Simviation Forums

Does anybody have an airport in Alaska as their "home airport"? I'm looking for a nice one..

Last spring I spent a few weeks flying around Alaska.  I mostly flew out of Bettles in the north to airstrips in the area.  I also flew to Fairbanks, Anchorage, Bethel, Dutch Harbor, Kodiak Island and several others.

I left Fairbanks in a 737 one time when it was about 35 below (F) and, I swear it looked like the jet exhaust condensed into snow on the tarmac.

If you look at the FS map northeast of Anchorage it looks like someone spilled several boxes of airports and hasn't picked them up yet.  There are just dozens of them in the area.

And don't forget Nome (PAOM).  It's on the coast in western Alaska and a nice place to fly out of.  As a matter of fact, my second round the world trip will end there in a few weeks.

There is a lot of info about airports in Alaska at www.alaska.faa.gov/fai.  If you click on Alaska Airport Photos you get a map.  Click on an airport, find it in the list you get and click on one those links and you can see photos of the airport.

There is no way you can't have fun flying Alaska.

gw

I have a place up in the Coldfoot area. It 's pretty well off the beaten path though and more a private strip than public airport. That's where I base my bush flying out of for BFU.

Even made a little scenery including a cabin with interior. It gets a little dark in the winter though and after November the only access is by plane or 4 WD (Don't count on the 4WD. Best use the plane to be safe). Alaska highway is less than a mile away but it's impassible part of the year.

It has a good runway though. Gravel and plenty long 5,000 ft. I landed a Convair there a couple times and once a C 123. Can't hangar anything larger than an Otter.

If you want better you might check out BFU Brooks over on AVSIM. My runway is longer but I don't have any public services. Coldfoot does but it only has a 4,000 ft runway. Don't even try landing anything larger than a Cessna or STOL plane at Porcupine creek (9 miles north).

In short if you get north of Fairbanks you are in bush flying country so plan your flights accrodingly. Also make sure you take along a good survival kit. Alaska looses a lot of pilots who fly without being prepared.

I'm from Palmer... PAAQ.  In Anchorage for school now though  

I'm currently in Anchorage, but I consider Kenai my home. Kenai is about 60 nm south by southeast of Anchorage. There are some good valleys to play in around Seward and through the pass between Kenai and Anchorage (which is a 150 mile drive through the mountains to the west/northwest of Kenai).

UAA is where I got my A&P certification btw.


Atigun pass, which is the onlt road across the Brooks Range which seperates the North Slope with the southern 2/3's of the state. I forgot the name of the little airstrip just to the left of the road, but you can see a couple buildings there. Unfortunate I had a crappy digital camera for that long trip.


Here you can see an aircraft getting out of dodge before the clouds consumed us, it was wild, over the mountains clouds were pouring like water over the tops, I'd never seen clouds move that fast, must have been well over 100 MPH. You can't tell, but that plane was a Cessna 206 if I recall.


Then of course cruising up the steep road though Atigun pass, you can see the clouds I was talking about.

I'm currently in Anchorage, but I consider Kenai my home. Kenai is about 60 nm south by southeast of Anchorage. There are some good valleys to play in around Seward and through the pass between Kenai and Anchorage (which is a 150 mile drive through the mountains to the west/northwest of Kenai).

UAA is where I got my A&P certification btw.


Atigun pass, which is the onlt road across the Brooks Range which seperates the North Slope with the southern 2/3's of the state. I forgot the name of the little airstrip just to the left of the road, but you can see a couple buildings there. Unfortunate I had a crappy digital camera for that long trip.


Here you can see an aircraft getting out of dodge before the clouds consumed us, it was wild, over the mountains clouds were pouring like water over the tops, I'd never seen clouds move that fast, must have been well over 100 MPH. You can't tell, but that plane was a Cessna 206 if I recall.


Then of course cruising up the steep road though Atigun pass, you can see the clouds I was talking about.

Now That's some beautiful countryside.  When Microsoft can make terrain and weather look like that I'll really be impressed.  ;D

I've got a little cabin with a dirt strip almost a stone's throw from MattNW's Cabin. It was my first scenery project I've ever done, so I kept it.

wow..cool thanks guys. i like those shots!

looks like fall photos... rainy season... not long before termination dust?

second pic looks lot like the entry to Denali along that gravel road... the mountain chain on the left of the road... not the right side...

looks like boo boo country lol (caribou)

yeah, awesome area on the way to Kenai...

real nice along Turnigan if you go over PWm Sound too... love the heavy glaciers behind that first layer of mountain chain...

my favorite places... Mat-Su glacier hiking, Exit glacier, Eklutna Lake or Hatcher Pass...

Actually, all of this was taken on the same day, around August 20th or something. All of it is just south of Atigun Pass, which is about 200+ miles from Deadhorse/Prudhoe Bay. The last one is actually on a climb of about 35 degrees. Very freaky considering that Big Rigs run that road a lot (hence the name the 'haul road').

wow... cool...

now where is that imaginary line where the mountains stop then it's all tundra... i forget... i'm not slope literate... just the slope widow lol

hubby's in Kuparuk right now... they fly into that little gravel landing pad with the 737... eeesh...

a relative posts here and i like seeing ya'lls graphics since i do graphics too... so thought about registering instead of just lurking...

Hi all,

my favourite area of Alaska is the Panhandle  ;)


"
Now That's some beautiful countryside.  When Microsoft can make terrain and weather look like that I'll really be impressed.
"

Not sure whether it's okay to plug payware here but I believe Matt and others might like to see what is already possible with regards to improvements to Alaskan landscapes...

http://www.fsaddon.com/products_preview_mf1.html

Cheers, Holger

[quote]Hi all,

my favourite area of Alaska is the Panhandle

Hi Matt,

I'm just about to send the final beta to the test team and the package is about 65MB. FSAddon/simMarket doesn't usually provide CD options but I'm sure we can work out something for people like yourself that have no possible access to a reasonable d/l time. Once Misty Fjords is published and your situation hasn't changed drop me an email and we'll find a way  ;)

(jeez, can't believe a freeware person like myself can sound so much like a business dude  :-X )

Cheers, Holger

good show holger. jolly good show.............vic.