Gyro flying 2010 AZ & AK Part1

[amphib]

I got to fly my Magni M14 in Lake Havasu City last winter, and in Kenai and Fairbanks up in Alaska ths past summer. Though I'd share a few of the photos. All photo credits go to my wife Karen.

Last winter I had my Dominator Tandem in LHC with me, but since I wasn't yet taking passengers, my faithful photographer was grounded and I have no flying photos from then.

This is my first time posting pictures, so I apologize if it's clumsy. If you 'mouse over' the images, the short title appears.



Neil

[amphib]

... more from LHC

[amphib]

I drove up to Alaska for the first time this summer. Karen and I have flown up there numerous times in our Cessna 180 float plane (amphibious) and of course we've been there courtesy of Alaska Airlines too, but this was the first road trip (actually, I drove and Karen flew Alaska Airlines ... long story about an old cat) and the first time taking a gyro.

We set up the gyro in Kenai and again in Fairbanks. Both are towered airports (at Fairbanks the jets use one side, and GA uses the other) and the controllers generally enjoyed the strange flying gizmo in their airspace. My M14 is transponder/Mode C equipped, which they appreciated.

Again, all photo credits are to Karen.

[amphib]

In picture 13, you can just make out my red pickup in the airport camping area (next to the floatplane parking area). This is actually the exact same camping spot where we have camped several times after flying our 180 up to Fairbanks. The airport campground is an excellent facility!

Happy New Year to all!


Neil

[Mike484]

Cool trip you've made, I'm sure there's a lot of others that wish they could make a trip like that. Thanks for sharing your adventure with us.

[willisbr]

Awesome. I used to live I. Kodiak. Kenai is beautiful. Did you pull your gyro up the ALCAN?

[automan1223]

Karen has a great eye for framing photos. Great work ! Thanks for the photo log. I have acquaintances that summer up in alaska, both are CFI / ATP pilots. But they flew for NAT GEO last year or the year before doing bear expeditions and filming remote locations besides dragging equipment around0. Curious what the draw is for you ? Looks pretty but has to be COLD.. ?

Happy New Year !

Jonathan

[TERRY LEE]

Great job flying and taking pics you guys. I really enjoyed it.

[amphib]

Thanks for the replies and compliments. Karen does take some really nice pics with her little basic camera. It's about 7 years old (our first digital - my old Canon FTb with 200-400 push-pull zoom from my high school days finally gave up the ghost) - her favourite feature is the 10:1 optical zoom, although that makes the camera shake issue worse.

Brian - up the Cassiar to Watson Lake, then the Alcan to Tok and then down to ANC to pick up Karen. On the return trip I left FAI - Alcan to Tok, then detoured over Top of the World Highway through Dawson, then back to Whitehorse to pick up the Alcan back to BC. Fun trip - I've flown most of those routes (except Dawson) in our 180, but never seen them from ground level. LOTS of bears by the road on the Cassiar, and moose and bison galore.

Jonathan - hard to say what the draw is, but I manage to get up to Alaska one way or another just about every summer. It's just spectacular (as are the Yukon and Northwest Territory) and each region is vastly different than the others. Most of the time, it's t-shirt and shorts weather at least near sea level. Despite all the pictures one sees of snowy mountains and glaciers, much of Alaska is quite flat and low. Fairbanks, for example, near the center of the state, is at an elevation of less than 500'!

Neil

[barnstorm2]

Great photos!

Great adventure!

One of your kids looks like mine... I wonder what implications that has?

.

[amphib]

Tim,

Next time you're out visiting "Uncle Bill" you and Connie and Karen and I need to get together! :-)


Neil