MaxSez: I don’t routinely fly event. For a change up and because an old flight buddy @BallonChaser recommended this clubs events, I gave it a go. Alaska to Siberia, just a 400+ mile cross country seemed like a good go until I noted how sparse recovery field where in Russian Siberia and the route was almost all over water!
(The Russian Far East could be Adventure Land if the Map guys would move it up on their build out schedule.)
The GA Club selected Nome as the starting point for this Sortie, of course I had a better idea, long overwater gos with a Cub is not the best choice if you fly for real & you cherish a long fruitful life. Looking at the chart I noted Tin City, Alaska would be an ideal hop, skip and a jump starting point rather than Nome. It’s a short hop across the Bearing Sea gap between continents, (the King Crab fleet fishing grounds as watched on TV).
Unfortunately, no recovery field built out for this short point to point hop, over a very cold unpredictable region, in a Cub, to landfall was out!
So I modified the Clubs routing and choose an island stop and stepping stone stop on the Russian border and a Launch/Recovery as published.
The Clubs Route was Direct in Caravans, they had the legs for a non-stop go of only 400 miles at 190+K’s, most over very cold water and unpredictable winds aloft.
My Alt Route was; PAOM (Nome) x PAGM (Gambrel, the Russian Island NW of Nome, Bearing Sea mid-way point) x UHMD (Provided Bay, the Siberian 1st Landfall) x UHMA (Anadyu ,Reginal, the Clubs original Recovers Point).
NOME (PAOM) 1700L, Clear and bright, Sunny Arctic season)
Departed Nome with the Clubs 5 ship (Caravan) Gaggle, me in a Cub in a Survival suit, they went NE at join up, I did my own thing, going East but parallel and watch them most of the way by Radar & eyeball. They had the speed advantage. They went high, I stayed low for a tail wind. Had them on radar after my Island stop for Dinner and a few Smirnov’s.
The leg to the Island (PAGM) was un-eventful until, I got a low fuel Master Warning about 20 miles out. On Recovery I checked the Tank… only 50% burned. As always the unpredictable, misleading & fluctuating IF fuel gauge strikes again. Noted the Gaggle motoring on, falling behind the Group big time at this stop and knew I be TailEnd Charlie on recovery.
Off the Island for the first Siberian landfall, UHMD (Provided Bay, Russia, Far East Oblast).Touch & Go at this one, (no Customs Check In req LOL) on to UHMA & Recovery.
Oop’s saw another Cub at 40 miles to the East, and just had to bounce him, went off track, buster. Joined up with Grade 5
@David_Mullen short of recovery… at 5 miles noted he set up for a Beach Landing, Followed him down gunna buzzz him the “Up jumped the👿. SERVER CRASH, That’s all Folks!
“XP/Hours Lost again & AGAIN! Chatted with Dave by PM, Warm and Fuzzey connection hoped to fly with him again.)
END TRIP RPT…
“Let’s here it for the CUB, a joy to fly, super avionics, the rev counter and ability to adjust fuel burn to lean in cruise is a supper innovation. If you can Master a Cub you can fly anything in the IF superior inventor”
GA All the Way! MaxSends
Pics: 1) Russian Landfall.2) Route 3) Just minutes before App Crash
