Flight Training - May 2013 - 4

RIGHT SEAT

By Ian J. Twombly
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ALASKA DREAMS

MAKE THEM A REALITY

very pilot dreams. Aspiring to new airplanes, new places,
and new experiences is ingrained in every aviator’s DNA.
And for the ultimate in new experiences, it’s hard to beat
Alaska.

The Last Frontier is two-and-onehalf times larger than Texas, but with a
population density that results in only one
person every 1.26 square miles. It holds
America’s longest coastline and North
America’s tallest mountain, both of which
help it make a convincing claim as aviation’s Mecca.
One of the great things about aviation in
Alaska is the amazing variety of flying that
happens with unique regularity. Spend
one day only in Anchorage and you’ll see
floatplanes, bush planes, internationalbound Boeing 747s, Air Force F-22s,
helicopters, balloons, collegiate flight
training, and more. And that doesn’t begin
to get to the depth of flying that happens
all over the state for recreation, commerce, and the military.

canyons to a glacier landing. One of the
first things you encounter on the amazing
trip to the landing site is flying above the
Ruth Glacier, a mile-wide sheet of ice that
flows down a valley of 5,000-foot peaks
like a frozen river. To a newbie like me it
seemed as if we were making blind turns
from one rocky bend to the next, but our
pilot had done it so many times he could
have flown the route with his eyes closed.
Finally, we set up for landing and touched
the skis down on a glaring-white sheet of
snow and ice.
The glacier is a place that few people
get to experience, but is open to almost
anyone. Before airplanes brought mountain climbers in for their treks, it was
reserved only for those few souls hardy
enough to ski up from the bottom. Today,

SPEND ONE DAY ONLY IN ANCHORAGE AND
YOU'LL SEE FLOATPLANES, BUSH PLANES,
BOEING 747S, F-22S, HELICOPTERS, BALLOONS,
COLLEGIATE FLIGHT TRAINING, AND MORE.
Much of the flying that happens
seems intimidating and off-limits, but
it’s actually quite easy to be a part of it.
Many operators sell scenic flights, and as
a certificated pilot you can get checked
out in a local rental and experience some
of the incredible beauty for yourself—or
arrange for some dual instruction if you
are a student pilot.
For true adventure you’ll need to either
hire a guide or go with an experienced
pilot. That’s how, as part of a trip to the
central part of the state to get my float rating, I ended up standing on a piece of ice
thousands of feet thick on Denali, North
America’s tallest peak. Luckily for me, the
school owner’s husband owned a Cessna
185 and I was on my way, flying Denali’s

FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG

anyone can stand on the giant mountain
after paying a modest fee.
Alaska is a special place. Once you get
outside the bigger population centers
you’ll find complete freedom, and rarely
will you see another airplane. Kathy
Dondzila experienced this on a recent
trip to the forty-ninth state. She flew from
just north of Anchorage to a small, private
grass strip north of the Arctic Circle.
Dondzila’s adventure begins on page 34.
What’s your aviation dream? Contact
me and I’ll share some of the responses
next month.
Email Editor Ian J. Twombly at ian.twombly@aopa.
org; Twitter: ijtwombly; and visit Flight Training on
Facebook.

Publisher | Craig L. Fuller
Senior VP, Media/Editor in Chief | Thomas B. Haines
Editor | Ian J. Twombly
Editor at Large | Thomas A. Horne
Managing Editor | Julie Summers Walker
Technical Editors | Mike Collins, Jill W. Tallman
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Editorial and Production Assistant | Sylvia Horne
Administrative Assistant | Miriam E. Stoner
Contributors | Pete Bedell, Greg Brown, LeRoy Cook,
Budd Davisson, Rod Machado, Walter Miller, Dan
Namowitz, Wayne Phillips, Bob Schmelzer,
Jack Williams, Kathy Yodice

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Photographer | Chris Rose

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Flight Training - May 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - May 2013