By BILL WALKER Air charter company owner Will Johnson built a successful business over the past three decades flying tourists, hunters and fishermen around Alaska. And, in the process, the 20,000-hour pilot, who operates Yute Air Taxi in Fairbanks, has had plenty of time to formulate advice for aviators contemplating their first trip to his […]
Feature
A safe place to go
Current Island, Eleuthera in the Bahamas is a little bit nicer, thanks to the generosity of pilots. Zion Children’s Home dedicated two homes, June 23, that can accommodate sixteen abused or neglected boys and girls. Volunteer pilots from Bahamas Habitat over a two-and-one-half year period, “flew about 25 aircraft loads of supplies to the islands.” AOPA’s Alyssa Miller […]
Exploring the Alaskan backcountry
By BILL WALKER For Alaska pilot Karl Kisser, the day trips he considers routine are the stuff of dreams for many of his counterparts in the Lower 48. He is a private pilot living in Anchorage and often flies from his home base at Merrill Field to backcountry destinations all over the state. Kisser, a […]
What’s your favorite destination?
Where are the best places to fly? We’re asking our readers to share their favorite destinations in our next print issue. Don’t just tell us where you fly, but why it’s your favorite. What makes it special? When is the best time to go? Any advice for pilots who have never been before? Tips on […]
Sky Trail takes tourism sky high
One of the world’’s largest archaeological sites — General Patton’s World War II Desert Training Center — is now viewable in its full grandeur thanks to an innovation in air tourism. The site covers 19,000 square miles of mostly empty desert between LA and Las Vegas. Though chock-full of artifacts and history, it’s almost impossible […]
406 ELT to be required for flights to Bahamas and Mexico
Jim Parker at Caribbean Flying Adventures is alerting pilots that they will soon need a 406 ELT for flight to the Bahamas and Mexico. Parker notes that he successfully collaborated with Civil Aviation authorities in the Dominican Republic and The Caymans Islands to obtain a waiver from the 406 ELT requirement. The Dominican Republic waiver […]
Bahamas Pilot Challenge takes off
A new Bahamas Pilot Challenge has been launched for 2012-2013, drawing general aviation pilots to more of the many islands of the Bahamas starting just 50-60 miles off the Florida coast. Pilots who document landings at 12 of the 20 Bahamas airports of entry before Nov. 30, 2013, will be eligible to win a total […]
General aviation planes, balloons pressed into service for fall leaf watching
LOGAN, Ohio — Southeast Ohio’s Hocking Hills now offers a number of elevated ways for visitors to experience breathtaking autumn views from the best seat in the house: The sky. The area’s 10,000 acres of unbroken forests, waterfalls, caves and soaring rock faces and blackhand sandstone formations include a mix of tree species that creates […]
Katama still beckons for fall flying
Summer has ended but great fall flying beckons. One of America’s best summer places also shines in autumn, so pilots in the Northeast will still make their way to Katama Airfield on the Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard. The air is now clear and cool, the tourist hordes are gone and the prices — thank […]