This file is for users that want to take a flight covering the Alaska
scenery. It starts in Ketchikan and ends at Anchorage. (you land
at Anchorage 2 times in the tour)
It is a long flight plan but there are many places to get fuel and
some nice places to spend the night.
I would use the Lear jet or the 737 for this tour.
I would set the season to summer, otherwise a lot of the flying will
be in the dark.
Use of the VOR (NAV2), ILS (NAV1), and NDB gauges
will be useful.
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NOTE: I created this file for 2 reasons, just for fun and to test
the scenery. Some of the flight descriptions might be a little
off but it will cover most of the scenery.
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NM - nautical miles
Flight 1 Ketchikan to Wrangell
Take off Rwy 29, fly heading 317 and set Nav 1 at 108.5 and Com 1
at 118. You will be traveling 71nm until you reach Wrangell.
The airport is east of the city and you will be using Rwy 9
Best approach is to fly just north over the western part of the
city and come in over the bay. It's a short runway so land at the end.
Flight 2 Wrangell to Sitka
Take off, fly heading 263 and set Nav 1 at 108.9
I would also set you NDB at 414, this is the best approach
You will be traveling 104nm until you reach Sitka.
As you approach Sitka, you will be flying over a mountain range.
You can either land on RWY 29, quicker but the ILS is on RWY 11
If you land on RWY 11, you will need to fly Northwest of the airport
and make a U-turn for the approach. There is fuel it you need it.
Flight 3 Sitka - Juneau
Take off Rwy 11 and start making a sharp left turn to heading 351.
As you are turning you will see the airport to the right.
Continue climbing to around 12,000 feet. You are only going 81nm.
Soon you will see the city of Juneau. You have two choices, you
can turn left and land quickly on Rwy 8. I turned right to see
the city and the scenery around it. If you turn right, fly toward
the city descending to 4500 feet. Do not go below that because the
mountains you will have to cross are about 4,000 feet. Start
turning left and fly toward the yellow mountains but stay to right
of the airport. You will be flying over the mountains parallel to
the airport. Continue flying toward the ocean, you will see the
university. When you are about 7nm DME make a very sharp left U
turn, then land on Rwy 8. If you have got fuel yet, now is a
good time.
Flight 4 Juneau - Gustavus
Set VOR (NAV2) at 114 and Take off Rwy 8. Fly about 1.5nm toward
Juneau and then turn right until you are flying toward the VOR
you set. (about heading 220 or so) Climb only to 5,000 ft.
Gustavus is close, only about 35nm. When you about 3nm from the
VOR turn heading 282. This should get close for a landing. The
runway at Gustavus is short so it is a tricky landing if you are
flying the 737. Once to see the airport land RWY 28 (no ILS here)
If you would like to fly around Glacier Bay, past over city and
descend to about 2,000 feet. When your done, past over the airport
and land on Rwy 28.
Flight 5 Gustavus - Yakutat
Take off RWY 28 and climb quickly to 15,000 feet heading 271.
You will be flying over Glacier Bay and then Glacier National
Park. Set VOR (NAV 2) to 113.3 and (ILS) NAV1 to 111.1 When
you pick the VOR, fly toward it. Continue flying until you get
near the city and turn left a little. Continue until you ILS
needle comes to the center and turn heading 286 to RWY 29
Flight 6 Yakutat - Cordova
Take off from RWY 29 heading 263. Set NAV2 at 116.7, NDB at 404
and NAV1 at 110.7 Not much scenery since you will be flying
over mostly ocean. However, the southern shore of Alaska is
visible to the right and you will fly near Icy Bay. This is the
longest stretch so, 200nm. You will soon cross over the shore line
and over some mountains. When NAV2 (VOR) kicks in, you should
start seeing Cordova. There are 2 airports at Cordova,
Cordova Muni and Cordova Mudhole. You are landing at the 2nd one.
When you get close to the city, fly over the ice patch south of the
mountains. You then can use the ILS to set up your landing
pattern, on RWY 27. Here is a good spot to get some fuel (near the
beginning of RWY 27)
Flight 7 Cordova - Valdez
Set NAV1 to 109.5 and take off RWY 27. Valdez is only about 45nm
away so only climb to about 6,000 ft. When you take off start
turning right to heading 302 but watch out for the mountains on
the right. Then follow the valley towards Valdez. There will be
a fork in the bay up ahead, take the one to the left. Follow the
bay to a small mountain ridge. Go over the ridge and turn north
following the bay. The Valdez airport is in the center of the city
of the shore. But continue north over the land until the ILS
starts to move, then turn a sharp left. You will be landing on
RWY 6. This airport has an ILS landing.
Flight 8 Valdez - Anchorage
Take off RWY 6 and stay on runway heading until about 2nm from
airport. This is so you can climb high enough to clear mountains
when you turn. Make a sharp U turn to heading 246. Set Nav 1 to
111.3 and NAV 2 to 114.3. You have about 115nm to reach Anchorage
and will be flying over the Chugach Mountains so climb to about
16,000 feet. As you approach Anchorage, you will see Gridwood to
the left and Palmer to the right. When you start seeing Anchorage
ahead, descend to about 7,000 ft and stay there until you clear the
mountains. Anchorage Approach requires a U turn. You will see
the University to the left and the Elmendorf Base to the right.
Downtown will almost be below you but you can see it to the right
as you past it. You will fly just north of Anchorage Int'l and
past it. Descend to about 4,000 feet and continue on heading 246
until you are about 10nm from the airport. Now make a U turn and
set yourself to land on RWY 6R (the ILS)
Flight 9 Anchorage - Talkeetna
Taxi to RWY 6R for take off. Take off and fly head 65 until you
are 2nm from the airport. Then turn heading 334 and climb to only
5,000 feet because this is a short trip, 66nm. You will see
downtown to the left and Palmer to the right. When you start
seeing Talkeetna, descend to about 1,200 feet and hold. You will
be landing on RWY 18 (heading 180) You will pass the airport on
your right. Once you are at the edge of town, make you turn left
to the airport. This is not an easy landing because the runway is
only 3,000 feet. I was able to land using the 737 but I touched
the beginning of the runway and finally stopped at the end.
Flight 10 Talkeetna - Fairbanks (via Mt. McKinley)
Take off Rwy 18 and turn right to heading 331. You will need to
climb to 21,000 feet to clear McKinley. McKinley is about 65nm.
Ahead will be some large mountains, the large flat white one is
McKinley. Once you pass over the range, you will see a small town,
this is Kantishna. When you think you are over Kantishna, turn
right heading 12 towards Fairbanks. Set ILS (NAV1) to 109.1 The
town you will pass, Nenana, means you are close. Start descending
and when you ILS needle centers, you heading should be around 10
You will be landing on RWY 1, the fuel is by the big tanks.
Flight 11 Fairbanks - Beetles
Now the flights are longer because you are going up into northern
Alaska. Take off Rwy 1 and turn heading 298. You may see the
Fairbanks University depending on when you turn. Climb to about
15,000 feet, nothing else do, not much scenery here. You may see
many small towns with airports. Continue on heading 298 and set
NAV1 to 108.7 and Nav2 116.0, Bettles has a VOR and ILS. When your
VOR kicks in, fly the VOR heading. When the ILS kicks in start
descending. When you see the airport (grass runway) turn to heading
260. You need to make a west to north approach to Rwy 1. When the
ILS needle starts to center, turn a hard left to heading 05. The
ILS should help you land. There is fuel and great food here.
Flight 12 Beetles - Barrow
Take off RWY 1 and turn heading 308. Start climbing because you will
be crossing a mountain range. This is Gate of the Arctic National Park.
Once you cross the range, not much scenery (will be put in version 7)
The total distance you will be flying this trip is 287nm, the longest so
far. Set your VOR to 116.20 and ILS (nav1) to 109.1. When the VOR
kicks in, then fly that heading. When you see the airport you will need
to loop around to the right to land on RWY 24 (heading 245)
Get so fuel because the next trip is the 2nd longest in the tour.
Flight 13 Barrow - Nome
Take off RWY 24 and turn heading 185. Climb to 30,000 and relax, you
will be covering 450nm. Nome's VOR is 115 and the ILS is 108.7.
Not much scenery (version 7). When the VOR kicks in, fly VOR heading
(the airport is close to the VOR) You will be landing on RWY 9 so when
you see the brown and white mountains, start turning right. You want to
fly to the right of the brown mountains over the green ones. The ILS
will help to line up your approach. When the needle starts to center
in Nav1, turn heading 93 and make your landing. You may need fuel again.
After you get fuel, taxi to RWY 2 because that is where you will be
taking off.
Flight 14 Nome - Unalakleet
Take off Rwy 2 and turn heading 93. You will be flying over Nome.
Most of the 125nm will be over open water, set you VOR (nav2) to
116.9. Continue on heading 93 until your VOR kicks in, then fly
VOR heading. Start descending because the runway is off the shore.
When you see the airport, make a visual approach on RWY 14.
Flight 15 Unalakleet - McGrath
Taxi to RWY 14 and take off heading 92. Set VOR to 115.5 and ILS
to 108.5 Your will be flying 174nm with not much to look at.
(version 7 will have scenery here)
When you see then city to need to pass it on the right
or left and then make a U turn and land on RWY 16.
The ILS is useful here.
Flight 16 McGrath - Bethel
Take off Rwy 16 and turn heading 211. You will be flying 219nm
to Bethel. Set VOR to 114.1 and ILS to 111.5. Again just the
default scenery until you get near Bethel. (Next version)
When you VOR kicks in fly that heading until you start seeing the
city. Then start turning right a little. You can use the ILS to
land on RWY 18. There are many local airports here so make sure
you are landing at the main airport. As you land you will be
flying over the downtown area. Get some fuel, the next trip is
the longest
Flight 17 Bethel - Adak
Taxi to RWY 18 and take off heading 205. Set NDB to 347, there
is no nearby VOR at Adak. The ILS there is 108.9 Climb as
high as you want during this 725nm trip. You will be flying
over mostly water until you reach some of the Fox Islands. When
You just past over some of the islands, turn right to heading 240.
Shortly after that, the NDB needle with kicks in. Turn the plane
until the needle is pointing to 0 degrees. Stay on course with
the NDB until you see the island with white ice and brown mountains.
Then head towards the ice. The ILS will kick in, continue flying
over the island until the ILS needle starts to center. Now turn
heading 232 and land RWY 23. Pick up so fuel and taxi to RWY 36.
Flight 18 Adak - Unalaska
Take off RWY 36 and continue runway heading until you fly over the
Korovin Volcano and Mt. Kliuchef. Then turn heading 62. Again you
will be over mostly water during the 381nm trip. Set NBD to 283 and
Nav2 to 113.6. Continue heading 62 until you see a large island to
you right, this is Umnak Island. The NDB should kick in shortly.
When it does, follow it's heading (the needle is a 0 to follow it)
The large mountain up ahead is Makushin Volcano. Now you can fly
to the left of the volcano or right over it, then land at
Unalaska on RWY 12 (Use the NDB to set up the landing)
Flight 19 Unalaska - Cold Bay
The tour is almost over, just a few more stops. Get some fuel if
you need it and taxi to RWY 12, (you will have to use RWY 12 and
turn around). Take off Rwy 12 and turn heading 43. This trip is
only 155nm. Continue on heading 43 until you VOR kicks in, then
follow VOR heading. When you reach 30nm from the airport, turn
heading 10. Continue until you come to about 16nm from the airport.
Then turn right until you see the airport. You can use the ILS to
Land on Rwy 14. Get some fuel and then to taxi RWY 8
Flight 20 Cold Bay - King Salmon
Take off RWY 8, you may want to lower the flaps for quicker take off.
It is a short runway. Turn heading 28 and climb for this 282nm trip.
When you VOR kicks in, turn VOR heading (so needle is pointing up)
and continue until you start to see King Salmon. When you do, you
want to turn left a little because you want to approach King Salmon
on the left side of the city. Continue until you ILS needle starts
to center, then turn sharp to runway heading 111 (RWY 11). You
should not need fuel if you got it at Cold Bay. Taxi around back to
RWY 11.
Flight 21 King Salmon - Kodiak
Take off RWY 11 and turn heading 91. Only climb to about 7,100 feet
and look at the scenery over Katmai National Park. Once you pass
over the main part of the park start climbing to 12,000 feet.
You will see some white mountains ahead. This is the Kejulik
mountains. When you fly over see if you can spot crater lake, a
small lake in the heart of the mountains. Once you fly over the
range, continue on. Set VOR at 117.1 and ILS at 110.9. When the
VOR kicks in, fly that heading until you see Pillar. You want to
turn left so that pillar mountain is to the right, you can't miss
it. Descend to 6,500 and watch the mountain as you pass. You
will see the airport over the mountain, but you need to continue
until you reach the bay. (Kodiak will be to the right) When you
get to the bay, turn right and cross over. Once you are over,
turn right again towards the airport. Make you landing on RWY 25
(heading 249). Once you get fuel, taxi back to Rwy 25.
Flight 22 Kodiak - Homer
Lower the flaps a little for a quicker takeoff. Take off RWY 36
and turn heading 350. Climb quickly to clear Pillar Mountain,
5,000 feet should do it. If it does not look like you are going
to make, go around. Continue on heading 350 during the 116nm
trip. Set VOR to 114.6 and ILS to 109.3 You will see homer but
continue on heading 350. You will cross the ILS line. As you
fly over homer, you may city the downtown area to the left.
When you lined up with the shore to the right, turn heading 50.
(to the right) Continue until you are about 10nm from the
airport, then make a sharp left to heading 161. Continue on that
until the ILS starts to center, then turn right to heading 211.
Land on RWY 21.
Flight 23 Homer - Kenai
This is a very short trip, only 54nm. Taxi to RWY 3 and take off.
Turn heading 346 (to the left) Set VOR to 117.6 and ILS to 108.9
When your VOR kicks in, follow the VOR heading. You will see 2
airports as you get near Kenai, fly toward the one on the left.
You will fly over Kenai and then turn left towards the ocean.
(You should have pasted the Kenia airport on the right) When you
reach the shore, turn heading 190 towards the runway. Land on
RWY 19.
Flight 24 Kenai - Anchorage
Taxi to RWY 19 and take off. Turn heading 16. This is also a
short trip, 46nm. Set VOR to 114.3 and ILS 111.3 When you
start seeing the Anchorage Airport, turn to the left to heading
345. Slowly start turning to heading 65 when you are close
to the ILS line. When the ILS needle starts to center you
need to be one heading 65. Land on RWY 6R and taxi to terminal.
Your trip is over.