Aerial Reconnaissance from Alton Bay!

Posted for your pleasure is the fine flying, yarn-spinning, and photo work of Carsten Schanche at the Alton Bay Ice-Port.

Carsten Schanche - Alton Bay - January 25th 2003

WEST VIEW

Trip story (long yak-ety-yak version)

On Saturday January 25th I flew to Alton Bay's Ice Port from my home airport at Nashua (ASH). After preheating I had wheels up from rwy 32 at 11:30 a.m. Flew low under Manchester (MHT)'s class C airspace and shot a direct to Alton Bay Ice Port (B18). The seaplane base/ice port doesn't show up in my GPS database, so pilotage or other means of navigation was necessary. I decided to plug in Wolfboro airport and flew in that direction, keeping a clear idea of where I was on the map as I was getting closer and needed to break away towards B18. At about 10 miles out I tuned to Alton Bay's unicom 122.8, from the communication in the pattern indications were that rwy 01 was the active.

I chose to stay high at 3,500ft while doing a flight around the airport to take some photos from the south, the east and the north. To the west of the runway there is a major mountain, obscuring any view of the runway if you come from the west until you are pretty much right on top of it.

NORTH VIEW

After the 3,500ft crosswind, I slowed down and descended to a 2,000ft altitude on left downwind for rwy 01. (West of the airport). At that altitude I was pretty much at the same altitude as a mountain ridge to the west, and on passing midfield I found myself fighting a downdraft caused by the northwest winds coming down over the ridge. A little extra power, a little pitch-up and I had that under control. My personal opinion (I tried this later) is that 2,500 ft works much better on left downwind for 01. Less downdraft, and more clearance to the hard stuff.

FINAL APPROACH

Turning left base and final was no problems, I did my usual planned go-around (my personal rule when approaching an unfamiliar airport, especially when there are mountains and turbulence around), did the pattern again, and came in for a landing. A radio-report from a fellow pilot described the landing surface as a little rough, so I flared, put the mains down on the ice, but held the nose gear off as long as I could, steering with the rudder like a taildragger, avoiding undue damage to the oleo nosegear strut on the Skyhawk. The surface was ice with patchy snow, giving a somewhat unpredictable breaking action, so I chose to just roll out. I slowed down to walking speed about 800 ft before the end of the 2,600ft runway, and took the available off-ramp. The instructions I received from the 'tower' Bill Watson (?), sitting in his house with view of the airport, and directing traffic, was to taxi back to the parking at the beginning of rwy 01 via the parallel taxiway (east of the runway).

Once at parking, I found 4 other planes there, 2 of which started up and headed out as I was shutting down and heading into 'town'.

Alton Bay is a small village, located at the very south end of the bay. I stopped at the Olde Bay Diner for a Bacon Cheddar Cheese Burger with fixings at $ 4.75 and a cup of coffee. I was served very capably by Linda, stop by and say hi to her if you're making this your stop. Hours are 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday - Monday

After this I wandered 100ft further south to the Alton Bay Market, an old wood plank floor style general store with everything from postcards, meats, to bakery etc.. I succumbed to their big sinful Cinnamon bun at $1.07 and enjoyed it in the sun on their benches outside the south wall, overlooking the planes coming in on short final.

On the way back to the plane I noticed the best viewing are of the Ice Port is probably Shibley's Restaurant, but it doesn't open until Jan 31.

I bumped into a local friend of mine and his lady friend on his snow scooter. Took them both up for a quick flight in the Skyhawk, big grin on both of them.

After dropping them off again, I took the active 01, took off and headed south, staying about 1,000 ft off the deck until landing at Nashua at around 2:35 p.m.

There are worse ways to spend a day!
Carsten


RECIPE FOR FUN - Alton Bay (B18) Ice Port

1. The Ice Port doesn't show up in all GPS databases, so pilotage, dead reconing, or other means of prehistoric navigation may be necessary.
2. Left hand pattern for rwy 01
3. Use caution by the mountains on the west side of the bay. Recommend an altitude of 2,500 ft. or more over these mountains due to downdraft from the prevailing northwest wind coming down over the ridges to the west.
4. The approach is no real problem.
5. Might want to do a go-around to check for turbulence anywhere along the approach path.
6. Snowmobiles buzzing around all over the place, do a go-around to signal to them that you're about to land. Keep an eye open for those buzzers as you land and take off.
7. Runway surface was good, but there were snowscooter tracks in the ice, making for some rougher spots.
8. Keep the weight off your nosegear as long as you can. Use your soft-field landing technique.
9. Friction was good on the snow-covered spots, but poor on the bare ice.
10. The parallel taxiway is the same condition, and taxi with care to avoid snowdrifts, etc. This will change from day to day, ask for advisories as you approach.
11. Airplanes that have free castering nosewheels and depend on differential braking for ground steering will have problems where the braking action is nill. In that case you might want to have a passenger get out and walk the wingtip as you taxi, to help steering.
12. Parking is on the southwest side by the shore and the restaurants. There is parking for about 30 - 50 planes.
13. Taking off heading north was no problem, again use your soft-field skills and keep the weight off that nosegear.
14. Once up, follow the bay out making a slight left hand turn after takeoff while gaining altitude, to avoid flying low over houses located on a knoll to the north of the runway.
    
    Places to visit:

• Olde Bay Diner serves breakfasts and lunches F-M from 7 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., I enjoyed their Bacon Cheddar Chicken Burger with fixings at $4.75 and a cup of coffee.
• Alton Bay Market is the local general store, with an old wood floor and a great bakery. I succumbed to their sinful Cinnamon Roll, which I ate on an outside bench along their south facing sunny-side wall, enjoying the view of the road traffic as well as planes coming in on short final.
• Shibley's Restaurant has the best view of the ice port, and will open on Jan 31.