Flying above the tundra



At daybreak the weather looked promising. I was told to be at the airline’s offices at 7:30 a.m. for the 9:00 a.m. departure, so after breakfast I walked over to the Wright/NAC shed a couple hundred meters from the inn.






Upon check-in both myself and my backpack had to be weighed and since I was flying round-trip it was determined that my daypack should better stay at BAR in order to allow other passengers with a proper destination to take more baggage, or the airline to take more cargo. It was only a few pounds, but in these remote regions every available pound counts. Passengers were told to take a seat and wait for the pilot to call out the flight once the plane was ready for boarding.

Check-in and “gate”/waiting area.


Utqiaġvik/Barrow BAR – Atqasuk ATK – Ulġuniq/Wainwright AIN
Wright Air Service 8V 651
STD: 09:00 / 09:35
ATD: 09:06 / 09:40
STA: 09:20 / 09:55
ATA: 09:25 / 10:10
C208B N143WA
Seat 3rd row, right window



As promised, around the scheduled departure time the pilot came in and asked passengers for Atqasuk and Wainwright to board. It was – again – a full flight with all 9 seats occupied.




Initially we flew at 2.500 ft above a solid fog layer but later the fog in that area dissipated somewhat, permitting views of the tundra below.






After a short 20-minute hop we landed on Atqasuk’s muddy runway 7 and a quick exchange of passengers and cargo ensued. Continuing passengers were asked to stay on board.






Soon enough we were airborne again towards Ulġuniq/Wainwright. Initially some landscape could still be seen below, but a few minutes into the flight we were totally engulfed by the fog.








Most passengers disembarked at Wainwright though a few others boarded here too for the segment back to Barrow.

AIN in all its glory.




While the arriving passengers had already left the plane and the new passengers hadn’t boarded yet, I asked the pilot if it would be ok if I sat up front. After some pondering permission was granted and I was as happy as can be.

Ulġuniq/Wainwright AIN – Utqiaġvik/Barrow BAR
Wright Air Service 8V 650
STD / ATD: 10:10 / 10:27
STA / ATA: 10:40 / 10:59
C208B N143WA
Seat: front office, copilot seat

On take-off, a snow fox crossed the runway but fortunately we were already airborne by then and I barely saw it.


The pilot was very nice and you could sense that he loved his job. In fact, he said more than once that his was the best job in the world. I like it when people are so passionate about their work.

Enroute the weather deteriorated rapidly and an instrument flight plan had to be filed for the approach to Barrow.






Don’t be fooled by the sight of the coastline; we needed to head into the murk beyond that.


The weather was close to or at minimums by the time we were on final for BAR’s runway 8 and for what seemed an eternity nothing could be seen outside. The pilot asked me to tap his shoulder if I saw the runway lights, but obviously his experienced eye caught them first.




After our arrival the plane was quickly being loaded for its next flight.


Once back in Barrow I returned to the nearby inn and prepared for check-out at 11. After that I hung out in the lobby reading and enjoying a cup of coffee or two, as the weather wasn’t too conducive to any outdoor activities.

Sorry, eightblack, for this new slip into the netherworld of small airplanes, and twice at that in the same report. I can’t even promise that it won’t happen again.

There is no road leading from “civilization” to Barrow, so I asked the landlord how the town gets their supplies. Alaska Airlines sends a cargo plane up from Anchorage at least once a day, and Northern Air Cargo/NAC and Everts Air Cargo also send planes several times a week. These flights bring in mostly perishables and urgently needed supplies. For everything else people place their orders – from sewing needles to cars - online and once a year the orders are shipped on a large barge to Prudhoe Bay, from where a smaller barge takes them to Barrow.

On arrival the day before I asked the airline staff at what time passengers were supposed to show up for check-in and was told that check-in opened at 1:00 p.m., so at that time I took the short walk from the inn to the Alaska terminal.


Check-in went smoothly, though the security check was a bit slow, which I attribute to space constraints. After the TSA check, passengers are led to a tent/holding pen with wood benches along the sides, located on the ramp between the building and the plane.




Utqiaġvik/Barrow BAR – Anchorage ANC
Alaska Airlines AS 050
STD / ATD: 17:20 / 17:26
STA / ATA: 19:09 / 19:13
B38M N805K
Seat: 30A

Boarding took forever as this was again a full flight. Among the passengers were also the local high school boys’ and girls’ football teams on their way to a state tournament in Homer.

As the temperature was around the freezing point, the plane had to be de-iced before departure.




Snack service.


During most of the flight there was a solid cloud layer below but closer to Anchorage there were a few breaks in the clouds allowing nice views.




At first I had no plans to rent a car again for just one day, but then I remembered that check-out time at the hotel was at 11:00 a.m. and my flight would not depart until midnight. Without a car I would be stuck either at the hotel reception or at the airport for way too long, so I opted to take a rental car for 24 hours.

A nice sunset from my room back at the Alex Hotel.


After settling in I went for dinner at a nearby restaurant that had caught my attention during my previous stay a couple of days ago, ‘Chopped and Chowdered‘.

To start, a sampler of three chowders (clam, salmon, and sea harvest: lobster, scallops, clams, shrimp, salmon & halibut) followed by a main of salmon with a red cabbage & mango salad.