Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Weekly Volcano #23: Mount Saint Augustine, Alaska

"Discovered" by Captain Cook on Saint Augustine's Day in 1778 and now officially named Augustine Volcano.  My first crossing of paths with David Johnston.  He had studied the 1978 eruption of Augustine.  His party had crashed on the island during the eruption due to ash in the helicopter engines.  A warning for those of you who don't understand closing airports because of volcanic eruptions!  His party was rescued just hours before they would have been killed by the major eruptive phase.



We had the opportunity to take an overflight, looking down into the crater I had walked through just days before. And the transport for our expedition and the overflight, a vintage 1948 Cesna Otter.







Views of the classic Pelean Spine, produced by the 1978 eruption, destroyed by the 1986 eruption.


2 comments:

  1. Love the float plane, I've never been on one. Will be flying in a WW2 B25 at Oshkosh this summer; can't wait.

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  2. I think older planes are a lot more fun than the new ones. And Airplanes like the Otter are still incredibly reliable.

    A B25 crashed into the Empire State Building in 1942. But I don't think there are any skyscrappers in Oshkosh to worry about.

    Have Fun!

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