On July 5, I finally got an opening in the weather to retire our Cherokee Warrior II 160 horsepower aircraft to Wasilla, my new assignment. The aircraft has served Bristol Bay from November of 2005 to July of 2011. It is now parked at the Wasilla Airport.
The weather was not as great as I had expected. There were cirrus clouds from Dillingham to Illiamna, and then from the east side of Lake Clark Pass to Anchorage.
From Dillingham to Illiamna I had to make a decision. I was down to 600 feet with poor visibility. I was either going to turn around or climb through the clouds. Since Illiamna airport was reported as clear below 10,000 feet, I climbed up through about 500 feet of cloud cover. This is something a pilot flying on Visual Flight Rules (VFR) does not like to do because once above the clouds if one loses and engine, you can't set up an emergency landing because you can't see the ground.
Once in Illiamna, the clouds cleared out enough to where I could get back underneath of them at about 1,200 feet. I flew over Lake Clark and pointed toward the west entrance of the pass.
The video below shows the west end of Lake Clark Pass on July 5. I had to decide at the last minute if the weather was good enough to enter the narrow -- and sometimes dangerous -- pass.
You can also view the video here.
This one shows the moment just after I entering the pass. The view was simply breathtaking.
You can also view the video here.
Here is where the communication gets to be confusing. I was listening to an aircraft asking about the weather in Lake Clark Pass on frequency 122.2. There are two other frequencies when traveling Lake Clark Pass, 121.1 and 121.2. One is supposed to be used for the west end and another for the east. I have never really been sure when to change frequencies or which one to use -- is it used flying east to west, or do you use one frequency at the west end and change frequencies as you near the east end? To make it even more confusing, the general aviation frequency in the Bush is 122.9.
So the bottom line is that there are four frequencies that a person could be on when flying through the narrow and dangerous Lake Clark Pass. The problem is one never knows if there is any traffic in the pass because everyone is monitoring a different frequency. This is an accident waiting to happen.
Example: I made another decision to fly through the Pass. The ceiling was variable between 1,000 and 1,500 at the West end. The aircraft that was behind me caught up to me and I saw him about 500 feet directly below me. I could not get him on the radio. I tried a couple of frequencies and gave up. I prayed he did not decide to climb up and hit me because I do not think he saw me.
Here I am talking about the aircraft below me:
You can also view the video here.
I finally made it to Wasilla after scud-running across Big River Lakes and Beluga. The weather started to clear around Big Lake.
I flew Back to Dillingham on PenAir and am awaiting my final departure back to Wasilla July 31.
Fly safe out there!
Father Scott Garrett is the pastor of Holy Rosary Mission in Dillingham. His unique mode of transportation is a 160 Cherokee Warrior, which he uses to fly to the many remote areas within his parish. With the unpredictable weather of southwest Alaska, Father Scott's schedule is always written lightly in pencil.