It all started innocently enough when we realized that Friday, not Saturday, would be a better day weather-wise for departing Whitehorse. It meant foregoing the Midnight Challenge banquet and one more day of local flying. Cinnamon Bun Airstrip in Braeburn was on our list, where the buns are the size of dinner plates, but really nothing could top the activities we'd already packed into a few short days.http://www.karo-ent.com/braeburn
The detailed weather briefing at 7:30 am told Bill what he already knew from his own weather sites: a warm front was pushing into our region. Considering its trajectory and speed, it was reasonable to skirt along the eastern edge. Soon after departure, we saw the cloud pattern of a trowal (trough of warm air aloft), followed soon after by the unmistakable cloud pattern and steady precipitation of a warm front. What we couldn't tell, airborne, was that the front was strengthening, meaning heavier rain and more unstable air.
We played cat and mouse with the system all day, landing at Dease Lake (twice) to wait it out, then again at Bob Quinn airstrip when a massive squall brought us down. People went out of their way to help us. The helicopter operator at Dease Lake drove us into town for a hot lunch. Mining camp operators at Bob Quinn offered us beds in their trailers if we were weathered in overnight. Our new best buddy Kelly, who we flew in tandem with most of the day, cadged us beds at an upscale hunting lodge. With all those options it was almost a letdown to take off, but our wind shear adventure was still ahead!
The moral of the story is that weather forecasting is an imprecise science at the best of times. In the vast wasteland of northern BC, a pilot flies by the seat of his pants. Boy, is that what Bill did yesterday! I have no photos of the worst of the storm. My camera had fallen to the floor and I was stomping down hard to prevent it from jamming into the foot controls - plus navigating and spotting for Bill. And trying not to count the pine cones on the tree tops.We are now in Victoria, taking a break from flying for a couple of days, visiting with Dad, and celebrating his 96th birthday on Monday.
More about today's flights tomorrow.
Cheers to the pilot, navigator and the little plane that could! wow! What an experience! Glad you are safe and in Victoria..I shall call you later on today.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to Victoria. Is that the end of your northern adventure or just a wee break? You have lovely weather for a birthday. Sorry I won't see you, but all your blogs have been the next best talk.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to your dad, and congratulations to you two. I wonder if camera dropping is a divorce-able offence.
Hugs and love, j
Wild! Sounds like yesterday's flight would've beat any roller-coaster in the world. How long was your "Hot Meal" at Bob Quinn airstrip? At the railway we're allowed 60 min.
ReplyDeleteBob Quinn airstrip appears to be a staging area for a helicopter operation based on mining and adventure tourism. It's the middle of nowhere - lucky for us as otherwise we might have landed on the highway.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ourairports.com/airports/CBW4/#lat=56.9667015075684,lon=-130.25,zoom=9,type=Satellite,airport=CBW4
No hot meal there, although it would have been part of the cozy camp down the road.
There was lots of railway talk in the northern cities. Rocky Mountaineer had the contract to bus us in Quesnel, and we gather that CN keeps the taxi companies going for crew moves, both there and in Smithers.