YoYo-
An update... there I was happily sat at 3000M with sunlight dancing but nothing but cotton balls and wisps below. There were a couple of peaks visible far off, but my world was cotton wool and bright sunshine. The ADF was homing directly at 242 HNS and I was marveling at your beautiful creation, when i realized that there was not too much more window remaining, before descent was necessary. I was the highest I could go without O2, and a LOT higher than I usually fly the old gal (normally scud running over water hoping for visibility enough to poke at the next airfield). The Km clocked by and I began to get worried that I was going to have to fly right over Haines and head to Yakutat, where I could come in low over the water. At least I had been bright enough to load enough fuel! I came down as low as I dared, about 2500M where the wisps were streaking my windshield, and kept a sharp eye out. Nothing!
I was flying up the Lynn Canal and about Point Sherman I could finally see buildings below. That and the mountain slope off to the left told me I had better decide what I was going to do. There was enough to go on to slow the An-2 down to slat deployment (I had continuously reduced MP all the way down, and shuttered the cowl almost shut to avoid shock cooling); and then hold the stick into my stomach while dropping flap all the way to 30. She came almost straight down! By the time I got to Sherman Point I could see enough to point at the Chilkat Inlet and then it was a matter of continuous descent down to 300M where I could finally see the ice-floes below. Visibility ahead was still dismal, but straight down I could make out enough to poke through. I ran up the middle (or at least what I THOUGHT was the middle) of the inlet, and then when my trusty soup-plate ADF was pointing 5 O'clock I turned hard right, and let her slip down to 200m. The plan was to make another hard right and go direct HNS, climbing for all she was worth if I didn't see runway ahead. Hard-deck in my mind was 100M. I peered ahead and was relieved to see wisps once more- and then suddenly there I was mid-field and 90 degrees to the runway.
This would have been a problem in a lesser aeroplane. In my Anushka, I shoved in a little throttle to arrest the descent, raised flap from 30 to 15, cranked hard left, shoved in enough rudder to center the ball and with a surgeons touch on the throttle, brought her in over the centerline, dropping her down around the second last turn-off. She was already down to a walking place and I actually had to add throttle to turn off at the end. I taxied to the shed, cranked her around and killed the gas. As she clanked to a stop and I worked through the banks of switches I had a new respect for all those unknown Aeroflot pilots that spent their careers in the old girl- flying to cold desolate destinations, and providing the only link with the outside world.
Your SP-AMN is BEAUTIFULLY done, and I am grateful for what you have shared- many thanks!
Carl