Official Wien Air Route Popular For Vacations

[Aharon]

Shalom and greetings all my pals,

Presenting historic Wein Air DC-3 flight from CHP Circle Hot Springs Airport located in Circle Hot Springs in the Yukon-Koyukuk area of Alaska to PAFA Fairbanks International Airport located three miles southwest of the central business district of Fairbanks
Circle Hot Springs was very famous for its hot spring resort with a 4-story lodge that gained statewide and international attention where rich people in Alaska usually went to that hotel for vacation
That is why Wein Air had regular service to CHP Circle Hot Springs airport as seen on this official airline timetable below that you can find my recreating of the historic flight

Ready to load up returning vacationers and their luggages

Closing the passenger door

Check out the reflection of clouds on the shiny wing

Starting engines!!

Spooling up engines because of sub zero temperature

Starting to taxi to runway 27

Still taxiing

Increasing throttle power to start take off run which results into snow blowing behind the engines

Airbone on climb to 10,000 ft while retracting landing gear

Still climbing still at runway or 270 degree heading because of too high mountains on left side

You can see how high the mountains are which means I cannot make left turn to head to west to start BNGAL HOVMO FA flight route

From this cockpit view, you can see that the runway heading is clear but the mountains on left side are still too high

Looks like the plane is at safe distance above mountains which signals time to make left turn toward destination

Making left turn to west

Still on left turn

Now on correct direction cruising at 10,000 ft

Wing view of cruising 10,000 ft above snowy landscape

Gorgeous wing view of sun

TO BE CONTINUED BELOW..........................

 

[Aharon]

Time to descend from 10,000 ft to 3,000 ft

Passing Johensen Expressway also known as Geist Road where you can see waters of Noyes Slough running through that road

On final runway approach to runway 20R passing highway called Airport Way

Seconds before touchdown

TOUCHDOWN

Braking down to bring the rear wheel down

Finally on ground!

Exiting from runway 20R into taxiway H to head to gate

Entering into taxiway H

Arriving at gate

Thank you for viewing. Stay tuned for next flight.
Regards,
Aharon

 

[fliger747]

For a wile it was Wein Consolidated, better known as Wein "constipated", they would go when they could. However it was considered a stronger airline than their competitor Alaska. A gentleman named James Flood ran it into bankruptcy in 1984 to sell off all the parts. Alaska was at one point known as "Elastic" Airlines as their checks would bounce. I flew for a Wein subsidiary commuter in the early 80's and rode up from Seattle on one of the very last revenue flights.

 

[Aharon]

@fliger747

Thank you for very very interesting facts and honored to meet you here on SOH. Did not know you were real life pilot for Wein Air's subsidiary. I remember watching history of Wein Air video about the airline deciding to stop and dump countless bush routes and to focus on major routes between cities which struck me as strange.

What is your personal opinion on Wein Air acquiring DC-8-63CF for cargo service?

Regards,

Aharon

 

[fliger747]

I knew a guy who flew the DC-8. What Wein did was the same thing Alaska did years later, sub out all the village routes. We flew out to the villages out of Fairbanks with everything from Cessna 207's to Islanders and Banderantes. Wein eventually sold out everything, the major asset was all the bush stations, to Neil Bergt who started Markair. I flew for them, flying the C-130, DHC7 and 737's. We were Alaska Airlines feeder as they only flew in SE Alaska and to Fairbanks and Anchorage. Too much competition and they cut us off so we started flying to Seattle and eventually a thin nationwide route structure.

In Alaska cargo is always an important market, for the larger villages 737 cargo combis were and remain an important resource. As with many things one needs a critical mass to make things work. United tried a DC-10 Cargo base in Anchorage with 10 DC10's, but not really big enough to work.

I eventually spent the last 15 years of my career flying 747's internationally as captain variously based out of JFK and ANC.

 

[hertzie]

Looking at the plane I (but who am I ?) see WIEN instead of WEIN........

hertzie

 

[Aharon]

@fliger747 ,

Thanks for amazing facts and amazing explanations. Glad to have real world airline pilot on SOH forums!!

@hertzie ,

I did not even notice my typo. My apologies to you and to all for my misspelled error on my flight screenshot report. It should be called Wien, not Wein. Once again my apologies to you and to all.

Regards,

Aharon

 

[Priller]

@fliger747 ,

Thanks for amazing facts and amazing explanations. Glad to have real world airline pilot on SOH forums!!

@hertzie ,

I did not even notice my typo. My apologies to you and to all for my misspelled error on my flight screenshot report. It should be called Wien, not Wein. Once again my apologies to you and to all.

Regards,

Aharon

Although I like Wein (wine) very much, I very much appreciate the city of Wien too, so I changed the title for you!

Priller

 

[fliger747]

Indeed the family name came after the city we call Vienna. The surviving son, Richard Wien is a true gentleman, fine pilot and at 90 has finally turned in his wings. Our branch of a national airman's organization has its "Wingding" every June in his hangar at FAI. I was pleased to met and talk to his brother Merrill who has since past and it is a real treat into Alaska aviation heritage to see all the memorabilia collected there.

 

[Aharon]

@Priller

Thanks for correcting the subject heading title for me. I did not even notice typo in the title too!!

Regards,

Aharon