by Will Day
Talkeetna, Alaska is a vibrant aviation community that thrives on ski flying. Local flight seeing businesses like Talkeetna Air Taxi, K2 Aviation, and Sheldon Air shuttle tourists, mountaineers, and equipment throughout the Alaska range exploring the topography and landing on glaciers. On any given day, you can watch ski-equipped, turbine-powered de Havilland Otters depart the Talkeetna Airport bound for Denali. Suffice it to say, you’d be hard pressed to find a better place to learn to fly skis.
The Alaska Airmen Association is focused heavily on increasing safety awareness throughout the state. Ski flying is inherently risky given sub-zero temperatures, the need to pre-heat engines, lack of braking capability, limited daylight, and the relative ease with which an aircraft can become stuck in deep snow or overflow. Surprisingly, the FAA does not require an endorsement nor a rating to operate aircraft on skis. Many pilots replace their wheels and with skis, fire up their engines, and teach themselves. The problem is that they inevitably learn lessons the hard way. Sometimes these mistakes are small—neglecting to install wing covers and returning to a frost-covered plane, for example. But sometimes the mistakes and their consequences are anything but small.
The NextGen Aviation Club’s Board elected to address this issue by providing local pilots with two opportunities: a members-exclusive ski flying clinic and a public safety seminar.
Ski Flying Clinic
On March 19th, 20 young Alaskan pilots gathered early in the morning at Alaska Floats & Skis in Talkeetna. There were a mix of student, private, and commercial pilots, and even a few flight instructors. At 9 AM, the group split into three and rotated through 45-minute ground instruction stations: winter flying 101, landing on glaciers, and mountain flying.
After a quick lunch, they took to the skies, three at a time, in ski-equipped Piper PA-22/20 Pacers. These hour-long flights emphasized basic risk management and focused on teaching students why it was important to receive further instruction before attempting riskier activities like glacier landings.
Overall, the clinic was a success. New ski pilots learned from experienced mentors instead of learning the hard way on their own. The instruction was top-notch and taken straight form Alaska Floats & Skis’ ski flying course. If you are considering flying on skis or floats and want a methodical, well-organized, and highly experienced instructor paired with the experience of a lifetime, then we highly recommend you look at this Talkeetna-based school. There is nothing quite like it.
Ski Flying Safety Seminar
Early in the morning on March 20th, pilots began to trickle into Talkeetna Air Taxi’s (TAT) large maintenance hangar, where rows of chairs were erected, and a table of coffee carafes quickly drew a crowd. People flew and drove from all over Alaska to listen to some of Talkeetna’s renowned glacier pilots pass on tidbits of their hard-earned knowledge. Just over fifty attendees filled the seats next to TAT’s white and blue turbine Otter, and soon the hangar felt jubilant with friendly conversation.
Larry Rivers shared photos and wisdom from his years and many hours at the helm of his Super Cub. There were photos of Cubs submerged in snow drifts, Cubs hanging over cliffs, and Cubs with collapsed landing gear. The scratch of pen on paper filled the pauses between his words as eager pilots recorded his advice. What to do, and what not to do.
Carol Zerbe shared her perspective as an avid ski pilot and Designated Pilot Examiner. She offered photos of glacier outings and encouraged attendees to get out and explore glacier flying cautiously with guidance from an experienced mentor. Paul Roderick, who owns TAT, joined Carol for a Q&A and answered myriad questions from the audience about his career flying the Alaska range.
Leighan Falley, a skilled and reputable TAT pilot, took the stage next and shared her journey with the audience. She spoke of lessons learned and many wonderful experiences. She highlighted the nuances of flying high-powered turbine Otters versus her personal, under-powered Piper Pacer.
Chris Campbell, TAT’s chief mechanic, shared his experience with common ski-flying maintenance issues and encouraged pilots to have their aircraft inspected regularly due to the heavy wear and tear flying on skis induces. Chris was joined by Jeff Schultz, who owns 49th State Aviation—a maintenance shop in Wasilla. Jeff shared his insight into common ski failure points and how to avoid experiencing those issues.
Dean Paulson closed the afternoon out with a unique and entertaining poem introducing new ski pilots to the extensive considerations of winter ski flying. He also spoke of the urgent need for experienced pilots to pass on their knowledge to a younger generation.
The Alaska Airmen’s Association is grateful to Talkeetna Air Taxi, our generous hosts, and the speakers who volunteered their time to keep the upcoming generation of ski pilots safe. Be sure to encourage your friends and colleagues to consider joining the Airmen or signing up for our email newsletter to gain information on invaluable future events like this one.
Comments