Misty Fjord Flightseeing and Weather

[Newbcruiser1]

Hi all,

 

We are booked on a flightseeing tour in Ketchikan next weekend. The weather is looking questionable and I know it changes almost daily and is very unpredictable in Alaska but it made me wonder.

 

At what point would they cancel the excursion? It's the one I am

Most looking forward to and would hate for it to be cancelled, but would much rather be safe than sorry and if the weather is bad, I'm just as happy NOT going!

 

So how often do Misty Fjord flights get cancelled? How bad does the weather have to be for cancellations? Windy? Rainy? Foggy? Thunder Storming?

[peety3]

It's going to be (at least) FAA minimum conditions for Visual Flight Rules based on whatever airspace they're going to fly through. Ketchikan has an assortment of FAA webcams so pilots can survey conditions across a wider area to plan their flights, so if it's questionable or insufficient they won't fly.

 

My wife and/or I have done/attempted three Misty Fjords excursions: round-trip boat, round-trip floatplane, and boat out/floatplane back. The third one got cancelled halfway to MF, which unfortunately meant the boat had to turn back at that point due to the speed differential, but it meant that Princess refunded the entire price of the excursion.

[Budget Queen]

There are guidelines that the vendors comply with. With a "question", as the areas of downtown Ketchikan can be very different from the fiords. They sometimes will send out a flight for visual reports, (no passengers).

 

I've also been in flight when conditions worsened and the pilot returned.

 

There is no point in even, wasting the time, to worry about- weather reports now. IF you want to rely on those, then look at one, when you are docked in Ketchikan, along with noting conditions yourself.

 

You will see a "quiet" marina with no flights taking off/landing- if flights are canceled. Otherwise, right from your cruise ship- you will see endless take offs and landings. A good indicator your flight is a go.

[Jane2357]

I am also booked for a Misty Fjords flight seeing tour - a private company though. I guess my question is - if the weather isn't good but the pilot decides it is safe to fly - and I'm not feeling confident - I'm assuming that I'm just out the money then if I refuse to fly. I hate the idea of that but I guess better safe than not.

[MpwdMom]

- I'm assuming that I'm just out the money then if I refuse to fly. I hate the idea of that but I guess better safe than not.

 

I'm guessing the same. And since we only paid half on deposit, the money would be a smaller factor. This was a private excursion, by the way.

[Budget Queen]

IF they vendor flys, and YOU decide for what ever reason, you do not want to go, then of course- you are going to loose all your paid money.

 

IF your flight is "not completed", you would be getting some type of refund.

[Vacation Nut]

We just did this trip - fortunately the weather was perfect. I did ask the pilot when she is allowed to fly. She said she can fly when the clouds are as low as 500Ft but she never would with passengers, because you can't see anything!! She said around 3000ft. She was very experienced and says she never takes risks - she knows how things can change.

[Newbcruiser1]

Thanks for all of the responses! I suppose low clouds are only one factor in the decision of whether to fly or not - wind is probably another big one.

 

On the upside, the forecast for next Sunday in Ketchikan is looking fabulous now - "abundant sunshine" as per my weather app! Hoping that doesn't change and the conditions are fit for flying (and great picture-taking!).

[peety3]

Thanks for all of the responses! I suppose low clouds are only one factor in the decision of whether to fly or not - wind is probably another big one.

Wind is less of an issue for (Ketchikan) floatplane operations, as they can choose "which runway" based on live wind conditions.

[Cassicruiser]

We had a flight to Misty Fjords booked with Island Wings at the end of May this year. We had mostly spectacular weather the whole way through our cruise - Except the 2 hours of our flight! We pulled in to Ketchikan at 7am to heavy, low cloud and our flight was booked for 8am. We met the pilot at the plane take off point to find out that she would not fly to Misty Fjords for safety reasons, and offered us a choice of our money back, or a flight in the opposite direction where the weather was much better for half price.

 

We took option 2 and were so glad we did, as while it was not Misty Fjords, it was still breathtaking and there was a break in the clouds with periods of sun. When we landed back in Ketchikan it was still heavy cloud, but the sun came out an hour later for the rest of the day :(

So you never know, but our operator was up front, safety conscious and very fair. Our weather forecast for Ketchikan was also for sun, which there was, but only from 10am onwards! I would have said don't book an early flight for that reason, but in Juneau a couple of days later it was glorious from early until 3pm, and then got cloudy. So luck of the draw....

 

As we only paid half we put the extra money towards a helicopter flight to a glacier in Skagway so got to experience both types of flights.

[Newbcruiser1]

Just wanted to come back and post my experience!

 

Our day in Ketchikan started out with some light drizzle and low misty clouds. It was getting slightly brighter when we were picked up at the pier by Carlin Air, but on arrival at their plane it was quite gloomy again and there was some slight spitting mist.

 

Our flight went ahead as planned but based on the weather en route, our pilot took the "long way" over the water instead of over land to get to the fjords. This was fine by us! The rain stopped but it remained cloudy for the flight there. We had our landing on the lake, and on the way back, he once again had to take the long route due to weather. By now, the weather wasn't great on our route either - there were lots of low clouds, mist, and it was raining.

 

On arrival back in Ketchikan, they were contemplating what to do with the next flight and seemed they were on the verge of canceling it. It did go ahead as scheduled, and what do you know - the sun came out and the weather cleared up almost immediately!

 

Definitely luck of the draw... Even though the visibility coming back was pretty bad, we had a great time and the low clouds and mist made for some fabulous pictures.