A National Guard C-130 blocking the ramp at the tiny coastal Alaskan village of Wales isn’t something you see every day. What’s even more unusual is when you see a figure looking suspiciously like Santa Claus climbing on board!
When Tyler Westhoff decided he wanted to become a glacier pilot in the summer of 2004, he had no idea that his path to Talkeetna Air Taxi would include flying gliders and ultralights … in Hawaii. Today, he splits his time between both places. In this interview, you’ll hear Tyler’s story and his advice for low-time pilots.
A short update filmed at Lake Hood Seaplane Base in Anchorage, regarding what we’ll be posting for low-time pilots over the next few months.
How does a kid from Nepal with a dream of one day becoming a pilot turn that dream into reality? Listen in as Goma Air Captain and Director of Operations A.D. Sherpa tells his story … and explains why he left an airline job flying the ATR 72 in India to start a new airline with two Cessna Caravans in Western Nepal.
With a 2,000-foot paved runway at only 7,815 feet MSL, Jumla is regarded by pilots as one of the best airports in Western Nepal. When Goma Air’s new Caravans touched down there for the first time last February, the pilots were met by a huge crowd, a band, and reporters. Not quite as big a reception as Lindbergh’s arrival in Paris in 1927 … but close!
There are few aircraft as suited for hauling heavy cargo in and out of the world’s toughest strips as the C-130 Hercules, and there are only a few non-military operators around. Rick Zerkel is the Vice President of Operations at Lynden Air Cargo, one of these specialized companies. In this interview, you’ll hear his story, learn about the L-382, and get his best career advice.
Last week, an interesting article on “automation addiction” made its way around the Internet. Though the debate really isn’t anything new, it does seem particularly relevant to oddball pilots.
Oddball flying jobs are plentiful if you know where to look. But what about oddball flight schools? We kick off our Flight School Directory with a list of flight training opportunities in Alaska.
One of the great things about oddball flying jobs is that you frequently see oddball things. In his latest Dispatch, Aidan discovers that a rusty hunk of metal next to a taxiway in Talkeetna is a portal into an oddball airplane (and an oddball flying job) from long ago: the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.
Look, up in the sky! It’s a Cherokee! It’s a Thrush! No wait … it’s a Pacific Aerospace P-750 XSTOL! Air Kasthamandap pilot Daniel Burgess gives you a tour of his Nepal-based company’s Extremely Short Take-Off and Landing aircraft.
