Alaska Aerial Photos

I get a lot of aviation related e-mails. Generally, most of the questions fall into three categories:

- What it is like flying in Alaska?
- How do I become an Alaskan Bush Pilot?
- Where can I find a flying job?

I hope the following thoughts will be of some assistance:

First, flying an airplane in Alaska is really no different than flying one in Kansas. It's when, where and/or how your trip terminates that the differences may become overwhelmingly clear. Local knowledge is key to operating any aircraft in a safe and efficient manner. Remember that Alaska covers an area of 586,412 square miles: lots of truly spectacular real estate with seemingly endless miles between warm showers and clean sheets. Beyond all the published information, don't hesitate to ask local air taxi pilots for some input, especially for off-airport operations. Most of these professional pilots have a pretty good grasp on the weather and geography within a couple hundred miles of their home base.

Don't be afraid to write on your charts or edit the information printed in the Alaska Supplement. Fuel availability and operating hours are best confirmed with a phone call. "Yes, we sell Avgas, but the DC-6 won't be delivering any until next week, weather permitting." Remember that airstrips charted on the Sectional may not be usable year around and others not even depicted.

Unless you're operating in the flight levels, VHF radio communication with FAA ground facilities is subject to many gaps. Cell phone coverage is very limited statewide. In many places, Sat Phones may be your only way of making contact short of having an HF radio. There are some extensive land-mobile networks, especially in Canada, which may be worth looking into if you plan on operating in a remote area specifically covered for an extended period of time.

FAA flights plans are definitely recommended as a starting point. It may not be a bad idea to discuss your route intentions and contingency plan in more detail with someone familar with the area. If a phone search is started, FSS will no doubt be talking with the owner of the business you just bought some fuel and a hamburger from.

A GPS can be a wonderful tool. With greater distances between airports in the interior, the groundspeed and ETA features certainly simplifies charting your progress. When the weather is bad, especially along the coast, if you need GPS orientation you have probably waded in too deep.

Public roads are legal to land on in Alaska as long as you don't interrupt traffic. You better talk with your insurance man first if you plan on doing any off-airport landings or operating north of the Arctic Circle. Pioneering a new landing area on your first trip north could be a very costly decision unless you have reliable inside information and/or the experience. If you just strapped on some "big" tires on your conventional geared pride & joy you might want to avoid the following scenario: dry asphalt and a crosswind gale.

Don't rely on an ADCUS message in your flightplan. Customs and Immigration personnel are often spread pretty thin in both Canada and Alaska during the summer months. I highly recommend you pull out your calling card and make a personal call before departure. If these folks know you're enroute, they'll probably check with FSS for any revision to your ETA. For arrival in the U.S., have your paperwork filled-out before you set the brake in the Custom's Box. If you can, pre-purchase your annual Customs sticker and have it affixed to your airplane.

Canada has fairly strick gun control. It's not against the law to have a long-rifle in your possession, but you must serial number register the firearm and pay a fee. You may obtain a Possession & Acquisition License to simplify your transit. This entails attending a course, passing a knowledge test, clearing a background check and paying a fee. This license is good for five years.

If you would like to fly air taxi in Alaska, I recommend the following: First, invest in a trip north and see if you would like to live in a particular community. Most operators are small and their passengers like to see familar faces flying the airplanes year-after-year. Second, do your homework and become familiar with the type of operations a company conducts. If they operate only floatplanes and you don't have a seaplane rating and or some experience in type then asking for a job won't make a good first impression. Insurance companies often require commercial operators to hire only pilots who have Alaska flight experience. Don't let this discourage you. In short, if you make a commitment to live somewhere then your chances will increase exponentially.

On whether to fly up the coast or take an inland route. The views up the Inside Passage are
stunning, but the weather is definitely more capricious and should be carefully considered. Low ceilings and visibility can persist for weeks. If time is something of an issue for you, staying inland could be the better choice to minimize any long weather delays.

I hope to expand on these thoughts in the future. Happy flying and be safe!

Buddy Ferguson
September 2002