Blue Ice Aviation

Exposing Real Alaska

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Photo of the Day — Bring a Snorkel

I hauled a group of three tele skiers onto the glacier at 6000′ today. I scoped a place to land and set up for an approach. As soon as the skis were in the snow and I began reducing throttle I knew I was going to get stuck. My skis were plowing through the snow and even with full throttle I could not keep the Super Cub moving. I crawled out of the drivers seat and sunk right up over my knees. We busted out the snow shoes and skis and packed a small area to help me turn around. I can’t even imagine the fun these guys are going to have stomping around up there. They flew up from Utah for this ski trip and they are in the field for 4 nights. If any one is interested give me a shout, because we have several areas that are untouched and just begging for tracks. Matt@BlueIceAviation.com

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Photo of the Day — Headed Home

We had a 5 hour slog across Alaska today bucking a 20 mile per hour headwind the whole way. I took this picture of Mike somewhere near Lake Illiamna on our way home. Other than the headwind, it was a great flight, lacking only a good strong cup of coffee. Lake Clark Pass went down to 2 miles vis. for a short distance, but it picked back up to 5 miles by the time we got to the narrows, and Big River Lakes was better than 20. We were gone for 7 days, and it was a great trip with lots of good weather.

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Photo of the Day — Wing Tip Tornados

During the course of the year I will fly hundreds of hours in close proximity to Mikes Super Cub. Often I will be behind Mike, and I learned early-on to stay at or above his flight path. This is true when following any airplane, but all the more true when it is a fat winged, heavy, super cub with droop tips. You can see the wing tip vortices kicking up dust on the ground below Mike as he sets up for landing. For those of you unfamiliar with wing tip vortices, it’s the tornado that is created when the high pressure beneath the wing leaks around the tip of the wing and combines with the low air pressure above. The vortices are the worst when the aircraft is heavy, slow, and no flaps. The Vortices of larger aircraft are a real danger to small airplanes as the turbulence can cause a loss of control.

I do a fair bit of survey work which means I do a lot of low level circling. Here’s the scenario; It’s a cold winter morning with wonderful calm dense air. I am planning to fly for 7+ hours so I fill both wing tanks and top off my 32 gallon belly pod. Then I throw the survival gear in the back and cycle my wheel skis which weigh nearly 100 pounds. Then I fly over and pick up a 200 pound passenger and their gear. My Super Cub is now at it’s max gross weight of 2000 pounds. We fly out to start working and locate our first critter that we need to identify. As the animal passes beneath the jury strut I roll into a steep right turn so as not to loose sight of it and crank the airplane around in a perfectly coordinated turn. The cold calm air is awesome and I can feel the airplane carving through the air and it feels like I am on a rock-solid rail. I hold the turn for about 300 degrees of rotation, and it would feel so good to hold it and keep the animal in sight, but this is where I level my wings and swing back around for a figure eight. Or maybe just swing wide so as not to complete a perfect circle. I am avoiding my old flight path to stay out of the vortices. This is something that becomes a sixth sense with thousands upon thousands upon thousands of low level circles. Your own wing tip vortices are so strong in scenarios like this that they will make you crap your chaps if you get stuck in one. A whole bunch of Super Cub jocks with more time than me have spun into the ground and I believe it can happen to anyone. If you think I’m crazy then you have never experienced this. Sometimes you hit the vortices and they feel like a speed-bump, but other times, if you are maintaining the same flight path in a turn, the air is trying to flip you over on your back. The only way out is to #1 pitch forward and #2 apply full left rudder, because the ailerons are virtually useless. Its easy with a relatively light cub and 5 knots of wind, but when it’s calm and cold, and the cub is heavily loaded LOOK OUT!

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Photo of the Day — Looking for a New Strip

I have a rule. I don’t land in a brand-new spot when loaded, until I have been there empty. I am more inclined to break this rule if I am hauling freight. But, when a passenger is on board, and the baggage compartment is loaded it’s hardly the time to go pioneering new spots. With a passenger and, 85 pounds of luggage it is not uncommon to run out of forward trim.

On this particular evening I was scoping this spot out for a new strip. We had been looking for a land-able portion here for several years and the ice conditions finally cooperated.

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Video and Photo of the Day — Hey Diddle Diddle, The Cat and the Fiddle, the Dork Jumped Over the Plane

Landing on a glacier and experiencing this beauty makes me run around and frolic like a little kid. I landed on this steep glacier just to show a client what it’s like. Contrary to popular belief glaciers are not slippery. Well, that’s a bit of an overstatement … glaciers are not always slippery. It really depends on temperature, precipitation, steepness, rock content, texture, and recent snowfall. Glaciers never stop changing and from summer to summer the changes can be so significant that familiar areas become unrecognizable. Glaciers are often the easiest path through the mountains. Sometimes steep and creviced, but often there are large smooth portions that are excellent for walking on … even leaping like an idiot.

These are some of my video clips taken during August of 2009. I edited them randomly into this video.

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Photo of the Day — Who Wants to Sleep on a Glacier? No Really it Will Be Fun!!

This was taken at about 6500′ during the month of May in the Chugach Mountains.  I was on a mission to drop off supplies and pick somebody up.  These high glacier views are by far the most surreal thing I have ever seen.  The ice clings to the rocks so precariously that it’s scary to look at, as if the added pressure of your gazing eyeballs might accidentally knock something off the mountain.  It’s terrifying but I love it.

Does anybody want to experience this? I can put you in here with an experienced guide during the warm(er) summer months and it’s AWESOME!   I’m talking about you city folk who like adventure.  If anybody would like to spend a couple of days amid breathtaking glacial landscapes on the high glacier you should give me a call.  We have guides who would love to spend a few days showing you around this area.  You could do some unique stuff like digging a huge snow cave, practicing crevasse rescue, or climbing one of the numerous surrounding peaks.  This can all be done safely in an area that is totally remote and away from other people and human impact.    This could be an awesome opportunity to do something totally unique and adventurous.  If you are interested you can contact me here.  Let me know how long you want to stay, we will provide everything except personal clothing.

FYI — When I say, “dig a snow cave” I’m not talking about those pansy little things you used to dig as a kid in the drive way.  I’m talking about something that would make your Momma proud.  Something the whole gang can hang out in and play cards and cook meals.  You can make a snow cave comfortable when there is 12-20 feet of compacted snow beneath your feet.

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Photo of the Day — White Concrete

A couple of days ago we landed out in this swamp to do some work for a client. As I mentioned in previous posts it has been super-warm here in Alaska for nearly 2 weeks. The snow has become a dense 4 foot thick ice blanket now that the temperatures have cooled. We walked about 2.5 miles on top of this crust, but I carried my snowshoes the whole time just incase the conditions changed as the day warmed up. If you have ever spent a day post-holing up to your crotch, then you know that lugging a pair of snowshoes around is a small price to pay for peace of mind. As we were walking back to the airplane I held my camera at waist level and shot this picture on a whim. I think I like it.

On the morning that we did this trip it had cooled to about 20 degrees. If we had tried this the day previous when it was more like 40 degrees, I am certain that snowshoes would have been necessary to even look at the snow. I had planned on spending several hours stomping out a runway in a slush pit, and I was disappointed that my buns-of-steel exercise was duped by the temperature.

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Photo of the Day — Fly-it, Hike-it, Raft-it, Fish-it

My wife is wearing the red life jacket.  Samantha was floating the Matanuska River with some friends, when I landed to say, “hi”.  As they floated away I snapped this shot.

The raft belongs to Mat-su Expeditions and River Guides.  We were recently brainstorming with MERG and thought it would be fun to work together on an expedition that would include a fly-in, a hike, and a float out.  We have an excellent location that would make an awesome trip.  The super cubs would transport clients into the mountains with an experienced guide who would lead them on a multi day hike ending at a gorgeous glacial fed river, and a waiting raft.  The last couple days would be spent floating and fishing your way back to Talkeetna.  The possibilities on a trip like this get me all excited because of the stretch of wilderness that would be covered.  The beauty, variety, and experience would go a long ways toward fulfilling many items on a bucket list.  

My wife Samantha runs the hiking business Alaska Wilderness Trails and I encourage you to visit the website.  We run the hiking business out of Sheep Mountain as well as the flying because they go hand-in-hand.  I do the flying, and she does the hiking/coordinating.  Her Grandpa homesteaded this area in the 40’s, and the Meekins have been living here ever since.  Alaska Wilderness Trails was actually started by Samantha’s grandpa in the 1950’s.  We recently re-initiated it because of the vast opportunities for wilderness lovers to experience untouched alpine.  Alaska Wilderness Trails can coordinate large group trips for multiple weeks, or simple day hikes from the road system.  We even offer an all-inclusive option starting at the Anchorage International Airport, including luxury accommodations at the Majestic Valley Lodge just 100 yards from our hangar.  If you are itchin’ for an authentic Alaskan experience … you better call us.  (907) 355-6008

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Photo of the Day — Bloody Toe-Nail

Notice I only landed in this spot because I had my old tires on, which were already ATU (All Tore Up).  All those nasty frozen little rocks slice and dice my $3500 tires and that make me grouchy.  I posted a blog about this on Dec 15th.

You see that little black mound on the right side of the image ?  At first glance it looks like a small pile of rock fragments that could easily be leveled with a single swipe of the foot.  I made that mistake the first time I was preparing an ice air-strip, and dang near broke my toe.  They are solid ice mounds protected from melting by the protective covering of the smaller rocks.  I accidentally hit one on landing one time, and it just about rattled the fillings out of my head.  You can see the larger mounds standing in-front of the Super Cub, they come in all sizes.

The texture of the ice is different almost everywhere I go.  It really depends on the rock faces bordering the edges of the glacier up valley, because that is the main factor determining the amount of debris that ends up on the ice.  I have seen boulder fields 50 feet high and 2 miles long out on the ice, and I’ve also seen portions of ice so smooth you could land a DC-3 on it.  Glaciers are awesome, totally unlike any other geological formation. If you want to experience a glacier in it’s true wilderness environment, rather than from the deck of a cruise ship, or a wooden viewing platform, then let me take you on a glacier tour.  Seriously, it’s, it’s, ummm….. just do it, you won’t regret it.

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Photo of the Day — All New Website … And a Sweet Pic

First of all we just launched the new website and blog layout late last night.  I hope you like it because I am really stoked about it.  If you have not seen the new website, you can view it here.  The new site is much more in-depth and there are lots of photos.  I even have Blue Ice Aviation hoodies for sale at a discounted price.  The bugs will be worked out of the links over the next couple of days so please be patient these things take time.  

In the above photo I had just finished skiing and Mike was picking me up in my cub.  I shot this picture as he taxied up to me.  I love that Alaskan blue sky.  I took this with a $150 dollar camera and did no photo editing.  You just can’t go wrong with a glacier flight and a Super Cub. If you are interested in photography visit the new photography page on the website here.

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Photo of the Day — Dropping Off Climbers

These guys were headed into the Chugach in the middle of September for a climbing trip. When clients want to go into the high mountain country this late in the season we often warn them that they could be stuck for several days. They might even get the opportunity to shovel-out the airstrip so that we can land. You can see in this pic that it was spitting snow. The elevation here is about 5000′ and we were able to pick them up with no problems.

I remember that the forecast was horrible but they went anyway without hesitating. This shows real Alaskan maturity because, if you try to plan excursions by looking at a forecast extending beyond the next 12 hours … you are likely wasting your time. The National Weather Service does a great job, but Alaska’s weather is fickle, it does what it wants, so most Alaskans do the same.

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Photo of the Day — Bouncy Mt. Top Landing

I was flying home with an empty Super Cub when I flew by a mountain top that looked liked a possible landing spot. I had seen the potential several years earlier, but had never taken the time to work out a landing on it. The winds were calm and the air had not yet been disturbed with afternoon thermals so I decided to give it a couple of passes. It was plenty long enough, but I was surprised by how steep it was. It was one of those scenarios where it was too steep to drag downhill or uphill so all I could do was fly by at an angle looking out the side window. This makes it much more difficult to judge length and texture but it can still give you the overall perspective. There was a hump in the middle that I was trying to get a good look at to determine size. After several passes I decided the hump of concern would not be an issue because the steep terrain would decelerate me so quickly that by the time I reached it I would just roll over it. (A “bump” jars the aircraft, a “hump” launches the aircraft)

In the process of checking-out the strip I also detected a very slight tailwind, but since length was not really an issue I decided it was manageable. I flew by the airstrip one last time as I headed out for final approach. As I turned in toward the mountain top with my flaps fully extended I double checked my ground speed and found it acceptable. As I passed the point of no return I could feel the tail wind had increased. I tried to ease off the throttle and pitch the nose up to really slow it down, but could feel the airplane sag out from underneath me, so I came back in with a little bit of power and hit the ground “long and hot” (meaning I landed well beyond where I intended going faster than I desired). I nailed “the hump” and launched back into the air even though I was climbing a significant hill. One wheel came almost 2 feet off the ground, that is a massive bounce, and is unacceptable in this sort of flying.

We all botch landings once in awhile, and this was a perfect example. I should have moved-on as soon as I detected the tailwind. These sorts of landings don’t lend the luxury of a, “little tailwind”. I’ve noticed with pilots that nothing is ever their fault. It’s always the, “gust of wind” or “engine problems”. Truth is that gust of wind is still my fault because I should have accounted for the fact that there was adverse wind blowing… and then gone home! This landing was no big deal, and nothing of consequence happened. There were no passengers onboard and I was very light, but I remember this event because it surprised me, and I hate surprises in the pilot seat.

An embarrassing bounce.

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Video and Photo of the Day — Blue Ice Today

For the last two weeks I have been working on my Super Cub. I did the annual inspection, and welded in a third seat conversion, which was no small job. I replaced all the plexiglass, added a map pocket, replaced all my skat tubing under the dash, and several other minor modifications. So this morning I took a little RTS (return to service) flight and decided to land by this glacier in order to shoot an intro video for my new website (coming very soon). I thought the “Blue Ice” was appropriate for a backdrop. While I was on the ground I could hear the glacier creeping forward. A continuous series of snaps, crackles and pops, encouraging my not to get too close. A beautiful spot, and I thoroughly enjoyed spending a few minutes enjoying another piece of God’s creation.

Short video clip of landing in the gorge.

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Photo of the Day — Can you Spot the Super Cub Taking-Off ?

Can you see the Super Cub ? The Cub is taking off, but is still on the ground, and rather small. I had just gotten airborne, and winged around to get this picture of Mike taking off. On this particular morning the glacier was so slippery that it took one person dragging and pushing on each wing to maintain control while I turned around. At one point the plane started sliding sideways and my panties got all up in a bundle trying to stop it.

Taking-off of steep, slippery terrain is a potential hazard. You know how taildraggers respond during takeoff. A little rudder dance takes place during each take off and landing in order to maintain directional control. If the plane wanders during the rudder dance, a touch of opposite brake will immediately regain directional control. On mornings as slippery as the one pictured above I might-as-well forget that the plane even has brakes, because they are completely and utterly worthless. I don’t use brakes often on takeoff because of the obvious adverse effects, but it’s nice to know I have the option. Brakes are especially nice with the ever-present downhill, glacial tailwind, because for several seconds the only air flow over the rudder is the air caused by the prop wash. The third, and most adverse, effect to directional stability are the ribs of ice running diagonally across this particular glacier. Those ribs pull on my bush wheels like asphalt grooves on a motorcycle tire. It is controllable, but you better have your poop-in-a-group before you apply full power.  You can see similar glacial grooves at the end of this video.

During scenarios like this I generally accelerate rather slowly, sort of like when I was first learning to fly. I just ease the throttle forward so nothing happens too fast, because the consequences of loosing directional control would be … unfortunate. As you can see, the terrain below the strip is less than forgiving. With the momentum earned from a botched take off I could easily make it right out the bottom of this picture. I am not claiming that taking off of steep slippery slopes is difficult, I am just suggesting that your mental “potential hazard” alarm be blaring while you do it.  If you want to ride along on a glacial landing and go for a short hike, you can with Blue Ice Aviation for just $250 bucks.  Check out my website.  (All new website coming soon with detailed pricing).

If you still have not located the Super Cub, it is on the left side of the main ice-field, about half way up the glacier, and within a couple hundred feet of the medium sized snow-patch. Look for two black specks … those are the 35″ bushwheels :o) I love em’, so many uses.

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Photo of the Day — Invisible Air-strips

This is somewhere in the Talkeetna Mts. Do you see that ditch the left tire of the Super Cub is sitting in ? Notice the rocks behind the left tire. If the airplane was not sitting at an angle you would barely be able to tell if that was flat or if that was a bank. This airstrip washes out on a yearly basis and leaves us scrambling for a place to land. The rocks, grass, and mud, confuse the eyeballs so texture is very difficult to determine and the ground is doing it’s best to deceive. Just staring at the picture you may be thinking, “what is he talking about?” … Imagine flying over that at 45 mph trying determine the size of that bump, the rock next door, and everything else necessary to make an intelligent decision.

Those are 35″ tires, so that ditch is about 12″ deep. How would you like to hit that bump right after touchdown on a 450′ strip? You would bounce like a rabbit on steroids. The 35″ tires and rugged Super Cub landing gear can take the abuse, but it would tear the landing gear off of most aircraft. You are probably wondering if I smacked it when I landed….. The truth is I pushed the Super Cub into this position because I did not see the ditch. Mike was on final for landing and I was in a hurry to get out of his way. I just find it interesting how these little factors can all add up into a problem if you are not paying close attention.

The airstrip has not gotten washed out for the last 3 years because we finally found a pretty good spot for it. I have landed here many many times and I still have to do an occasional go-around because I cannot see the airstrip, even on short short final. I have learned to simply drive the cub to the general area of the strip, and then make necessary changes at the last second to hit the proper spot once my brain separates it out. Occasionally I miss the airstrip all-together and see it passing beneath the plane off to one side or the other, and I have to come back around to try again. Seeing an airstrip is a bigger part of the challenge than people realize. On most runways around the world that is not the primary concern, but in bush flying it is one of the many factors. The good thing about having invisible airstrips is that nobody else can see them either.

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Photo of the Day — Cruising through the Chugach Mts.

Cruising through the Chugach Mts. I took this image of Mike with a no-name hanging glacier in the backdrop. We had just dropped some skiers off on Eagle Glacier and they were going to ski back out to the road system. If you are looking for a great ski trip this spring give me a call. I can fly clients into places where you can get some turns in and then ski back out to the road system. This only costs a couple of hundred bucks. If you fly in with a really nice camp and then cache the gear on the glacier I can pick it up later. If you are itching to get out into the backcountry make sure you give me a call, we can plan a great trip, and you won’t be disappointed.

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Photo of the Day — Final Approach for a No-Name Peak

The passenger in the back seat took this photo on final approach.  I am landing just to the left of the peak on the far right.  This landing is interesting because I am descending rather hard over that little ridge and then the glacier is climbing fast.  Plus, I do not have a lot of room on top of that glacier to get stopped.   I have to drag over those cliffs pretty low, then descend hard for about 3 seconds, followed by an immediate application of full power to start a climb up the glacier before touch down.  I can barely taxi up-hill under full power because it is so steep.  (I talked about this sort of scenario on Jan 5th) I cannot  attempt this landing without excellent light on the snow because there are too many factors at play, and it is a totally one-way strip.

That may sound rather insane, but I assure you it is not.  I AM NOT just flying around looking for crazy places to land for an adrenaline rush … this was just another day at work.  If I bend my Super Cub it’s my livelihood and I am out of work, so I am super cautious.  I landed on top of this mountain empty before I ever took a passenger in here.  The wind conditions have to be perfect and I make several circles to ensure that everything is stable.  I have nothing to prove, I am just a dude doing my job, and this is where we needed to land.  I hope you like the picture.

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