Boeing 727 supports mining ops in far north
Emerging from a ragged overcast ceiling, captain Rick Van Nest has almost 30 deg of crab on the Boeing 727 to maintain his VOR approach track.

Emerging from a ragged overcast ceiling, captain Rick Van Nest has almost 30 deg of crab on the Boeing 727 to maintain his VOR approach track. Half a mile ahead through the gloom a single stream of flashing white sequenced approach lights marks a path to the dusty gray 6,400-ft gravel runway at the Lupin gold mine.

Though it is early summer in the Western Arctic, the faded orange and white windsock beside the strip catches snow flurries blowing horizontally across the runway. The flight service station operator’s voice crackles in the headsets advising the crew that the temperature is 1 deg C (30 deg F), and the winds are nearly straight across the Runway at 23 kt, gusting to 34. He also confirms that a truck has made a pass down the runway to ensure the strip is clear of migrating caribou and musk ox.