Friday, September 9, 2011

Touch 'n go in Minto

We took a little flight over the Minto Flats to Minto, Alaska last month (August 26th). David practiced some maneuvers. One of those maneuvers was a touch and go, where the aircraft doesn't actually land and taxi, but rather, touches the runway and takes off immediately. It's common for a pilot to spend some quality time (without any crew) and get some wind beneath his wings. I was invited and of course, the camera came on board.



The Trans-Alaska Pipeline, taken 20 minutes into the flight.

Fall comes early to this part of Alaska. From here, it looks like the tundra has been stroked by a watercolor brush.

This line of clouds helps to give the horizon definition. Beyond the ridge is the Tanana River.


Just one more prop shot for my pilot friends.

I feel truly blessed to see Alaska from a bird's eye view.

I was taken in by the glow.

Water settles in area where there is permafrost.

Good camera, good eye. Sure. God had his hand in this. The ever changing Tanana River.

The Village of Minto.

Minto is home to about 250 residents. It's tucked along the banks of the Tanana River about one hour's flight to the northwest of Fairbanks. Minto is primarily an Athabaskan community with a history in fur, flour, tea and gold trades.

This picture was taken just above Minto's tiny runway.
The Tanana River.

2 comments:

  1. Great photos again! So, I was looking at the Googles Mappage of your flight.

    What is the water in the middle of the Fairbanks runway. Is that a lake the has become a rectangle after years of runway construction, or is it a reservoir of some sort?

    Also, is the Minto runway just a strip of dirt??

    I love the third picture of the Alaskan fall colors. Beautiful!

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  2. The water in the middle of the Fairbanks International runway is the Float Pond. I did a little post about it last year. Check out my archives from 2010: Things to do in Fairbanks; Float Pond Road from July 17, also, Pilot's Lounge July 21, 2010, Pilot's Lounge July 21, 2010.2 and Pilot's Lounge July 21, 2010.3 In a few weeks the planes will be removed and, in some cases,the floats switched out for skis.

    The runway in Minto is nothing more than a strip of dirt. As much as I would like to photograph the strip as we land, it's a distraction to the pilot.

    I appreciate your comments. Thanks for looking. -Trish

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