me know I had already done something wrong. He came back after a few seconds
stressing "November" (different country) 8437 Romeo, and told me to estimate time and confirm the runway I was going
to use. He then told me to report entering the control zone. When we arrived there I called back in. I was about 2
minutes before my estimated arrival, (should have pulled the throttle back on decent) and he broadcast to everyone in
the area that I was ahead of schedule. It was kind of embarrassing! I'd also thought he wanted the estimated time
to the airport, not the control zone. Obviously, I wasn't the first dumb U.S. pilot he'd dealt with, though. The
rest of the way in, until landing he went out of his way to be helpful. Anyway, he then had me report turning final
and a nice touchdown ensued while he had a large Fairchild commuter plane hold for me.
I taxied over to the customs area and lined up behind a parked twin with a couple of inspectors beside it. We got out
of the plane and since the inspectors showed no interest in us, I went inside and phoned customs from the FBO. They
took some information, asked if anything had changed since our declaration phone call at International Falls, and
then gave me a confirmation number. I asked what to do next, "Do I wait for a customs inspector"? and they said "No,
you're done. Refer to the confirmation number if anyone asks". Cool! We taxi over to the terminal ramp after I
called the floatplane service to come and get us. "November" 8437R had performed flawlessly the trip North.
We were picked up in a van and driven what seemed to be 8 or ten miles to Chimo Air Service. It was still early in
the day, so we bought fishing licenses and paid for the flight out the next day. It was surprisingly busy. Chimo is
one of three float plane services in Red Lake. They operate several Norydun Norseman, (fabric covered, DH Beaver
look alike), at least one DH Otter, a twin Beech 18 on floats, (very cool), and several smaller float planes such as
a Cessna 180, and Piper Super Cruiser. With not much else to do, we watched as huge amounts of gear were unloaded
from vehicles, weighed and loaded onto the float planes. At least 30 or 40 people were flown out to fishing camps
while we were there.
We then decided to go see the sites and walked the small town's streets. We met an interesting gentleman in a
sporting goods store who was a miner. Red Lake is a gold mining town. This guy works in a mine over 6,000 ft deep.
He told us that another company sunk another mine nearby recently. He told us that they hit a rich gold vein and
that they were pouring 75 gold bars per week from that mine. Each bar weighs about 80 pounds, he said. He said we
were a 6 or 7 hour drive from Winnipeg. There is a large Ojibwa Indian presence in the area. Prices in town were
pretty expensive as you might expect due to the shipping costs.
We walked to our hotel, (not much to brag about), got a room, and retired for the night. The fly out the next day to
Sharpstone lake was neat. The old float plane was interesting to say the least. We drew one of the Norsemen. I
rode in the co-pilot's seat. The co-pilot's rudder pedals had been hacksawed off to make room for the comm. radio
slung under the panel. None of the fuel gauges worked that I could tell. We watched them top off the tanks before
we left. The 600 horsepower radial ran like a champ, though. This was my first time in a float plane and I was
taking everything in. It was
interesting to watch our shaved head pilot, "Curly", work to get the behemoth up on the step. An hour or so later,
after scenery consisting of more endless forests and countless lakes and marshes we touched down smoothly on
Sharpstone Lake. Taxiing in to the dock I noticed a large submerged log floating just below the surface. When I
pointed it out "Curly's" eyes sure opened up wide. He said he'd never hit one yet, though.
The fishing was great, but 7 days of it was about 2 or 3 two many. Daylight was from 5 am till 10 pm. My Lowrance
handheld GPS noted that we were 1105 miles from Woodward. Our Indian hosts were interesting and spoke little
English. The wildlife was plentiful and included lots of bald eagles, otters, and beavers. We started having boat
motor problems on the third day. Although the motors were new, they began quitting us. they always restarted but it
became more frequent. Back at the dock I siphoned some fuel from one of the 55 gallon drums into a clear bottle and
discovered water in the bottom. The gasoline also appeared clear. The hosts had ordered straight gasoline instead
of pre-mix for the outboards and it had become increasingly diluted as we refueled. It was a wonder that we didn't
seize a piston. There were only three cabins on the lake. Ours, the Indians, and one other guide cabin. The lake
was 13 miles long. Help would have been far away, if available at all. A search of the premises and the Indian's
camp turned up enough oil to mix gasoline for the rest of our stay. Siphoning from the tops of the drums solved the
water issue. As expected, mosquitoes were bad early of a morning and evening.
The Norseman float plane returned for us a week later at two in the afternoon, and unloaded two 55 gallon drums of
fuel for the boats. We boarded and were back in Red Lake at about 3 pm. Instead of immediately heading to the land
airport and departing, I decided to spend the night in Red Lake, a decision I would come to regret. The late float
plane pickup had me concerned about making International Falls, and getting through customs. I thought a night in a
hotel would refresh us and we'd be better prepared for the long flight home.
We departed Red Lake at 6:15 am the next morning after visiting with FSS and customs by phone. Getting ahold of
customs was a problem as the 1-800 number didn't work in Canada. I finally found a direct number to International
Falls. U.S. customs asked us to delay our departure because we were going to arrive at their shift change. We did
delay about 1/2 hour. Now more familiar with the local customs, I sounded much more professional on the radio, and
departure was a non event. I opened the flight plan and flew until within 50 nm of the border. When I could hear
Minneapolis center on the radio clearly, I asked for and received a squawk code to cross the border. Once across we
resumed squawking 1200. It was a pleasant flight... the only leg that would be on the trip home.
Two U.S. customs inspectors met us when we parked at Falls. They were professional, yet friendly. They looked at
our airplane registration and airworthiness certificate but didn't ask for weight and balance or radio station or
operator license. We didn't need the birth certificates that we'd brought, as driver's licenses sufficed. They
asked many questions as they filled out the customs form. It probably took 9 or 10 minutes. They did closely
compare our drivers license photos to our faces. (They had to look hard because I hadn't shaved in 10 days). They
did not inspect our baggage.
I got another weather brief and refueled... then departed into a horrendous 40 knot headwind. We climbed above 9500'
at times, trying to get out of it to little avail. 12 to 15 hundred foot ceilings were forecast in southwest
Minnesota and a thin line of thunderstorms lay in our path. After 2 1/2 hours I descended below a thickening
undercast, concerned about the darkening weather ahead. A call to FSS and a minor deviation in flight path took us
to Wilmar, Minnesota were we landed in a gusty crosswind about 10 minutes before heavy rain hit the airport. We
holed up in an open hangar while the storm spent itself, then refueled and launched again. Once again, flying high
we were able to lean and conserve fuel and the Cherokee droned on for endless hours. Haze and clouds concealed the
scenery and made for a long dreary flight home. Our next stop was to Superior, Nebraska, a five hour trip. We
landed once again in a fierce, and gusty crosswind with 11 gallons of useable fuel on board. It took an hour and a
half to round up an airport attendant at what was supposedly an attended airport with services. Finally after
countless phone calls a lady answered and came out to refuel us. The final leg from there to WWR was about 3 hours
and we flew low for awhile as we could get about the same ground speed. However, the heat and bumps became unbearable
and we once again climbed high.
Finally, home appeared in the distance as we crossed the Cimarron river. We touched down at about 10 pm in the dark
with our only malfunction of the trip, a burned out landing light bulb. The flight home was about 12 1/2 hours of
flying over a 16 hour day. Average ground speed according to GPS was 74 knots! In all over 2200 miles and 22 hours
of flying plus the float plane rides. I'm still recovering... and I have a new appreciation for Lindberg's 30 plus
hour flight across the Atlantic! What I'd have given for an auto-pilot and a faster airplane. Time to upgrade??
Thanks to all who gave advice for planning the trip. Especially Icebound who provided links that were very helpful.
I need to fly to Kansas City in a week or so then 8437R goes in for her annual inspection.
--
Joe Schneider
8437R
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The purpose was for a vacation / fishing trip. Some of you guys gave me some good advice and I thought I'd return
the favor in the form of a pirep.
My passenger and I departed on our long journey from Woodward, Ok at 6:30 am on a beautiful morning with low clouds
just off our right wing to the east. The weather had been "iffy" for the previous week and we'd hoped for an opening,
as the flight was to be vfr. We flew non-stop to Sioux City, Iowa's Gateway, KSUX, in 3 hours and 45 minutes in the
Cherokee 140. A bit of a tailwind boosted our speed by about 10 to 15 knots. We flew about 2500 agl to take
advantage of this tailwind. Any higher and it quickly diminished and turned into a head wind. Flying low gave my
passenger and I a wonderful view of the countryside. After fueling up and refreshing ourselves, we climbed aboard
again and 4 hours and 5 minutes later we landed at International Falls, Minnesota. Again, we flew low. Although we
had legal fuel reserves when I landed, it was too close for my own minimums. I'd called FSS while airborne to see if
Beaver MOA was active and was told that they had no current info and to use what was published. The chart said it
could be in use continuously, so I deviated around it and lost part of my tailwind and of course extended the leg
distance. It was around 3 pm when we landed in International Falls, so we refueled ($4.00 per gallon, yikes) and
decided to find a room for the night as Canadian customs closed at 4 pm and we couldn't make it in time. The Holiday
Inn picked us up in a van and took us to a decent, though not spectacular room.
The next morning they took us back to the airport. I called FSS and got a WX brief. They gave me a frequency to
contact Minneapolis center for a squawk code to use crossing the border. I filed a vfr flight plan. Then I called
Canadian customs and was told I couldn't arrive at Red Lake until at least 1/2 hour after I'd expected. I knew I had
to give them two hours notice and the flight was to take about 1 hour and 40 minutes. We waited for the extra time to
pass and then launched. I never asked why the requested delay. I opened the flight plan when airborne then called
center for my xponder code. The scenery on this leg was fantastic but semi-scary. We flew at 8500' agl during this
leg. I wanted some gliding distance available. There was no place to land except in the water or take a chance on
one of a few scattered logging roads that looked like a sure invitation to an insurance claim. I tuned 123.6 to get
Winnipeg radio at Red Lake and just listened for awhile to see if I could learn anything about the protocol. I began
picking the radio conversations up about 40 miles out. The area was very busy, with float planes taking off and
landing at Howey Bay, seemingly continuously, and with the land airport traffic mixed in as well. It was hard to get
a word in edgewise on the radio. The pilots were reporting position and time until control zone entry or until
destination. After an hour and a half or so of nothing but lakes and forest, I caught sight of Red Lake, Ontario.
The FSS operator was playing tower controller, trying to co-ordinate everyone and let them know of traffic conflicts.
I called in "Winnipeg Radio at Red Lake, Cherokee 8437 Romeo 20 miles out, inbound for the land airport." Hesitation
on the part of the FSS guy let me know I had already done something wrong. He came back after a few seconds
stressing "November" (different country) 8437 Romeo, and told me to estimate time and confirm the runway I was going
to use. He then told me to report entering the control zone. When we arrived there I called back in. I was about 2
minutes before my estimated arrival, (should have pulled the throttle back on decent) and he broadcast to everyone in
the area that I was ahead of schedule. It was kind of embarrassing! I'd also thought he wanted the estimated time
to the airport, not the control zone. Obviously, I wasn't the first dumb U.S. pilot he'd dealt with, though. The
rest of the way in, until landing he went out of his way to be helpful. Anyway, he then had me report turning final
and a nice touchdown ensued while he had a large Fairchild commuter plane hold for me.
I taxied over to the customs area and lined up behind a parked twin with a couple of inspectors beside it. We got out
of the plane and since the inspectors showed no interest in us, I went inside and phoned customs from the FBO. They
took some information, asked if anything had changed since our declaration phone call at International Falls, and
then gave me a confirmation number. I asked what to do next, "Do I wait for a customs inspector"? and they said "No,
you're done. Refer to the confirmation number if anyone asks". Cool! We taxi over to the terminal ramp after I
called the floatplane service to come and get us. "November" 8437R had performed flawlessly the trip North.
We were picked up in a van and driven what seemed to be 8 or ten miles to Chimo Air Service. It was still early in
the day, so we bought fishing licenses and paid for the flight out the next day. It was surprisingly busy. Chimo is
one of three float plane services in Red Lake. They operate several Norydun Norseman, (fabric covered, DH Beaver
look alike), at least one DH Otter, a twin Beech 18 on floats, (very cool), and several smaller float planes such as
a Cessna 180, and Piper Super Cruiser. With not much else to do, we watched as huge amounts of gear were unloaded
from vehicles, weighed and loaded onto the float planes. At least 30 or 40 people were flown out to fishing camps
while we were there.
We then decided to go see the sites and walked the small town's streets. We met an interesting gentleman in a
sporting goods store who was a miner. Red Lake is a gold mining town. This guy works in a mine over 6,000 ft deep.
He told us that another company sunk another mine nearby recently. He told us that they hit a rich gold vein and
that they were pouring 75 gold bars per week from that mine. Each bar weighs about 80 pounds, he said. He said we
were a 6 or 7 hour drive from Winnipeg. There is a large Ojibwa Indian presence in the area. Prices in town were
pretty expensive as you might expect due to the shipping costs.
We walked to our hotel, (not much to brag about), got a room, and retired for the night. The fly out the next day to
Sharpstone lake was neat. The old float plane was interesting to say the least. We drew one of the Norsemen. I
rode in the co-pilot's seat. The co-pilot's rudder pedals had been hacksawed off to make room for the comm. radio
slung under the panel. None of the fuel gauges worked that I could tell. We watched them top off the tanks before
we left. The 600 horsepower radial ran like a champ, though. This was my first time in a float plane and I was
taking everything in. It was
interesting to watch our shaved head pilot, "Curly", work to get the behemoth up on the step. An hour or so later,
after scenery consisting of more endless forests and countless lakes and marshes we touched down smoothly on
Sharpstone Lake. Taxiing in to the dock I noticed a large submerged log floating just below the surface. When I
pointed it out "Curly's" eyes sure opened up wide. He said he'd never hit one yet, though.
The fishing was great, but 7 days of it was about 2 or 3 two many. Daylight was from 5 am till 10 pm. My Lowrance
handheld GPS noted that we were 1105 miles from Woodward. Our Indian hosts were interesting and spoke little
English. The wildlife was plentiful and included lots of bald eagles, otters, and beavers. We started having boat
motor problems on the third day. Although the motors were new, they began quitting us. they always restarted but it
became more frequent. Back at the dock I siphoned some fuel from one of the 55 gallon drums into a clear bottle and
discovered water in the bottom. The gasoline also appeared clear. The hosts had ordered straight gasoline instead
of pre-mix for the outboards and it had become increasingly diluted as we refueled. It was a wonder that we didn't
seize a piston. There were only three cabins on the lake. Ours, the Indians, and one other guide cabin. The lake
was 13 miles long. Help would have been far away, if available at all. A search of the premises and the Indian's
camp turned up enough oil to mix gasoline for the rest of our stay. Siphoning from the tops of the drums solved the
water issue. As expected, mosquitoes were bad early of a morning and evening.
The Norseman float plane returned for us a week later at two in the afternoon, and unloaded two 55 gallon drums of
fuel for the boats. We boarded and were back in Red Lake at about 3 pm. Instead of immediately heading to the land
airport and departing, I decided to spend the night in Red Lake, a decision I would come to regret. The late float
plane pickup had me concerned about making International Falls, and getting through customs. I thought a night in a
hotel would refresh us and we'd be better prepared for the long flight home.
We departed Red Lake at 6:15 am the next morning after visiting with FSS and customs by phone. Getting ahold of
customs was a problem as the 1-800 number didn't work in Canada. I finally found a direct number to International
Falls. U.S. customs asked us to delay our departure because we were going to arrive at their shift change. We did
delay about 1/2 hour. Now more familiar with the local customs, I sounded much more professional on the radio, and
departure was a non event. I opened the flight plan and flew until within 50 nm of the border. When I could hear
Minneapolis center on the radio clearly, I asked for and received a squawk code to cross the border. Once across we
resumed squawking 1200. It was a pleasant flight... the only leg that would be on the trip home.
Two U.S. customs inspectors met us when we parked at Falls. They were professional, yet friendly. They looked at
our airplane registration and airworthiness certificate but didn't ask for weight and balance or radio station or
operator license. We didn't need the birth certificates that we'd brought, as driver's licenses sufficed. They
asked many questions as they filled out the customs form. It probably took 9 or 10 minutes. They did closely
compare our drivers license photos to our faces. (They had to look hard because I hadn't shaved in 10 days). They
did not inspect our baggage.
I got another weather brief and refueled... then departed into a horrendous 40 knot headwind. We climbed above 9500'
at times, trying to get out of it to little avail. 12 to 15 hundred foot ceilings were forecast in southwest
Minnesota and a thin line of thunderstorms lay in our path. After 2 1/2 hours I descended below a thickening
undercast, concerned about the darkening weather ahead. A call to FSS and a minor deviation in flight path took us
to Wilmar, Minnesota were we landed in a gusty crosswind about 10 minutes before heavy rain hit the airport. We
holed up in an open hangar while the storm spent itself, then refueled and launched again. Once again, flying high
we were able to lean and conserve fuel and the Cherokee droned on for endless hours. Haze and clouds concealed the
scenery and made for a long dreary flight home. Our next stop was to Superior, Nebraska, a five hour trip. We
landed once again in a fierce, and gusty crosswind with 11 gallons of useable fuel on board. It took an hour and a
half to round up an airport attendant at what was supposedly an attended airport with services. Finally after
countless phone calls a lady answered and came out to refuel us. The final leg from there to WWR was about 3 hours
and we flew low for awhile as we could get about the same ground speed. However, the heat and bumps became unbearable
and we once again climbed high.
Finally, home appeared in the distance as we crossed the Cimarron river. We touched down at about 10 pm in the dark
with our only malfunction of the trip, a burned out landing light bulb. The flight home was about 12 1/2 hours of
flying over a 16 hour day. Average ground speed according to GPS was 74 knots! In all over 2200 miles and 22 hours
of flying plus the float plane rides. I'm still recovering... and I have a new appreciation for Lindberg's 30 plus
hour flight across the Atlantic! What I'd have given for an auto-pilot and a faster airplane. Time to upgrade??
Thanks to all who gave advice for planning the trip. Especially Icebound who provided links that were very helpful.
I need to fly to Kansas City in a week or so then 8437R goes in for her annual inspection.
--
Joe Schneider
8437R
(Remove No Spam to Reply)
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