I had not flown the Cherokee Warrior II for seven days because I have had two funerals the past weeks. It had snowed and I was too tired to dig my plane out. So I cancelled one mass in Clarks Point and took Penair to King Salmon last weekend.

 

During the winter I do not like to let my plane sit for more than a week without flying it because moisture builds up in the engine, which causes rust. Normally I am in the air three to four times a week.

Many times I plan a trip into the bush, but the weather is too bad to fly, i.e. below three miles visibility and ceiling under 500 feet, so I end up canceling or postponing.

Some days like yesterday (Nov. 18, 2009) I just fly around to get the moisture out of the airplane engine and the moisture that builds up on the inside of the windows and turns to ice. It was about zero degrees Fahrenheit when I was doing my preflight, with a little wind it was COLD.

I plugged the engine in at 4:30 a.m., stripped of the wing covers and engine coiling blanket, heated up the cockpit, did a complete pre-flight, checked the weather (wind shear at 2000 feet and turbulence below 4000, but clear), and was airborne by 10:07 AM.

I wanted to practice the GPS approaches into New Stuyahok and Koliganek. So, after flying south toward Clarks Point I turned north and headed to New Stu on the GPS runway 32 approach. The wind was at least 35 knots because my ground speed was 65 MPH. The warrior cruises at 110 MPH. I did a touch and go then headed up the Nushagak river to Koliganek, 54 air miles north of Dillingham. I followed the GPS runway 27 approach right into the colorful little village. It was a beautiful day, the mountains majestic in the background.

 

I made great time flying back. The strong tail wind propelled me to 150 MPH plus. I took about 30 minutes to re-fuel and button up the airplane for my next trip.

Father Scott Garrett is the Pastor of the Holy Rosary Mission in Dillingham. His unique mode of transportation is a 160 Cherokee Warrior which he uses to fly to the many remote areas within his parish. With the unpredictable weather of southwest Alaska, Father Scott's schedule is always written lightly in pencil.