Flying to Alaska | Piper Cherokee 235
Flying to Alaska | Piper Cherokee 235 For this trip, I flew a Piper Cherokee 235 with a fixed pitch propeller. It cruises at 133 knots and burns about 12 gallons per hour. The panel included King radios, an Apollo Loran, and a simple 2 axis autopilot. Nope, no GPS; the trip occurred before GPS became common. The plane and the pilot were IFR certified and current, but my intention was to fly the entire trip VFR. I Followed Roads once into Canada; specifically the Alaska Highway to Alaska then state highways and roads once in Alaska. To fly through the north country, emergency gear is required including a large emergency backpack, basic camping gear, and a rifle, required by Alaska, at the time. When clearing US customs in Alaska, they actually checked for survival equipment and a firearm. The airplane required a little extra preparation. Obviously, all the maintenance was up to date. Although not used, extra equipment included tire tubes and a couple of air cans for the tires as well as extra tools and oil. For the whole story with all images, see Flying to Alaska | a 7 Image Story.
