What's it like to be a "Real" Helicopter Pilot

-GRAND CANYON TOUR: GET UP AT 430AM, DRIVE 90 MILES TO THE DITCH, HAVE 5TH CUP OF COFFEE, PREFLIGHT, PEE, GET IN START UP, LOAD UP THE MIDWESTERN BEEFEATERS, FLY FOR 30 MINUTES, FLY FOR 30 MINUTES, FLY FOR 30 MINUTES, FLY FOR AN HOUR, FLY FOR 30 MINUTES, FLY FOR AN HOUR, CAN I HAVE A BREAK? NO - OK, FLY FOR 30 MINUTES, FLY FOR 30 MINUTES, FLY FOR 30 MINUTES, FLY FOR 30 MINUTES, FLY FOR 30 MINUTES, FLY FOR 30 MINUTES, FLY FOR AN HOUR, GET OUT, TIE DOWN, PEE, DRIVE 90 MILES HOME, EAT, SLEEP, REPEAT.

-HAWAII TOUR: SEE ABOVE BUT GET TO WEAR FUNKY HAWAII SHIRT AND SHORTS.

-OFFSHORE OIL: SEE ABOVE BUT THE TOURISTS SMELL BAD AND THE RIVER IS A LOT BIGGER.

-TUNA BOAT: SEE ABOVE BUT YOU GET TO CHANT WHERE DA FISH, WHERE DA FISH.

-POWERLINE PATROL: SEE ABOVE BUT YOU GET TO SAY TOWER ONE, TOWER TWO, TOWER THREE, TOWER FOUR, TOWER FIVE.......TOWER 496, TOWER 497 ETC.

-PIPELINE PATROL: SEE ABOVE BUT YOU GET TO SAY, YUP ITS A PIPELINE, YUP ITS A PIPELINE, YUP ITS A PIPELINE, YUP ITS A PIPELINE, YUP ITS A PIPELINE, YUP ITS A PIPELINE,.......SH!T THERES A WIRE! OK, YUP ITS A PIPELINE, YUP ITS A PIPELINE, YUP ITS A PIPELINE, YUP ITS A PIPELINE, YUP ITS A PIPELINE.

-EMS: GET TO WORK, HAVE 7TH CUP OF COFFEE, PREFLIGHT, PEE, NEWS AT 6, EAT, SLEEP, EAT, SLEEP, EAT, SLEEP, EAT, SLEEP, BEEP BEEP BEEP, MOTORCYCLE VRS A BIG RIG, FLY 20 MINUTES, LOAD PATIENT, YUUUUUUUKO THAT LOOKS LIKE IT HURTS! FLY 20 MINUTES, OFFLOAD, DEBRIEF, EAT, SLEEP, EAT, SLEEP, EAT, SLEEP. GO HOME.

-LOGGING: GET UP AT 5, HAVE 3RD CUP OF COFFEE, PREFLIGHT, COMIN UP, LOG, LOG, LOG, LOG, LOG, LOG, LOG, LOG, LOG, LOG, LOG, LOG, LOG, LOG, LOG, LOG, LOG, WIPE UP CP'S PUKE, LOG, LOG, LOG, LOG, LOG, LOG, ECT SHUT DOWN, GO HOME. DRINK MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF BEER WITH HOOKERS.

-FIRE: GET UP AT 4AM, DRIVE AN HOUR, HAVE 9TH CUP OF COFFEE, MISSION PLAN, YOU WANT TO DO WHAT? PUT ON BUCKET, GO TO FIRE, OH BIG FIRE! UP DOWN TURN AROUND FETCH A PAIL OF WATER. REPEAT 160 TIMES. SHUT DOWN WAIT UNTIL 14 HOURS IS OVER. OUT OF DUTY TIME FIND TENT EAT AT BASE CAMP, VISIT LITTLE BLUE ROOM, SLEEP, UP AGAIN AT 5AM. REPEAT

-CFI: GET IN AT 9AM, HAVE 10 CUPS OF COFFEE THREE CIGS AND WAIT FOR NO SHOWS, NON ENGLISH SPEAKING STUDENT SHOWS UP, PREFLIGHT, FLIGHT, SCREAM I HAVE THE CONTROLS, REPEAT 20 TIMES, AFTER HOUR FLIGHT CLEAN SHORTS, REPEAT 5 TIMES, GO HOME KNOWING YOUR THE PILOT GOD THAT SAVED THE R22 FROM THE CLUTCHES OF THE STUDENT PILOT, GET ON PC AND TYPE RESUME, YUP GETTING THERE, 252.4 HOURS, LOOK FOR WAY TO GET TURBINE JOB WITH OUT FLIGHT TIME, GO TO SLEEP THINKING HOW GREAT IT WOULD BE TO BE WORKING AS A "REAL" PILOT! 

From an unknown author

Mast Rocking - Robinson R44 Helicopter

On May 12, 2009, a Robinson R-44 helicopter was damaged during a hard landing about 57 miles northwest of Iliamna, Alaska. The purpose of the flight was game management patrol for the Alaska State Troopers, Fish and Wildlife Service. After take-off from a ridge, about 300 feet above the ground, the helicopter was flying about 90 knots when the pilot felt an unusual medium-frequency vibration in the controls. The pilot told the NTSB that the vibrations turned to oscillations in both yaw and pitch to the point he felt the helicopter was going to come apart. He decided to make an immediate precautionary landing. During the descent the vibration increased and the helicopter landed hard causing the main rotor blades struck the tail boom.

The NTSB discovered that operators of the Robinson R44 helicopters were aware of similar events and that the condition had been dubbed “chugging.” According to Robinson Helicopter, tests determined that a mast rocking oscillation may develop during operation of the helicopter at high gross weight and about 90 to 100 knots. The oscillation was more of a “bucking” motion due to the fore-and-aft movement of the rotor mast. Tests also showed the tendency to enter the oscillation was exacerbated by a forward CG (within the CG envelope) and a 30 degree banked turn to the left. The oscillation is not divergent (that is, the main rotor blades do not diverge from their normal plane of rotation) and can be reduced by adding power. The oscillation is due to the firmness, or lack of firmness, of the transmission mounts. At the time there were no service alerts/bulletins referencing the phenomena or the remedies to resolve it.

On August 22, 2011 the NTSB issued the following safety recommendations to the FAA:

*Require Robinson Helicopter to resolve the root cause of the mast-rocking vibration in the main rotor assembly to ensure that all applicable R44 helicopters are free of excessive vibrations in all flight regimes, as required by 14 Code of Federal Regulations Section 27.251, “Vibration.” (A-11-82)

*Require Robinson Helicopter to maintain a database of all reported incidents of mast rocking in the main rotor assembly of R44 helicopters. (A-11-83)

*Require Robinson Helicopter to issue a service letter to all approved service centers describing the mast-rocking vibration that can occur in the main rotor assembly of R44 helicopters and instructing service centers to report all incidents of mast rocking to the manufacturer. (A-11-84)

*Require Robinson Helicopter to amend the R44 helicopter flight manual to inform pilots of the potential for mast-rocking vibration in the main rotor assembly and how to safely exit the condition. (A-11-85)

*Require that the Robinson Helicopter R44 pilot training program be revised to provide pilot instruction in the recognition and mitigation of in-flight mast-rocking vibrations in the main rotor assembly. (A-11-86)

Most helicopter pilots are aware of mast bumping in semi-rigid (two-bladed) rotor systems, but this issue is new and not as well-known and raising awareness is important to safe operations.

by Tim McAdams 

Secrets of Success

Even though the following tips may be true "secrets of success," they mean nothing unless you get busy, implement and execute them!

Secret #1: If you are going to do something well, then do something you LOVE. You must be passionate about whatever you consider to be your career or business. Passion is the fire that lights the spark of ingenuity and powers the flame of discipline.

Secret # 2: Closely related - you must become DARN GOOD at what you do...you must become a SME (Subject Matter Expert). It takes 10,000 hours to master something so that you can do it with unconscious competence. Start with training and learning your skills for at least an hour a day...

Secret #3: You must FOCUS your efforts. A challenge for me and many entrepreneurs is focus. But focus precedes success...think of your energy projecting out as a lighthouse beam rather than diffused as a floodlight.

Secret #4: You must WORK VERY HARD. Nothing good in life comes easy. There is no correspondence course to become a Helicopter Pilot or Navy SEAL; there are no shortcuts to being successful in any endeavor. By the way, did I mention that you should HAVE FUN doing this hard work! (see secret 1)

Secret #5: You must SERVE a higher cause than lining your pockets. Add some value to others lives, create something new that changes the world (even a little), leave the world a better place. Be CREATIVE and BOLD!

Secret #6: You must NEVER QUIT! It is okay to change course, 'fight to the rear" in tough economic times, "re-tool" the business or concept...but NEVER, EVER, QUIT! Too many have bailed at the cusp of success. Remember that all successful people were "instant successes" typically after 10 to 20 years of back-breaking work.

Secret #7: You must take MASSIVE ACTION, every day! One man's definition of massive action is different than another's...but the proof is in the pudding. You must work tirelessly, doing something you are passionate about, darn good at, which serves a higher cause, and you must never quit...even after you "make it!"

Simple...but not easy!

Train hard and have fun! Coach Mark Divine.


Merrill Field Airport; Group 3 Aviation Alaska, Training in the S-300CBi

Jeff and Gene Zalutsky

   

                                                                              

On the go - East; Chugach Mountains in the distance

Schweizer 300CBi (now Sikorsky S-300CBi) Schweizer vs Robinson

I tried this Sikorsky 300-CBi on for size with Group 3 Aviation Alaska another training helicopter used by quite a few helicopter schools.  Check out Group3 Alaska on FaceBook also.

Here's a good article by Midwest Helicopter that compares and contrasts the Robinson R22 Beta II with the Schweizer 300CBi.

In the December 2003 - January 2004 Issue of Vertical Magazine, there was an excellent article entitled "Schweizer vs Robinson, "A Battle of Equals" by Guy R. Maher discussing the pros and cons of each helicopter; download a copy of that article here in PDF format.  Give it a minute to download, it's well worth it.    

Schweizer Model 300CB / CBi Information Manual

PILOT INTERRUPTED "EVERYBODY LOVES WHALES" is now called "BIG MIRACLE."

                                      I'm at :42 left side in the trailer walking into the scene

Helicopter Pilot Wanted: I saw an add for a helicopter pilot in the Anchorage Daily News. I wasn't sure exactly what they were looking for in a pilot but I was going to find out.

It was a ‘casting call’ – I said to myself, ‘go for it, you have nothing to lose.’ There was an email address; I sent a mini bio with some self photos, a couple of months went by and I forgot about it. One day an email showed up asking me to come in for an audition! The very thought of auditioning scared the hell out of me! They sent me a script and I had a couple of days to get my lines down cold. Mary, my wife, helped me with the expression of my lines which was huge because I was losing confidence faster than I could gain it; the more we went over the lines the more confident I became.

Long story short...they didn't pick any of us helicopter pilots in Alaska and instead chose to audition the part in L.A. Funny thing was they didn't need a real pilot but an actor pretending to be a pilot. My guess is originally the production company wanted to be able to say the actor pilot was a real pilot. In any case, a week later I was notified they wanted to use me as an extra in the movies ‘press corps’. I was excited at the prospect of working on a movie but had NO idea what to expect!

2 ½ Months Later: I just spent the last two and a half months (mid Sept -Nov) working on, "Everybody Loves Whales" as an extra. All together I worked approximately 20, 12 to14 hour days in various locations around Anchorage. Most of my parts were done at the Ship Creek location built to look like the ice fields and the City of Barrow. It was such a surreal experience I'm afraid the words I come up with will do it no justice! My role portrayed me as the ‘sound man’ on a three person reporting team for the Press Corps; one man held the camera, I held the boom mike and a reporter (female) did the reporting.

I had a front row seat to some amazing actors/actresses and was able to watch them in action, up close as I did my part. What an HONOR that was! I'm surprised I didn't have to pay them for this amazing experience! The entire cast was very professional. They take their work seriously and at the same time they are able to have fun and be positive -- this is what one would call ‘loving what you do’. The word ‘surreal’ cannot express my experience; I was within arm's length during most of my scenes with the following actors...see photos below. It still doesn't seem real to me.

At this time I'm not at liberty to talk about the story line and have been sworn to secrecy by our Extra's Director Stacy Stuart, besides you have to see the movie. It'll be awesome!

Stacy grew up in Palmer Alaska and now lives in the L.A. area. Everyone from the Director (Ken Kwapis) to the producers and assistant directors made this experience such an honor to be a part of and gratifying. It wasn’t all fun and stardom, there was real work to be done and scenes to be acted out over and over and over and it was cold -- it’s a typical Alaskan winter. I wore my Sorel boots rated for -40 degree temps for 12 to 14 hours a day at times, standing on ice, sometimes in the wind and while it snowed – typical Alaska elements and half the time my feet were still cold. It wasn’t easy; I can’t imagine it was for the cast who aren’t from here!

The movie is based on the book , "Freeing the Whales - How the Media Created the World's Greatest Non-Event" by Tom Rose. We were here when this happened (Oct 1988) and we were here when the Exxon Valdez ran aground (Mar 1989).

Here are some photos (click here) from the Anchorage Daily News as the movie was being filmed around town. The news articles from 1988 when the whales were trapped near Barrow by the Anchorage Daily News, ADN. We’ve been here for 22 years less the military taking us away and bringing us back a couple of times – however, during this time Alaska has been and will always be our home.

During the filming of this movie I didn't once fly a helicopter...

I used photos for the most part that reminded me of the actors I worked with. It's funny cause the photo of Drew is the exact look she gave me one day in the beginning of the shoot. I can understand, she didn't know me from Adam. I do regret not being able to have a small conversation with her. Anyway the whole experience was very cool.

Drew Barrymore

Kristen Bell

John Krasinski

Tim Blake Nelson

Ted Danson

Vinessa Shaw

Dermot Mulroney

Rob Riggle

James LeGros

Here's some of my own photos I took of Dermot and Vinessa and other misc photos of extras waiting to go to work on the set. If you want to be an extra on a movie set be prepared for tons and tons of waiting around in "holding". There are no photos with me and the stars. I'm still kicking myself over that missed opportunity.

Vinessa Shaw and Wanda; who was a part of the National Guard in the movie

Dermot and Duane "Dewey" Halverson, nine-time veteran Iditarod Alaska Sled Dog Race Musher.

Dewey and me became fast friends. Dewey was the camera man on our three man news team. We worked well together and would many times improvise and add to our parts in the movie, add lib if you will. We'd be willing to do a western next :-)

Eddie one of the native extras in the movie and Dermot

"Holding" for the extras. You learned to be patient, there were times we waited up to eight hours before being called upon to do our thing in the movie.

Elmer Bekoalok one of the native actors in the movie taking a much needed break, and Theo Soloview from Russia and now a friend of mine. Check out the card game he invented; Six Generations. My friend Terry Burge, an important extra in the movie.

Holding for extras, standing by, waiting to be called into action!

I have so many stories I could tell but I think it best I wait until the movie comes out. The whole experience was awesome!!

Normal Approach to Birchwood Alaska in the R22 Helicopter 23 May 2010

I added another video to "My Video Series" on YouTube

It was a nice day to get out and have some fun flying a helicopter. Notice the Cub landing ahead of me on final to 19R? I'm following landing 19L. Notice the other R22 helicopter in the field? That's Dusty teaching a student how to hover an R22 helicopter. My wife Mary was my passenger who shot this video while I made the approach and transitioned back to the NE ramp to land and shut her down.

Crow Pass Hike "Girdwood to Eagle River" Alaska - It took us 14.5 hours

When you can't fly a helicopter for various reasons here in ALASKA the next best alternative is hiking this beautiful land with your family

"Click on photos for a closer look"

Me, Crow Pass (3500 ft) (Mile 4) on our way down to the Eagle River valley in the back ground. Lessons learned: My back pack was too heavy for a 26 mile day hike. My right knee became irritated at 19 miles, too much weight due to the size of the water bladder. Next time I'll carry less water and resupply more often with the water filter. The SPOT is spotty when in the trees. It needs a clear view of the sky to transmit your current position. Next time I'll hold it straight up to the sky when I'm in a clearing to make sure the OK message gets out to my wife. She became a little concerned when she didn't get a message for a couple of hours while I was in the trees on the Eagle River side of the trail.

Laura (our daughter) at Raven Gorge (mile 7) it was a beautiful day for a hike. By that I mean a little sun but mostly clouds and no rain with a dry trail. Too much sun will sap the energy right out of you.

Laura (mile 10.5) what a trooper, her left knee gave out on her with about 9 miles to go, she persevered! Eagle Glacier and Lake behind her.

Me and my trusty .357 magnum, is that a bear over there? (mile 10.5). Eagle Glacier and Lake behind me pretty close to where we have to ford the river.

Raven Gorge (mile 7) Can you see the rock that looks like a bear?

Me and John (our son) (mile 5) John did a good job on this hike with plenty of energy to spare.

Laura and John on the way down after summiting Crow Pass (mile 5)

John enjoying the sun (mile 11ish). Is that a bear behind you?

Crow Pass (mile 4) - Elevation 3500 ft, Raven Glacier behind me. Do I look wet? It's because I just climbed 2000 ft from the trail head to this point. Probably the hardest part of the hike, the next hardest is crossing the Eagle River (ford site) at 13 miles. And overall just having the strength and endurance to hike all 26 miles. I really love this hike when everything goes well. It's a challenge to mind and body!

Laura

Raven Glacier (mile 4) This is what you see at the top of Crow Pass

Moose antler we found at Turbid Creek (more like a river) (mile 9.5) Notice where the porcupines gnawed on the horn? They eat the horns for the nutrients.

Raven Gorge (mile 7) This is an amazing site, the photo does it no justice. It's a very sharp, sudden, deep, rocky cavernous drop off. I'm guessing 75 to 100 feet. A hike to this gorge alone, and back to the Girdwood trail head would make an excellent day trip.

Raven Gorge (mile 7)

Raven Gorge with John standing and waiting; he's ready to move on and make some progress.

A Squirrel! This was the only wildlife we saw, oh and a couple of rock squirrels at the top of Crow Pass. This was near Yakedeyak Creek (mile 20) some of these so called creeks are actually little rivers. We don't have too many photos on the Eagle River side, mainly because my knee and Laura's knee were hurting, and we just wanted to make it to the Eagle River Nature Center (mile 26). Next time I'm traveling a lot lighter and the goal will be 10 to 12 hours. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment :). Overall this is a great hike, I love the challenge!

Robinson R22 Helicopter - Aerobatics "Cool Cuts Showcopters"

This video shows the capability of the Robinson R22 helicopter. Technically it's not aerobatics per say like a fixed wing airplane; it's what the helicopter is capable of in normal flight. Autorotations, flying backwards (the rotor disc doesn't care which way it's flying), turning, climbing descending. It's pretty cool how they do all these maneuvers in formation. I'd love to see this demonstration in person. You can tell these guys have 1000's of hours of experience. The lead pilot is a Vietnam veteran helicopter pilot, Jim Cheatham. Excellent demonstration, check it out, amazing!

Side Note: I was sad to find out that Showcopters were a Salinas, California based team headed by Jim Cheatham who died in March 2009. Once an instructor at Verticare Helicopters and Airplanes in Salinas, Cheatham eventually took over the fixed-wing and rotary flight training, sales and service business. He started Showcopters in 1996, and soon the three-ship team -- flying Robinson helos -- attracted a following at air shows throughout the country. Helicopter Association International did a nice little write up on Jim Cheatham and so did Vertical Reference here. I would have loved to seen their demonstration in person.

Jim Cheatham;  January 5, 1942 ’ March 11, 2009

Obituary:

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Local business owner Jim Cheatham died suddenly in his home early Wednesday morning. Cheatham experienced a minor heart attack and corrective angioplasty one week prior.

Cheatham was recently in the news regarding how his business was devastatingly affected by the economic crisis. A significant factor of his business collapse was the abruptly canceled helicopter contract with the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department. Cheatham was left with massive overhead for the nearly one Million dollar specialized aircraft. Just another victim of major budget cuts.

Born in Laveen, AZ on January 5, 1942, Cheatham later served as an aircraft mechanic and helicopter pilot in the United States Army, completing tours in both Viet Nam and South Korea.

Jim Cheatham moved to the Salinas area in 1967, working for Clevenger’s Air Service. He purchased the company in late 1970 and changed the name to Verticare Helicopters in 1971. During his 42 years flying out of the Salinas Airport, Cheatham utilized his piloting skills performing in airshows, cropdusting, aerial photography and filming, charter services, and flight training.

Cheatham is survived by his significant other, Cheryl Harris (Big Sur, CA); sister Janice Shoemaker (Boerne, TX); children Jodi Serrano (Sacramento, CA), Captain Amanda Evans (Osan AFB, South Korea), Stacey Wilson (Soledad, CA), Kylie Pachuilo (Salinas, CA), Amy Hayes (Yukota NAS, Japan), and Burton Cheatham (Salinas, CA); and seven grandchildren. He will be greatly missed, as he was adored by his family.

A Celebration of Jim’s life will be held in the Verticare Hangar (240 Mortensen Ave) at the Salinas Airport on Monday, March 16th at 11:00am.

-WATCH FOR THE WIRES-

..."and if you do hit them, keep flying the helicopter"...

-Jim Cheatham

RIP

Helicopter Operations - Deer Recovery / Live Capture - New Zealand

Interesting video of Kiwi's using the MD500 for deer capture in New Zealand
The pilot in this video is Morgan Saxton who died in 2008 when his R22
went  down in Lake Wanaka. RIP M Saxton.

How the Proper Attitude Helps Your Training and Career

This was such a good post from Mauna Loa Helicopters I thought I would post it here!

From: Mauna Loa Helicopters in Hawaii  March 27, 2010

Winston Churchill once remarked that, “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” Does it ever! Having a positive attitude can lead to your ultimate success in helicopter flight training much more than intelligence, than circumstance, than skill, education, money or background. A positive attitude towards your flight training can spark positive outcomes and extraordinary results. And that same positive attitude can and will give you an edge through your entire flying career.

It’s practically unheard of in our flight school to encounter an individual who simply does not possess the ability to fly a helicopter. Granted, it has occurred that the occasional student will give up and drop out, but that decision to quit has much more to do with the student’s attitude than it does with his or her skill.

The reverse also is true: a student faced with seemingly insurmountable hurdles can overcome those barriers and achieve success with a positive attitude.

In the time that I have been with Mauna Loa Helicopters, I’ve come to know dozens and dozens of would-be professional pilots. From the 17-year old fresh out of high school right up to and including a gentleman in his late sixties, all express a desire to master helicopter flight. And over the years it has become increasingly clear to me that those individuals who possess the right attitude have an overwhelming advantage over those who are taking up space and wasting time. That’s because the quality and effectiveness of training absorbed by a student is directly proportional to how involved that student becomes in the process.

When a student shows up late for a session, unprepared, distracted and perhaps tired from a late night out, the behavior demonstrates a casual attitude towards the mission at hand. Even if that student manages to ultimately graduate and land a flying job somewhere, the lackadaisical attitude will haunt his or her every working moment.

Compare that behavior with one that I see in a current student in Honolulu. Brad (not his real name) is a reasonably bright guy who exhibits a genuine curiosity towards his training. He frequently comes to the school, even if he’s not scheduled with an instructor, simply so he that can concentrate on his studies. I found out yesterday that he’s been taping his flight lessons so that he can listen to each lesson later to try to find ways to improve what he’s doing. With a winning attitude like that, Brad can expect great things in his future. Even though he just soloed, he’s already a professional at heart.

Adopting a proper attitude and focusing on your training in a positive manner can and will work wonders. Remember: excellence is not a skill, it’s an attitude.

P.J. O’Reilley
Honolulu Manager

Day 5 on our Journey from Torrance California to Alaska in a Robinson R22 21 May 2010; The Final Push

It's another beautiful day on our journey north here in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory; the sun is out with a slight chill being that it's early morning. After a shower I pack all my stuff into my back pack and we are out the door. We walk over to the restaurant where we see Jon and Floyd finishing up breakfast. I order up a nice egg skillet breakfast of eggs, hash browns, cheese and peppers plus orange juice and sourdough toast. During breakfast I give US Customs a call with a planned arrival in Northway, Alaska around 10am accounting for the hour we'll gain as we cross the border into Alaska. With the helicopter topped off with fuel, flight plan set, and our call made to US Customs we are ready to go. I call the tower and ask for a departure from our present position at transient parking. This first leg into Haines Junction will be more or less west following the road, Highway 1, through the valley. It's such a nice sunny morning with very little wind and high wispy clouds. Jon and Floyd aren't too far behind us in their MD500. There's a reason we need to stop at Haines Junction. This particular leg from Whitehorse to Northway is a very long stretch. We have to top off our tanks in Haines Junction to have any chance at all of making Northway. Haines Junction doesn't officially have avgas fuel but we heard a rumor about a guy there that will help out helicopters in need of fuel. We'd given this guy a call the night before to see if we could get some fuel from him. As it turns out he's more than happy to help us out and informally sell us 10 gallons of avgas. That's good news because if we couldn't get fuel from him we would have to stop at a gas station at Destruction Bay or Burwash Landing along the Kluane Lake. The winds are light as we meander along through the valley following the road. No tail wind today so far, and if anything we start to pick up a slight head wind. Jon comes on the radio and asks our location. "Hey Jon, we're about 20 miles out from Haines Junction." It appears they are closing in on us fairly fast. At about 5 miles out from Haines Junction they are right on our tail. Corey gets on the radio and says "Hey why don't you guys come up alongside of us and we'll take your picture." We'll need to get this done pretty quickly because we're just about to land at the Haines Junction airport. I slow it up to 70 knots and keep it nice and steady straight ahead. This lets Jon slowly move in closer with their 500 to within 50 feet or so. We snap several photos when I have to descend for a landing and they peel off to the right and northwest bound following the road towards Kluane Lake.

 Jon and Floyd fly up along side of us just before we land at Haines Junction in the Yukon

After landing and shutting down at the Haines Junction airport, Corey runs into the building and comes back out with two 5 gallon red plastic gas containers and pours them into the tanks. Now we are topped off and ready for the rest of our journey to Northway, Alaska. At least we won't have to worry about fuel on this leg which was a concern because it's such a long stretch. Thank you guys at the Haines Junction airport for the 100LL avgas!

On approach to the Haines Junction Airport, Yukon Territory

After fueling up we are ready for the push into Alaska and our visit with US Customs. I hit the bathroom real quick and then we are off departing to the northwest. We basically follow the road along this very long valley which holds Kluane Lake. We notice that we are picking up a definite head wind now.

The very large Kluane Lake, it never seemed to end

 We have a steady head wind blowing 8 to 10 knots right down the valley in the direction we are moving which really slows us down. Checking our ground speed with the GPS we see that we are going to be an hour late at this rate. We start to worry a little about our appointment at 10am with US Customs and have no way of calling them. There's not much we can do about the head wind except to keep on trucking. It's a good thing we got fuel in Haines Junction because there is no way we would have made Northway, Alaska at this rate. We cross over to the west side of Kluane Lake and continue up the long valley following the Canadian Highway 1. It's pretty here but the valley is long and it never seems to end. We are flying direct to Northway Alaska; that keeps us fairly close to the road along the valley floor. If we didn't have to check in with US Customs we could have headed straight to Glenallen, Alaska cutting off quite a few miles, but in actuality I'm not sure this would have been possible considering that it's nothing but rugged wilderness through the Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Preserve with no airports to refuel at. Looking at some of the photos of the park, I'm not sure it's an area I want to navigate through with the little R22 helicopter.

Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve

After what seems like ages we finally cross the Alaskan Border. You can see the border from the air. There's a long straight right-of-way cut out of the wilderness along the Alaskan/Canadian border. The Kluane Lake Valley seemed endless. Maybe it's because we are anxious to get home and that dam headwind doesn't help our cause; headwinds are frustrating for pilots. Come to think about it we've been accustomed to moving right along at a pretty good clip during the trip, our average ground speed has been 100 knots on our journey so far. The head winds we are experiencing today slows our ground speed to 75 knots, which is really slow and puts us behind schedule with US Customs. Overall though we feel like we are making progress now that we have crossed the border into Alaska. Wow, we've made it through Canada and back into the USA! We cross over a couple more ridge lines and see Northway in the distance. Northway is the principal port of entry for light aircraft entering Alaska from Canada and the lower 48 states. When we are within ten miles I make a call telling Northway Radio we are 10 miles out, inbound for landing. I'm sure Customs is listening on the same frequency. We hope they're listening because we are late and we want them to know we'll be landing soon. Shortly after I make my call I hear Jon come on and say they are ten miles out also. What the hell is going on, once again we are ahead of them, I can't believe it. After Jon's radio call they gain on us and we let them land ahead of us. I'm scratching my head, we've beat them the whole way we've been traveling together. Why? I'm guessing it's mainly because they stayed really close to the road while we flew straight as the crow flies, a zip line if you will between destinations. We flew a little higher in general avoiding surface winds, this may have helped our speed also. In any case I'm happy with this R22, it flies smooth and has plenty of power. It's not a dog ship. We have one R22 that just doesn't seem to have the power our other two R22s have. It's known as our dog ship, not sure why nor do the mechanics seem to know why. We finally land and there's the Northway US Customs agent to greet us. The agent meets with Jon and Floyd first. I mill around stretching and walking as usual. I notice the runway looks brand new, it's been repaved recently. I found out there was a massive earthquake in November 2002 with a magnitude of 7.9 that destroyed the airport. That's why it looks brand new, it's been rebuilt. We find out the avgas truck is broke down, we'll have to pick up and move the helicopter over to the fuel truck when we're done with customs. After the agent is done with the MD500 crew, Jon and Floyd, it's our turn. He wants to see our pilot's license and medical certificates. After that he wants to see our passports. I go to get my passport; I forget for a minute that I moved it to a more convenient spot for retrieval. For a nano second I panic, I can't find it, did I leave it somewhere? My mind is flooded with all these scenarios that end badly with Customs. There it is, right where I put it. I should have left it where it was! Whew! I give the man my passport. I hate it when that happens. After all the paper work; Corey had to fill out some form for a fee which the owner has to pay, figures. Then the custom's agent brings out this geiger counter that he starts waving around the helicopter from one end to the other. Not only are they worried about nuclear proliferation, but certain drugs and other illegal things will set off the bells and whistles on this thing. The whole time he's using this meter it's chirping away. He says it's detecting the natural radiation that's all around us. That was a surprise, I never expected a geiger counter. We are cleared and done with US Customs our main hurdle for the day. By-the-way he wasn't too concerned about us being an hour late. They understand flying schedules aren't a perfect science; an ETA is just that, estimated. Corey goes ahead and moves the helicopter over to the fuel truck. Jon and Floyd have been topped off with jet fuel and they are ready to get going. We say our good byes and they are on their way to Delta Junction, this is where our paths part. I'm sure if we were heading to Delta Junction we'd be there in time to greet the MD500 as they were landing :-).
 

Jon and Floyd; Salmon, ID where they started their trip

I’m kidding folks, I’m not completely naïve to what they are doing, they’re taking their time along the road “time building” as we helicopter pilots call it. Jon is learning some valuable lessons from Floyd who has been around the block a time or two and has loads of experience with the MD500 in the Army with special ops. He got out of the Army after 10 years. He then did contract work in the desert, namely Iraq with private sector security forces. I’d like to fly with Floyd myself. It was interesting listening to him tell his stories and talk about his exploits. I was doing the same thing with the R22; I was “time building”. It may not be an MD500 but it is helicopter time. The company I train with was gracious enough to allow me to go on the ferry flight and bring up an R22 from the factory in Torrance, California at a significantly reduced cost per hour. I gained 35 hours of very valuable cross country time and experience, I’m thankful for that; thank you Alpine Air Alaska. It was definitely a confidence builder. So, after we are done refueling we head over to the hotel that's nearby to pay. The guy that refueled us gives us a ride in his golf cart; it's kind of tight with three guys, so I'm hanging half way out on the way over. It's not much of a hotel, really old and not any souls in there except one other caretaker. I'm willing to bet the hotel won't last much longer. And from what I hear there's not always a guarantee they are going to have avgas. After filling up my water bottle inside the hotel, using the bathroom and Corey is done paying for the fuel we are ready to depart on our way to Gulkana Airport. Pretty soon we'll be back in familiar territory. What I remember most about the leg from Northway to Gulkana is the magnificent beauty of the Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve. As we go around, just inside the border of the park on our way to Gulkana, we could see Mt Drum and Mt Sanford, which are truly spectacular.
  

Mount Drum - Wrangell-St. Elias

Mount Sanford -Wrangell-St. Elias

After an hour and a half we land and hover-taxi over to the self serve fuel pumps at the Gulkana Airport just a few miles north of Glennallen. Corey tops off the tanks while I use the bathroom. It's nice and warm. The sun is out and I mill about for a little while. I'm feeling good. We are almost home with one last leg to go. We jump in, fire up the helicopter and depart straight out from the fuel pump ramp. I have to clear some power lines due west, so it's altitude over airspeed to clear the lines and we are on our way. We more or less follow Highway 1 out of Glennallen back to the Anchorage area. We have a strong headwind that really slows us up and it's turbulent but the sun is out and it feels warm. I've been fighting turbulence 90% of the time on this trip; it's something I won't miss. I try and make good time but because of the turbulence I have to slow it down. However, I have gained some very valuable experience when it comes to turbulence, winds, and the weather in general on this trip. I have a better feel for what the helicopter can handle. The turbulence may have been rough but well worth the experience.We pass Sheep Mountain Lodge, a place I've been wanting to visit for lunch someday in the helicopter. It has a nice little landing strip. Then we pass Chickaloon, which means we are getting close. Eventually we break out of the Matanuska Valley and transition midfield over the Palmer Airport, twenty minutes to go. Dusty one of our instructors is out giving instruction in one of the other R22s and recognizes my voice on the radio. "Welcome home 99507" he says over the radio. Thanks Dusty. A few minutes later I call Birchwood traffic, "Birchwood traffic, helicopter 99507 is five to the northeast inbound for landing." As we land Mary, my wife shows up to give me a ride home. She’s been keeping an eye on the SPOT and has a good idea when I’ll land. The SPOT did its job! Mission complete and what an adventure! I'm more than tired but feel good - the trip was a success! I wanted to log it here so I won’t forget and of course to share it with all of you too. I hope you enjoyed our little adventure; I enjoyed sharing it.

Hobbs schedule for the day:

Whitehorse Airport, Yukon, Canada (CYXY) - Haines Junction Airport, Yukon, Canada (CYHT) 1.1 hours

Haines Junction Airport, Yukon, Canada (CYHT) - Northway Airport, Alaska (PAOR) 2.4 hours

Northway Airport, Alaska (PAOR) - Gulkana Airport, Glennallen, Alaska (PAGK) 1.5 hours

Gulkana Airport, Glenallen, Alaska (PAGK) - Mission complete; Birchwood Airport, Alaska (PABV) 1.8 hours

Total 6.8 hours 486 NM's