Last time we took the aircraft to Tucson was in April, 2017. We ferried the aircraft as a two pilot operation and we had two of our maintenance workers flying with us. The maintenance guys stayed with the plane in Tucson during the inspection. The trip was a long one. First we took off from Shenzhen in Southern China instead of our base in Hangzhou. From Shenzhen we flew around 6 hours northeast to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia.  There we stopped for about an hour to refuel the aircraft. Then we continued on to fly for another 4 hours to Anchorage. Ten hours is the maximum we can fly in a two pilot operation following the Chinese CAAC regulations, so we were just within limits. In Anchorage we stayed one night, and the next morning we continued our trip to Tucson, which added about 5 hours 30 minutes to our flight logbooks.

Once the aircraft was in Tucson I took a scheduled airline flight back to Hangzhou. I got to stay home for about a week until I had to fly to Dubai for some training. I have to do Challenger 605 recurrent training every six months in Dubai or some other training center. The training includes ground school in a class room where we talk about all the aircraft systems and procedures. The ground school is followed by couple of days training in a simulator and on the last day there is a practical exam with an examiner. The training usually takes about a week.

I completed the training and headed back home to Hangzhou. With the airport transfers it usually takes about 15 or 16 hours of traveling from my hotel in Dubai to my home in Hangzhou. At this time I was ready for a break and stay home for some time because it had already been busy few months. Our aircraft was just about getting ready from the maintenance inspection and I heard two other pilots were already sent to Tucson to pick it up. Good, I should have at least few days off I thought. I was wrong.

Next day I got a call: “Hi Vesa, sorry to tell you but we need you to go to Anchorage and join the maintenance trip.” ”Oh, ok when?” I said. “Tomorrow”.

Great. Time to unpack the summer clothes I had in Dubai and start packing for Alaska.

The two pilots already in Tucson would fly the aircraft to Anchorage, but apparently the flight back from Anchorage to Shenzhen required three pilots instead of two. The high altitude winds along the route blew from west to east giving us a significant tailwind on our way to Anchorage, but then again was forecasted to slow us down significantly heading back to west. Because of the strong winds the return flight was going to be more than ten hours flight time requiring a third pilot on the trip. This way we could rotate the pilots flying while one was getting some rest.

I would fly to Anchorage day before the aircraft arrived there. Then day later the three of us would ferry the aircraft back to China.

So, I started researching tickets from Hangzhou to Anchorage. In general corporate pilots don’t have any flight benefits since we are not connected to scheduled airline operations. We mostly choose our flights based on convenience or based on personal preference. I chose a Delta Airlines flight from Shanghai Pudong to Seattle to Anchorage. There are not many international flights from Hangzhou airport so I usually end up flying from Shanghai Pudong airport which is about three hour drive from my home.

While I had my dinner I researched nearby car rental companies for a cheap rental car. Ended up choosing Enterprise car rental that was within four hundred meters walk from the hotel. They had the best price and most convenient location. I rented a Dodge Charger which ended up being really nice car to drive. Then I started making plans for the next day. During my previous visits I had seen what there is to see within walking distance of the Anchorage downtown. Now it was the end of April and there was still some snow around, so I started thinking about skiing. I grew up skiing in Finland but haven’t had many chances for skiing since I moved out from the country.

I found out there was this Alyeska ski resort only about 50 miles outside the city. Unfortunately based on the website the ski season ended that same day. I could still go there and take the Alyeska Aerial Tram on top of the hill basically just for sightseeing. Ok.. I though, I might do that.

Next I went to TripAdivsor, as I usually do, to see what else is around. Many of the recommended things I had already seen. But I found out about the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, which seemed interesting. The ski resort and the wildlife center were close to each other so I decided to visit both place next day. 

Day 2

It was 17 hour time difference between Alaska and China. I didn’t sleep very well that night as I was still recovering from jetlag coming from Dubai to China. Anyway, I got my rental car around noon. I rented it late on purpose because I only wanted it for a day but I also wanted to use it for few hours next morning.

The rental experience was fast, friendly, and efficient. I would certainly rent from there again. Once I got my wheels I headed towards the Alyeska Ski Resort. It would be nice to see the slopes even though the season has ended; maybe next time I could actually go skiing I thought. The views along the Alaska Route 1 were spectacular. I drove the coastal highway with icy water and snowcapped mountains on my right and more mountains to my left. 

Once I turned off the Route 1 I was facing the ski slopes of Alyeska; the view was amazing! To my surprise I noticed there were still people skiing down the slopes and the ski lifts seemed to be operating. I proceeded to park the car and investigate the situation. Hmm.. I said to myself; it seems they have extended the ski season. I was right: there was this notice saying “We’ve extended the ski season to April 23!”, which was the next day.

It was already around 1 pm on the 22^nd and I hadn’t had any lunch yet. I decided to stick with my plan for the day; take the Aerial Tram and have lunch at the top, then I would go visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. I could still come back next day for skiing.

Taking the lift to the top provided a ride and nice view but at $29 for foot traffic I felt it was really overpriced. From the top I found two restaurants. There was a fancy Seven Glaciers luxury restaurant, which was really fine dining restaurant. With a dinner booking in this restaurants you would get complimentary tram tickets up the hill. Then there was a Bore Tide Deli & Bar offering more casual fast food experience. I chose to get a Reuben sandwich from the deli. It was a good sandwich, just wish I had gotten a second one! Then I enjoyed the amazing views from the top; definitely would be back here tomorrow for skiing I thought.

Back down in the resort I checked out the ski rental prices and asked if I could choose my gear ready for the next day. I was told just to show up in the morning and the rental process would be fast. So I continued my journey to the wildlife center.

The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center was only about 10 mile drive away. Visiting this center was a very unique experience compared to visiting typical zoos. This center basically takes in abandoned or injured wildlife that are unable to take care of themselves in the wild. The animals are taken care off and possibly re-introduced back to the wild. But in most cases the animals become permanent residents due to the amount of human interaction and daily food that is provided.  

Day 3 

After spending a lot of time outside I slept a lot better during the second night. I got out relatively early and was at the ski center around 9:30 am. In the ski rental office they had two computers set up where I filled a form with my name, height, weight, shoe size and some other information. They printed the form and brought me skis and ski poles for intermediate skier suitable for my height and weight. I also rented a helmet for a small extra charge.

Next I went to buy a ski lift pass and finally hit the slopes. I took the same sky tram up to the hill as day before. It felt so good to be up there. I get to ski very rarely so this was a completely unexpected treat. The ski resort had many different trails from beginner skiers to experts. I consider myself an intermediate skier so just stayed on the “green and blue” trails that are meant for beginner and intermediate skiers. I might try the “black” trails if I had a chance to ski more often than once every few years. Some of the black trails were actually closed for the season anyway.

I ended up skiing couple of hours, then I had lunch in the same Deli as day before, then skied again couple more hours until my legs started to hurt. I lost count on how many times I went up and down the hill, but I’m sure I tried all the operating lifts and all the blue and green trails that were open. I was a lot of fun, although it would have been more fun with some company. Anyway, I was happy to be stuck in Anchorage where I would have at least a day or two notice before I had to fly.

Back at the hotel that evening I got a message: aircraft was still not ready for another day or two. Something wrong with the wiring and they had to take things apart again. So I made a call: “Hi, it’s Vesa again. I would like extend my car rental for another day.”

Day 4

I kept the car although I didn’t have a specific plan of action. I would have liked to visit the famous Denali national park, but after a quick research it didn’t seem like a good idea. The Denali National Park is located about five and half hour drive from Anchorage and it covers a 6 million acre area. Not a good place for a day trip. It would have been great to go there for a camping trip but I would need at least a week to appreciate it.

Instead I decided to visit Kincaid Park nearby. It was a park only about 10 miles away from my hotel with trails for hiking, biking, and Nordic skiing. I hiked only about 15 minutes along a paved road until I saw two moose calves just next to the road. They were there just eating some tree branches. They didn’t scare away even when I got close. Must be used to seeing people. I  spent couple hours in the Kincaid Park. Unfortunately I didn’t have proper hiking shoes so I had to stay on the paved roads. I tried some offroad trails but they were too muddy for the only shoes I had with me. Next time if I go to Anchorage for any reason I think I will bring my hiking shoes.

Last couple of days..

I ended up staying there two more days until the aircraft was ready. During those two days I went to see couple of movies and did some shopping. Anchorage is quite good place for shopping because there is no sales tax.

Finally on April 27^th we started our trip back to China. That time I had stayed six nights in Anchorage. We took off from Anchorage with full tanks in the morning and arrived to our fuel stop in Tokyo (no stop in Russia this time) eight and half hours later. Because of strong headwind the flight took about an hour longer than normal. In Tokyo the service is fast and about 45 minutes later we started again. It took us another 5 hours 10 minutes to fly to Shenzhen, which is where the aircraft was heading for Chinese customs inspection. Because of some new customs rules we had to take the aircraft to Shenzhen before flying to Hangzhou where we are based. In Shenzhen we had another day of rest before finally ferrying the aircraft to Hangzhou.

Next morning I had a passenger trip to Kuala Lumpur for few days followed by a trip to Tokyo. Busy times after a nice break in Anchorage.      

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