Bluegrass Airlines, August 2010
Alaskan
Freight Challenge
by
Allan Lowson
A post in the Bush Pilots Forum by Tom
Goodrick back in January inspired this feature.
Anyone who has watched the TV Series “Ice Pilots” will be aware that piston-engined aircraft are still a significant feature of freight delivery services in the North of Canada thanks to Buffalo Airways. Evert are also operating piston-engined freighters to deliver cargo and fuel throughout the West and North of Alaska. Other airlines also operate in these areas, but the one mentioned by Tom did not bother replying to the email I sent asking for permission to use their routes so we will run routes devised especially for Bluegrass Bush Division operations.
As the routes serviced by Evert and Buffalo are quite long, for this
month’s feature we are going to operate some freight routes for the Bluegrass
Bush Division out of Nome, Unalakleet and Wien
Memorial in the West of Alaska.
To add some spice to the routes you can download Tom Goodrick’s
landing speed gauge from his website and see if you are up to delivering
dynamite for mining customers! If you download the gauge and install it in a
panel, see if you can keep your landing speeds below 350fpm.
When flying the routes you can either stop at each of the fields or take
a charter to one or two of the airfields along the way.
Details of Tom’s gauge and suitable aircraft for these services are
given at the end of the routes.
Nome Routes
Nome – Wien Memorial Route
|
Heading |
Distance |
Airfield
Name |
ICAO |
|
- |
57.6 |
Nome
|
PAOM |
|
003 |
16.8 |
Quartz Creek |
5QC |
|
330 |
38.6 |
Taylor |
AK49 |
|
051 |
16.9 |
Upper Hannum Creek |
4Z2 |
|
035 |
24.8 |
Deering |
PADE |
|
143 |
72.8 |
Independance Creek |
2AK9 |
|
338 |
|
Wien
Memorial |
PAOT |
Nome – Teller Route
|
Heading |
Distance |
Airfield
Name |
ICAO |
|
- |
105.7 |
Nome
|
PAOM |
|
334 |
61.8 |
New Shishmaref |
PASH |
|
216 |
5.7 |
Wales |
IWK |
|
114 |
11.7 |
Tin City |
PATC |
|
051 |
13.4 |
Buck Creek |
AK98 |
|
129 |
14.5 |
Lost River |
AK45 |
|
130 |
11.0 |
Port
Clarence |
KPC |
|
048 |
6.2 |
Brevig Mission |
KTS |
|
135 |
|
Teller |
K54 |
Nome – Unalakleet Route
|
Heading |
Distance |
Airfield
Name |
ICAO |
|
- |
26.2 |
Nome
|
PAOM |
|
065 |
27.6 |
Solomon
State Field |
AK26 |
|
055 |
13.0 |
White
Mountain |
WMO |
|
113 |
20.2 |
Golovin |
GLV |
|
059 |
7.4 |
Elim |
ELI |
|
028 |
27.0 |
Moses Point |
MOS |
|
038 |
33.8 |
Koyuk |
PAKK |
|
163 |
31.4 |
Shaktoolik |
2C7 |
|
139 |
|
Unalakleet |
PAUN |
Wien Memorial Routes
Unalakleet – Wien Memorial Route
|
Heading |
Distance |
Airfield
Name |
ICAO |
|
- |
31.4 |
Unalakleet
|
PAUN |
|
319 |
33.8 |
Shaktoolik |
2C7 |
|
343 |
16.0 |
Koyuk |
PAKK |
|
340 |
12.6 |
Haycock |
HAY |
|
326 |
9.7 |
Granite
Mountain |
GSZ |
|
013 |
26.6 |
Bear Creek |
AK02 |
|
335 |
64.0 |
Buckland |
PABL |
|
308 |
|
Wien
Memorial |
PAOT |
Wien Memorial – Kobuk Route
|
Heading |
Distance |
Airfield
Name |
ICAO |
|
- |
36.8 |
Wien
Memorial |
PAOT |
|
076 |
16.8 |
Curtis
Memorial |
ORV |
|
034 |
25.1 |
Baker
Memorial |
PAIK |
|
133 |
58.7 |
Selawik |
PASK |
|
036 |
21.0 |
Ambler |
PAFM |
|
105 |
7.1 |
Shungnak |
SHG |
|
057 |
|
Kobuk |
OBU |
Wien Memorial – Cape Lisburn
Route
|
Heading |
Distance |
Airfield
Name |
ICAO |
|
- |
41.6 |
Wien
Memorial |
PAOT |
|
327 |
28.2 |
Noatak |
PAWN |
|
343 |
41.4 |
Red Dog |
PARD |
|
225 |
62.6 |
Kivalina |
KVL |
|
289 |
34.7 |
Point Hope |
PAPO |
|
009 |
|
Cape Lisburn |
PALU |
Wien Memorial – Icy Cape Route
|
Heading |
Distance |
Airfield
Name |
ICAO |
|
- |
41.6 |
Wien
Memorial |
PAOT |
|
327 |
28.2 |
Noatak |
PAWN |
|
343 |
63.1 |
Red Dog |
PARD |
|
321 |
46.2 |
Cape Saline |
Z53 |
|
003 |
40.3 |
Point Lay |
PPIZ |
|
012 |
|
Icy Cape |
2AK8 |
Flight Simulator Files
There is a Cessna T-50 in the alphasim set t50-fs89.zip at flightsim,
and there is a Bluegrass texture set in our Hangar.
The Beech D18S was operated at one time by Buffalo and is available in a Cargo scheme in D18SVC4.zip and D18SCARG.zip from flightsim.
The default DC-3 is a prime candidate
for this service, and they are still being used by Buffalo Airways in the North
of Canada.
A larger aircraft which is still being
used by Buffalo Airways and Evert Fuel is the Curtiss C-46. This is available
from flightsim in C46GA.zip and C46GAFIX.zip.
Tom’s landing speed gauge can be found
at http://home.hiwaay.net/~goodrick/Downloads.html
in landspd.zip.
Some of the default FS2004 airfields in
Alaska can be upgraded by installing Pete and Sid’s scenery which is available
from flightsim in five downloads – just search for Pete & Sid's Viva Scenery.
This is purely optional and is not needed for these flights.