Stan Churches is the Chief Pilot of Clearwater Air, based in Soldotna, Alaska (on the Kenai Peninsula, 50 miles southwest of Anchorage). Clearwater specializes in aerial support for research projects.
Stan and I worked together in Barrow back when Oddball Pilot was just beginning. Last summer, I met up with Stan in Nome while he was flying some surveys near St. Lawrence Island.
In this interview, you’ll hear about Stan’s career, including:
- How he got his start as a civilian instructor for a military flying club at Fort Lewis near Seattle.
- His experiences flying checks between Reno and Eureka Nevada.
- Flying a Hawker 800, a Falcon 50, and a Fokker F28 all over the world as a corporate pilot for 12 years.
- Flying a Cessna 421 and a King Air for an air ambulance company in Colorado (and why it was one of his favorite jobs).
- The risks of flying single-engine aircraft at night over the mountains.
- What it’s like flying marine mammal surveys in a Commander 690, and why Stan loves the work.
- What aerial survey companies look for in pilots.
- What the pay and lifestyle are like.
Audio
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