Flying to Alaska
By Tony Turinsky
International Cessna 180/185 Club Director - Alaska
January 11, 2001

FLY TO ALASKA OR BUST
Welcome from the great State of Alaska. This is your Alaska Club Director
Tony Turinsky speaking. If you accept this mission you will have a great
time.
The mission is your trip to Alaska. This is the year for your Alaska dream
trip to come true.
All there is to it is for you to take a Skywagon, a little fuel and some
survival gear a visa or master charge, and head north. And then turn left or
west and fly a little more and then turn left again or south, fly, for a
while, then land at my house. You will be greeted by my nineteen hundred feet
of a grass and gravel strip, more than enough for any Skywagon type with
basic skills.
It takes about fifteen hours from any state just south of the Canadian
border, a little longer the farther east you are. If you are east of the
Rockies, stay east, and head toward Regina, Saskatoon, Lloydminster,
Edmonton, Dawson Creek, Fort Nelson, Watson Lake, White Horse, keep heading
north following the Alaska highway, to Northway Alaska, south down the
highway to Anchorage and my house.
If you have a State Farm Insurance road atlas, or any other road atlas, look
over the route. You will see that it really is quite easy.
If you use your GPS and follow the major roads along my route, it is easy.
The only thing you need to watch for is radio towers. There aren't any
mountains until you reach Fort Nelson. If you fly the airway to Watson Lake,
from Fort Nelson the mountains climb to around three to four thousand feet
but drop away to river valleys, and about an hour out of Fort Nelson you pick
up the highway.
Do not follow the highway out of Fort Nelson. Use the airway. There are good
sandbars and one good strip at a lodge to land on if you really need to, but
I suggest that you keep going to Watson lake or if your fuel is good keep
going to White Horse. If you have long-range tanks you can make it from Fort
Nelson to White Horse.
You can stop a Watson lake they have fuel but food is a taxi ride to town.
Along the route you can use the highway to land on anytime, you might need to.
White Horse is a great place to stop. Get fuel, walk about one quarter mile
to the highway and there is a great Hotel Restaurant. You can stay at the
Shell fuel stop at the airport. They have rooms. White Horse is a great place
to visit. Rent a car and spend some time.
From White Horse, keep your road atlas out and follow the red line to
Northway, our customs stop. You need to declare customs when you file your
flight plan. Usually they will have you just call when you arrive. (NO
PISTOLS) rifles or shotguns are ok. Northway is has good food (MMMMM), nice
people, you can mention my name, it will not get you anything but they know
me. From Northway just follow the red line, if you go south it will lead you
to Anchorage, if you go west you will go to Fairbanks. Come see me first and
than I will show you the way to go.
You will see from your road atlas that if you follow the major roads, that
there are some areas that you can cut some corners, but basically if you
follow the roads as I have described, it really is easy
For all of you who are west of the Rockies, all you have to do is head north.
You go toward Vancouver BC and turn slightly to the right to Hope BC, than
toward Prince George, than up the Trench to Watson Lake, get fuel then turn
left up the red line to White Horse. Then to Northway, and follow the red
line from there to Anchorage.
The route north from Hope, is up the Fraser River and is quite mountainous.
Pick your weather stay over the highway, climb to seven thousand feet keeping
the road under you to Prince George. About an hour out of Hope the terrain
starts to level out, and from there it is quite easy. Out of Prince George,
look at your map and you will see a lake that is very long. This will be
Williston Lake. Follow it, check your fuel and weather, and go. It is a long
trench that does not climb, and is good and wide. There are a number of
strips and some sandbars, but good flying. Mid point is Fort Ware, limited
fuel, limited food. Keep going if your fuel is good. Most 180 and 185s should
have enough fuel. For the short fuel people an extra ten gallons of fuel
might give you a comfort factor.
I know I make it sound easy. It is. Get a good road atlas, go to any State
Farm Agent and tell them I said they should give you one, I know they will
give you one. Make sure you get some sectionals or WACs in Canada. There is a
specific Alaska Highway Map that I can get for you. It covers the trip from
Fort Nelson up.
When you do arrive at my house on my strip, we will have a great time. We
have over one hundred 180/185-club members who live all over the State.
Keep in mind that Alaska is as large as Northern California, Oregon,
Washington, Idaho, Montana, western Wyoming, and Southern British Columbia.
Plan plenty of time; I would say three weeks would be great. You can do it is
less time, but the more time the better.
Remember you have to call and ask for my permission to come up. Well at least
you should call because I have done the trip at least ten times maybe more. I
have driven the highway over one hundred times. I am an excellent
encyclopedia about the Alaska Highway. I am not an expert, but a good
resource.
You all need to come up to see me and let me earn my stripes as you Alaska
Director. Put me to work.
Please do not leave without a good GPS and a call to me at 907 229 2932.
Tony Turinsky Your Alaska Director
tturinsky@hotmail.com