Alaska… the extreme North frontier
of a Continent!.. Blizzard, utmost cold, strong winds, snow, remote and sometime very short
airfields... and you still wish to fly in this area? If that's the case, maybe you are
beginning to think as a real bush pilot. Welcome aboard... I invite you to come
across fantastic landscape in a different environment. And yes! Sometime even the
sun is shining over amazing Alaska! Some useful tips about Alaskan
bush and VFR operationsBasically, there are many
“reasons” to fly “bush” destinations: carrying people to remote locations with
equipment, tourists with luggage, emergency rescue flights with medical
personal, bringing urgent spare parts, food and goods transport... and all the
other situations that you can think of. Accordingly, it is always important to
consider the total additional weight related to the conditions (pilot,
passengers, luggage, equipment, goods, etc.). Another important factor to
consider is the fact that many small
remote airfields have no refuelling facilities. Therefore, a bush aircraft has
to carry fuel also for the return leg...
Furthermore, most small Alaskan
bush airfields have short runways, no instruments facilities and/or lighting,
and require challenging VFR approaches. Consequently most of these destinations are
only suited for daylight flight with sufficient visibility, at least 8 to 10
miles. And finally, when using real weather it is recommended to check
destination’s visibility before take-off... - Alaskan hub # 1 - PAJN Juneau - Schedule
- Alaskan hub # 2 - PAEN, Kenai Muni - Schedule
- Great Alaska Tour - Schedule
- US postal flights - round trips with very short hops visiting multiple near destinations - Schedule
- ALASKA ALEUTIAN CHAIN TOUR - a new schedule dedicated to this remote region of Alaska (created by Steve Sellmeyer - SPA Special Ops Assistant Manager)
- IDITAROD - great adventure following the famous musher's track from Anchorage (created by Steve Sellmeyer - SPA Special Ops Assistant Manager)
- TRANS-ALASKA PIPELINE - another great Alaskan tour following the pipeline from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez (created by Steve Sellmeyer - SPA Special Ops Assistant Manager)
- Interesting links about Alaska bush flying
To really enjoy your Alaskan immersion, what about some free dedicated sceneries for FSX or FS9? SCHEDULES From Alaskan Hub # 1 - PAJN, Juneau 
Departure
and arrival time are free but remember that most airfields are not lighted and
offer no IFR equipment. Therefore daylight arrival and adequate visibility could
be a must in most cases.
FOR SEAPLANES ONLY
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From Alaskan Hub N° 2 - PAEN, Kenai Muni  Departure
and arrival time are free but remember that most airfields are not lighted and
offer no IFR equipment. Therefore daylight arrival and adequate visibility could
be a must in most cases. 
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NEW ALASKA SCHEDULE
100 challenging flights will let you discover
the Northern part of the American Continent. You can fly all the segments from PAJN to PAEN
as a tour… or pick up any flight: your choice. Using real weather will add to the
realism. ENJOY!
Back to top USA Postal Service for Alaska and Northern Canada area
VERY
IMPORTANT: For some US postal flights it is required to use an
amphibian
aircraft such as the Gruman Goose or similar performance able to
takeoff or land from and on solid or water runways (see the schedule to
check if there is one or more "water runway(s)"). For all the other
postal flights on schedule use any appropriate prop aircraft designed
for short takeoff and landing... Recommended aircraft : AMPHIBIAN 
Recommended aircraft : STOL PROPELLER 
Recommended aircraft : STOL PROPELLER 
Recommended aircraft : STOL PROPELLER 
Recommended aircraft : TURBO PROP LIKE DHC-8 or ATR-72 
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IDITAROD
In
1925 Nome, Alaska suffered a serious diphtheria outbreak and was in need of
serum to prevent an epidemic. The winter weather was not conducive to flying in
those days so dogsled relay teams were established to get the much needed serum
to its destination in Nome.
In
1973 the Alaska Iditarod Dogsled Race was started to commemorate the historic
event and has been ongoing every year since then. After doing some research I
was able to locate a map of the route used and thought it would be interesting
to fly and see the terrain these “Hardy Mushers” were encountering in the
severe dead of an Alaskan winter.
As
usual, I fly using real weather and felt lucky to encounter only light snow and
partly cloudy skies on most of the route. Except for going through the mountain
valleys, most legs, once past the mountains, I flew at 1500-2500 MSL to view
the terrain below.
For
further information, Google search Iditarod as there is much more information to
be known.
I
sincerely hope all you fellow bush pilots enjoy this adventure.
Steve
Sellmeyer - SPA 218 – Special Operations Assistant Manager
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This is one of the largest pipeline systems in the
world and the only way to get crude oil from Alaska's North Slope fields to
tankers waiting in Valdez.
 Built in the 1970s after oil
was discovered at Prudhoe Bay (1968), the 48-inch diameter, 800-mile pipeline
links Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean with the terminal at Valdez, the
northernmost ice-free port in the Western Hemisphere. The flow from this
pipeline accounts for roughly 20 percent of U.S. oil production annually.
The pipeline is buried for less than half
its length, where the ground is well-drained gravel or solid rock, and thawing
is no problem. Wherever the warm oil would cause thawing of the icy soil (which
would cause sinking or heaving) the pipeline, which cost about $8 billion to
build, sits on top of 78,000 above-ground supports spaced 60 feet apart. The
sections above ground are insulated and covered. The pipe is raised high off
the ground in places to span rivers or to allow wildlife to cross under the
pipe.
There were originally twelve pump stations
and many valves controlling the flow of oil. Currently, two pump stations are
not operating, and two are on idle status, leaving pumps 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11,
and 12 operating. The entire system is operated from the Operations Control
Centre located in Valdez, but can also be operated independently at each pump
station.
The 48 inch diameter pipe is made of
specially coated material covered with zinc anodes to ward off corrosion. More
than 800 crossings of rivers and streams are made between Prudhoe Bay and
Valdez.
More info at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Alaska_Pipeline_System 
TransAlaska
Pipeline Flights
In flying many of the bush flights in Alaska I've
encountered the Trans Alaska Pipeline on the sectional maps I've used. I decided to research the route of the
pipeline as I thought it would be fun and challenging to fly and follow.
The pipeline stretches 800 miles from the North
Slopes of the Prudhoe Bay area south to the port of Valdez.
It crosses 3 mountain ranges and 800 rivers and
streams with 420 miles of it above ground, 376 miles buried in the conventional
manner and 4 miles refrigerated below ground.
Most of the route is parallel to known highways so I
followed them to stay as close as possible to the pipeline between listed
airfields.
I hope you enjoy this to view the terrain and see
what the workers were up against when it came to building this massive undertaking.
Steve Sellmeyer
- SPA 218 – SPA Special Operations Assistant Manager
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Back to top SOME INTERESTING
LINKS ABOUT ALASKAN BUSH FLYING http://www.alaskawildland.com/formTrivia.html
http://www.airnav.com/airport/PAEN
http://www.juneau.org/airport/index.php
http://www.flyalaska.net/
http://www.outdoorsdirectory.com/directory/airtaxi.htm
http://www.bush-planes.com/
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