2008 99s conference in Alaska - who is going?

woodstock

woodstock

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Hi everyone

I am pretty sure Leslie and Grant are going (they may even fly themselves!) to this conference.

Is anyone else here thinking about it too? It's August 6-9. From what I can tell so far there isn't anything planned outside of those dates (unlike New Zealand where they had week-long tours of either island).
 
That sounds like a BLAST!!!!! But I am going to Women in Aviation Convention in SAN then hanging out in SAN/LAX for a while. I will be out of vac days and money. :(
 
I might be in Alaska around that time. Obviously I wouldn't be at the 99s, but since I'll have a plane that will keep pace, nay, outpace a 182, I may caravan with Grant and Leslie up there. Of course, anyone wanting to hitch a ride is more than welcome.
 
im sure you could go to the 99's meeting ed.
 
EdFred said:
I might be in Alaska around that time. Obviously I wouldn't be at the 99s, but since I'll have a plane that will keep pace, nay, outpace a 182, I may caravan with Grant and Leslie up there. Of course, anyone wanting to hitch a ride is more than welcome.
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Well, Leslie and I are getting checked out in a classic 1968 Turbo 210 right now, so maybe the race is on! As Beth indicated, we're planning to go and hope to fly ourselves. Maybe in our own plane:fcross:, maybe in a rental.

Of course given the economy these days, a rental is actually looking like the smarter move!:yes: My guess, and it's just that at this point, is that we'll be leaving directly from Oshkosh, though we may end up dropping back to Chicago and leaving from here.
 
I'd probably end up leaving from...well who knows where. Probably 6Y9, and then off to Winnipeg to clear customs most likely.
 
That sounds great, thanks!

edit: It looks like most of these are clustered around the timeframe of the actual conference (versus a week before, or a week after, as in NZ). Do your printed mats show anything different?
 
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The tours are the same, but click on the cruise. It`s a 7 day Alaska cruise before the conference. How cool would that be?

Looks like I need to win the lottery. :)
 
Looks like most of the tours are half days. They can also be arranged before or after, but I'm not sure if there will be a price difference.

While you're in Anchorage, be sure to visit the Rusty Harpoon for native crafts and other souvenirs. (Shameless plug for my cousin!!).
 
hmmmmmm.......how brave am I. just mentioned it to the husband, and he said, "YOU'RE DOING WHAT??????????"
 
You know, we need to set up a PoA get-together in Alaska around the time of the Conference in Anchorage (Aug 6-9, 2008)! Anyone interested?
 
ladyaviator said:
I just received the registration packet for my chapter yesterday. There are about four pages of tours. Here is the link from the website.

http://www.ak99aviationfun.org/tours.php

It sure sounds like a lot of fun, :yes:
Linda
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I looked through the list of tours, they all look very good, no obvious rip offs. The best section on the Alaska RR is between Talkeetna and Denali NP, or else the Grandview Tour. A McKinley/Denali flightseeing trip either out of Lake Hood or Talkeetna is mandatory :yes: I may or may not still be here in August but if I am maybe I can meet some of you.
 
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alaskaflyer said:
I looked through the list of tours, they all look very good, no obvious rip offs. The best section on the Alaska RR is between Talkeetna and Denali NP, or else the Grandview Tour. A McKinley/Denali flightseeing trip either out of Lake Hood or Talkeetna is mandatory :yes: I may or may not still be here in August but if I am maybe I can meet some of you.
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Thanks! Do you think that the flightseeing tour would be worth paying the local flyer, even if we fly up ourselves? (I suspect that the answer may be yes, but...)

I'm also trying to determine if it makes sense for us to fly ourselves up at a cost of about $6400, as opposed to flying out there commercial for $1400 and using the $5000 savings to do tours, maybe get some local instruction, etc. While it would be REAL NEAT to fly ourselves, that's a pretty chunk of dough.

How are the rental/instruction places around there? For $5000 I think we should be able to get tailwheel signoffs and maybe even a seaplane rating for both of us, if there are good places out there.

Where I think it could be a positive to fly ourselves would be if we were buying our own 210 and this would give us time in type for insurance, or if we already have our own plane, and this would give us a better experience with it.
 
For things like tailwheel or seaplane, there are only a few places that do instruction, but NOBODY who will rent you one. They simply got crashed too often.

Count me in for a POA "gathering", whatever form that takes... maybe a big dinner party at my house?

Grant, IMHO the value of flying yourself up here cannot be measured in dollars.

--Kath
 
To chime in with Katherine, my trip up here in my 170 will be a cherished memory, scenery aside. I really enjoyed it, even with my mechanical problems. As to whether that money would be spent better elsewhere, I can't answer that for you. Someone with the hours that you and Leslie have might not be as impressed with the trip up the Alcan as I was.

gprellwitz said:
Thanks! Do you think that the flightseeing tour would be worth paying the local flyer, even if we fly up ourselves? (I suspect that the answer may be yes, but...)
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I can't answer that for you either, many people choose to fly themselves around and through the mountains there. As have I. I WILL say that even with a GPS it is very easy to get lost in all the ampitheaters around McKinley, and you will be encountering commercial tour traffic "on a system" as it were, and the localized weather immediately around Denali and his brother/sister peaks kills even the most experienced commercial tour pilot flying top-notch high performance equipment on average of once every few years. Wait for a CAVU day with lower winds and don't go too deep and keep your head on a swivel and it is easy-peasy for even a low time pilot. The commercial guys will get you unbelievable scenery even on a relatively cloudy day. Either way, YOU MUST GO.
 
Right now I'm planning on being at the conference, then cruising afterward, then a few days in Vancouver, then home. It all depends on $$ status as there are lots of potential family obligations these days.
Elizabeth
 
EdFred said:
I might be in Alaska around that time. Obviously I wouldn't be at the 99s, but since I'll have a plane that will keep pace, nay, outpace a 182, I may caravan with Grant and Leslie up there. Of course, anyone wanting to hitch a ride is more than welcome.
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Has anyone taken you up on this? I would like to hitch a ride. I can fly to Michigan & back in faithful C-172, but don't trust myself to go all the way to Alaska alone.
 
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