Page 30 - Aug 19 TNT

Jet Journal The Problem with Juneau by Kevin Ware Iam sitting in the left seat of a King Air 300 simulator configured for the Runway 08 departure from the Juneau Airport (PAJN) in low IFR condi- tions. I have the power up and the air- plane rolling only to find the simulator (unlike a real King Air) has more rudder pedal sensitivity than a Pitts Special in a 30-knot direct crosswind. I nearly hit a couple of runway lights (luckily you don’t have to pay for them in the simula- tor) before I get the hang of the thing, and then concentrate on the real task at hand – avoiding terrain on all quad- rants by making an immediate right 180-degree turn after liftoff. Sitting to my right is Scott, who is acting as the PNF (pilot not f lying) and behind him is Spence Campbell, our Aviation Training Center sim instructor. We just finished a long morning of ground school and are beginning an afternoon of simula- tor training. If all goes well, at the end of the day, we will be certified to use the FAA’s Special Approach Procedure into Juneau. The simulator cockpit is already as hot as a sauna; it’s going to be a long afternoon. Juneau is a unique airport with some real issues from a pilot’s perspective. The city is the capital of Alaska and con- ducts all kinds of important business. It is the only state capital in the main- land U.S. where you can only arrive by boat or airplane and the boat trip takes a long time. The town is located on a saltwater inlet with the Gulf of Alaska and the entrance to Glacier Bay sitting off the to the west. To the east is a range of mountains that go up to about 10,000 feet and a narrow fjord (Lynn Canal) that terminates in Skagway, the town of gold rush fame. The airport sits on reclaimed land northwest of the city, but due to the surrounding terrain, does not offer a straight-in instrument approach. To make matters worse, a series of low-pressure systems are constantly be- ing formed nearby in the Gulf of Alaska due to the way the planet turns and tilts during the fall and winter months. One after another, they then move to the east carrying a great deal of moisture. The systems pass over the towns to the 28 • TWIN & TURBINE / August 2019 Jet Journal