Day 7 Diary
Sept 30, 2009
From Whitehorse to Hudson's Hope
Skky hotel, best of all, I took another shower before wrap up the baggage, enjoy another hot bath before the long trip. SKKY doesn't look like luxury hotel from outside, but it sure feels like a five stars hotel in the room, especially the bathroom, trust me, when you walk in the bathroom, you will say "Wow". $169 a night but I got a bargain for $129, Lisa the Swedish young lady at the front desk gave me a big discount, her husband is a helicopter pilot (don't be too shy to ask for discount, October is a slow season. But beleive or not, when I checked in, there was only 3 rooms available, bunch of hunters arrived from Anchorage).
SKKY Hotel, right across from the airport, the best hotel in town
The world biggest weathervan, built from a DC-3 (C-47), the whole airplane moves with the wind. Musium next to the airport
Have my breakfast at the next door motel restaurant, big breakfast, nice hot plate, enough energy to last for the day (getting tired of power bar).
Return to Skky Hotel, call whitehorse flight service on the land line, Tim at FSS invited me to come in for wx briefing and file the flight plan, they are right below the control tower. I have the permission to record the video when Tim is giving me the weather briefing, it's a great demo video to show pilot in L.A.
Whitehorse control tower and Flight Service (NAV CANADA)
Did the pre-flight after loaded the baggage in the airplane, wait for a long while for the fuel truck to show up, anxcious about the deteriorating Weather, like to take off to the east as soon as I can, big storm is coming from the west, will be chasing me behind.
Whitehorse control tower and terminal
Wind has picked up quite a bit, next time, be sure to get the fuel right after landing, especially when there is no wind and rain. This is a windy morning to get fuel and departure.
Take off at 11:45AM, control tower instructed me: change frequency after reaching the bridge about 14 miles out.
East of Teslin (CYZW), the weather got better and better, some low clouds, but able to see the horizon beyond, I hold my heading right on, follow the highway all along, the further I go, the better I'm away from the storm system which is chasing behind me.
Can see the Sunshine behind the clouds, you always run away from bad Wx and head toword good Wx
Watson Lake (CYQH) re-fuel, takeoff immediately, head toward Ft. Nelson (CYYE). Fly between 5500' and 6500', I've never heard the ATC said --Maintain VFR enroute altitude in Yukon, you don't hear ATC ask you to do those things, but back in the state, you hear it all the time. There is no such a thing to maintain constant VFR enroute altitude in Yukon, because weather is constantly changing, you fly what ever the altitude takes you to your destiney.
Watson Lake control tower was built in World War II, see a rescure helicoptor when taxi to runway 08. The control room is on the first floor, all the way to the right. Bill gave me a tour to the tower, his father handles the tower re-modeling project.
When approaching Ft. Nelson runway, I was a little bit dis-oriented, due to fatique (two crossed runyways), next time should use GPS airport diagram, the small diagram with the runway number on it, good for within 2 miles because such a smaller map.
Ft. Nelson informs me to report 5 miles out then change the frequency to Edmonton Radio @ 123.55Mhz. I look it up in Canada flight Supplement, it says, RCO: Edmonton rdo 123.55 (FISE) 126.7 (bcst), found more frequency and information in page B243 for Edmonton.
Head wind starts to build up after Ft. Nelson, call FSS (126.7Mhz) to amend my flight plan to fly direct to Ft. St. John instead of following the Highway. I choose to fly direct because > 50 miles of visibility and 7000'+ ceiling. Although the first 2/3 of the route are mountainous terrain, but lots of riverbeds and sandbars for emergency landing. The last 1/3 of the route is flatter but has no place to land, not even forestry logging site. I told myself, have the faith on the engine, everything will be fine (head toward the desne trees might be the best choice if the engine fail).
From Ft Nelson to Ft St. John, also fly direct @ 5500', more landing sites along the route, lots of forest logging sites and small road built for oil wells. As long as I can see small road, I'm not worry about making emergency landing. I'm pretty sure I can survive if force landing is a must. I'm not worry about wrecking the airplane, the insurance company can have the airplane once I make the decision to land.
Divert to Hudson's Hope airport when 90 miles out from Ft. St. John (CYXJ). I figure I have enough day light to reach there, I change my heading from SE to SW. decide to stay out of large city airport. It's hard to camp out at large airport and find hotel and restaurant. Usually they are far away from the airport, taxi will cost $20 to $30 one way. Besides, Hudson's Hope is a bit closer to home, the name sounds great too.
I call Edmanton radio @ 123.55Mhz (FSS) to amend my flight plan, change my destination to Hudson's Hope, looking for an easy camp out. Edmanton is concerned about me closing the flight plan, they suggest me to extend one more hour to close the flight plan, so the search and rescure team won't come out to look for me, what a great advise, give me an extra hour to find telephone to call them and close my flight plan. They told me, there may not have a telephone at the airport, I didn't really take it seriously.
All the way headwind from Ft. Nelson to Hudson's Hope (CYNH). (including Ft. St. John). I am chasing the Sunset, the headwind has become a problem, it's my enermy now.
Running out of day light to land at Hudson's Hope, throttle up to catch the last civil twilight, a bit anxious about losing the day light from the horizon. When I am getting close to the airport and spot the runway, it has already darken, another 10 minutes will be totally dark and won't be able to find the runway, no runway lightings.
This is the info from Canada Flight Supplement about Hudson's Hope airport : "50 feet trees along both edges of rwy to within 50 feet of thld 23. Rwy suface deteriorating along both edges. Lateral rwy cracks 250' from thld 05".
Should have read it more carefully before coming to here. I circle over the runway, look for the wind sock (thank God! there is one), I pick favorable rwy 23 to land, stay as low as possible on the final, just enough to clear the treetops, made an excellent landing with just a little bit of light from the horizon.
The lesson I have learned, should never fly after dark even if the airplane is IFR equipped, don't assume all airports are lighted, this one is not. besides, it's hard to find place to land if engine konk out on you, you don't see any road or light after dark.
After tied down the airplane, I walk to the road adjacent to the airport, I feel so fortunate to see a headlight approaching, it's the light from God! I said. I wave at the vehicle with the flash light in my hand. It's an old pickup, windshield has already broken, the young man in the truck took me to a town 7 miles away. At the gas station, I borrowed the phone, called the flight service and closed my flight plan. Owner is an oriental man with his wife, two daughters and a son, they are eating and making the Chinese spring rolls (春捲) next to the counter, the scene brings me so much warmth in this cold night, I point out the spring rolls in Chinese, but no one bothers to talk back to me, they seem still a bit alerted with this stranger who walks in the middle of the cold night and call himself an American Pilot. A strange feeling rises, feel like I'm in the 1940's, a barnstormer who drops in from the sky and landed in the middle of old town, far from the civilization.
The young man took me back to the airport, he didn't accept the money I handed out, I called him the Angel of the night, I watch him take off with the deepest appreciation in my heart.
I setup my bed with the shotgun next to me, this time I have it loaded. I have
; a nice sleep and wake up in the middle of the night to start out this diary.
No one else is here but me, the trees on both side of the runway are very beautiful, I back-taxi to rwy 23 for takeoff on the next day