Day 5 Diary
Sept 28, 2009 (Monday)
Landing Alaska-Canadian Highway 97
I have moose bacon and pancakes for breakfast, prepared by owner's lovely daughter Tiffany. She is only 17 years old, Chef of Scoop Lake Hunting Lodge, cooks for all hunters, where else in the world can you find a daughter like Tiffany. She traveled to New Zealand to work for other hunting lodge during our winter but their summer.
Hunting Lodge owner family, from left to right -- Wendy, Tiffany, Darwin & Tiffany's sister
Sky overcast, ceiling 500 feet rising. Contact flight service, the destination airport -- WATSON LAKE ceiling 1500' is improving to 1800',
outlook is getting better. Bob and I decide to give it a shot, because the wx from Whitehorse to Anchorage right now is all
the way VFR. We look outside, the fog/cloud is definitely moving higher, we can see mountains distance away from our cabin.
We agree to each other, if the Wx deteriorates, we will turn around and fly back to Scoop Lake Hunting Lodge, that's exactly what we have told flight service when we file our flight plan by Satellite phone, the flight plan won't be closed until tomorrow noon, or we'll update our status in the air with flight service on 126.7Mhz.
After takeoff from Scoop Lake, Bob and I fly loose formation over the treetops to stay above freezing level (temerature drops 2 degree per 1000 feet). Out side air was 4 degree Celsius before we takeoff, and now 3 degree in the air. We follow the river stay really low (the lowest and warmest place in the terrain).
The visibility turned sour after enroute for about 15 minutes, we veer to the right, follow the river to the east and than turn
north, it starts to rain after flying further north, I turn on the carburator heat and check outside air temperature more often, make sure it's still above freezing (I report to Bob occasionally). We follow the winding river to the north and look for every suitable sandbar for backup, Sometimes Bob would fly down to take a closer look at the sandbar. Each time we go a little further, we look for the next, like jumping between islands, we set up the return waypoint along the route, we know for sure, when the visibility goes down to zero, we have a place to land.
When we are 12 miles south of Watson Lake Airport, the terrain rises up (we were warned by Scoop lake hunting lodge owner Darwin before our departure, and the Wx usually clears up earlier at Scoop Lake hunting lodge before elsewhere). The rain has become heavier, the visibility has gone down to minimum, the path in front of us has completely blocked, it's time to put the airplane on the ground, the decision comes very quickly, the condition changes and deteriorates in every second.
We make tight circles over the river adjacent to the highway to the east, patches of cloud have drop down to the tree level, force me to make sharp turns to avoid them, I lost the ground referenece a coupe of times just trying to keep up with Bob. Bob asked me do I prefer to land on the sandbar or Highway, I replied "Highway" without a split second of delay. The conversation was kept very short and brief, all our focus was flying the airplane and making the imminent decision.
I follow Bob, circle over the Highway, make up the game plan for landing, then Bob flies down to check the power line, obsticle and a place to pulloff the Highway. "POWER LINE ON THE LEFT BUT ENOUGH CLEARANCE", Bob said. I circle on top to keep him in sight, after Bob picked up his landing spot, I fly ahead of his path, look out the traffic ahead of him, "IT'S ALL CLEAR IN FRONT OF YOU", I said
He announces turning final and commit to land. After he touched down and pulled off the highway, I begin my descend, I establish my pattern, downwind, base and final. When I was 50 feet over the Highway on my short final, a 40 foot container truck come straight at me, I execute a go around and establish the 2nd pattern. I see Bob running further ahead of the highway, with a white T-shirt in his hand standing in the middle of the road (he doesn't have a handheld radio to talk back to me). I know I have a long strip ahead of me, I turn final, flare and made the best landing I have ever done in my life. I pulloff the Highway as quickly as I can and park next to a sign says " WELCOME TO BRITISH COLUMBIA CANADA, THE BEST PLACE ON EARTH".
I was shivering quite a bit after shut down the engine, didn't know whether it's caused by the cold temperature or the adrenalin pumping in my body, I was so excited with the accomplishment, something I have never done in my life (Chinese world journal later reported that I was so scared when I saw the truck come straight at me. They were absolutely wrong, there was no time for fear but concentration, judgement and execution, like flying the aerobatics, you never get scared during the maneuver. In fact I was a bit excited at that moment, I delayed my climb out for a couple of seconds, just to take a closer look at that driver's face).
Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrived 45 minutes later, controlled the traffic to let me move my Rebel next to Bob's Cessna-180, he took the report, did a basic search to the airplane ( See what he found ).
After we chatted for a while and mentioned I work for government and service Police radio systems, he return all the documents to me (he told me at the beginning he won't return to me until the next day). Then another police arrives, after they were sure that we have the proper survival equipment for the night, they took off. They told us, they will return tomorrow morning to close the highway and assist with our departure.
A nice guy who works for DPW took Bob to nearby town to get anti-freeze alcohol to prevent the windshield from icing (he is the first guy to arrive at the scene), and also get some warm food. I stay with the airplanes to secure the site. He later mentioned a book which inspires him very much -- "HEY! I'M ALIVE" (part I , Part II), a California pilot with a 21 years old female passenger both survived a plane crash and 49 days in the wilderness just south of Watson Lake (very close to where I am).
I try very hard to keep the airplane surface dry and wipe the rain water off the plane when the snow starts falling. I know it will be a cold night and a big challenge to get the snow and ice off the airplane tomorrow.
I sleep inside of the airplane, leave the shoes, socks, sandals and towel outside (they were all wet). Several animals visited the site during the night, I was awaken since 2AM, one of them has heavy and slow foot steps, when I heard the sound comes toward me, I was so scared (because I wasn't flying) and regreted that I didn't have the shotgun loaded (all the bullets were underneath the "bed"). I open my pocket knife quietly with minimum motion and vibration, ready to strike if "it" breaks my window, luckily, that animal walked away slowly, my hand was frozen with the knife holding in the air, didn't dare to move for an inch and make a single sound (See how bear tore up a bush plane).
Next morning, I found my shoes, socks, towel and one of the sandal which I left underneath the airplane were all gone, stolen by wild animals during the night. Now I wear the hiking boots, some times I had to take it off my feet to land the airplane, when I know it will be gusty and x-wind over the runway. Boots reduce the sense of touch to control the rudder paddle, it's critical when landing a tail-dragger in gusty condition.
Rolling on the Highway and taking off (Photo by Bob Breeden)
REMARK: Bob Breeden, pilot who I met at MacKenzie, we decide to travel to Watson Lake together through famous YukonTrench (A 500 Killometer stretch without a place to land). He owns a strip in Kenai Peninsular Alaska (www.alaskaairpark.com), has another Super Cub on tundra tires in Virginia (see Bob's recent bush flying video and Water assisted bush landing). Bob lives in Virginia and own an Airport in Alaska, now delivering his Cessna 180 to Fairbank, he has sold the airplane.
N504RB is Bob's newly built experimental Super Cub, with Aero Sports O-375 205 Hp engine.
Bob later told me, never leave the shotgun unloaded when camp out in Yukon and Alaska, it's a big mistake to leave it unloaded. It's an honor to meet such skillful bush pilot.
This is the true story from Bob Breeden --- Super cub crushed by Alaska glacier
I tookoff an hour before him from MacKenzie to Watson Lake via Yukon Trench. we planned a stop at Scoop Lake hunting lodge (80 miles south of Watson Lake), but he later postponed his takeoff just to help another Super Cub pilot with brake problem (the guy was stuck on the Runway). Bob arrived at Scoop Lake half of an hour later after I have landed, so I'd pretty much traveled alone during the entire route.
Bob is a well experienced pilot, a friendly nice guy, we shared the cabin together, the last cabin which was available at Scoop Lake hunting lodge.
Scoop Lake hunting lodge, owner's float plane
Scoop Lake hunting lodge, looking toward the south where I come from