"EridanMan" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hey Guys.

So my dad is flying out at the end of July. He is a commercial rated
pilot who has not been behind the yoke of an aircraft in nearly thirty
years (I'm 25... he quit flying when he moved from TX to DC a few
years before I was born).

We've decided we're going to have a good old father-son adventure.
I'm already flight-planning a trip from the Bay Area to Anchorage, Up
By way of the 101 and lost coast, back by way of 5 and the central
valley. (taking the inland route to Anchorage, following US90 to CA1
and up).

One of the stops that he would very much like to make is Juneau... We
have family there, but alas, two previous attempts to visit have
resulted in failure ( Both due to various ferry strikes). My question
is..., is there a reasonably safe, over-land route from the mainland?
I know there are no roads in and out of Juneau because of the
glaciers... But is there a standard aviation route we could take that
would maximize ditching/rescue opportunities?

We're both reasonably compitent outdoorsmen. We'll be carrying cold-
weather camping survival gear. My main worry is simply having route
that leaves plenty of places to put down that A- would allow for a
reasonable chance of ditching survival and B- allow for a reasonable
chance of rescue and recovery within 24-48 hours.

Of course we'll be flying with a VFR flightplan.

Any suggestions? Any ideas where I would begin to look for such
information?

-Scott


I've been up the Coastal route, 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. 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.

Al G