We did it! We got to Anadyr, last stop in Russia, and ready to go to Nome .

What a flight, what a hard flight !

The stay at Evensk was very interesting. Our host, Vladimir, took us into his home and we stayed there until our depart. He his an aircraft lover and right now trying to get a light one for surveillance and service around the area. He told us how the city was nice before the Perestroika, with a surging salmon industry and several others. Now, everybody is gone, some 2000 people still survive there. No harbor , no real roads…..

The closest place is Magadan, and the trip is summer takes one week via road, or 4 days via boat. It is a fisherman boat that pulls a platform were people can camp during the trip days!

Teachers from schools are leaving, almost no supplies arrive…. Really a hard moment.

In the morning, the local TV came (with a personal video camera) and accompanied us to the airport. As no controller arrived by then, I decided to fly Vladimir with me , just a 10 minutes flight. Of course, he was very happy !

So we took off and just two minutes after, he took the controls. I explained him not to grip hard the stick, just to take it with two fingers ( with aircraft in trim). Soon, he was piloting the KF and his smile covered all his face.

Then I show him how is the slow flight, some lazy eights, and, of course, a real low level flight following the beach until abeam of runway threshold…then a pull up and the landing itself.

Alexander arrived at that moment with the magic words: ready to go !

We planned the flight to Markovo, refuel there and proceed to Anadyr. Wind wasn’t good and the sky was not clear.

We were approaching Chaibukha and we had a wonderful view: around 30 Beluga whales were underneath, in a very close area…what a joy!

After one hour of flight, I told him : if we keep this speed, we might get direct to Anadyr…!

He agreed immediately. Now, the fuel computations became a nightmare, all together with the clouds. We took some 6 one and a half liters bottles, and had them plenty of fuel. I put them in easy hand access, just in the case…

912 KF standard endurance at high cruise, is about 6 hrs with 23 gallons tanks. My extra 5 gallons tank and 6 bottles just could push the endurance into 8 hours…Flight now would take 0730 hours, direct to Anadyr…!

Weather was closing our way. Temperature was really low ( I estimate -10 C, 14 F) outside temperature. Inside, we were freezing.

Mountains were in view, and I tried to climb over the clouds. I circled below a blue sky hole and climbed at 100 fpm. Approaching 9000 ft, the aircraft was unable to climb more. We were on top of a cloud, but when we proceeded again into Anadyr, the top of the clouds layer raised a little bit, just enough not to allow us to pass over. It was instantaneous…. Moderate to severe icing , and the heavy engine vibrations with lost of almost total power…!

Alex tried to secure himself…it looked like it was the end…!

I turned the aircraft towards southeast, to escape those mountains and started an emergency descent, throttling back and forth the engine.

I got the ice to depart the prop and as we were descending to the minimum safe altitude, I saw the big clear ice formation on the struts leading edges.. Not nice to see.

Terrain did appeared soon and I got the aircraft away from the clouds. From that moment , until landing, the ice kept there..!

Clouds layers were changing all the times, so I had to climb and descend several times, so more fuel was used. Winds didn’t help either, and our landing estimated time went to the already marginal 0600Z , to 0630Z…

Here, there is no roads, no villages, no airports… An emergency landing means to stay there almost forever, and even if the place is beautiful, didn’t like the idea.

We started to open the coke bottles and fill the almost empty 5 gallons tank. After the 6 bottles were emptied, we weren’t able to see the level as it was low. My finger did estimate 15 liters … at least it was what I wanted to believe.

Now, came the procedures:

Alex… I will fully use the wing tank fuel, even side slipping a little bit the plane. Then I will use the header tank fuel and when engine starts failing or stopping, I will open your fuel tank valve…. Just you to know !

Also in the approach phase, you can tilt the tank to be able to get fuel until the end….!

Two hours were remaining and GPS failed to low batteries (I don’t know why the aircraft system doesn’t supply the power to GPS now) . I manage to take the GPS out of the instrument panel and put the Olympus camera batteries…!

Now just to wait if fuel remaining in the left wing tank was able to last one hour….

Vent tube was emptying…. Also the fuel indicator at the wing…

I side slipped the KF and got a little bit of fuel indication..

Soon, again empty, and now, I gave the header tank 15 minutes time. If engine stops before that, I will have to restart it again..!

15 minutes went out and I selected the small tank valve: 30 minutes to Anadyr was the estimate….with a 3.8 gallons fuel estimate….It should be OK!

Time passed very slowly , and finally , we landed at Anadyr. Last trip for Alexander and what a trip!

Total fuel remaining is about one gallon….!

What is the limit between security, guess, training,….?

This time everything was OK, but sure it could have not been. Conclusions: I am really happy to be here!

I was forgetting …. The cold was so intense inside the aircraft that It was really hard even to pilot or communicate. Besides, my dear navigator has not a big tank capacity, so he has to defuel three times….!, and every time, I had to open the door to empty the bottle, and it was horrible !

Icy wind, at cruise speed, was like a knife!