Mt. McKinley

I got the good deal of doing a "tank check" flight the other day. When we cross over the Ocean, we have to carry these external fuel tanks that hold 4,000lbs of gas each. We fly with 2 of them on the airplane. Well, we don't fly with them very often (like once a year......if that) so when we do fly with them, we have to do these "tank check" flights to ensure the fuel is transferring from the tanks into the internal tanks and ultimately, the engine's. If it's not, you're in for a not very long flight out over the water......

So for my tank check flight, I decided to go and check out Mt. McKinley, the highest mountain peak in North America at 20,320 feet. It was an amazing experience to get to see the beauty and mystic of Earth's natural geographic phenomenon. The sun glare and clouds provided for such a beautiful backdrop. I was flying with the callsign of "Hawg 01" and when I checked in with Anchorage Center (a radar controlling agency) I told them my intention to fly over to Mt. McKinley and "check it out". His reply without missing a beat was "Hawg 01, go ahead and proceed at your own discretion. Enjoy the view that we'll never know." Then, as I was circling the mountain top, he came on again and said "Hawg 01, that's gotta be an amazing sight you're seeing right now." It was pretty cool to have the controller commenting during my tour.

Now, while it was amazing, it also was a little nerve-racking as well. Like I said, I was single-ship, (no wingman) and there I was up at 21,000 feet flying right over and around this huge, cold, icy and snowy mountain. The wind was howling up there and it made the ride a bit bumpy. I couldn't but help think to myself, "if I flame a motor out here or simply have to eject, I'm screwed!" First off, at that altitude, I'd have to manually open my parachute, no fun and probably unlikely because I'd likely be knocked unconscious from the ejection sequence. Secondly, I'd be stuck on a 20,000 foot mountain peak in -75 degree weather with 80kts of wind, not good for survival chances. Thirdly, I'd probably slip off the side of the mountain and hit the glaciers below, obviously, not fun either. Lastly, no helicopters can get that high, so I'd be stuck. Bottom line, it was just a little nerve-racking to know that if I had to get out of the jet, my chances of survival were slim. But, the chances of all that happening are extremely low, so I pressed on and enjoyed nature's treat.

Love Rick