Cessna 150-150 Mighty Mouse: Whitehorse to Watson Lake, Yukon Territory

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

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Whitehorse to Watson Lake, Yukon Territory - June 7, 2014

We departed Whitehorse this morning (Saturday, June 7) with plans to fly to Fort Nelson with a fuel stop at Watson Lake.

We had a wonderfully smooth and enjoyable flight to Watson Lake. We landed, refueled and called for a weather briefing for the final leg into Fort Nelson.

We're spending the day and night here in Watson Lake. The briefer asked if I had a fast plane? I said we'll, no.....why?

He said if we left right now and could shoot through there in 45 minutes we'd "probably miss the build up".

Hmmmmmm.....build up?

He explained that CB's (thunder storms) began building about an hour ago and they were spreading in population and growing in intensity and they would continue to build throughout area. The Canadian weather briefer today was very willing to take his time with me after I confessed to being a novice at this mountain flying business. He related the age old fact that guys get killed up here every year pushing weather and "canyons are littered with aluminum" in many area's. Fact is, all the Canadian and Kenai FSS guys in Alaska seem to be "different" than what I've been used to in the lower 48 in that they go the extra mile to deliver the data we need.

So, being the chicken that I am, we're relaxing in Watson Lake and will hopefully depart tomorrow morning.

It was a smooth flight of 2.4 hours to Watson Lake.....probably the smoothest flight so far. I believe Cindy is wearing down a mite as she slept for a while during this flight.

We'll see what the morning brings.

Jim & Cindy