AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 72

The weather is changing as Sonn ascends Denali, formerly
Mount McKinley, but this is normal on the highest peak in North
America. With a summit elevation of 20,310 feet, Alaska's Denali is
a popular climb. His passengers leave the swiftly moving Susitna
River and the lush spring greens of the tundra behind as Sonn flies
them toward the Denali base camp, at 7,200 feet msl on the southeast fork of the Kahiltna Glacier.
The straight-line distance from Talkeetna Airport is less than
50 nautical miles, but the route is longer as the single-engine turboprop weaves among much lower peaks until reaching One Shot
Pass-the most direct route to the base camp-at 9,500 feet.
"The mountain is alive-the environment is alive. The tectonics of the whole thing. You're dealing with 30 billion years and 60
billion years," Sonn explained. "And there's a culture of people that
go out there and thrive in it. The frostbite, the hypothermia, the
emotional challenges."
And he's noticed more changing on Denali than today's weather.
"You'll see one point on the rock and know it used to be under the
snow." Talkeetna was under 4,000 feet of ice 20,000 years ago, he
said, and some areas have lost 350 feet of ice since the 1940s. "We're
being challenged by the roughness of the [glacier] strips earlier in
the season," he added, because there sometimes isn't enough snow
to refresh the surface.
Sonn has been involved in Alaskan aviation for 20 years. He
started as a guide, loading airplanes with boats and riding in the
right seat on flights out to gravel bars. "Inevitably they let you fly,"
he said, and Sonn earned his certificate in Alaska. "I was learning
from aviators with incredible backcountry experience. I realized
how valuable that was, and I paid attention.
"And it was cool airplanes-Super Cubs, Maules. It's 'hop in,
let's go.'" People use airplanes here like they use cars elsewhere, he
said. "I was lucky to have that experience." Also a seasoned skier,
emergency medical technician, and skydive pilot, he's flown for
K2 Aviation for seven years.
Continued on page 75

"T

"The mountain is alive-
the environment is alive.
The tectonics of the whole thing.
You're dealing with 30 billion years
and 60 billion years. And there's a
culture of people that go out there
and thrive in it. The frostbite,
the hypothermia, the emotional
challenges."
-Chip Sonn, glacier pilot

72 | AOPA PILOT January 2012



AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018

Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - Intro
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - Cover1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 4
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 5
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 6
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 7
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 12
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 13
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 14
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 15
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 16
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 16A
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 17
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 17A
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 18
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 20
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - Cover4
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