Professional Pilot, March 2016

INTERCONTINENTAL FLYING Crossing the North Pacific from Alaska to Japan A n international trip is always a nice change to the daily domestic flying routine and todays global economy has increased PVG the need for international overseas flights in American corporate flight departments Bizjets performance navigation technology and communications systems have become ever more sophisticated and adapted to intercontinental operations Professional pilots that have familiarized themselves with international flight procedures well in advance will have a headstart when a sudden need to go overseas arises In the Sep 2015 issue of Professional Pilot we looked at crossing the Atlantic Ocean via the North Atlantic track system on the way to Europe In this article well look at a route that might be even more important for some operators Pacific crossing on the northern route from Alaska to Japan and on 66 PROFESSIONAL PILOT March 2016 GAL While the great circle distance from the New York metro area to Tokyo is about 6000 nautical miles and goes via Canada the far North of Alaska and Eastern Siberia the air routes from Alaska to Japan still largely avoid Russian airspace so pilots stay about 150 nm off the coast of Siberia Operationally reasonable airports with reliable weather are even more difficult to find when flying North Pacific routes than when flying North Atlantic routes From Anchorage or Fairbanks to Tokyo we count around 3000 nm with only a few diversion or refueling airports in between They are mostly situated in the Aleutian Islands and the Bering Sea where weather is often marginal Crossing from ANC or FAI No matter where we come from in the lower 48 states of the US ANC Ted Stevens Anchorage Intl AK or FAI Fairbanks Intl AK will be most likely our departure airports for the long Pacific sectors While ANC is a busy and well known airport with great infrastructure and long runways its surrounded by high terrain close by This airport may also have difficult winter weather conditions because its situated in close to the Gulf of Alaskas Cook Inlet My own North Pacific flights to Japan usually took off from FAI an inland alternative to ANC that is closer to the great circle route from New York or Boston to Japan FAI has very stable weather conditions and usually unlimited visibility It sits in a plain between the Denali range and the Brooks Mountains and is thus shielded from weather extremes except for cold temperatures If you decide to land at FAI remember not to use Rwy 02C 20C as this runway is an artificial lake between the main runways for seaplane use only The longest runway there is 02L 20R 11800 ft FAI is situated at 65 N 148 W so it does get really cold during the winter While you will get regular Jet A fuel in summer in the winter months you will be refueled with Jet A1 which has a 7 degree colder freezing point and is better suited for cold weather operations The tropopause is much lower up north and fuel temperature may become a factor in cruise flight Jet A1 is the standard fuel used internationally The runway in FAI may be sanded under certain conditions If that is the case adjust power to full takeoff thrust carefully as you pick up speed to avoid engine damage from the sand Refer to your aircrafts pilots operating manual for details After taking off from FAI headed to HND Haneda Intl Tokyo we have about 3000 nm ahead of us But the northern most larger airport in Japan is CTS New Chitose Hokkaido which is a few hundred miles closer During the climbout over the Alaskan tundra we should not let the great view of Mount Denali the highest mountain in the US distract us from logging on to PAZA which is the CPDLC address for Anchorage domestic By Peter Berendsen ATP CFII Boeing 747 MD11 DYR ANC AKN CDB FAI PKC ADK NRT PEK HKG UUS CTS HND SYA Canada USA Bering Sea North Pacific Ocean Russia China Japan Alaska Increased planning is required to ensure success on this long overwater journey While the route from the US to East Asia follows the North Pacific rim and lands such as the Aleutian Islands US and the Kamchatka Peninsula Russia are close together the weather and the political map cause a lack of suitable enroute airports