“OVER THE TOP”
This scene depicts one of the flights my wife and I took coming home to Juneau from our family cabin about eight o’clock one summer evening in June. Flying across this spectacular sea of ice with the light conditions just as you see them here, provided the inspiration for the original painting.
Having lived in Juneau since I was a youngster, I have had a longtime fascination with this massive icefield, fifth largest in North America, comprising over 5000 square miles of interconnected glaciers, peaks and ridges. It lies directly behind the mountains that adjoin Juneau.
The many glaciers that make up the Juneau Icefield are simply “rivers of ice” which started forming in the various previous ice ages and are the result of snow accumulation over those years that exceeds the annual melting. With the ever thickening snow pack, the bottom layers are pressed into glacier ice. When enough ice builds up, the glacier is forced to “flow” down hill. It is this down valley movement through time, which has contributed to carving out the magnificent peaks which form the icefield along with the many fjords so prevalent throughout Southeast Alaska today.
The deHavilland Beaver is truly the workhorse of the Alaska bush fleet. About 1600 of these aircraft were manufactured by deHavilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd. from 1947 to 1963. The plane shown here is N62357, a DHC-Mk. 1 model, outfitted with amphibious floats. It is owned and operated by Ward Air of Juneau and I have flown in it many times.
Like many of that time, the Beaver was a favorite of the Military. Over 900 were ordered by the US Army and Air Force, as well as the air forces of at least 15 other countries. Powered by a 450 horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-985 radial engine, the Beaver has impressive short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities, which make an ideal bush airplane. It is extremely versatile, having been certified with wheels, skiis, floats, and amphibious floats.
Despite being out of production over 35 years, several firms specialize in rebuilding former military aircraft and as a result, you can still buy a “brand new” Beaver today.
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