Trans - Canada Adventure Leg 12 **Must Read**

[Cherokee_6]

Hello All,

I will apologize in advance for the length of this post but the events that unfolded on this leg were unbelievable...

Continuing on in Northward adventure I left Pond Inlet and headed North by Northwest to Grise Fiord.

Info for this leg...


Route Map to date...


So far on this trip there have been some surprises along the way that have been unexpected. But this leg of the trip is one that I will never forget and I have learned one of the biggest lessons ever...EVER!

Forget the lesson about fueling up before takeoff...forget the lesson about realizing how cold it is up here...forget the lesson about landing on gravel runways...

Here is what happened.....

I peered out my motel room window (again...Atco Trailor) at 08:30 and was puzzled by the fact that it was not totally light out yet...the first glow of the sun coming up was barely noticable! I just thought to myself that I am farther north then I have ever been and assumed that it would be light by the time I ate my breakfast and headed out to the Baron.

At 09:00 I opened my door to head outside and it was no lighter then it was a half an hour ago! Then it hit me...I better go check out the weather station at the airport and see what time the sunrise was...

I was talking to the local weather station controller and he looked at me like I was some kind of moron for not knowing what he was about to tell me. He proceeds to tell me that at this time of year the sunrise is at 10:30 and sets at 12:30! Only TWO hours of sunlight!  :o
And the sun does not really rise...it just crests the horizon and then goes back down...

Then he asks me where I am headed...I told him my destination was Grise Fiord for today and then next to Alert and then head south again...
After again confirming in his mind that I am a complete idiot, he tells me that the sun does not come up AT ALL for those destinations!!

Now I am left with a major decision to make...Do I keep going on my trip, knowing full well the remainder of my nothern legs will be in complete darkness, or do I head back now and try my whole adventure again in the summer........
Believe me...it was not an easy decision but I decided that as long as the runway lights were glowin' for me, then I should be ok! So I decided to keep going...

I get out the Baron and fire up the engines...VERY cold this morning so I made sure everything checked out...


Lined up and ready to head out into complete darkness and the unknown...(at this point I am starting to agree with the weather station controller that I must be an idiot!)


As I got up to cruising altitude, the sun poked above the horizon but it never got higher then this...I said my last good-byes to the sun and I probably wont see it again for a few days at least...


Along the way the northern lights appeared again which was really nice to calm my nerves...by the way...at this point the temperature was an even -30 Celcius!


10 nm's from Grise Fiord, and as happens EVERY TIME, I hit my infamous wall of cloud on my decent...


As I broke through the clouds I started looking desperately for the landing lights...but nothing...
I checked out my GPS, thinking that maybe I was off course but according to the GPS I was right over the runway! I had to circle around a couple times to find it but I finally found the signal tower...BUT NO RUNWAY LIGHTS!
Now what do I do! I can barely make out the runway and there are a couple really inviting mountain faces on either side of the runway!
I quickly thought about diverting to another airport but the nearest one was 200 nm's away...so with my knuckles completely white, I circled around for an attempt to land...


On my first attempt, I realized that I was going to have bank hard on a VERY short final...I tried but missed the beginning of the runway and had to do a go-around...(Notice how close I came to kissing the side of the mountain at the end of the runway...my landing lights are lighting up the mountain!!) It was at this point I knew I was in serious trouble...


After a couple near misses, I got a feel for how this was going to HAVE to happen...I knew that I was going to have to come in Low, Steep and Fast...
A local trapper was in the area and noticed my numerous attempts and must of thought for sure he was going to witness a fatality, so he snapped these approach shots...
On final, skimming the mountain side and did a VERY steep bank to get it lined up with the runway! (at this point, I am over the runway!


Got it lined up, but now very quickly running out of runway...had to nose dive to get it down...


With a quick flare I bumped the ground and hit pretty hard! Full brakes and running out of runway VERY VERY quickly...I could do nothing except pray...


I finally came to a stop, with about 5 feet of runway to spare! I then crawled over to the parking spot and shut everything down...
After I set the brake I sat just staring out the window and comtemplated what "could" have been the end...but I was very lucky that I managed to get her down in one piece.
Just then the Trapper that witnessed the whole thing came and offered me a ride to town. I gladly accepted his offer and we headed out to have a much needed drink or 4 or 5...


Thanks for watching and comments/suggestions are always welcome! (and sorry the length of story but I had to tell it as it was!)

Leg 1 - http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=screen;action=display;num=1060619320
Leg 2 - http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=screen;action=display;num=1061303323
Leg 3 - http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=screen;action=display;num=1061904684
Leg 4 - http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=screen;action=display;num=1062678263
Leg 5 - http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=screen;action=display;num=1063194538
Leg 6 - http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=screen;action=display;num=1063797354
Leg 7 - http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=screen;action=display;num=1063889659
Leg 8 - http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=screen;action=display;num=1064493814
Leg 9 - http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=screen;action=display;num=1064833735
Leg 10- http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=screen;action=display;num=1066820576
Leg 11- http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=screen;action=display;num=1068470111

[ATI_7500]

now that's what i call close!  :o

but if it's really that dark out there...i'd watch out for vampires.

[Fly2e]

The most exciting part of your adventure yet!!!
I thought you were going to wind up in a pile of rubble at the end of the runway...or down a ravine someplace!
Glad you made it Dean!!!
I think you owe that trapper a few frosties!!

[Cherokee_6]

[quote]The most exciting part of your adventure yet!!!
I thought you were going to wind up in a pile of rubble at he end of the runway...or down a ravine someplace!
Glad you made it Dean!!!
I think you owe that trapper a few frosties!!

[Sock]

Wow Cherokee!  That was you best yet!  I have had yet to have a close call like that in my flight, but I try to avoid flying at night because My 47 has no runway lights.  Great shots man.

Sock

[Cherokee_6]

[quote]Wow Cherokee!

[Maccers]

cool, glad you didnt become street runway pizza

[JW]

*whistles through teeth*

Damn! Some story! I am not sure, but being alone out there facing such a 'situation', wouldn't make me feel comfortable. Spotting trapper aside. (Come to think of it, isn't it a coincidance the trapper is around, while the runway lights are OFF?  :o )

You better make sure you get your plane de-iced properly before leaving, Dean, and DO IT YOURSELF, know what I mean? If you don't, you'll make a polarbear's day.

Looking forward to your departure and next leg. Be careful!

[Cherokee_6]

[quote]Damn! Some story! I am not sure, but being alone out there facing such a 'situation', wouldn't make me feel comfortable. Spotting trapper aside. (Come to think of it, isn't it a coincidance the trapper is around, while the runway lights are OFF?