Look to rent small plane + pilot

L

LandSeaIce

Filing Flight Plan
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Jan 7, 2017
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Alex
Hi All,

Alex here; this is my first post.

I am planning to go on an adventure/exploration of the arctic and I am looking to rent a seaplane (or other 2-seater).
This is new for me so I need a pilot as well.
The flight path leads us to the arctic circle; it would be great to get in touch with pilots who have experienced challenging weather conditions on previous adventures.
The approximate date for the trip is mid-March.
I am on a budget so only the bare essentials are needed.
I am currently in California but I am open to offers from other locations.
Please PM me for more details.

Alex
 
plenty of aviation businesses in AK & Yukon/NWT who can accomodate this request. Low 5-figures in cost, I'd bet.
 
The Arctic will still have plenty of snow and bad weather and cold until mid to late May. If you want to go exploring up there I'd say wait until the end of May. Inuvik is a fun place for about an hour or so, then the novelty wears off. If you make it over to Alaska definitely stop by Kavik Camp and tell Sue PJ says hi.
 
A seaplane in March? All the lakes will still be frozen. Suggest you try it in July. Overflying and landing if permitted on some lakes in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would be a thrill. That place is AWESOME!!!!!!!
 
coloradobluesky said:
A seaplane in March? All the lakes will still be frozen. Suggest you try it in July. Overflying and landing if permitted on some lakes in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would be a thrill. That place is AWESOME!!!!!!!
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Oh hush....you're gonna ruin this. :eek:
 
Well, two seats and lots of space for cargo...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Art Mortvedt flew over the north with a single engine cessna...
 
SToL said:
The Arctic will still have plenty of snow and bad weather and cold until mid to late May. If you want to go exploring up there I'd say wait until the end of May. Inuvik is a fun place for about an hour or so, then the novelty wears off. If you make it over to Alaska definitely stop by Kavik Camp and tell Sue PJ says hi.
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:) Will do.
 
LandSeaIce said:
Thanks for your constructive reply. Could you please elaborate on the issues?
Any input can help me refine my plans.
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The size of the aircraft

The floats for the weather/temps

The tight budget and "bare essentials" the north is unforgiving, not a place to try to cut corners

Looking for someone out of CA for the trip
 
Transport Canada has very specific equipment requirements for aircraft venturing north of 60...and I don't mean sleeping bags and cans of Red Bull. Make sure you find someone experienced with that territory.
 
LandSeaIce said:
Thanks for your constructive reply. Could you please elaborate on the issues?
Any input can help me refine my plans.
Click to expand...
As someone that has been to the arctic, and a pilot with my own plane (btw I have never flown myself to the arctic), I would suggest to you to stay in the lower 48 for your adventure, simply because you should already know and have some experience with "the issues" before this endeavor.
 
LandSeaIce said:
Thanks for your constructive reply. Could you please elaborate on the issues?
Any input can help me refine my plans.
Click to expand...

You haven't given many details, but let's assume that since you're stated the flight path leads to the arctic circle that Barrow Alaska would give us a rough idea of your end-point. LAX (you stataed that you're currently in California) to Barrow is 2548.5 Nm. You've suggested a 2-seat seaplane. Lets use a Citabria as a possible seaplane for the mission. A Citabria on floats will cruise at (maybe) 100mph (86 kts). To fly from LAX to Barrow in that plane would take 29.6 hours. Use $200/hr as a rough estimate of the cost of the plane and pilot. You're already at $6,000 (each way). 29.6 hours is too much to fly straight. Let's assume your pilot is good for flying 8-hours per day. That's 4 days flying, each direction. Where are you sleeping at night? Tents, Motels, the Aircraft, etc? If it's tents, you're not going to be flying that little Citabria mentioned above. The Citabria I did my seaplane rating in would have been at or over gross with two (skinny) pilots in on board and full fuel in the summer, nevermind with winter jackets, blankets, and wilderness suppliers. So let's assume you decide to try this in a more realistic plane. A C-172 on floats. Similar cruise speed, but now you're probably $250-$300/hr. You're now looking at $9000 (each way, $18,000 round trip) for the plane and pilot, but you have an IFR capable machine that may be able to carry enough baggage. You still have the issue of where you're going to refuel. If icing is an issue in that area at that time of year you may want a plane certified for flight into known icing. Now we're talking much larger and more expensive aircraft that probably isn't on floats. How long are you going to stay by the arctic circle? Are the plane and pilot just going to wait for you, or are they going to drop you off and come pick you up days/weeks/months later? That just doubled your cost or you're going to be paying for the downtime the the plane & pilot aren't flying when they're with you in the middle of nowhere.

But rather than talking to a bunch of people here on a forum that may (like me) have no experience in this kind of adventure, you should really call up a few operations in Canada/Alaska and get their input. They would likely be able to point you in the right direction and give you more details you'll need to consider before the trip.

Or you can fly from Fresno to Barrow commercially (round trip) for $650 via Alaska Airlines vs the around $20,000 in a light-plane.
 
LandSeaIce said:
Hi All,

Alex here; this is my first post.
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If you are wondering why you are getting a lot of sarcastic responses, realize this IS your first post, and you are proposing something that is way out there. We have been trolled enough times that any first post containing requests from our members, yours is for a pilot, often it is for money, is going to be viewed with suspicion. If you are serious, you're going to need to prove it with serious questions and at least an inkling of knowing what you are facing.
 
Also any guess why 100LL goes for in the far north, presuming you can find it??

If he really wants to do this, it's going to be flying commercial up to northern Canada, hooking up with Ken Borek or similar and flying up to the circle, he's going to need a full time pilot to be with him the hole time, as I'm guessing a CA guy ain't going to do well in the tundra, I'd wager no way this thing ends up costing under $30k, from wheels up out of LAX to landing back at LAX.
 
Thank you all for your insights.
I intend to fly up to ~80N. Many have reported sightings of magnificent mirages around that lattitude: Auroras, a pale red sun, colored icebergs, birds...

So far, here is what I can summarize from the feedback:
Start the trip in Alaska/Canada.
Rent plane certified for flying in icy area. Either a smaller plane (slow cruise, needs refueling), or a bigger plane (faster cruise, more cargo, more expensive).
No need for floats.
Hire a pilot from companies such as Kenn Borek (more expensive option) or find a pilot who is interested in the trip and split costs.

I have requested a quote from Kenn Borek. When they get back to me, I will be in a be in a better position to proceed with my plan.
In the meantime, are there any pilots in here who might be interested?

Alex
 
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tawood said:
As someone that has been to the arctic, and a pilot with my own plane (btw I have never flown myself to the arctic), I would suggest to you to stay in the lower 48 for your adventure, simply because you should already know and have some experience with "the issues" before this endeavor.
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Tawood,
Which aircraft did you fly with?
Did you reach 80N?
 
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