Commuting in a Piper

Since I work in the heavy construction industry my projects can be located all over the state, from Ketchikan to Nome and anywhere in between. Usually in the spring I find out where I will be working that summer, and this spring was no exception. My assignment this summer is working on the Parks Highway reconstructing the highway from milepost 72 to 83. Since I live in Anchorage I had been driving the 70-some miles from my house to the jobsite every day. Even without traffic it's still a one and a half hour drive each way, which as of late has been wearing me out! Last week the weather forecast looked clear so I decided I would fly up to work and land on one of the lakes right by the highway. Even though after pre-flighting the airplane and getting off the ground I would only cut a half-hour on my commute, it sure would be better than trying to stay awake going the speed limit on my way home.

 

I made it in the air by 8 a.m. I could fly as fast as my little Piper could go without fear of getting pulled over! The cold morning air was as smooth as glass. What a great idea it was to fly to work, I thought to myself. As I approached Kashwitna Lake, where I would be landing, I announced my intentions over the radio but something was wrong - I couldn't transmit on my radio. I tried a transmitting a few more times without any luck. I decided to land and figure it out on the ground.

While I was at work I reviewed my procedures for an inoperable radio. I set my transponder to 7700 "circle tower." I reviewed light gun signals. I even saw that Lake Hood had a procedure for pilots with no radio at all. Luckily, I remembered that on a previous job at the Kenai Airport I had bought a handheld aircraft radio. At the time I'd used it for work, but had since left in the airplane for an event like this one. Phew.

When it was time to go home for the night I connected the handheld radio to my headset and viola - I had a radio! This little experience further reminded me that even on those perfect days, something simple can go wrong!

Max Vockner is a Project Engineer for QAP, a local airport and highway contractor. He was born and raised in Anchorage and has grown up around bush planes. Max enjoys seeking out all the adventures that Alaska has to offer.