Author: Tony

The week raced toward Friday, the finish line. My dad, Turk Turinsky, and I would be flying to our cabin at Lake Clark. Really, it’s more than a cabin; it’s really a small house. It’s on the west side of Lake Clark’s Port Alsworth peninsula. It’s been our second home for thirty years now and the summers of my youth always found us there. It was the stepping off place for all of our western Alaska adventures. We would fly our Cessna 206 on floats from Anchorage Lake Hood Seaplane base to Lake Clark. Dad taxied to the west end of the lake and get close to the shoreline, turn into the wind, get takeoff clearance and hit it. With our typical load, we wanted all the lake we could get to get our ‘legal’ load in the air. We were always legally loaded; I don’t think there ever has been a float plane that left Lake Hood overloaded –yeah, and if you buy that, I’ll sell you a bridge over the Copper River. But, seriously, Dad always made an effort to properly load the airplane. “2221U, you are cleared for take off west.” Dad thrilled me that day, “Kev, let’s get off this lake.” I slide the throttle in, pulling all of the three hundred horses to get us on step. On floats you go from standstill to...

Where is North? Rob would go flying for the same reason the bear goes over the mountain: to see what he can see. This past October, flying around the Susitna Valley, he would assist in the rescue of the pilot and passenger of a downed Super Cub, and execute maneuvers as severe as any night aircraft carrier takeoff and landing and come to the rescue of a victim of an accidental shooting. It all began on a day like any day with a hole in the sky that needed filling. Well, at least that’s the reason Rob came up with for firing up his Piper Super Cub. He was answering that call of nature: the call of a pilot’s nature to fly. When most of the leaves are off the trees, it is perfect for spotting game. Hunting season had ended for all but one area near the Kahiltna River. Here was Rob’s last chance at any legal moose that showed its horns. The weather was great, if he needed to spend the night the conditions were perfect. His fuel gauges were full and he had a mission. Not a really important mission, a leisurely Autumn Sunday kind of mission. He decided to fly the west side of Cook Inlet to see what he could see. Heading out over Mt. Susitna and following the foothills and heading up the...

Welcome!  This is my personal blog where I will be blogging about my life experiences, including aviation, skiing, insurance, travel, retirement, Alaska, Marketing, Raising Kids and much much more. Check back often for more important updates! Thank you!   Tony Turinsky...