Alaska Chapter member Mio Johnson's Maule gets a thorough preflight at a small airstrip near Alexander Lake.
Flying within Alaska can offer the most memorable adventures of your lifetime. Alaska has near rain
forest landscapes in the southeast, with lush forests and high
mountain ranges. It also has treeless tundra that has been frozen
for millennia. Glaciers are bountiful and beautiful archipelagos
provide entry into some of the most remote wilderness areas of the
United States.
Flying to and from the lower 48 United States to Alaska requires good planning and preparation. There are several common routes you can take: the
Alaska Highway, the “Trench”, the coastline, and combinations of
these. The route you select will be dependent on where your flight
originates, the weather, the equipment you fly, and your personal
capabilities and limits. Here are a few tips to help you prepare
and execute your dream trip.
Aviation touches all aspects of life in Alaska, and
is a basic mode of transportation because approximately 90% of Alaska is not served by roads.
Alaska has six times as many pilots per capita and 16 times as
many aircraft per capita when compared to the rest of the United
States. In the state of Alaska, there are fewer than 12,000 miles
of paved roads. Aviation is not only the state pastime; it is the
state's major form of transportation.
There are about 600 airports available for public
use in Alaska and 3,000+ airstrips, many of which are private.
Many private strips are also seasonal and not maintained on a
regular basis. More than 256 public airports are owned and
operated by the state of Alaska making it one of the largest state run programs in the nation. In the map above, each yellow dot represents a public airport in Alaska.
THE
ALASKA HIGHWAY ROUTE
The Alaska Highway starts in Dawson Creek, British
Columbia, Canada (not to be confused with Dawson City, Yukon,
which would be a great side trip either coming or going to
Anchorage). The Alaska Highway, also known as the Al-Can, was
built in WWII and terminates at Fairbanks, Alaska, about 260 miles
north of Anchorage. It is a relatively straight-forward landmark
to follow as it progresses north and west into Alaska.
Getting
to Dawson Creek will require that you enter Canada at an Airport
of Entry, then fly the most logical route on to join the Al-Can
Highway. A common route of flight for Alaskans flying home is to
enter at Lethbridge, Alberta, south of Calgary. If you are coming
from the eastern states, you may want to enter Canada further
east. If your flight is originating on the west coast, you may
want to enter at Abbotsford, BC. There are many alternatives, so
plan on one that is most convenient for you with hours of
operation that will best fit your time schedule.
After
entering Canadian airspace, there are some larger cities such as
Calgary or Edmonton with full aircraft services but lots of air
traffic. Other smaller airports are easier to get into and often
have hotels and fuel services conveniently located. Nice stops
enroute to Dawson Creek are Whitecourt and Grande Prairie,
Alberta.
After reaching Dawson Creek, there are nicely-spaced
stops along the way to Alaska: Fort St. John, Fort Nelson, Watson
Lake, and Whitehorse all have good airport services with plenty of
fuel, clean, comfortable lodging and restaurants. There is a nice
campground at the western end of the ramp at Watson Lake. This is
especially convenient since the hotels are off-airport in town, a
drive of several miles. The air routes generally fly above or
parallel to the highway with one notable exception. The highway
route from Fort Nelson to Watson Lake takes a scenic twist up
through the Canadian Rockies to Muncho Lake, then turns 90 degrees
to the north and on to the Liard River crossing. While beautiful,
this route can be treacherous, especially if unexpected clouds are
down at the Muncho Lake summit area. You can bypass this portion
of the highway easily, weather permitting, by flying direct from
Fort Nelson to Watson Lake. This route takes you over some rugged
but relatively low terrain with good checkpoints along the route.
About half way through is the Liard River NDB at the point where
the highway emerges from the mountains.
Once you leave Watson
Lake, the highway enters another section of spectacular mountains.
The highway generally follows the bottom of fairly wide valleys to
Teslin on the north shore of Teslin Lake. After a couple of turns,
the highway meets Marsh Lake, just a few miles southeast of
Whitehorse which will likely be your Canadian Airport of Entry on
your return flight from Anchorage.
The highway northwest of
Whitehorse and on into Alaska again follows spectacular valleys
with a few small Canadian communities such as Haines Junction,
Burwash, and Beaver Creek scattered along the route. You may want
to take a side trip north from Whitehorse up to Dawson on the
Yukon River. If you do, you can rejoin the Alaska Highway route at
Northway, Alaska.
Once you have passed Beaver Creek, Yukon, you
enter U. S. airspace and will likely choose to land at Northway
for U. S. Customs. Once you have cleared, refueled, and had a bite
to eat at the café (good burgers and pie!) at the Northway
airport, you will leave the Alaska Highway if you are flying on to
Anchorage and not to Fairbanks first. Now you will be following
the Glenn Highway which you can pick up northwest of Northway near
Tok. This route follows the highway through Mentasta Pass to
Duffy’s Tavern, then on to Gulkana. Alternative routes to Duffy’s
Tavern include following the Nabesna River southwest from Northway
to Nabesna, then turning northwest to pick up the highway at
Duffy’s Tavern. This is a wide, relatively low-level alternative
route. Another good route is Suslota Pass, the shortest route
between Northway and Duffy’s Tavern. If the weather permits, this
is a good alternative and requires about 3,000’ MSL for terrain
clearance.
The route from Gulkana to Anchorage follows the
highway through Chickaloon Pass which you will enter at Tahneta
Pass. There are a couple of notable glaciers easily viewed along
this route: Tazlina Glacier, south of Tazlina Lake, and the
Matanuska Glacier just west of Sheep Mountain. When you emerge
from the pass, you will be flying over the Palmer Flats where huge
vegetables are grown under the midnight sun!
We’re almost to
Anchorage, only 40 more miles west. You are entering high air
traffic again. There are several active airports in the Anchorage
bowl including Birchwood, Ted Stevens International, Elmendorf
AFB, Fort Richardson’s Bryant Field, and your likely destination
of Merrill Field. Once you have passed the Birchwood airport, stay
south of the highway to avoid Fort Richardson and Elmendorf AFB
air traffic. Approach Control will be your friend here regardless
of which airport is your destination. Merrill Field is just east
of downtown and only about a mile from the Anchorage Hilton, our
headquarters hotel.
THE
TRENCH
If your flight originates on the west coast, you may
want to fly up the “Trench”. Enter Canada east of Vancouver, BC,
to avoid heavy air traffic. Abbottsford is a good location to land
for Canadian Customs. Proceed east to Hope, then north along the
Fraser River to Wiliams Lake and Prince George. From here, you
will fly north to MacKenzie at the southern end of Williston Lake,
then follow the lake and valley directly on to Watson Lake. Fuel
management is especially important on this route as refueling
stops are far apart. Once you have reached Watson Lake, you are on
the Alaska Highway route.
If the weather doesn’t permit continued flight up
the Trench, you can divert along the highway from MacKenzie to
Fort St. John, east of the mountains, and proceed north to Fort
Nelson, then west to Watson Lake.
THE COASTLINE
If you have plenty of time and patience and the
weather systems cooperate, a flight up the coast of British
Columbia and Alaska may be for you. Be aware, however, that icing
can be a problem at any time of the year in these latitudes. The
coastline is relatively sparsely populated, and emergency landing
areas are few. With the right conditions, however, this route is
spectacular with its mountains and glaciers, quaint fishing
villages, and abundant wildlife.
Some of the communities you
will see include Victoria and Vancouver, BC just north of the
border; Port Hardy, Bella Bella, and Prince Rupert, BC; and,
Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Juneau, Skagway, and Haines in
Alaska. You may choose to fly north from Haines to join the Alaska
Highway route at Haines Junction, Yukon, Canada, or you may want
to proceed via the coastline to Yakutat, Cordova, Whittier and on
to Anchorage arriving from the southeast along Turnagain Arm. A
short side trip to Valdez, north of Cordova, is recommended.
Valdez is the terminus of the oil pipeline which begins over 800
miles north in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. The pipeline has been in
operation over 30 years. Be aware of flight restrictions in the
area over the oil pipeline terminal.
DAYLIGHT HOURS
In the far north, there
are wide variations in the amount of daylight and night in summer
and winter. Even in the summer with lots of daylight hours, the
number of those hours varies within the state, depending upon your
location. If you are not night current, the amount of daylight
must figure in your flight planning, even in the summer. Even when
it is technically daylight at 10 p.m., the sun may be low on the
horizon, creating problems with glare and depth perception.
Climate
Most
Alaskan pilots would say that when you average flying conditions
out over the whole year, you could say they are good. Much of the
state enjoys good weather most of the time, but there are areas
where rapid, temporary weather changes pose inherent danger.
Coastal and Arctic areas, in particular, experience low ceilings,
poor visibility, and icing conditions. Weather reporting stations
(manual or automated) are far apart and cannot sample the weather
between stations. Pilot reports are the only good source for
that.
Alaska's four, distinct climatic zones are
the Maritime, Continental, Transition, and Arctic. The
zones are usually separated by mountain ranges.
The
Maritime Climatic Zone
This zone includes the Aleutian Chain, the Southeast,
and the South-central regions. Winter here offers mild
temperatures, and summer is cool. However, there is 50 to 200
inches (yup, 200) of precipitation per year. Fall and winter are
the seasons for frequent storms with high winds. Fronts are more
prevalent here than in the interior, with occluded fronts being
the rule--that means low clouds, precipitation, poor visibility,
sudden fog. Ice fog, blowing snow, and turbulence are also winter
aviation hazards in the Maritime Zone.
In summer the main weather
hazard is fog. In spring and fall, icing and frontal zone
turbulence is predominant, and advection fog can cause severe
icing problems. Some of the communities in this zone are Unalaska,
Kodiak Island and communities, King Salmon, Dillingham.
The
Continental Climatic Zone
This zone
covers most of Alaska. Although it has low precipitation (five to
15 inches per year), it has extreme temperatures. Fewer clouds
mean more warming in the summer sun but more cooling in the long,
winter nights. Summer months provide the best flying weather in
terms of ceilings and visibility. Ice fog is the major winter
hazard, and summer brings widely scattered, brief
thunderstorms.
The
Transitional Climatic Zones
These zones
lie along Alaska's western coast and in the area between the
coastal mountains and the Alaska Range. The temperature spreads
are wider, although there is less precipitation. The major hazard
to aviation is high wind, followed by ice fog and blowing snow.
Mountain passes have the worst flying conditions. This would be
the community of Bethel, McGrath, Grayling, and Good News Bay.
The
Arctic Climatic Zone
Cold
winters, cool summers, and low precipitation characterize this
zone, which lies north of the Brooks Range. The top layer of
permafrost melts in the summer, leaving behind a muddy goo. Areas
of open water increase, so you need to check flight charts for
seasonal lakes.
Strong winds and
blowing snow are fall and winter hazards. The conditions are ripe
for the "whiteout" phenomenon--a uniform ceiling over a snow- or
ice-covered surface reflect the parallel rays of the sun creating
a diffusion that can cause a complete loss of the horizon, no
shadows or horizontal references, and reduced depth
perception.
The
Ring of Fire
There are
over 80 potentially active volcanoes in Alaska, and the most
recent eruption of one was in September 1993. Evidence of volcanic
ash damage to aircraft engines is inconclusive, but volcanic ash
accumulations can and do cause air traffic delays, sometimes for
days.
One final note
about the Alaskan climate. The National Center for Atmospheric
Research has determined that the Aleutians have the worst aviation
weather of anywhere else on earth that can be accessed. This is
followed closely by Cold Bay, then Yakutat, Barrow, Cordova,
Bethel, Nome, Ketchikan, Sitka, Iliamna, and Dillingham, all of
which are mostly low-lying or coastal areas.
Aviation Services in Alaska
You'll find most every aviation service in Alaska as
in the Lower 48 -they just may be fewer and farther apart than
what you're accustomed to. Automated Flight Service Stations
(AFSS) are open 24 hours a day are in Juneau, Fairbanks, and Kenai
and there are 14 outlying FSS. Juneau AFSS is the hub for FSS's in
Ketchikan and Sitka; Kenai for Palmer, Homer, Iliamna, Dillingham,
Cold Bay, McGrath, and Talkeetna; and Fairbanks for Barrow,
Deadhorse, Nome, and Kotzebue. Outlying FSS's may be seasonal, so
hours of operation will vary with the season and with staffing. The AFSS will have current information on the
outlying FSS's status. To
purchase Alaska sectional charts prior to flying to Alaska, go to
the FAA
website Aviation System Standards office. For
information about Canadian Airspace and flying in Canada, visit
the NAV
CANADA website or contact them at: 1-800-876-4693-4.
Alaska
only has eight airports with air traffic control towers-
Anchorage International (ANC), Merrill Field in Anchorage (MRI),
Fairbanks International (FAI), Juneau International (JNU), Kodiak
(ADQ), and Kenai (ENA). The control towers at Kodiak (ADQ), Bethel
and King Salmon are contract, non-FAA personnel towers. Not all
are open 24 hours, and you can obtain the latest information on
their hours of operation from the AFSS.
Juneau, Anchorage, and Fairbanks
have FAA Flight Standards District Offices (FSDO), and each has a
Safety Program Manager who has invaluable safety information on
flying in Alaska. (What a kick it would be to earn your Wings by
fulfilling the safety seminar requirement in Alaska!)
FAA maintains more than 400
navigation and communication aids across the state of Alaska.
Among these aids are Remote Communications Outlets (RCO), Remote
Communication Air/Ground Facilities (RCAG), instrument landing
systems (ILS), VOR's, NDB's, and Automated Weather Observation
Stations (AWOS).Because of the distances
between navigation aids, VFR navigation means pilotage.
CANADIAN
CUSTOMS
Entering Canada requires that you call
1-888-CANPASS (1-888-226-7277) with information about your flight
to receive permission from a Customs or Immigration officer to
enter Canada. This must be done at least 2 hours, but not
more than 48 hours, before you plan to arrive. You must
also file a flight plan before any transborder crossing, even
if you do not intend to land. You may no longer rely upon
the old “ADCUS” (Advise Customs) instruction on a flight
plan. Notifying Customs is now the pilot’s sole
responsibility.
Once you do land, you will either be
greeted by a Customs officer or be directed to again call
1-888-CANPASS to be issued a number that authorizes you to enter
Canada. In any case, you need to carry a passport for every
occupant (even infants and children are now required to have a
passport), your pilot’s license, aircraft registration and
airworthiness certificate, and an FCC radiotelephone operator
permit. Although the permit is no longer required in
the U.S., it is in Canada. Most pilots I know say they
have never been asked to produce it, however.
Your cell phone may not work in all
places in Canada (or Alaska), but there are usually pay phones
nearby that allow toll-free calls to Customs or Flight
Service.
U.S.
CUSTOMS
U.S. Customs is usually a bit more
rigorous than Canadian Customs. Many of the guidelines are
the same, however. You must notify U.S. Customs at least 2
hours in advance by phone prior to arrival, must have your and
your passengers’ passports and documents available, must file a
flight plan for the transborder crossing, and must make a radio
call to Customs just prior to crossing the border into the
U.S. The U.S. Customs Service also requires that you
purchase a $25 decal for each airplane each year that you fly it
into the U. S. For a complete list of requirements, see this
Customs and Border Protection website: http://www.faa.gov/ats/aat/ifim/GPF/GPFtxt.html.
FLIGHT
PLANS
In Canada, flight plans are required
for all flights. Pick up a flight plan form at your first
stop to see what is required information and what codes are used
in Canada. Weather information, observations, and forecasts
are disseminated by NAV CANADA. Canadian Flight
Service Stations provide surface weather observing, flight plans,
and numerous other services including passing along all weather
information and forecasts provided by NAV
CANADA. Canada is phasing in Flight Information
Centres (FIC) that combine FSS services with other services.
1-866-WXBRIEF (1-866-992-7433) will get you to the nearest FSS or
FIC in Canada. In person weather briefing is being phased
out, so be prepared to get needed information by
phone. Flight plans can be closed by radio once you
have landed, but sometimes, the Tower personnel will coordinate
with FSS to close your flight plan and notify you they have done
so.
Since Canada has user fees, the
registered owner of your aircraft can expect to get a small bill
which will have to be paid in Canadian funds (credit card is
OK).
