Red Lake, Ont. Canada, 18.04.2005
Preparing for the season
Flying maintenance Chimo crews to Roderick Lake North lodge and Marvin Lake island cabin, 8 & 10/4
My first 'official' flight for this year's RLBA operations.
I was scheduled by my host, Chimo Air Services, for a delivery flight to Roderick and Marvin lakes. Taking a working detail to each location, for the pre-season maintenance work.
08.04.2005
First I took the 'Scooter' -the ACLF Piper Tri-Pacer, for my transfer to Chimo base; instead of going by road :-) That's about 5 to 6 nm on a direct flight and a lot shorter than taking the long road, over the bridge, from CYRL to downtow Red Lake and the Southern tip of Howie Bay. That takes you -with the Scooter- some 9 minutes and 2 lbs of avgas, whish is quite economic, right?
After getting the old Cochrane Otter (C-FITS) checked and ready, and all the people and cargo on board, we left from the Chimo dock at just after 10.15.
The Otter was carrying 7 souls, the pilot (me) and the maintenance crew of six: 3 guys for each location; plus their tools and load of building materials and standard stock for the cabins.
This is the load out chart:
(click on the snapshot to enlarge)
I flew one of my ususal routes; from Red Lake via Vermillion and then N-NW along Valhalla and Kittyhawk Lakes; flying between Hy-Vee and Munroe Lakes before turning North for Roderick Lake ...
Our first stop was the Chimo lodge on the northern shore of Roderick.
Approached the location from the West, dictated by the wind direction, flying a first low approach over the intended landing spot, to inspect the lake for other traffic and/or obstacles. turned 180, back over the lodge and another 180 for the final approach to set the Otter on the lake's surface.
That is pretty much the standard procedure I'm sticking to, just like I did on our first tour of Red Lake back in 2003-2004.
Set the plane softly on the wintery lake surface, ice and snow, and taxi slowly to the dock to unload crew and cargo for this location.
(click on the snapshots to enlarge)
Scooter readt at CYRL | Approach to
Chimo | Takeoff from Chimo CKS4
Under CYRL approach | Over Valhalla | Munroe & Hy-Vee
Landing at Roderick North | Chimo lodge, Roderick
After unloading I started the engine again and went taxiing in an Easterly direction, right from the dock to inspect the intended take off path. turned 180 back to the dock and another 180 for the take off run ...
Shortly after take off, at a safe minimum altitude and still climbing, changed to a NW course heading for our next stop: Marvin lake.
We reached Marvin after flying over MacCusker Lake, the largest one of a series of lakes, and set in for the descent, trying to spot the small island where the cabin is located.
Did the usual approach and check procedure and landed again in an easterly direction, on the north side of the cabin/island; leaving us a longer way to taxi back to the island and the dock on it's SE shore ...
After unloading the second maintenace crew and their materials, we still had about 217 lbs of cargo on board meant for delivery at Joe's on Burtwood Lake.
(click
on the snapshots to enlarge)Under CYRL approach | Over Valhalla | Munroe & Hy-Vee
Landing at Roderick North | Chimo lodge, Roderick
After unloading I started the engine again and went taxiing in an Easterly direction, right from the dock to inspect the intended take off path. turned 180 back to the dock and another 180 for the take off run ...
Shortly after take off, at a safe minimum altitude and still climbing, changed to a NW course heading for our next stop: Marvin lake.
We reached Marvin after flying over MacCusker Lake, the largest one of a series of lakes, and set in for the descent, trying to spot the small island where the cabin is located.
Did the usual approach and check procedure and landed again in an easterly direction, on the north side of the cabin/island; leaving us a longer way to taxi back to the island and the dock on it's SE shore ...
After unloading the second maintenace crew and their materials, we still had about 217 lbs of cargo on board meant for delivery at Joe's on Burtwood Lake.
Checking Marvin | setting down at Marvin | Marvin Lake cabin
After taking off from Marvin Lake (standard procedure, of course), I flew directly to Joe's, some 112 nm to the SE of Marvin Lake ...
Upon reaching Joe's, I just flew over the lake (Burntwood)
to land on runway 01.
I could already see and smell the thick smoke of Joe doing his thing the the day's catch of fresh salmon :-)
I could already see and smell the thick smoke of Joe doing his thing the the day's catch of fresh salmon :-)
(click on the snapshots to enlarge)
Leaving Marvin Lake | Over Joe's | Approach CKS4 rwy01
CYRL - Chimo >Flightno.1012
& Chimo, via Roderick and Marvin, to Joe's - CKS4 >Flightno.1014
Time to catch up with uncle Joe's! :-)
At first I had planned to stay the rest of day and overnight at his place, leaving the next morning; but at the end I jsut extended my leave by one more day and flew back to Chimo on sunday morning, 10-04
10.04.2005
Sunday early morning, just after 07.00, I left from Joe's for my flight back to Chimo.
Flew more or less a straight along Bigshell and Olive Lakes, to Hammel Lake and Red Lake, then along the southern shore of Red Lake back home to Chimo in Howie Bay ...
After landing at Chimo I parked and secured the Otter, reported at the office and left again on the Scooter for a day off at CYRL.
(click on the snapshots to enlarge)
& Chimo to CYRL >Flightno.1016
Hmmm ... it somehow feels like being back home ... after our stay in Africa.
On the other hand, at felt at home in Africa too ... and I still long for the Archipelago Esperides sometimes ...
Maybe it is that 'air nomads' feel at home in many places or just that 'home is the air' :-)
Cheers,
Brick
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