AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2022 - 73

big of a mistake, but you also want to respect the
other pilot's experience and decision making. We
made it clear on the ground in Homer that Palmer
would be the true PIC in the event of an emergency,
and I was content to log the flights as dual received.
On midfield downwind, it starts to rain. Palmer
suggests I slow down, and I pop in the first notch of
manual flaps. I turn onto base, feeling good, when
he says, " And we're high. " I add in more flaps and
slow down.
" High and fast, " he continues. Sensenbrenner in
the backseat wisely says nothing and I let Palmer
know I've got it but also will go around if necessary-which
my fragile pilot ego doesn't want, but
my flight instructor brain knows we might need. Five
knots fast at home in California would be no issue,
but that's not the case here.
I eat up a few hundred feet of runway but touch
down with more than enough time to stop, smiling
over at Palmer and glad I got it on the first try.
Beyond the couple
people we see on our
walk, the only signs of
life are tendrils of smoke
escaping from chimneys
along the way. It's eerily
quiet and even our
footsteps seem too loud.
It's beautiful, and it's easy
to see how once you've
lived this life, it would
be impossible to leave.
Another bucket list box checked: land on an Alaskan gravel strip.
We park in the corner and get ready to explore. We walk into town and
across a bridge, and looking down into the cold, clear water I'm surprised to
see jellyfish. We wander along a mossy boardwalk, past shops closed until the
return of summer and stilted, multicolored homes. Beyond the couple people
we see on our walk, the only signs of life are tendrils of smoke escaping
from chimneys along the way. It's eerily quiet and even our footsteps seem
too loud. It's beautiful, and it's easy to see how once you've lived this life, it
would be impossible to leave.
Running out of daylight, we head back to the airplane. Just as we do, we
see an otter playing in the water by the field. It's Sensenbrenner's turn to log
more Alaska time, and he hops in the front seat for his first gravel takeoff.
Palmer walks Sensenbrenner through the takeoff procedure, including
the J-turn they'll use to pick up some extra speed before turning down the
runway. We'll have to turn to the left almost immediately after departure to
avoid terrain. I tighten up my seat belt and we're on our way.
Sensenbrenner and Palmer get us off the ground with no problem, and you
can see the confidence boost Sensenbrenner's gained from Palmer trusting
him at the controls with a complex takeoff like that. I knew it before but it's
solidified now-Palmer's one of the best CFIs I've ever flown with.
We climb toward Homer abeam cliffs dripping in golden light. Far too
soon, we're back in the pattern for Homer.
Kurt Sensenbrenner and the author
wander down Seldovia's mossy boardwalk;
Sensenbrenner at the controls of Palmer's
172; view from the boardwalk looking over the
Seldovia Slough; a local pup accompanies the
group through town.
A promise to return
We all have a last meal in town together, promising to see each other at EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh, and Sensenbrenner and I promise to return to Homer
in the summer for more adventures. Palmer seems like he genuinely enjoyed
our visit, and seems genuinely sad to see us go, and I'm sad to leave.
The allure of Alaska is real, and the journey did not disappoint. It was as
magnificent, memorable, challenging, and unique as I'd hoped, and the couple
logbook entries I have from the forty-ninth state feel well-earned. To have a
place like that-glaciers, mountains, beaches, waterfalls, wildlife-as a backyard
is intoxicatingly unique. I understand now why aviators go to Alaska
and never leave. Maybe one day I'll do the same.
alicia.herron@aopa.org
AOPA PILOT / June 2022
73
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2022

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