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Daring local teachers take three-week journey into Alaskan B
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Posted by boldwarrior2 Thu Aug 26, 2004 11:17:00 PDT
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0 responses 0 comments I'm a longtime pilot and Northwest resident. I built my home in the area when it was still "country," and my children attended Norris Junior High. I recently introduced a new pilot, Kathy Derck, to the world of bush flying during a three-week journey into the Alaskan bush.

We're both schoolteachers, I teach for the Bakersfield City School District and she teaches for the Lakeside Union School District, as well as members of the Bakersfield 99s, an international women's flying organization. On our journey to Alaska we flew more than 70 hours and covered several thousand miles across glaciers, up rivers and over and through some of the tallest mountains in North America.

We embarked on this journey because in our fourth-grade classrooms we use a reading program that introduces the Iditarod, as well as other tales of Alaska, to the students, and we wanted to have more than just "book" knowledge to share with them.

Departing July 5, we flew to Seattle and cleared customs at Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada. We continued on to Bella Bella, Prince Rupert, and entered Alaska at Ketchikan, where we -- again -- had to pass through customs.

Kathy was amazed by the amount of water over which we passed by flying up the west coast of the continent. Normal flying requires pilots to fly as high as possible in order to maintain a safe "glide" distance should the engine quit. But weather in Alaska and the terrain dictate different methods, and the majority of pilots will fly approximately 800 to 1000 feet above the ground.

The major problem with flying the coastal route is that there is lots of land and numerous islands, but no place to land. There are no beaches and trees grow right up to the water's edge. So, as pilots, we had to be constantly alert and cognizant of spots where we could put a plane in an emergency - between two trees is best, as the temperature of the water will kill a person within a few minutes.

While in Juneau, I was approached by a local policeman who recognized me. It turns out he was a former Bakersfield student, Elias Joven. I've taught for more than 30 years and have students in all parts of the states. I try to maintain close relationships with as many as I can.

We also toured Valdez, where the views from every angle were breathtaking, and Nome, a small settlement on the Bering Sea. We visited small villages in the Rockies like McCarthy, with a population of 60, to Anchorage, a major metropolitan city near the Kenai Peninsula.

Unfortunately, due to numerous fires in Alaska and Canada, our trip was cut short. Because of smoke, visibility could drop from 10 miles to zero in minutes, so many flight plans were altered and/or scratched.

On our way home, we encountered electrical problems when all of our radios began to break up and then died. Following required procedures, all electrical devices were turned off. This meant that we were flying only on the battery, and if for some reason the engine should stop, we could not restart in mid air. The prop had to keep going in order to maintain compression and engine function.

After landing safely in Chilliwack, British Columbia, we discovered a wire had broken to the alternator. This was quickly repaired, the plane jump-started, and we were off. The plane will recharge quickly when all is working.

The patient customs official at Bellingham who knew of our problems greeted us and sent us on our way back to Bakersfield. Though I plan to return next summer, as well as fly to Russia across the Bering Sea, for now I'll be happy to share my real-life Alaskan experiences with my students.

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