"EridanMan" wrote in message
oups.com...
I've been up the Coastal route.

Where could I get more information on what routes are available and
pros and cons to either? Frankly, I would much prefer to fly
coastal... its just the whole 'single-over-freezing-water' deal that
has both of us nervous.

I don't blame you. I've made the trip in a Lear, a C340, a 414, and up
to Juneau in a C206.

The 206 was a very long trip.I never completely put my weight down. No
floats, No beach to land on, Nobody around to rescue you. I stopped at
Prince Rupert, Sitka, Ketchican and Juneau. There is damn little between
those points unless you are a sea lion. Most of the trip was flown under a
1000' ceiling, within sight of the coast. Not within gliding distance of the
coast, mind you, as that would make a much longer trip. This is probably why
everyone up there flies on floats. While I was there, a Canadian 182 shot
the SDF(Simplified Directional Facility) approach only to land on the
lighted water runway(Yellow beacon), where it promptly sank. There were no
injuries.



and you can expect Juneau to be 800 to
1200 OVC, and 2-5 miles from June through at least September. There are 2
lighted runways, one with a Green and White beacon, and one with a Yellow
and White beacon. You want the runway on the right, with the green one.

We're VFR-only pilot's in a VFR only bird. That weather report does
not sound promising.

I've never landed westbound. From 10,000 feet over the airport, you can
see east
to the point where the glaciers are higher than the mountain peaks. Just
a
little north of there, I popped out on top at 18,000 feet, and was
looking
up at the adjacent rocks(The Brooks Range). Take a camera, it will be a
fascinating trip.

We're both photo dorks... we'll be toting 2 DSLR's and an arsenal of
glass (from 18/1.8 to 300/4). Just need to make sure the windows are
nice and polished

Thank you for the advice... Are there any websites or forums I could
go to for specific information about flying in Alaska? Routes/Weather/
Etc? Google searching hasn't lead to anything definitive.



I don't know of anywhere that covers this. Maybe an Alaskan Aviation
site. Maybe read some Wiley Post?

Here are the current middle of the day reports:
CYPR 181900Z AUTO 23005KT 9SM OVC065 11/06 A3008 RMK SLP189
PASI 181853Z COR 28004KT 10SM SCT014 BKN070 OVC100 11/06 A3004 RMK AO2
SLP171 T01060061
PAKT 181853Z 12007KT 10SM FEW018 BKN035 OVC050 11/07 A3007 RMK AO2 RAB26E40
SLP184 HARBOR WND 16008KT P0000 T01110067
PAJN 181900Z 32004KT 10SM BR FEW006 BKN025 OVC039 10/07 A3002 RMK AO2

Sitka(PASI) is generally a little better than the others, because it is out
on an island. Ketchican and Juneau are up against cold land masses, with
warm Japanese current water, so they get low clouds/fog/drizzle. From Prince
Rupert to Juneau today the overcast slopes from 6500' to 3900', with layers
down to 600'. 10 miles off the coast it is probably clear. The float planes
go off the coast, drop down, and come back if they are VFR.

AOPA or somebody ought to have something. I'll let you know if I find it.

Al G