WmInce Posted August 3, 2014 Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 The afore mentioned opinions, from a senior citizen position, can be explained, but won't be defended as other than my observations. Reports to follow. Aircraft performance and comparison. Trip Numbers and costs. Routes and why. Others Very much appreciated.Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kentuckynet Posted August 3, 2014 Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 Glad you made it back safely......early back when you began talking about this trip i was intrested in tagging along but im sure glad i didnt. this kentucky guy is just not as tough as you hawaians! mack & vicki Brame Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmer Posted August 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2014 Glad you made it back safely......early back when you began talking about this trip i was intrested in tagging along but im sure glad i didnt. this kentucky guy is just not as tough as you hawaians! mack & vicki Brame Mack I have the route all mapped out including most known issues and I am ready to go again. Maybe next time our group could be larger, wish you had joined up, maybe next time. Hope your deer is doing well. Will we see you at Page this year? What I learned is that we are all stronger than we think given the issues before us. I never expected to do this type travel in my seventies. Thanks for the post. Farmer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmer Posted August 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2014 Some numbers for the Alaska travels in no particular order of importance. About 152 Hobbs hours flown on the two aircraft during less than six weeks. A little short of goal because KOSH stop was deleted. Staying in Alaska longer added to the trip. We did stop and meet more local people than expected. Without fail, always friendly. Distance flying estimated at about 18000 statue miles more or less. TV stars met or seen from two different shows, five. Car rentals during trip, ten, plus borrowing a friends truck. Miles driven more than 2000. Fuel cost $3.79 (auto fuel) in La Vegas up to $9.98 in Gustavas. Call out cost at one stop on 4th of July was $175. Total aircraft fuel used about 697 gallons. Decalin used with 100 LL at 1 oz per 10 gallons. Total oil used nill. Oil changed at about 46 hours. Bears seems in wild, four. Fish caught six. Air shows, one really good military. Motels and private homes and military bases stayed at all but one night. Most costly was Barrow at much more than $300 per night. Tenting was $5.00 per night. Most rooms during this peak season about $160. Average. Number or rooms or car rentals booked before going to counter, zero. New friends made in Unalakeet, more than five hundred. Number of times really concerned about weather, not sure must be blocking out or always. FSS stations visited many, many, nice folks very helpful. Decals damaged, lifted, from heavy rain on N413L, all exterior. Total funds spent on trip. Can not tell because wife might read this and I don't know anyway, but worth every penny. I have tickets to Burning Man in three weeks where I plan to unwind, with my wife, from this trip. Would like to meet as many people from flying community as possible. Expect to hang out at airport some. Farmer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMonkey Posted August 5, 2014 Report Share Posted August 5, 2014 I would really encourage you guys to write a full summary article of your trip, including all the challenges you faced, and submit it to some aviation magazines. I bet many readers would love it. such a write up could really shine some light on the CT's capabilities, and the ability of LSA in general to do real adventure flying over very long distances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul m Posted August 5, 2014 Report Share Posted August 5, 2014 just leave out the AOG for weeks part of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Jefts Posted August 5, 2014 Report Share Posted August 5, 2014 just leave out the AOG for weeks part of it Perhaps the reason the airplane was OG but during that time it was some of the best of fun. Remember, not really an adventure until something goes wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMonkey Posted August 5, 2014 Report Share Posted August 5, 2014 I'd leave that in the article. Part of adventure flying is the adventure of having to think on your feet to deal with the unexpected, as Duane mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul m Posted August 5, 2014 Report Share Posted August 5, 2014 I don't doubt it added to the adventure...I'm just not sure it re-enforces a positive image for reliability of LSA. "Paid $160k for brand new plane...broke down in first year for a weird, hard to diagnose reason...had to deal with headquarters in Germany, time change and all.......maybe I should have bought a Cessna......" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT4ME Posted August 5, 2014 Report Share Posted August 5, 2014 'Turns out the reason could have happened to any plane, any place. Fuses blowing should always be cause to look for shorts. In this case, the newness of the plane and unfamiliarity, and lack of proper techs caused everyone to overlook the not-so-obvious. Well Played guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Jefts Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 Here are some actual fuel usage numbers from the Alaskan Adventure. Generally speaking Larry's CTLSi, 413L is more fuel efficient than Erics CTLS, 173LM. 413L is pitched at 5650rpm WOT and climbs well however 73LM is a little faster straight and level. 413L needs to stay below 5280rpm to realize fuel savings. That equates to about 5100rpm for 73LM. If you push the power up above 92% throttle (5280rpm's) 413L burns at the same rate as 73LM. Consequently, many of our flights were conducted at lower power settings. There were times when we were chasing good weather and kept the speed up so the final numbers are not based on the most fuel efficient flying. Generally the Si is a gallon per hour more efficient but at the end of the trip all things considered, the savings were somewhat less. After 74.7 block hours flown the CTLSi averaged 4.27 gph and the CTLS averaged 4.9gph. The surprise to me was that the CTLS, when flying slow, did pretty good on fuel. Remember this is based on block hours not inflight time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Jefts Posted August 7, 2014 Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 In the planning stages we tried to follow Canada's and Alaska's guidelines for minimum survival equipment. We built upon their requirements and with only a couple exceptions, each airplane had the following: For Communications: Satellite phone - one with internet capability. SPOT Alert ResQLink personal locator beacon Icom A24/A6 radio Airplane ELT Bushnell solar panel for charging. For Protection: AR-7 survival rifle 3.5lbs Bear Attack spray good for 30ft Mosquito headnet, gloves and repellent. First aid Kit Cipro/pain killers Bear Bell DAP kit For survival: Life Jacket with following - worn when near water: ResQlink Knife Gloves Matches Magnesium starter Compass/thermometer signal mirror Flares Flashlight/strobe Iodine tablets First Aid Kit Solar Panel Imperial Survival Suit Tent Sleeping bag and down mattress. Knife Hatchet 1 Gal water Iodine tablets for water purification Flashlight Stove/Fuel Towels Stainless cup/utinsils Duct tape Parachute chord Magnifying glass 8 MRE's emergency rations Additional food products Snares Rain clothing AA & AAA batteries Fortunately we had little use for our emergency/survival equipment. I would welcome comments/recommendations from your personal "must have" list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT4ME Posted August 7, 2014 Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 Did you wear the survival suit while flying? Just over water? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMonkey Posted August 7, 2014 Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 I don't doubt it added to the adventure...I'm just not sure it re-enforces a positive image for reliability of LSA. "Paid $160k for brand new plane...broke down in first year for a weird, hard to diagnose reason...had to deal with headquarters in Germany, time change and all.......maybe I should have bought a Cessna......" You don't have to go into detail that makes it look bad. Just "a wiring short put us on the ground for several days while we diagnosed and repaired it." Then spend the rest of the paragraph talking about all the cool experiences you got to have while you waited... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Jefts Posted August 8, 2014 Report Share Posted August 8, 2014 Did you wear the survival suit while flying? Just over water? Did not wear the survival suit. It is a one piece suit that covers everything except a little circle around your eyes and mouth. You jump in the water with it and climb in, clothes, shoes, and all. The hands look like a cartoon - two fingers and a thumb. It is very buoyant so you float high in the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Jefts Posted August 8, 2014 Report Share Posted August 8, 2014 You don't have to go into detail that makes it look bad. Just "a wiring short put us on the ground for several days while we diagnosed and repaired it." Then spend the rest of the paragraph talking about all the cool experiences you got to have while you waited... That sounds good to me, where do I mail the notes cuse I ain't so purtty good at speelun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Jefts Posted August 29, 2014 Report Share Posted August 29, 2014 Just got home this week. Been on the road in AZ, MI, and Branson, MO. Thought I would pass along some thoughts about the trip. As previously mentioned, there are a number of factors that make a trip like this doable in a CT. The comfort of having a BRS is foremost in the planning. When flying over thousands of miles of mountains and tundra we constantly talked about where we would glide to and pull the chute. The second airplane, along with our complete list of survival equipment was a comfort as well. Multiple communication devices would have left no doubt where we were. The flying is only part of the planning. Alaska is "full" of folks in the summer months. Rooms are at a premium and rental cars start at $100/day if you can find one. We had one quote for $250/day for a VW jetta. Supply and Demand! Fortunately Elmendorf AFB worked for us at $42/day when we were in town. If you don't "wing it" like we did, then planning ahead for rooms and cars should work. You need to take a suitcase of money along or a vegetable farmer from Hawaii. Many Flight Service Stations around the state are an invaluable tool. This particular one in Barrow was very helpful with local knowledge on weather patterns. In addition they have all the Alaska Webcams built right into their briefings. We made a point of visiting each FSS. The Bearing Sea is referred too as the "Birth Place of the Winds" for good reason. You can expect the weather to change completely each hour. For example: In addition to the spectacular scenery and flying - the time spent in remote locations getting to know the locals was priceless. Staying in their homes and learning the history and local economy was most interesting. I appreciate the comments made from forum members on the trip and I think special recognition goes out to Tim G for his flight following expertise. His addition of Webcam pictures at the precise time of our takeoffs and landings were amazing. Thanks for the help in posting Tim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Jefts Posted September 26, 2014 Report Share Posted September 26, 2014 A number of folks asked me what kind of camera I used on the trip. When planning the trip I thought about taking my Canon 5d or Canon 40d as well as several of my smaller point and shoots. I didn't like the size and weight of the bigger cameras and lenses but wanted better quality than the point and shoots. If you get a small camera with a lot of zoom capability, it has a small sensor and not that great a quality. OK, what is a sensor. They come in various sizes usually according to camera size. The bigger the camera, the bigger the sensor. Canon, however, recently came out with a great camera in a point and shoot with a lot of other capabilities. They seem to come out with new and better stuff every month but at the time the Canon g1X mark 2 had the largest sensor in a point and shoot camera (I think). Much smaller than a traditional lens change camera with a full size sensor. That is what I bought for the trip and I must say it performed beyond my expectations. Pictures very similar to my professional Canon 5D. Even though it has a relatively small zoom capability, the sensor size provides the quality to crop and enlarge portions of your picture. This was shown in my airshow pictures at Elemndorf AFB. Camera sensor sizes. Check the sensor size on your camera. You might be surprised. The Canon g1x mark 2 has a 1.5inch. Relative sensor sizes Bottom line - I will no longer take my big cameras in the CT and no - I am not on Canon's payroll. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anticept Posted September 26, 2014 Report Share Posted September 26, 2014 Keep in mind, the larger the sensor, the larger the camera and lenses required too, and larger lenses tend to be much harder and much more expensive to make to avoid vignetting. The jump from APS-C to full frame is mind boggling. APS-C and 1.5 inch is widely regarded as a good middle of the road sensor, between professional quality and simple point and shoots. There are larger camera sizes above full frame, but that's when you are going into studio and motion picture cameras. Larger sensors *usually* means better low light sensitivity too. However, there are a few cameras out there that have large sensors, but absolutely horrid noise filtering at higher ISO (light sensitivity). Lenses are far more important than the camera body. The golden rules in photography are as follows: -The only camera that is worth anything is the one you have with you (meaning big expensive cameras are worthless if you can't use them, or don't bring them) -YOU are the most important factor in photography. If you can't take a good picture, no camera or lens will solve that problem. -A good lens will make a crap camera decent. Focus on lenses first. -A crap lens will make the best cameras garbage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandpiper Posted September 27, 2014 Report Share Posted September 27, 2014 I have several cameras but only one is with me at all times - my iPhone 5S. It actually takes decent pictures. Maybe my standards are too low. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Jefts Posted September 28, 2014 Report Share Posted September 28, 2014 I have several cameras but only one is with me at all times - my iPhone 5S. It actually takes decent pictures. Maybe my standards are too low. Like Anticept said "The only camera that is worth anything is the one you have with you". One of the reasons I opted for the smaller camera with the large sensor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmer Posted October 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2014 Earlier in this post, at an unfortunate time, my spot tracker became spotty and then quit. After returning home I tested again and only a solid red light would be displayed. Finally got a few minute to talk with service, first by email and then on phone. The outcome was determined that I now am the not so proud owner of a small plastic piece of junk, no can fix. Purchased a new, exactly the same unit online for somewhat more than $120. Then we set up by calling service and by giving some numbers from both units. This has extended my remaining service contract with the same tracking signature. As you can see I am comfortably resting at my week day home. Next time I head to the North pole I will be sporting not less that two units. And why is not every open ocean aircraft doing same? Must be to simple of a solution. See you at PAGE next week, probably Tuesday PM. Farmer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Jefts Posted November 24, 2014 Report Share Posted November 24, 2014 Cleaning out my flight bag and found my ALASKAN AVIATOR'S SAFETY HANDBOOK. It is outdated but has a wealth of knowledge if traveling to Alaska. It has 82 pages of info on procedures, airports, reporting points, Denali common air patterns and freq's etc... The first person that sends me their address is welcome to it. The book is gone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmer Posted July 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2015 Greeting from Hawaii on this great holiday weekend It has been a year since our trip to the Arctic ocean, I think we were panning gold in Nome on this day last year. Today my wife and I visited the Solar Impulse aircraft that is sitting at my home airport on Oahu, inside, on display. It flew at 28,000 feet, non stop for nearly 5 days, single pilot, without a pressurized cabin. The range is limited by the oxygen for the pilot. This leg was around 5000 miles It is very big with a wings span larger than a 747, but a gross weight of about 5000 lbs. At cruise it uses about 20 hp or less than 50% power. The trip is to demonstrate the power of solar and not travel even as it circles the earth. Basically a privately funded R & D project with a $150 million budget and 60 people working more than a decade in time. Look it up if you are intrigued. We are very happy that the Alaska trip 2014 has more than 7000 views in less than a year and would love to make the trip again with a larger group. There is much more to see and do. Our next adventure should begin this fall when our very different aircraft's construction is complete. God bless the United States of America and all who call her home Farmer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Jefts Posted October 8, 2016 Report Share Posted October 8, 2016 Have been a little busy and I know this is a little late but I made a book on our Alaska experience. This book is not designed to be a "how to fly Alaska" book but rather to give you a general idea of our experience. Reading the daily posts in this forum topic and watching the video's I posted will better help you get the Gist of the trip. For those of you going to the page fly in, I will bring a copy. Click on this link to view - https://www.mypublisher.com/?e=OHm3Q8zJl3SuMHHZAaDgg3EF-93y1CQC You may have to copy and paste in your browser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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