Summer Shoes

[SuberAvid 617]

I always enjoy changing from wheels to skis atthe start of winter and skis to wheels in the spring.  Just got back on wheels last weekend and had a chance to get out and play on the gravel for a couple of hours.  The landings orientation is a bit different so had to clean some rust off.  This is the perfect time when the river is low to land in places normally under water.

[akflyer 1427]

Nice!  I never got a chance to get out and do anything other than 4 laps around the Soldotna airport last time home after I got the new shoes on my bird.  I think I have all the moving done now and I will be able to get some fun flying in when I get back in two weeks.  My next time off is the last chance I will have to fly till I get back from the Houston, New Orleans, work trip from May 27th till July 15th... once again, 2/3rds of the summer is shot for me...

 

[ChrisBolkan 130]

I like your new shoes!

[Luked 71]

Thanks for all the pictures you share on here. It's always to cool to see the stuff you guys get to do up there. The scenery is really pretty too.

[marshawk 82]

Ya looks good, you guys so many places up there to explore

[dholly 718]

I would have thought the rivers would be high in Spring with snow melt? Does that mean I'm too ignorant to ever move to Alaska?

[akflyer 1427]

Doug, we didn't get crap for snow fall this year.. there is virtually no spring run off this year and its has been blue bird days with high temps and no rain so far this spring.

 

[dholly 718]

Well enjoy when you can, our Wx has been crap so far. Yesterday I went and hooked up the E-1 tach but it was so damn windy I didn't even bother to pull it out of the hanger for a test run. I have never seen so many full sock days here and they always seem to be direct x-wind to the runway. Ugh.

[Av8r3400 1179]

Same here, Doug.

 

IF we get any good weather, I'm so far behind on home chores, I'll never get to the airport to work on the plane(s), anyway.

[marksires 484]

Apparently it all came to the midwest this year.  I remember one day in January I was in Chicago for a meeting.  It was -18f actual when I left the hotel to walk the 1/2 mile to the meeting.  After I thawed out a bit, I thought I'd make myself feel better by looking up the weather in Fairbanks, since it was always cold there.  It was +34 degrees at that time - 52 degrees warmer than Chicago!

Mark

[akflyer 1427]

Yeah it was a weird winter for sure!  We did not get the cold temps that we normally do, and we got more rain than snow this winter.  It is going to be an interesting fire season for sure here.

 

[saskavid 47]

Weather on the prairies north of the 49th has been so crappy these last 2 springs.More often than not I've managed to have my plane up and flying in mid to late march and now...May 4 and I haven't spun the prop yet?If it isn't cold and wet its cold and windy and that pattern is interrupted by typical bouts of cold and dry! cold cold cold !

[EDMO 1078]

From the reports that I have seen, many U.S. cities have doubled their normal snowfall, and the temps have mostly been a lot colder, for a lot longer than normal - While Alaska got less snow and was warmer than our upper 24 states.  Election time is in November here, and I will be voting to give it back to Alaska next winter.

EDMO

Edited 4 May 2014 by Ed In Missouri

[marksires 484]

I'm voting with you Ed!

Mark

[SuberAvid 617]

Was flying back up the Knik last Sunday and it was really hazy so it made for a red sunset but the camera didn't do too good with it.  I still need to figure out the best settings on this new camera. 

 

I have never seen the river this low; this was kind of a neat spot in what is usually under water.  Fun coming around this rock and touching down.  You can see that there is hardly any water in the whole river.  Most the places I landed are normally under water.  Stopped to do a little practice with the 1911 in one spot and the sand was so soft and undisturbed the 45 cases would dissapear into little craters and I had to stick my finger into the crater to find them.

[marshawk 82]

Awesome , hope you guys get some rain though or it might be a scary fire season

[Bandit 286]

Our winter was -10 or windy. Now our spring is raining, windy and cold. Global warming! Nice pictures Randy!

[akflyer 1427]

Wow, that is low!  I too am worried about the fire season.  No run off and July temps in May is setting us up for a nasty fire season.  The only saving grace is that the ground is still waterlogged from last years rainfall, but these high temps wont take long to dry that up. 

 

Nice pics, hopefully I will get to come play with you next weekend! 

 

[EDMO 1078]

Great Photos Randy - But you need to head to Wild West Guns and swap that pop-gun for a real Bear-Stopper!

1911,1912,1916,1973AService Ace,Night Officer2,Springfield Champion, etc - Love them!

EDMO

Edited 7 May 2014 by Ed In Missouri

[akflyer 1427]

I would bet that Randy had his bear stopper in the plane.. the 1911 was just for fun cause his bigun aint that much fun to shoot!

 

[EDMO 1078]

He probably does - I have another "gun for fun" - but don't we all?  I think it cost me about $250K every time I shot it.......Finally got smart and started shooting blanks!

EDMO

Edited 8 May 2014 by Ed In Missouri

[SuberAvid 617]

Got that sunset picture to come out better, much more like it looked.

[marshawk 82]

Looks like you should frame that one,very cool

[akflyer 1427]

That one looks like an AVweb contender.  I love sunrise and sunset flights.  Awesome picture as usual Randy!