Bush pilots in Alaska

[rchcfi]

. It sure is an experience not to miss.

Good luck!

I guess I should have prefaced that by saying I wasn't stuck in Bethel!

 

[iflyabeech]

I guess I should have prefaced that by saying I wasn't stuck in Bethel!

AMEN!

 

[QXpeon]

AMEN!

second

 

[CSY Mon]

Well, hell..I was stuck in Bethel for a few years.

If ya want time and income, go up there with a one-way ticket.
My first Bethel gig was in 1981, not glamerous, no GPS and not easy, but what the hell, no rose-garden in this business. Never was.

 

[TundraT]

Bethel is not the end of the world but you can see it from there.

I flew in Alaska for over 15 years and had the pleasure of spending a summer in Kipnuk once many moons ago. Bethel was an oasis..:laugh: You can't beat the experience of flying in Alaska no matter where in the State it is.

 

[FreightGod]

You can't beat the experience of flying in Alaska no matter where in the State it is.

Yup, yup, it was a hell of a good experience.

Can't say I miss it, but it was an intense part of my career:

The most intense was propably flying fish of the beaches in a crapped out DC-3:

We did the Silver season in Tsiu River with a beach camp and a Bob-Cat and tents and guns, etc.
My F/O had never been in a -3 before..he was also the mechanic..:nuts:

That was back in October 1986..Wish I had the gonads to go back and do that gig again..All for $2,500.00 for 4 weeks plus food and tickets.

Not any more.

A young mans game it is.

 

[Twotter76]

Ahh the Tsiu - we used to fly some charters in there, was supposed to be some great fishing right off the strip too. Wish I had had a chance to find out. I have spent some time in BET and it was fun but I cant imagine being based in KIP *shudder*. Alaska flying is unlike any anywhere else in the world.

 

[FreightGod]

we used to fly some charters in there,

Yup, I remember the occasional Twotter landing there and staying on the ground for a short while, then departing with gawking tourists.

Heh, I can still see their eyes when I made my first DC-3 landing there, headed straight for the Otter at a pretty good clip, braking as hard as I could without nosing over, sand flying everywhere from main wheels that dug in with the brake applications..Not the Discovery channel or Disney World anymore, those guys was just about to be run over by a WW-2 vintage airplane on some remote beach in Alaska..

Did ya fly for ERA or SEA-AIR?

 

[pgcfii2002]

No thanks, if I go I'm not buying right seat upthere anymore. Good flying!!

You have integrity and wisdom.

 

[Huck]

Gemini has a guy, grew up in Norway, came to the states and was flying a Navajo in New Orleans.

He lost his job and started faxing resumes all over the country to Navajo operators. This guy called him and basically hired him over the phone. He said he'd be there in two weeks. His (american) wife came home and he said, "Honey guess what! I got a job in Bethel Arkansas!"

Long story short, he took the job anyway, spent 5 years up there....


I met another guy worked at Bethel, he flew a Caravan to Anchorage, it was repossessed on the spot. The bank had already lined up a buyer (another Bethel operator), and the buyer offered this pilot a job right there on the ramp. He just flew the plane back home for the new owner, got back home earlier than scheduled....