View Full Version : Rick's long hauls
I really didn't go anywhere else. I did call Peggy back, but she suggested I wait for a group of geologists coming in from the Northwest Territories. I waited and they never showed. In the meantime, I imposed my own hiatus for another day as my shoulder/upper back/chest was killing me from that elective surgery I had (massive tattoo removal; an inkectomy). While waiting for more word on what to do with myself, I was approached by one of the hangar crew and three men. The group had come up from Vancouver B.C. Owners all of a small company, they'd been up to Fairbanks to look at, fly and perhaps purchase an airplane. Doing so, they made their way down this far before their pilot fell ill. Being the only charter pilot available in Northway today, would I be interested in ferrying the group and their aircraft down as far as Juneau?. From there, they would be flown home by another pre-aranged pilot. Why not? South would be a pleasant change of direction.
PAOR PAJN Mooney Bravo pax charter 385nm $15 $5775 Sr Capt strong (-1 wx) roll a 5
PIREP
It was a Mooney. Not a new one, mind you. But it was clean and well maintained. The light green stripes were dark green at one time, and there were still handprints left from the last guy to lift the cowling. Inside, the left seat was broken in appropriately while the others looked nearly new. And it smelled of carpet cleaner and Windex. After the walk around and filing IFR into PAJN, we departed into low clouds and stiff winds. Talk was at a minimum, what with the bumping around and all. They spoke a little more after leveling out and especially after seeing what long legs the Mooney has in the higher altitudes as we managed 160kts easily with the wind at our back. While the oxygen supply was ample, it just plain smelled funny to me. The wx ahead was clearing so I cancelled IFR and went as low as I could above the mountains, about 11,500. When we passed the last waypoint toward Juneau, I used the last 30 miles to bring us down comfortably and onto RW26. I hadn't been in Juneau for quite some time. I'd entertained the thought of going out on the town. Now...what was the name of that place?...The Hangar-something or other. Like I said, it had been quite some time. Well, someone inside would know. Looks like I'll give Peggy a call in the morning...again.
PAOR PAJN 385nm $15 $5775 2.28hrs
It was nearly 9:00 when I lumbered into the pilot's lounge at PAJN. I'd managed to grab a rather strong coffee and was enjoying it. Juneau was a little different than I remembered. After dinner, I found a quiet watering hole and settled in. A rather boisterous group came in and was soon making friends of everone. In passing, I met one Leonard Wright, but he favored "Lefty". We talked pilot talk; I did a lot of nodding along as he'd obviously grown up here and knew the state well. He'd been everywhere and done everything. A pilot for many years, he'd recently opened a flight school out of PAFA with his brother. Lefty was here in Juneau for a meeting, having flown down in his schools' Cessna 152. Not looking forward to flying back up alone, he offered me the right seat. Not looking forward to panhandling my way back up, I accepted. He said he'd meet me in the morning. He turned and disappeared into the reveling crowd. I found a taxi to a Super 8.
I was a half hour late when I came in; I hoped I hadn't lost my ride home. I saw him when I entered, arms folded and head down. Great; he's been here so long waiting for me, he's fallen asleep...
(sniff, sniff)...hmm.
No...he's probably been right here since midnight or so since I could tell there was a good chance he was blind, stinking drunk. The door opened and a rather disgruntled-looking man asked if the unconscious man was a friend. I nodded and started to offer an answer when I was told to get him up and out of the lounge immediately. He'd been there for quite some time and had been just a tad unruly before lapsing into the quiet comatose state before me now. I affirmed that I would and set about gathering Lefty up. Not being a terribly large man (all 5'6" or so) I managed to get him up on my good shoulder and out the door. The man held out the Cessna's keys, which I took and pointed out to a far corner of the ramp. While he walked away muttering, I focused on a tied down red and white 152. On the way over, I bumped and jostled Lefty liberally, only to hear an occasional grunt or snore. Well, at least I had a ride home. I got my cargo loaded and belted in and began a preflight
PAJN PAYA PAVD Cessna 152 drunken pilot 425nm $0 Sr Capt very strong roll a 2
PIREP
I knew better than to let Peggy know I was coming into Valdez this way. But I figured if Lefty found me in such a state, I'd like to think he'd do the same. Well, maybe I'd just leave it at that and let ol' Lefty owe me one. The cloud ceiling was low enough to be uncomfortable. I knew I didn't want to get all the way above them in this little plane, either. I stayed off the coast and below the clouds until I approached PAYA, where it was clear enough, long enough for me to get a VFR approach. After I returned coffee I'd rented back in Juneau, I phoned Peggy. Since she didn't pick up after the second ring, I figured she was too busy and hung up. Not a peep from my passenger, although he'd managed to foul the air a bit since I'd gone. I got some juice from a vending machine and returned to the FBO where I swiped an Airwick freshener I found on the front counter. This I placed in Lefty's front pocket and proceeded to file for PAVD. Weather was more cooperative with no low clouds. When I finally set down, I noticed Peggy's jeep was gone. Hopefully she was in it. I taxied to an open spot on the end and shut down. Maybe there was someone around to help me wrangle Stinking Beauty into the hangar. I'd then call Fairbanks and see if Lefty's brother had any plans today.
PAJN PAYA PAVD 425nm 4.25hrs
My, but it's been a while, hasn't it? I wish I could say what I've been doing, but I can't. Suffice to say that while in Alaska, sometimes one falls asleep in March and wakes up in June...
It seems I hadn't been pulling my weight around the Valdez FBO as of late. I wasn't exactly managing the hub, and Capt Geoff has been flying circles around me. (He always seems to do that. Don't think I haven't noticed...) I was filling the hours with busy work, short hops etc. Peggy had had enough of my downtime as well. I'd managed to sew her mittens into her coat sleeves and put a smoke bomb under the hood of her old Willys Jeep. Heck, I even snuck a goat behind her desk and took this great Polaroid of it sitting in her chair. And then Tuesday...well, you get the idea.
All was well until I got the memo. PGA letter head and everything. I was to return to the Boeing Field office ASAP and await further instructions. No signature, but that didn't surprise me. You don't see a lot signatures around this place. No one wants them forged. I didn't have the time or the funds to try and get a commercial flight. I figured my best bet was to gather my meager possessions and get airborne rapido. My cap, vest, jacket and over-stuffed flight bag in hand, I headed for the flight line. I stopped long enough to grab the Polaroid of the goat and leave Peggy a quick note warning her not to use the restroom 'cause I'd cellophaned the seat.
Outside, the pickings were slim. I'd hoped for one of the Caravans. Or even a stray 182. There was the old red 172 at the end of the line with no front seat; been there, done that. Nope, it was a Beaver or nothing. As far as the old DHC2's go, it wasn't bad. It was probably a loaner. Or not. But it was sitting there with the keys in plain sight...behind the visor. No floats to weigh me down, but big ol' tundra tires. With the way I land, those might help. Tanks were topped off, log book and paper work inside. Hmm, just had it's 100-hour too. This was meant to be.
PAVD PAYA DHC2 deadhead 220nm $5 $1100 Sr Capt very strong roll a 4
I filed VFR, taxied and took off RW6. I circled until I was high enough for the leg east. The De Havilland was very well maintained. It seemed very up to task; my only complaint was the lack of an autopilot for this trip. Good thing I'd napped those three months, huh? All hands on with this one. Yakutat was almost an hour and a half. As late as it was in the afternoon, I opted to stay over. After landing, I taxied out to parking. I walked in to the Yakutat Lodge where I stocked up on supplies for the night, then proceeded back out to the plane where I hunkered down and choked down a very dry sandwich. After flipping through a couple of flight magazines, I slipped of to sleep and dreamed of Diane's fresh cookies and drive-through espresso...
PAVD PAYA 220nm $1100 1.47hrs
Day 2.
PAYA PASI DHC2 deadhead 200nm $5 $1000 Sr Capt strong (-1 WX) roll a 5
Winds aloft were not as favorable today, at least not for the Beaver. Hand flying was most tiring today. Cloud cover was such that I had to stay lower and in sight of the coastline. I've never really cared for landing at Rocky Gutierrez so much. I seem to prefer something a little more susbstancial size-wise. Increasing winds and forming clouds kept me from going any further today...
PAYA PASI 200nm $1000 2.17hrs
Day 3.
Winds were friendlier, but visibility down where the DHC2 had better performance was not.
PASI CYZT KBFI deadhead 750nm $5 $3750 Sr Capt strong (-1 wx) roll a 6
I'd opted for an early start and it allowed me to complete the last two hops. The first landing put me at Port Hardy on the northern end of Vancouver Island. After 4 hours aloft, I returned my rented coffee, grabbed a bite and rented more coffee. I noticed that no matter what I did, my fuel management on this trip was abyssmal. I'd like to blame it on the aircraft, but I'm not sure I believe that, much less anybody else. Maybe the winds? Let's call it that. The last 275 nm into the Lower 48 were more scenic than the last 400. What really stood out was the amount of air traffic; I actually turned the comms down and listened for mine carefully. It was quite a difference from the long periods of silence you suffer flying out of Valdez. KBFI was pretty much how I left; except somebody did move the beer...um, fuel truck. I didn't recognize anybody on the walk in and found no one at the dispatchers' desk. Down the small hall and through the door I went, stepping into the one place in the tri-state area I felt at peace. I dropped my gear at my feet and took a few steps to plop face-first on the old couch. It was then I realized I'd found the remote for the DVD player across the room. It was between the couch cushions, sticking more or less straight up. I exhaled with a whistle as the slow but growing pain creeped up from the ol' nether region to encompass my abdomen and subside about the base of my throat. I extricated the object and tossed it aside. Speaking of pain, I was wondering what to expect from She-who-waits-with-crank handle as I drifted off to fitful slumber...
PASI CYZT KBFI 750nm $3750 6.38 hrs
What's this?!? Oh well...back to the new frontier... :shake:
Huh. I'll be darned. You really can start a Piper Seneca with a file cainet key. Who knew?... :ponder: After finding out that interesting piece of information, I shut down again and set about collecting the charter.
Mademoiselle Andjello was not hard to find in the pax waiting area. The fact that she was the only one in the waiting area aside; she stuck out like a pouce endolori. She guarded a small mountain of matching luggage and wore traveling attire from the Marlin Perkins collection at Harrod's. She hid her face behind a large pair of dark sunglasses that brought to mind images of Jackie Onassis and details of alien abductions. (sigh). Showtime...
"Bonjour, Madame. Je suis le..."
"...the pilot? But of course. You have that look about you. Before we go one step further, you will kindly not attempt to butcher my native language weeth your outrageous accent? It is fortunate for you that I speak as well speak your boorish tongue."
Deep breath here. "Of course, madame." What was that noise? I'm pretty sure I heard a "ping"...hmm. Probably just that vein in my forehead again... Without waiting to be told, I dutifully stepped forward and began to gather luggage. Once properly laded with my personal Gucci albatross, I stumbled to the door leading out. I managed to push through and was able to hold the heavy door with my foot. "If I may, madame? The plane is this way. The one with the open doors, right over there. " She strode through the door, careful to avoid brushing me in the process. I followed, nodding resignedly to myself. Indentured servitude. Alright. Serfdom. I get it now...
PIREP
KBFI PAJN Piper Seneca pax 788nm $30 Sr Capt Strong roll a 4
With the luggage on board and the winds I had out of the lower 48, I knew I was going to pushing close to the end of my cruise range. Once I got to altitude, the winds changed and I refigured for a more comfortable margin. There were no sounds from my passenger. The head set I offered her sat over the seat back. Other than an outward display of annoyance and displeasure, all was quiet. The winds aloft came back with a vengence; crossing left to right that seemed to want to push us way back into Canada. More time lost while I refigured for that. It was about 110 nm out of PANT that the port engine stalled. Just idled right down and quit. I'd had the AP engaged while I was looking over my figures and wondering what to do next. The port engine made my mind up for me. AP off and procedures to restart. The plane didn't move around as much as I thought it would; maybe it was the rudder pedal to the floor that made up for that. It seemed to take me forever to get everything done on the list. But the engine started up again without hesitation. I could only think of setting down quick and finding out what happened. That meant Prince Rupert. Long story short (too late, I know): decent into CYPR with a now anxious pax looking over my shoulder and a good landing. The hangar boss found nothing amiss. Engine run up and down with no problems. Was able to make it back out and into PAJN with a beautiful sunset making everything purple and gold. I got a sympathetic hand with the luggage while Mlle Andjello pulled her wrap around her and stalked off into the FBO muttering all the way. Wonder if I should let the Boss know where I am? If anything, she could help me out with some words I heard from Mlle Andjello that I don't know. Something about merde and a ventilateur?
KBFI PAJN 788nm $30 $23,640 4.92hrs
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