Roll Call Alaska 2015
I know its early but we have been planning for the past 3 months. I know its another 15 months at least till we leave but we are just going crazy... So here is our very rough plan overview. Leave mid...
Forum Discussion
There are/were two airstrips in Talkeetna, the nice paved one just across the railroad track from the in town private campground, and the dirt strip just about in town. One end of the dirt strip was just a block off of the main street. The last time I was in Talkeetna, five or six years back, the dirt strip was still being used some, mainly by tail draggers equipped with the large ballon type bush tires. Too expensive to skuff up on pavement. LOL
The only long term resident living on the Denali Hwy that I remember is Butch Gratis, owner/operator of the Gracious Lodge and flying service, etc. but I don't remember being in the fish guiding business. He does have a small campground a few miles from the lodge, east of it, where he allowed camping.
I met PA12s dad on several occasions in Alaska. 12s family owned a business in Anchorage, where 12 was born and raised. His father was very active in Alaska politics for most of the 25+ years I lived in the state.
With such a small state population, those of us that considered ourselves bush pilots, would see each other around the state from time to time. Pilots like Don Sheldon, Bob Rice, Tony Schultz, the Wien Brothers and many more. Advice from some of them about bush flying, is probably a main reason I am still alive today. LOL. at the time of Rice's death, from an infection due to surgery, he had logged 31,000 hours of fixed wing time and 12,000 hours of rotary wing time. Any of you fellow pilots will understand, that is one large amount of flying time,
The only long term resident living on the Denali Hwy that I remember is Butch Gratis, owner/operator of the Gracious Lodge and flying service, etc. but I don't remember being in the fish guiding business. He does have a small campground a few miles from the lodge, east of it, where he allowed camping.
I met PA12s dad on several occasions in Alaska. 12s family owned a business in Anchorage, where 12 was born and raised. His father was very active in Alaska politics for most of the 25+ years I lived in the state.
With such a small state population, those of us that considered ourselves bush pilots, would see each other around the state from time to time. Pilots like Don Sheldon, Bob Rice, Tony Schultz, the Wien Brothers and many more. Advice from some of them about bush flying, is probably a main reason I am still alive today. LOL. at the time of Rice's death, from an infection due to surgery, he had logged 31,000 hours of fixed wing time and 12,000 hours of rotary wing time. Any of you fellow pilots will understand, that is one large amount of flying time,
