February was certainly warmer than it might have been; and I didn't even mind that we'll be back in Hawaii in July! I spent the month doing inter-island hops in the EMB-195 and in July I will likely be flying a Supervan again so it will be a totally different experience. On March 1st I loaded a CV990 (painted from an old DC-8 livery I found on Aliners.net) and headed across the open North Pacific, to Yakutat, Alaska.
Upon my arrival in Alaska I saw that Tony was already there, parked in his dark-colored sedan, checking us in. I knew that this time around we'd have to be on our best behavior; certainly our reputation over the past ten years should be some indication of the kind of supervision we need!
I checked in at the office, filed my flight plan to Valdez and ordered up the aircraft I'd be using. With everything in order (so I thought) the little Office Assistant took my folder out to the sedan where Tony checked off on my work. With his "stamp-of-approval" I was off!
LEG ONE to Icy Bay:
First up is the Horizon Livery Q300. I had forgotten what a SCENIC FLIGHT this was, enhanced over last time by FSX!
Tony had stuck a Post-It Note on my flight folder indicating that I was pilot one this month (no shock there) so I knew that I wouldn't have to dodge gaping holes, busted nose gear or otherwise mangled aircraft along the way. (Besides that I knew that we were all much more experienced and seasoned pilots now and something like rough or unimproved runways really didn't phase us anymore.) I made a smooth, straight-in approach and landed and stopped easily.
LEG TWO to Cordova-Smith:
After landing, and parking, and unloading the Horizon Q300 I switched into a Flight Club Livery aircraft. Tony was just coming out with our livery and website back in 2003 but this is a new aircraft and paint job compatible with FSX. You all can't see the small print under the cockpit windows but this particular aircraft is named "MILDREANNA". Those who have been around for eleven years will know the significance of flying this aircraft in March!
LEG THREE to Valdez:
My wife went to High School with a guy who is now one of the owner/operators of LifeMed Alaska. They use Lear Jets in the real world but we are flying Q300s this month.
Another thing we have learned and developed in the past ten years is RNP Navigation - a very precise, GPS-form of navigation that is easy to simulate in the Flight Planner. This assures that we will avoid all terrain and allows us to fly very precise approaches ... ideal for places like Valdez.
LEG FOUR to Anchorage:
Finally, (this wasn't part of Tony's original but I knew I needed a connection to Hanover, Germany) I took a newer Flight Club repaint and headed to Anchorage for the conclusion of this March Feature Flight.
Tony, ten years later and it was still fun. THANK YOU for a short, scenic FOTM, it was great fun this time!!
