Day 27: 1997-06-14
ATW Retro-blog: 1997-06-14 (Day#27)
Nome (US) – Galena (PAGA – US)
220nm; 2h20; Hughes(833) / Purchase(962)
Galena (US) - Eielson AFB (PAEI – US)
257nm; 2h35; Purchase(833) / Cowan(962)
Once the engine oil was up to operating temp after starting on a cool summer morning (at 7 degrees C) the team departed Nome with a fuel stop at Galena, following the Yukon and Tananata rivers.
Eielson (US)AFB, the day’s destination, was at the time host to a NATO exercise [this was in the pre-Trump era ��], Exercise Cope Thunder [where do they get these names?]. Duty personnel were bemused to find the on-base contingent of eight RAF Tornadoes augmented by a pair of Chipmunks!
The Goldrush Inn, on base, is widely recognized as the best in the US military, and the team found it to be way better than standard RAF equivalent accommodation.
The team was now joined by Philip Owen, one of the sponsorship organisers from International Business Strategies,, who looked after all PR/Liaison tasks through until Downsview.
The Nome - Galena leg required navigating along cloudy valleys, avoiding CuNims and their downpours and low OVC, as is evident in this shot of the approach into Galena.
[In the absence of traffic ahead, I'm assuming this was taken by Ced Hughes, in WP833]
Galena was the chance to take breakfast in the aptly-named Yukon Restaurant before continuing Eastbound.
[The beer in front of the three Chippie pilots is a little concerning, but since Tony Severs is at the other table (still trying to find Alaska on his aeronautical chart??) and it looks like that is Dave Gill at the same table, I am going to assume the beer was being consumed by a local who left the table to take the photograph. I therefore conclude that there is no reason to alert Higher Command.]
Eielson AFB – short final [presumably taken from the Islander?], with the ‘Thunderdome’ hangar behind the line-up of F-16s.
A pair of Chipmunks augment the RAF’s Nos. 9, 31 and 617 Squadrons’ Tornado deployment to AFB Eielson
One of a fleet of USAF KC-135Rs used to support the ‘jets’ participating in Exercise Cope Thunder.
Day 27: PAOM-PAGA-PAEI 477 nm, 4.91 hrs, GS 97 kts. Cumulative 7829 nm, 81.32 hrs, Average GS 96 kts.
Last edited by India Four Two; 25th Jun 2017 at 04:32.