Alaska Air retires Mud Hens

[gprellwitz]

Alaska Air had 737-200s that landed on gravel strips. Had being the operative word.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid452319854/bctid759345156

Full article on Wall Street Journal

They called themselves the Arctic Eagles. For years, they flew Alaska Airlines passengers on the lonely routes from here to 20 remote outposts across the nation's largest state. With limited instruments and little air-traffic control, they faced blizzards, bear heads, gravel runways and volcanic eruptions.

Years ago, Capt. Malcolm af Uhr, 45, co-piloted a flight headed for Juneau in a snow storm. He and his pilot, he recalls, aborted four attempts to land because they couldn't see the runway at the critical moment. After refueling back in Sitka, 95 miles away, they returned to Juneau and tried to land five more times without success. As local fliers dozed or read the paper, a passenger from California stood and demanded, "What's wrong with you people?" The plane finally landed on the 10th try.

PODCAST

Alaska Airlines Capt. Rex Gray, who flew a "mud hen" in the state for 35 years, pays homage to the retired aircraft in this Alaska Public Radio Network program.

 

[Tim]

Alaska Airlines Capt. Rex Gray, who flew a "mud hen" in the state for 35 years, pays homage to the retired aircraft in this Alaska Public Radio Network program.



Hey I flew with Rex Gray in an old Gat 1 simulator at UAF. He was the first guy I ever flew a PA-18 with too..

 

[KennyFlys]

That's remarkable. I would have never imagined a turbojet landing on a gravel runway.

I wonder what they will be using. My old instrument instructor went to work for Horizon who is owned by Alaska Air. He said the Fairchild has FLIR which makes it a much safer plane in the snowy conditions in that region. Sometime, I'm gonna have to see one in action.

 

[tonycondon]

i was at a safety seminar with a 747 captain last year who flew 737s off gravel for alaska air. very interesting. you learned how to get the thing down and stopped fast. i dont think those runways were particularly...long. and there was water on each end. maybe 3000ish feet or something crazy like that? i remember him saying something like "oh sure you can land and takeoff a 737 on 3000 feet of gravel, but you better not be 1 foot long or you'll go off the end and you better not be 1 foot short or you'll be in the drink."

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Wow... I'd have thought a big jet on a gravel runway would suck a bunch of gravel into the engines at full power.

 

[tonycondon]

yea, especially a 737. engines drag pretty low on those. musta been pretty well packed gravel.

 

[SupraPilot]

i still dont beelive they can land a 737 on a 3000 ft gravel runway....

 

[KennyFlys]

i still dont beelive they can land a 737 on a 3000 ft gravel runway....

I believe it can be done. You're going to get a lot of drag on those tires slowing you down. Launching is the one I want to see.

 

[tonycondon]

im sure if you keep the weight low, they are fantastic short field performers. wikipedias page on 737s mentions that a gravel kit was available on the 737-200.

 

[EdFred]

I want to see one with tundra tires.

 

[SupraPilot]

I believe it can be done. You're going to get a lot of drag on those tires slowing you down. Launching is the one I want to see.

yeah i thought i put that in thiuer..i guess not...
I could actually see one landing and getting on the brakes and stopping in time...but again..takeing off would be something to watch....

It probably is nothing like it but i was playing around with FS2004 and i was trying to take off with a 737 out of a 3500 ft runway with barely any fuel and no pax and i was barely making it off the ground before i ran out of runway

 

[KennyFlys]

I want to see one with tundra tires.

That would be a lotta tire to retract!

 

[NC Pilot]

im sure if you keep the weight low, they are fantastic short field performers. wikipedias page on 737s mentions that a gravel kit was available on the 737-200.

I remember seeing a 737 at an airport with about a 3000 foot runway. I can't remember where, but it was in the east somewhere. I asked what he was doing there and his reply was wishing he had about 2000 foot more runway...

Turns out the plane had some new upholstery installed and they did it on site.

He made it off with no trouble (as viewed from the outside)

 

[JustinPinnix]

I want to see one with tundra tires.

Ed,

I was just reading your post and got a phone call from my neighbors across the street. They wanted to know what the big deal was about license vs certificate, since they could read it off my screen.