Airplane rental in Anchorage AK

[getonit]

Looking for any feedback on aircraft rental out of Anchorage.
Looking for something in the C-172 range, ie 4 seats but only 2 people going. I have about 450 hours AK time and we won't being using the airplane into the bush so I don't think insurance will be a problem. There used to be a www site, but I can't find it anymore.
Thanks.

 

[bigD]

I'm not an Alaska flyer, but a search on Airnav.com yields a place called Take Flight Alaska - based at Merrill Field in Anchorage. The prices there seem pretty reasonable. The web site is:

Take Flight Alaska


There may be others, too - this is just the first rental place I found. Hope this helps!

 

[jumppilot]

If you need a checkout at Take Flight, ask for Bruce. Great guy.

 

[A Squared]

I think that your choices are limited to the aforementioned Take Flight (907) 274-9943
or Aero Tech, 800 478-6558, (907)279-6558 local

You might be able to rent a 172 from Stick and Rudder flight school, (907) 278-0083. They used to have one, though to be honest, I don't know if they still do, or even if they're still in business.

There *might* be an outfit renting planes at the Palmer airport, (about 40-50 miles from Anchorage) though I wouldn't know how to get in touch except by driving out there.

There may be some private deals for rental, although I haven't seen any flyers for that recently.

Sounds pretty weak for the biggest city in the state with the highest number of pilots per-capita, but the sad truth is that almost all of the flight schools in the area have gone out of business in the last 5-7 years.
regards

 

[Steve]

Whats the reason for all of the flight schools going out of business?

 

[A Squared]

Whats the reason for all of the flight schools going out of business?

I think that most were due to some combination of the following:


Mis-management

giving poor quality instruction

poor customer service

Rising insurance costs

Having their only aircraft (or both of thier aircraft) destroyed in an accident.

Competition from schools in the lower 48 which can push you through a series of ratings faster and cheaper.

 

[500and2]

-seems odd doesn't it-

-I agree... you would think that there would be more opportunities to train/rent in Alaska......

-I just got checked out at "AeroTech" in their C177rg..... ($104 wet)

I think a reasonable response to this would be:

-you can't do anything with a Commercial Ticket (in alaska) Unless you meet 135 min's... (500tt for VFR)

-The logical progression of ratings/flight time... would require that you either had your own plane or flight instructed.

-Alaska is not the best place to learn how to fly...... all things considered.....

-Anywho..... with Insurance companies regulating the "hiring min's".... it's not uncommon for Air Carriers to require ~1000tt with some alaska experience as the NORM.

Back to "renting"..... AeroTech required 5hrs in make and model.... with a 1hr "checkout"... in order to RENT their planes. (a handful of written tests were required also..... on the POH...Company Procedures...etc.)

Are you in Anchorage now?... or trying to line something up on a "vacation"? Feel free to PM me...

 

[getonit]

just found a company called "take flight alaska" and they don't allow any overnight rentals? which I find amazing, if you can get the minimum daily rate why not? Anyway.
This guy also said that he doesn't know ANYBODY in AK who rents overnight. Maybe that is just sales spiel.

New plan is to maybe rent out of Seattle and fly from there up? Any ideals?

 

[Singlecoil]

That's a long way from Seattle to ANC.
I have never flown a small plane on that route, only an airliner. If you have one engine, don't follow the coast, follow the Al-Can highway. It took me four days to drive it, I think it was about 2500 statute miles. I imagine you would run into weather at some point along the way, so it might take you as long to fly it factoring in waiting for weather.

 

[500and2]

-No Overnights-

-you can blame it on the insurance companies..... Rental Insurance has gone through the roof..... they get you for everything..... which explains all the required "checkouts" for Night-Flying...X-country...mountain flying...winter ops.....Night-x-co......etc....

Solution..... GO IN WITH A FEW BUDDIES and BUY A C-172....... and fly to your hearts content.... (then sell it.. or "lease" it to a flight school)

 

[getonit]

The plan was to fly out of ANC down to Juneau anyway, where I used to work, so the distance is not a problem and we were going to take approx 2 weeks to do this. I used to work in SE AK for a 135 company and that is all I did, so I missed all of the sights on the ground and would like to see them.

 

[Buzo]

I have been teaching in Anchorage at Elmendorf AFB. If you can get on the base we rent planes overnight. We require 3 hrs per day. Very low rates and we have 172's and a 206.

 

[av8instyle]

-I just got checked out at "AeroTech" in their C177rg..... ($104 wet)

Price has gone up quite a bit.

Alaska is not the best place to learn how to fly...... all things considered.....

Here is where we part ways...what are you considering?

 

[500and2]

"Alaska Training"

-If you had to compare training in Alaska... to training in.. say California....

Considering:

Cost of Training- (more expensive /hr in Alaska)
Availability of A/C- (fewer selections of flight schools in AK)
Weather/Climate- (more "wx" days in AK...)
Airspace- (not as many Options in AK..... ANC/AMR/AEN)
Airports- (few and far betweed.... unless it's low tide)


Good Parts about training in AK

-Long Days in Summer... = Training ALL DAY... in Great wx
-

For those of you who have "trained" in AK....

what are your thoughts:

-How was your Training?
-Given the Choice would you do it differently? (lower 48)

-Pilots that fly in AK are exposed to situations that are very unforgiving..... situations that require hundreds/thousands of hours of experience to handle safely.

-I'm not saying that Student Pilots in AK Can't be trained properly to handle these situations..... but from a "traning" standpoint... wouldn't it be easier to do someplace else?

-Students who've trained in AK... and Flight Instructors in AK.... please give your input.

-Set me Straight-

 

[Dot_AK]

I'm training at UAA, on Merrill Field - if you want to rent planes, two places I can think of at MRI are Takeflight and Aerotech. Don't know, but you might be able to find something on floats down at Lake Hood.

I trained last summer in California - Palo Alto (PAO) in the San Francisco Bay.

I much prefer training up here, so a lightly biased breakdown:

Cost: more expensive in AK, no contest. Though living expenses outside of the airport, for rent and stuff, are much lower.

Availability of A/C: yeah, there are fewer places to train in Alaska - we don't have the population base to support the number of flight schools CA has, and can't promise a cloudless summer to train every day and get the rating quick. On the other hand, it's not hard to get time in a taildragger, or floats or skis, up here.

Weather: Oh, I by far prefer Alaska here. Yes, I spend a lot more time weathered out, but when I came up from CA, I couldn't tell if it was VFR or not - there were clouds in the sky! Now, I am learning to judge weather, know what it's going to be like. I have first-hand experience on mountain flying, flying in snowshowers, operating on snow and ice, wake turbulence, and so on - and that's before the PPL.

Airspace - Airspace at PAO was pretty uncomplicated - stay below the floor of SFO airspace, out to the practice area. In Anchorage, it's pretty complicated with Merrill, Anchorage International, Elmendorf AFB and Lake Hood so close together. It takes more time on the hobbes meter to get out of the airspace to the practice area, but I'm pretty good at handling the mic for Approach, CTAF, Tower - I had to be, to learn to fly here.

The scenery is heartbreakingly beautiful, and the flying challenging - it always pushes me to do my best, and to learn as much as I can, because I'll need it.

Ever seen the aurora on a night cross-country?

 

[av8instyle]

OK, so you're basing your points on conditions not involving actual quality of instruction/experiences to be had by training in AK. I'm with ya. Yep, those are good points. From a pilot/experience perspective the quality of your flying education in AK will be leaps and bounds above those in FLA/CAL/AZ.

 

[500and2]

I agree

Absolutely..... a student trained in AK... will be far more prepared to make "wx" decisions..... land on gravel RWY's..... operate the airplane safely in the winter....etc...etc...

-Airspace..... I agree... the airspace surrounding the "anchorage bowl" is very complex.... (they don't publish special "terminal area" procedures for any CA airports..... that I know of)

-SO..... "is Alaska the "BEST" place to learn how to fly?

If you're going to live up here... buy your own airplane... or continue getting your ratings... and build your flight time... to fly commercially in AK...... I would say.... YES (everyone likes to see that AK time...)

If you want to combine a vacation with getting your rating.... and train in some of the most beautiful/challenging country in the world.... (with the assc. cost factor)... then I would say YES...

So... for every other Student Pilot... Alasks is not high on the list.