THE FLIGHT OF A LIFETIME





This is my very first attempt at blogging so I hope this flows smoothly and we can all enjoy it.


This week, we (my best friend, co-pilot and wife) will be flying from Northwest Arkansas to Anchorage, Alaska via American Airlines to pick up Cessna 63082...a Cessna 150.


This plane was nicknamed "Mighty Mouse" some time back as this is no ordinary, run of the mill Cessna 150.

This is a 150-150 which means the stock Continental, 100 horsepower engine was removed and then upgraded to the Lycoming O-320 with 150 horsepower.

Additionally, Mighty Mouse has the full Horton STOL kit installed and 39 gallon long range fuel tanks.

Another big plus with this conversion is the 160 gross weight increase.

Mighty Mouse is a 1976 model with about 2,500 hours total time on the airframe and a new, zero timed, Lycoming factory rebuilt engine.




Here's a picture of Mighty Mouse in Alaska.










Cindy and I will be flying with (following actually) our good friend Terry Dickinson from Big Lake, Alaska.

Terry has two planes. One is a Piper Super Cub (on floats this time of year) and the other is a Cessna 152 which is affectionately known as Mosquito or......"Skeeter" for short.

Terry has a need/desire to reposition Skeeter to his winter home in the desert of Nevada and we (Cindy and I) have a need to travel with a highly experienced bush pilot (who also just happens to be a CFI) from the Alaskan wilderness, through the Canadian Rockies and on home.

Our generic plan will have us crossing back into the lower 48 at Great Falls, Montana and at this point (probably) we'll separate where Terry will turn right to the southwest and head to Nevada and we'll turn left to the southeast and head to Arkansas.




Here's Mosquito (Skeeter) parked next to Mighty Mouse at Big Lake, AK




All three of us consider this to be the ultimate flying adventure of a lifetime and we'll do our best to document this trip for not only our enjoyment but yours as well.





Jim & Cindy

Friday, June 6, 2014

Wasilla to Tok - Thursday June 5, 2014

Today is Friday, June 6 and we departed Wasilla yesterday afternoon and flew to Tok, Alaska where we landed at 6:20 ADT following a 2.3 hour flight.

We had a couple of mechanical hurdles to take care of before we left which were addressed to my satisfaction and Mighty Mouse flew flawlessly and as expected on the test flight from Big Lake to Wasilla and then after loading and refueling, from Wasilla to Tok.

Weather permitting, we'll depart Tok this morning and head to Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory where we'll go through customs.  This will be the longest leg of our trip.

Since we'll be following the Alaskan Highway to Whitehorse, MapQuest shows it's 387 street miles between the two points and that's what we'll plan on though we'll be able to straighten out the highway is numerous locations yet still keep the highway in sight and within gliding distance.

There are no refueling stops available between Tok and Whitehorse which makes me appreciate the long range fuel tanks Mighty Mouse has in his wings.  Unless we pick up some stiff head winds, we should easily land in Whitehorse with more than an hours endurance left still in the tanks.

Our adventure has begun and next stop is Whitehorse.



Jim and Cindy


Point of departure: Wasilla, Alaska.  Mighty Mouse is loaded with luggage, survival gear and fuel. 

Nuff said and no explanation needed.  Most of the trip will be through broad valleys very similar to this.

We're underway and we're so glad this journey has finally begun in earnest.

Flying through some virga (rain that never makes it to the ground) and the highway is on our nose.

The Garmin 560 in automotive mode showing the electronic highway we're following on the screen.

Tazlina Lake

Tok, Alaska airport

Cessna with rather "large" tires and mud flaps???  One can only imagine where this big Cessna has been while out in the bush.  Mighty Mouse was parked next to this.......his big brother.

Posted by at

7 comments:

  1. AnonymousJune 7, 2014 at 11:05 AM

    Awesome pictures and posts Jim! Fly fun and fly safe! Ed Figuli

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJune 7, 2014 at 11:54 AM

    Carpet on the dash? White walls next?? Fly safe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownJune 9, 2014 at 7:21 AM

      I know.......but I DIDN'T do it.

      One of the first items on the list after we get back is to remove that mess.

      Delete
    2. UnknownJanuary 11, 2020 at 3:10 PM

      Greetings Jim,

      I was curious if you still own the C-150/150? I am looking for o-320 C-150's with the del air stc as you are equipped and was curious if you would consider selling it now or in the future for the right price?

      Thanks for your time!

      -Ryan

      Delete
  3. UnknownJune 7, 2014 at 7:38 PM

    Hi Jim, What happened to the Bonanza ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownJune 9, 2014 at 7:19 AM

      224 is still ours and will be until I can't fly any longer. It's been a wonderful plane to own and fly these past years. You need to see the panel now....you really need to see it.

      Delete
  4. AnonymousJune 9, 2014 at 10:48 AM

    I'm really enjoying the follow this blog. What it really needs are some video camera feeds posted to the site. Maybe a couple on each wing, one on the tail, one on the nose, and maybe a couple mounted to the headsets

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)