AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2021 - 45

only you, your instructor, and the little airplane
in this wonderful, magical place.
On a rocky outcrop beside the glacier is an
emergency shelter hut. A single room about 15
square feet. Large glass windows warm it on
a sunny day. It has a log fireplace and is fully
stocked for any emergency, including huge
sleeping bags, folding camp beds, and a mattress.
If you get the chance to overnight, take
at least three days of supplies just in case the
weather changes and you are stuck. A night here
on the glacier with the clearest star-filled sky
and perhaps the aurora borealis is unique and
awe inspiring.
Takeoff is always straight down the fall line,
basically letting the aircraft find its way, just
small inputs from you, nudging, suggesting. It's
a bouncy, barely managed feeling. Too soon the
mountain is falling away and again you are airborne
and heading to Christiansen Lake. But
wait, that lake over there looks perfect, with a
nod from your instructor you swoop down, the
skis slide softly over the deep snow, power on,
and away you go, snow flying behind. Another
lake, another landing.
Apart from flying you can rent cross-country
skis or fat-tired bikes for local jaunts. Alaska
Floats and Skis has snowmobiles that you can
use to explore the local area. There is no ski flying
endorsement, but the thrill and challenge
make it a bucket list item for any pilot. Ski flying,
float flying, bush flying. Alaska has it all. Choose
any or all, you will not regret a moment of it.
Peter Fraser is a retired pilot living in Oregon.
alaskafloats.com
Landing at 7,500 feet on a sloping glacier in the Talkeetna
Range is an altogether different experience. It is about 40 minutes
from the lodge on Christiansen Lake, but a gorgeous 40
minutes on a clear day-and you only do this on a clear and calm
day. Flying along, the Susitna River thousands of feet below, the
rugged mountain slopes only a short distance from your wing tips.
Eventually reaching the glacier, skis skimming the snow in a continuous
dance, balancing lift against drag, power against gravity.
It is a delicate flying skill. You check out your landing target and
figure its altitude. Round you come, hugging close to the enclosing
ridges before turning final. The runway of snow has a definite
upslope, which makes you think you are higher than you are. You
fly almost level without much descent, letting the mountain come
to you. Then power off, a slight pitch up, and you are sliding onto
the glacier.
Kill the motor and a wonderful quiet fills the air. This is living,
you tell yourself. It is only a lucky few who get to have this
experience. You are not a passenger. You are the pilot, and it is
AOPA PILOT / December 2021
45
Lodging at Alaska Floats and Skis in Talkeetna, Alaska (top); trainers on
skis on Christiansen Lake (left); the town of Talkeetna (below).
http://www.alaskafloats.com
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2021

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