When I was starting out in my career at Northwest in Minneapolis, in order to avail oneself of one's non-revenue pass privilege, one would have to go to the pass bureau and fill out a form requesting the pass. Included on the form was "Reason for travel."
One February, I requested a pass to Fairbanks. For reason I wrote, "I want to experience someplace that is colder than Minneapolis." No questions asked.... Back then, we had a B727-225 which would arrive at FAI around 02:30 from SEA and they left it running until departure at 07:00 [I am not certain about the exact times but I am confident that somebody on Minet will correct me.] Years later, in summer, I walked into The Big Eye and the owner shouted out, from behind the bar, "It's Tom from Minneapolis!" I asked him how on earth he remembered me? His response: "Nobody visits us in winter, voluntarily." When USAF was preparing to receive its first KC-10s, it came to NWA for advice about operating and maintaining cold-soaked aircraft and operating such aircraft in the Arctic, due to NWA's experience with DC-10-40s. TR ---------------------------------------- *From: *Dan Solon via Mifnet <[email protected]> *To: *[email protected] *CC: *Dan Solon <[email protected]> *Date: *2026-06-04T08:19:33Z *Subject: *[Mifnet 🛰 76320] Re: Alaskan Adventures > Bob, > > Pretty sure this would have been very early 1970s, definitely pre-jetway and > also pre-Narita. > On further recollection of the reason for this trip, I am pretty sure it was > in both directions and > definitely in dead of winter. > > Agree with Simon that one would absolutely not want to meet either of the > stuffed bears in their > earlier apex predator life cycle. They would probably prefer fresh caribou as > a main course, but a human > being would suffice as a light pre-hibernation snack. > > Daniel Solon > > On Thu, Jun 4, 2026 at 5:16 AM Robert S. Distler via Mifnet > <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Daniel, >> >>  >> >> Unsure of the time of the year (dark vs. light), but westbound Flight 801 >> transited Fairbanks in mid-afternoon, while eastbound Flight 800 did so in >> the wee hours of the morning, like around 0400. >> >>  >> >> I don’t recall having to deplane into the weather using stairs, since there >> were Jetways when I traveled at FAI. Bit for a short period during >> nighttime runway repairs at FAI, I deplaned on Flight 800 at Eielson AFB; >> that surely was an adventure—for U.S. CIQ and company staff. >> >>  >> >> Northwest was first with JFK-NRT one-stop 707’s, before PAA got the rights, >> but NWA flew a somewhat shorter—and more commercially attractive for local >> passengers—route via Anchorage. >> >>  >> >> Still, many, many fond memories aboard the 707-321B’s. >> >>  >> >> Bob Distler >> >>  >> >>  >> >> *From:* Dan Solon via Mifnet <[email protected]> >> *Sent:* Wednesday, 03 June, 2026 10:51 >> *To:* [email protected] >> *Cc:* Dan Solon <[email protected]> >> *Subject:* [Mifnet 🛰 76316] Re: is this a Martin? It's hauling fuel >> >>  >> >> (Very) cool memories of the only time I transited Fairbanks, probably around >> mid-winter of 1970-71, >> >> aboard a Pan Am 707-321B Tokyo-New York, or v.v, one-stop. All pax had to >> deplane via stairs while we refueled. >> >> Coldest air I have ever breathed. As I recall, there was an enormous >> taxidermed polar bear in the terminal. >> >>  >> >> Daniel Solon >> >> Shivering at the recollection >> >>  >> >> -------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> Revised: 20250507 >> >> You are receiving The Mifnet because you requested to join this list. >> >> The Mifnet is largely a labor of love, however the infrastructure isn't >> exactly cost-free. 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