PA-28-140 to Juneau.

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

In article .com,
EridanMan wrote:

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

Make sure your dad has a valid medical and current BFR, to make it
enjoyable for both of you! Good luck!

"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

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.

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.

EridanMan wrote:

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


Weather will definitely be an issue flying VFR to the southeast coast in
the summer. There will be a low overcast more often than not, although it
does tend to break up a few times a week. You'll have to watch it closely
and plan accordingly.

One of the best resources for flying in Alaska is the "Logbook" published
by the Alaska Airmens' Association. It has chock full of Alaska fly tips and
has detailed info on routes. I didn't see it advertised on their website
this morning, but I'd recommend contacting them to see if it is available. I
know they were selling an updated version a few years ago.

John Galban=====N4BQ (PA28-180)

--
Message posted via AviationKB.com
http://www.aviationkb.com/Uwe/Forums...ation/200706/1

EridanMan wrote:
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?

Depends on what you mean by standard, but the route with the shortest
over-water exposure is probably out of Atlin, BC, down the Taku River.
Down to the mouth of the Taku, hang a right, up the Gastineau Channel to
the airport dodging all the Otters and Beavers on floats carrying cruise
ship tourists. It's a well-known route and has a relatively low pass to
cross compared to, say, coming down from Skagway. Which helps with those
low ceilings someone mentioned.

I did a VFR trip up that way (from Minnesota) in a 182 a few years ago.
I had a higher tolerance for risk, though, so I flew the coast all the
way from Anchorage to Prince Rupert. Spent a week on the ground in
Juneau due to weather, but that was just fine as I had a bunch of
friends there I wanted to visit anyway.

"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

Al G wrote:
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.

Wait a minute. If you're landing eastbound, the relatively dry one is on
the *left* (runway 8, not 8W)...

For the original poster, here's a snapshot of both from a while ago:

http://www.visi.com/~rma/jnu_approach/Image6.jpg

Notice the offset VASI. There's a reason, obvious from this snapshot:

http://www.visi.com/~rma/jnu_approach/Image2.jpg

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

If you are shooting aerials, you may want to consider this latest
advance in photography: chemical imaging ribbon. It uses an advanced
molecular process and has extremely high resolution, maybe four to ten
times what even high end digital cameras have. This allows enlargements
to be made much bigger, and from smaller areas of the picture. The
imaging material is easy to change without upgrading the entire camera.

Imaging material is available inexpensively at many stores all across
the country. Since it's a new technology, most cameras accept only the
smaller imaging packages, but even those can hold up to 72 images at
half resolution. More advanced cameras can accept the high capacity
ribbons and give you thousands of full resolution pictures with no
compression artifacts at all.

Jose
--
You can choose whom to befriend, but you cannot choose whom to love.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

"Rich Ahrens" wrote in message
...
Al G wrote:
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.

Wait a minute. If you're landing eastbound, the relatively dry one is on
the *left* (runway 8, not 8W)...

For the original poster, here's a snapshot of both from a while ago:

http://www.visi.com/~rma/jnu_approach/Image6.jpg

Notice the offset VASI. There's a reason, obvious from this snapshot:

http://www.visi.com/~rma/jnu_approach/Image2.jpg

Oops, you're right, er, left, whatever.

By the way, I think that photo is photo-shopped, I didn't know there was
that much sky up there. I have never seen it from the ground. To the OP, I
found these:

Alaskan Aviation Safety Foundation:
http://www.alaska.net/~etc/aasf/

Aopa:
http://www.aopa.org/members/files/tr.../chapter1.html (Chapters
1-5)

http://www.aopa.org/members/files/tr...appendixa.html


Al G