Canada's Torngat Mountains

Fuel is indeed the major factor in trips like this. This trip was at the tail end of a visit to a fly in lodge in far north Quebec http://www.rapidlake.com/en. The lodge owner arranges fuel, which is no easy feat. It is either flown in, at a transportation cost of $5400 per 8 – 45 gallon barrels, or he takes it 5 barrels at a time 165 km by snowmobile in the winter. Either way, a big effort. It is priced accordingly. It is the only avgas available north of Schefferville, other than for equally complex arrangements. Prior to the trip, you reserve the number of barrels you would like, he will not sell to non guests. There were no fuel “cashes”, we had to carry what we needed from Rapid Lake, or his other camp Barnion, so fuel planning was important.

The weather was poor for most of our stay, so we were unable to venture far, though I did get one night camping out in the middle real nowhere. As we had not gone on the planned coastal trip we all (seven planes total) were hoping for, come departure for home time, there was a bit of fuel people had reserved that they could not take. That left 25 extra gallons for me. My friend in the 185 and I decided for one more night of camping on the way home – still poor weather. He carried two jerry cans for me in his float compartment, along with four for himself. Just he and his girlfriend and I – it was good to have a buddy.

The weather magically opened up for us, as we followed the passing front exactly to the coast – we never expected to get through that far. We had 24 hours of magnificence before it closed in behind us as we left. We flew the coast up and down for about 40 miles, but could not fly more due to fuel concerns. We camped in Lake Umiakovik N57 22, W062 52 (Google Earth shows it, tilt down to see the surrounding mountains). It is the prettiest lake I have ever flown into! Surrounded by 1500 foot mountains, which look like they were poured rock, with waterfalls off the plateau on all sides. More a canyon than a fjord.

My flight from Umiakovik to Schefferville was 280 miles and un nerving, as the headwind had picked up in the morning. I arranged with my partner that I might need fuel flown back to me on a lake short of Schefferville. He picked one as he flew over ahead of me, and we both waypointed it. With very careful fuel use for more than three hours, including LOP (which I do not usually do), I made it to a runway landing at Schefferville as planned, with a total of 14 liters fuel left (much too close for my liking!). An off airport landing was not a great concern, as there are many lakes up to Schefferville, including a floatplane base with avgas two mile on final into Schefferville. But, the runway is easier. I did learn though that you can fly a Teal with less fuel than you can taxi it, as when I put the tail down, it sputtered. I kept it running enough to get off the runway.

I once in a lifetime trip (unless I decide to take my daughter one day!). It was really worth the effort to see a part of Canada you could just never see close down any other way. And all this in a modest 180HP Lycoming powered plane, whose engine I had had in pieces on the ramp in Quebec days earlier, thinking the trip was a bust for me!

Yes, there is avgas in Iqaluit, though it is 400 or so miles north of where we were, and a long over water to Baffin Island. Going there is a whole phase more involved, particularly for emergency gear. I have two friends taking a 182 amphibian through there today, on the way to Norway.