Mike Obland: Refueling in Nome

Barrow, Alaska, April 15, 2008 -- Back to the frigid north. Rick, Mike, Ray and I left Fairbanks at about 9:45 a.m. on the start of a long, roundabout trip back to Barrow. The plan was to take data along the NASA DC-8’s flight path before Ray and Mike left this afternoon. They were doing a pentagon pattern counterclockwise around most of Alaska, and we would run over a few of their legs in the opposite direction on our way up to Barrow. We went west from Fairbanks, and stopped to refuel in Nome after a 3.4 hour flight. The flight was longer than expected due to the 130-mile-per-hour headwinds. Rick even commented at one point that if we had any more headwinds, we’d be flying backwards.

As remote as Barrow seems to me, Nome did not feel too far behind. Apparently it is as isolated as Barrow, in that everything needs to be brought in by air or sea. We landed at the airport, which had a shorter runway than Barrow that was mostly covered with snow. The taxiways were solid ice, and we could feel the plane slipping and sliding around. With all the snow it was hard to tell the difference between taxiway and field! Our primary plan in Nome was to fuel the airplane as quickly as possible so that we would take off in time for the CALIPSO run this afternoon, and if we could find some lunch that would be great, too. Fortunately, the two guys helping us at the airport were very friendly and helpful. One guy fueled our plane while the other guy ran Mike and Ray into town so that they could grab us some sandwiches without having to wait for a taxi. We thanked them and gave them some NASA calendars and stickers that Mike had on hand. After changing into our poopie suits for the afternoon over-water flight, we were on our way in only about an hour after landing.

We headed out of Nome and relayed the really interesting information we were seeing on dust and smoke layers below us to the pilots of the DC-8, and passed by them at some point as we went north and they went south. We picked up the CALIPSO track and took some amazing data of what may have been Asian dust and smoke. The flight was again rather long, 4.3 hours, and we were all glad to arrive back in Barrow around 6:30 p.m. We were just beat after a long day. We all headed back to our hotel rooms to unpack and have some dinner. Ray and I started analyzing, archiving and uploading the data from our two flights today. We finished the night by relaxing with the whole crew and some other local pilots who told us stories about life as a pilot in Alaska. One pilot has lived up here most of his life, and was telling us about the time when his seaplane was taking off and hit a wave, breaking his floats and causing them to sink. The Coast Guard had to rescue him from the frigid waters, at which point he was unconscious with a core temperature of less than 90 degrees F! It makes me thankful for our exposure suits, as uncomfortable as they may be to wear!

We have another science flight with the NASA DC-8 and CALIPSO tomorrow, and we are starting to talk about when to head back to Virginia. The next few days will bring maybe our last few ARCTAS science flights and a trip home!

Photos: Mike Obland