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Labrador

A short but fine adventure by GUFY trips Read more
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  • Trip start
    August 2, 2016
    GUFY tripsLabradorGUFY trips

    Hanwell, NB (home)

    August 1, 2016 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Planning a 3 day trip to Labrador starting Tuesday, Aug 2. Weather thwarted two previous attempts a few years ago.

    I had been contemplating this jaunt for the last little while and waiting for adequate weather. Although I was expecting later this week to be optimal (as optimal as it ever gets in that region), it looks like tomorrow is the best bet for probably a month. Since fog tends to be persistent as time approaches September, this is possibly the last best time for this year.

    Tomorrow's plan is to fly direct to Natashquan, Quebec just north of Anticosti island before heading east along the river to Labrador. To get to Natashquan I plan to fly over Gaspe then across the water bisecting the island. I expect to spend he night at Port Hope Simpson

    An interesting bit of trivia is that although I will be heading consistently east (and north) on this trip this is the order of time zones experienced:

    Atlantic Daylight (New Brunswick), Eastern Daylight (Natashquan), Atlantic Standard (Far east Quebec), Newfoundland Daylight (Southern Labrador), Atlantic Daylight (rest of Labrador)

    As usual, my Inreach satellite communicator will leave a trail visible at: https://share.delorme.com/RayStL    Read more

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    Natashquan Airport

    August 2, 2016 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Refuel stop on north side of St Lawrence.

    To stay within gliding range of land over the water expanses crossing the river, flew at 11500 ft on the south and north sides of Anticosti island.

    This first leg went over Gaspe before crossing over the water to Anticosti then to Natashquan. I wore my lifejacket for that and crossed at 11500, dipping to 9500 when over Anticosti to keep my sessions higher than 10000 ft to less than 30 minutes each. While crossing I kept check for symptoms of hypoxia: Was I euphoric? (No. Kept waiting for the engine to stop); Were my fingernails a pretty shade of cyan? (Nope. They their usual drab colour.)Read more

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    Fox Harbour (St. Lewis)

    August 2, 2016 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    First stop in Labrador.
    First of the gravel strips.

    Fox Harbour is the most easterly permanent settlement on mainland North America. It was supposed to be a hotbed (?) of iceberg activity. Hmm, it might be another victim of climate change. Only saw two wimpy bergs near there. After leaving for Port Hope Simpson I detoured out to sea to see one ice cube.Read more

  • GUFY tripsLabradorGUFY trips
    1

    Port Hope Simpson Airport

    August 2, 2016 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    There was a reception committee when I landed at Port Hope Simpson... one million black flies. It was fun pounding the tie down anchors in the rocky soil while being the buffet for the local winged fauna. My neck is especially lumpy.

    My plan was to cart two empty 20 L gas cans from the airport 'downtown' to get filled there and then drag them back on that luggage cart tomorrow. Luggage carts are crap on dirt roads. I ended up shouldering my luggage, the two cans, and the cart to the hotel. Forty minute walk enjoying the local fauna, or to be more correct, they enjoyed me. My plan sucked.

    The good news is the hotel folks will drive me back. They said next time I should just buzz the hotel before landing and they will go and pick me up. Alrighty. After tomorrow jaunt, I will be flying back here tomorrow evening.

    Tomorrow I will tour along the Labrador highway, to overfly Cartwright, then land at Rigolet. Will spend some tourist time there, the most southern Inuit community in Canada. The return trip to Port Hope Simpson will follow the coast more and go over Black Tickle... because it has a silly name.    Read more

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    Port Hope Simpson (downtown)

    August 2, 2016 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    My plan was to cart two empty 20 L gas cans from the airport 'downtown' to get filled there and then drag them back on that luggage cart tomorrow. Luggage carts are crap on dirt roads. I ended up shouldering my luggage, the two cans, and the cart to the hotel. Forty minute walk enjoying the local fauna, or to be more correct, they enjoyed me. My plan sucked.

    The good news is the hotel folks will drive me back. They said next time I should just buzz the hotel before landing and they will go and pick me up. Alrighty. After tomorrow's jaunt, I will be flying back here tomorrow evening.

    Tomorrow I will tour along the Labrador highway, to overfly Cartwright, then land at Rigolet.    Read more

  • GUFY tripsLabradorGUFY trips
    1

    Rigolet

    August 3, 2016 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    The most southern Inuit community in the world.

    Before landing at Rigolet I flew low(ish) over the town. Good idea. When I landed a local was at the airport ready to take me 'downtown'.

    Other than air service, the coastal ferry drops in here. There is no road leading out of Rigolet. Although there were a few trucks and cars, the most common transportation mode was four wheeler ATV

    The community is so far north and east that the satellite dishes, in the last pic, are tilted slightly down.    Read more

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    Black Tickle

    August 3, 2016 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Flew over here only because it has a silly name.
    Curiously it was neither particularly dark nor giggly.

  • GUFY tripsLabradorGUFY trips

    Port Hope Simpson

    August 3, 2016 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    I have seen no mosquitoes at all in Labrador. That's the good news. The bad, very bad, news is that black flies have fully occupied that ecological niche. They get in the plane too, just like mosquitoes. After the engine starts, mosquitoes will huddle harmlessly at the bottom of the dash. Black flies continue to buzz and feast. The back of my neck feels like an itchy bunch of grapes.

    The hotel drove me back to the airport with my full gas cans. They will do that tomorrow too. Yay.

    The hotel is somewhat unique in my travels. They have a restaurant which is open fron 6 am til 10 pm (Greco pizza is on the menu), there is a gas pump, and a supermarket. In addition to a diner type menu, they also do a good job on non fast fare such as grilled salmon or cod.The supermarket, also open til 10, sells liquor.

    The weather looks reasonable tomorrow for the trip back. Instead of crossing south at Anticosti island, I would prefer to go along the coast more and cross at Matane. After that it is almost due south back to Weyman. Have not decided yet where and how often to stop. Could do a couple of 3 plus hour legs, stopping at Havre St Pierre, across the western tip of Anticosti. Or I could wimp out and stop at Natashquan and Sept Iles for shorter legs.

    Photo is of another hotel guest leaving for work the following morning.    Read more

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    Happy Valley-Goose Bay

    August 4, 2016 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Plans superseded by reality. A morning blanket of fog rolled in along the St. Lawrence stretching upriver to Sept Iles and north to near the Labrador boundary. As time passed it deepened into a fog duvet. That route was out. And the forecast along the river for subsequent days was for much rain.

    Decided to go to Goose Bay instead and then down to Sept Iles to pick up my originally planned route. I checked Goose Bay in "Places to Fly" and saw they charged a $120 handling surcharge for refuelling. Sigh.

    At Port Hope Simpson I topped up the tanks more than they had ever been. Maybe I could get to Sept Iles without refueling.

    Got to Goose Bay ok. Checked the fuel level was fine to go the rest of the way. Yay.

    When I called for a weather update, many thunderstorms had popped up on the way to Sept Iles. They were predicted to last til midnight. Sigh.

    I am writing this from the North 2 Hotel in Goose Bay.

    The airport was the first asphalt I had seen in Labrador. My propeller was happy. There are some historical aircraft displayed on the entry to the airport including:voodoo, canso, and vulcan bomber. I had never seen a real vulcan before. For the non pilots, it does not have pointy ears.

    The latest forecast for Goose Bay looks iffy for tomorrow. Different sources differ. Regardless, forecasting is evidently a bit of a crap shoot around here. I shall remain hopeful.    Read more

  • GUFY tripsLabradorGUFY trips
    1

    Waiting at the Goose

    August 5, 2016 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    The day started in Goose Bay with rain and the clouds lower than the hills around Goose Bay. The ceiling was forecast to raise a,little in the day, just before another weather system came through with heavy rain and thunderstorms. And that would hang around for several days. The weather along the St. Lawrence was fine.

    If I was going to get out of there before Wednesday it would be through a short lived window that might appear. I waited.

    A Hercules aircraft landed equipped with wheel-skis. It carried a science crew on the way to Greenland.

    There was a Bombardier water bomber parked nearby. Had a tour of the outside and inside of the plane and had a long talk with the crew. Much of their flying is 140 ft above ground.

     I have included a pic of a Canso as well as the Bombardier water bomber for comparison.

    Talked to the pilot about escape routes on the way to Sept Iles. He pointed out that I could follow the Churchill River as it leaves Goose Bay in the direction of Sept Iles. It then turns north to James Bay. But at that point any river found to the south drains south eat into the St. Lawrence. So I should head towards Sept Iles as long as I can and let the weather push me south and east as necessary.

    Around 2 pm weather cleared enough to see if I could escape.    Read more

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    Avoiding nasty weather

    August 5, 2016 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Following the water bomber pilot;s instruction, I was turned south twice in and out of light rain a few times. About 65 km from the coast I broke out into a drier air mass albeit with nastier headwinds.

    I learned that my airspeed drops about 10 knots (18 kph) in the rain. Ironically rain drops produce dirtier aerodynamics while cleaning the plane.    Read more

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    1

    Grand Falls Airport

    August 5, 2016 in Canada ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    Kept battling headwinds. Different altitudes did not help.

    It became evident it would be dark when I reached Weyman. Exit stage right to Grand Falls. They have sleep over facilities that I have used before... coincidentally on another aborted attempt from Sept Iles to Weyman. When I landed the local AME/mechanic greeted me and let me hangar my plane. The resident flight instructor, Mandy allowed me to raid her food too.Read more

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    Weyman Airpark

    August 6, 2016 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Today was just a matter of waiting until the clouds lifted enough for the final hop to Weyman.

    Total air distance covered was 3300 km (1782 nm) in 17.5 hours.

    After being back at my house for about an hour a small thunderstorm passed overhead and killed the power for a couple of hours. Terrestrial existence is so unreliable.Read more

    Trip end
    August 6, 2016
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