"Mars is better mapped then the state of Alaska"

I found this interesting article today in The Washington Post about perilous flying in Alaska and outdated/inaccurate GPS maps:


MYSTIC PASS, Alaska — In the age of Google Earth, it’s tempting to think human knowledge of the world is complete, with no frontiers to be charted. Which is why Alex Stack thought modern technology could get him through the mighty Alaska Range after a successful 2006 moose hunt.

Stack and his buddies Aric Beane and James Eule hit bad weather as they flew home through Mystic Pass, a narrow valley winding through 8,000-foot peaks southwest of Mount McKinley. One minute, the weather was fine; the next, clouds were rolling down the snow-streaked ridges.

“Have you ever been in 100 percent fog? That’s exactly what it’s like,” recalled Eule, an Anchorage surgeon. “You’re flying blind, knowing there’s mountains all around you.”

Alone in a nimble Cessna, Eule was able to turn around. Stack and Beane, in a larger plane carrying most of the 1,000-pound moose, were forced to press on, eyes glued to a handheld GPS screen, praying its fusion of satellite signals and government terrain maps would guide them to safety.

Unfortunately, the maps were wrong...


Continue reading full article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/alaskas-outdated-maps-make-flying-a-peril-but-a-high-tech-fix-is-slowly-gaining-ground/2014/10/14/bc2e601e-4fd4-11e4-8c24-487e92bc997b_story.html