Alaska cruise and flying

Lindberg

Final Approach
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Lindberg
Going on an Alaska cruise this summer with the family and was hoping to get it do some flying up there, maybe even a seaplane.... We have a few port calls that I thought might work. Has anyone arranged something like this? Got any suggestions?
 
were are you going? A good choice may be to charter a sight seeing flight from one of the local part 135 operators.
 
Several opportunities that I have taken.

Rented a 172 at Palmer, with an instructor in right seat, flew up over the glacier there.

Flew on the mail plane from Fairbanks, to Central, Circle, Eagle, and back to Fairbanks. With no reservation, the round trip was about the cost of a single leg for regular passage. Purely space available, though, filling seats in a less than full flight.

Mail planes fly out of several airports, similar deals may be available at all of them.

Float planes fly fishing parties in the morning, and back out in the evening. In between, they can give you sight seeing flights. They fly from most towns and cities.

Don't try to book a flight out of the old main airport in Anchorage, it is a madhouse, and the wait for a clearance to depart can take up to an hour. It must be the busiest GA airport in the world. Took a local friend, he filed his flight plan, they told him to call on the radio in half an hour for a taxi clearance. When he called on his handheld, he was about tenth in line to enter the taxiway to the runup area, and 20th for departure. He had flown a patient in to the hospital, and was returning to his cabin in the woods.

Don't bother to try to fly when the visibility is poor, or there are low clouds, it is a waste of money and the great views are missing. It is beautiful up there.
 
were are you going? A good choice may be to charter a sight seeing flight from one of the local part 135 operators.
Juneau, Skagway, Victoria BC are the main stops. Sight seeing would be fun, but I'd rather get some backcountry experience....
 
I'd rather get some backcountry experience....

For that you need to go north of the Arctic circle...but Skagway has an interesting approach. I hope being really close to a mountain in the wind doesn't bother you.. :yesnod:

Check in with AKBill, he might be able to set ya up with something. At the very least I hear he is the cook in the house... :lol::lol:
 
For that you need to go north of the Arctic circle...but Skagway has an interesting approach. I hope being really close to a mountain in the wind doesn't bother you.. :yesnod:

Really close between 2 mountains is more like it. And make a 180 back to the runway with winds 25G38 and the other side of the canyon in the windscreen. Fun stuff and don't overshoot final.

OP, you can book sightseeing with either Alaska Seaplanes or Ward Air in wheeled or float plane. But if you do that, you might as well spend a bit more and go to Pack Creek for the bear watching. Spendy but worth it. Check Yelp.

For left seat time, you can call Boyce Bingham at Alaska School of Aviation. (907) 789-4045. 1 man show and he loves to show off SE Alaska. Been doing it for something like 40 years. You'll do all the flying. He's pretty much your only choice for that. There is nothing in Skagway other than the Temsco Helicoper tours of the nearby glaciers. Have fun.
 
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