You want adventure? I’ll give you adventure! This is a classic gravel bar takeoff with one half the caribou hunt load to ferry to a bigger strip. This is when the Alaskan kids get left in the wilderness with a gun, a sat phone, and the other half of the load…”I’ll be back!” While I will take care of you like family, we don’t do anything this extreme unless you ask.
2024 TRIPS
Montana to Alaska Trip: Departs Billings July 14 – Contact Lead CFI Ryan to set up a phone call at FlyRy2AK@gmail.com
State of Alaska Trip: Depart Anchorage July 21-25, and August 5-9 – Contact me at northboundak@gmail.com to set up a phone call. Due to the vagaries of weather in Alaska, I have multiple locations that I have personally adventured in for decades that can provide us with options and comfortable lodging no matter where the weather allows. Targeted locations are the iconic-to-Alaskans areas of Port Alsworth, within Lake Clark National Park; McCarthy, within Wrangell St. Ellis National Park, and Seldovia, on beautiful Kachemak Bay. All three have incredible outdoor activities and astounding natural beauty. See the photos at the bottom of this page to see more about these magical places. Other just as amazing locations that can be arranged are a route taking us north from Anchorage to Talkeetna, where you can then arrange a glacier landing with tour operators; Kantishna, within Denali National Park; around Denali; Rainy Pass Lodge in the Alaska Range. There are endless options, as you can see in the photos below.
Alaska to Montana Trip: Departs Anchorage July 28 Contact Lead CFI Ryan to set up a phone call at FlyRy2AK@gmail.com
Flying in Alaska is an aviator’s dream. Just getting to Alaska is an adventure, but seeing it like a local requires local knowledge and experience. I has flown over the entire state, packrafting, hiking, bear watching, playing live music, and being in awe of the beauty and grandeur. Due to the extreme cost of insurance to teach in my own aircraft within the state, I don’t do that, but I can be added as a named pilot to your policy for your owned aircraft with little to no additional expense to you. This can be a seaplane, tailwheel, nose wheel, or ski plane. See the trip schedule links for information on group runway to runway trips – to get you to Alaska, and to have a fantastic learning adventure while you’re here. Off airport instruction trips are also a possibility, but are by their very nature done after a good amount of discussion about what you’ve done as a pilot and the capabilities of your aircraft.
Runway to runway trips in the state of Alaska are $1,500 a day, which includes my experience and hosting for the day, as much instruction and briefings and time in the seat as you can take; excellent quality food, provided by lodges or restaurants; and lodging in comfortable and beautiful accommodations in remote Alaskan locations. Items paid for by the client, not included in the trip price, are avgas, required survival gear, required aircraft liability and hull insurance, Canadian airspace user fees, border patrol fees, and radio station license fees. Campfire music, fishing and bear viewing is thrown in for free, but the memories are priceless. I view students as my clients, and I take my responsibility to you very seriously. Many of my students become friends for life, and are now guiding these trips with me as great CFIs. For group trips, I keep group sizes small for the best experience, so at most you can expect to have another 1-2 planes along with instructors I have personally vetted for instructional experience, style, and personality. For the ultimate trip, you need 1 week to get from the Lower 48 to AK, one week to fly around in the state (at least)!, and one week to fly back to the Lower 48. Trips can be broken up as necessary as there is modern jet service to Alaska. My in state trips are 3-5 days long and will provide you with enough ideas, instruction, and tips to go on within the state for months or years of flying adventures.
