Dream of flying seaplanes? You’ll love this rousing cinematic tribute to the history, airplanes, people, and geography of Southeast Alaska.
In our second interactive Q&A call just for Oddball Pilot members, the conversation was about where Alaskan aviation is headed, who’s hiring right now, lodge work, safety, jobs in Africa, and the secret to finding interesting work.
The heyday of the Canadian bush pilot was already over by the time Norma Bailey and Bob Lower shot their documentary film “Bush Pilot: Reflections on a Canadian Myth” in 1978. Today, 35 years later, changes in aviation are coming even faster. And yet, we’d like to suggest that the spirit of these rugged aircraft and the pilots who flew them is still very much alive today … if you know where to look.
Southeast Alaska offers some stunning scenery, challenging weather, and great jobs for the right sort of pilot. Last April Aidan sat down with Cable Wells and Pat Goodrich of Island Air Express to discuss the flying opportunities in Southeast (and on Kodiak Island, where Cable grew up).
There aren’t many operators looking for pilots with turbine and amphib experience, who also have polished instrument skills. Island Air Express in Southeast Alaska is one of them. Last Spring, Aidan met up with Chief Pilot Pat Goodrich in Ketchikan to hear more about what he does and what he looks for in the pilots he hires. If you like floats, turbines, and IFR, this short interview is well worth a listen.
When we began researching seaplane operators around the world, we were struck by just how many there are and what great jobs their pilots have. See for yourself: check out our new Seaplane Operators Directory.
When John Gowey was a kid, he watched floatplanes from Kenmore Air fly over his house. Today, he’s the Chief Pilot. If you’ve ever thought about flying floats for a living, don’t miss this interview. You’ll learn about this unique oddball flying path, and how to get started.
