Alaska Learnin'

[coldfly]

Alaska Learnin\'

Hi all. This is my first post, but I've been lurking for a few months now, and I really value the insight and advice I see being given here. It's pretty amazing...thanks Doug! I have decided to pursue a flying career in Alaska, but I'm not exactly sure how soon I can move there (hopefully sometime later this summer), so I'm training for my PPL at a local FBO in the meantime. I've pretty much bought into the "learn in Alaska to fly in Alaska" mantra, and therefore ruled out the FSI/DeltaConnections/etc. "academy" route. Is that a mistake? If not, does anyone have insight into which Alaska-based FBO it makes the most sense to drop my hard-earned (hard-borrowed, perhaps) cash on? I used the link Doug posted a few days ago (after his vacation there) to find Take Flight Alaska (anchorage...Eric Boyd chief CFI, who has been noted on this board to be good), and I've googled around to find others, as well. My list of potentials at this point includes Take Flight Alaska (anchorage), Aero Tech Flight Svcs. (anchorage), Mustang Air (palmer), and Fairbanks Flight Train. Anybody have the lowdown on any of these places, or others? I can live anywhere in the state. Thanks!

 

[juskl]

Re: Alaska Learnin\'

About 2 or so hours north of Anchorage is the town of Telkeetna. This is where all of the climbers fly out of on K2 Aviations and other operators. The pilots there are said to be some of the best in the Alaska area as they are flying to "the mountain" (Denali). I don't remember if they had a flight training program their, but it is a beautiful area (great salmon fishing) and worth checking out.

 

[Tbone]

Re: Alaska Learnin\'

Coldfly -

I am moving to Anchorage, starting the drive north from Colorado on Monday. I just finished at FlightSafety in FL. Got my Multi-comm there, and am heading to Take Flight Alaska to do my CFI/II. I don't regret going to FSI at all, it was a great school and a great foundation for my flying skills. I am now 'taking it to the next level' by heading to AK. There are some tremendous opps up there for pilots - lots of hours and better pay than in the lower 48. I did quite a bit of research on schools up there - no doubt a lot of experienced pilots to learn from. I've been in contact with Eric Boyd and am convinced TFA is the place for me. It is the largest flight school in Ak, and they hire new CFIs frequently as their instructors quickly move on to other jobs. Let me know if you have any questions, or feel free to PM me - once I get up there and start flying I will know a lot more. Good luck!
Tim