View From the Tarmac - Talkeetna Airport now and then
12/22/2004 | by Geri Denkewalter
Seemingly overnight, the McKinley Scenic Flightseeing business boomed, and for good reason. As Don Lee, one of the original Denali Flyers and currently flying for Talkeetna Aero Services and Fly Denali, said, "The Mountain sells itself". It is the Greatest Earth on Show!
Pilot Rebecca Fisher flew into Talkeetna in 1993 in a private aircraft. She pulled up to Hudson Air Service to get fuel and heard Big Band music blaring from the hangar, saw a few small planes parked in Transient Parking, and thought, "This is like a step back into time. I thought this was the coolest airport I had ever been to." Rebecca returned to fly for K2 Aviation and then moved on to American Airlines a few years ago. The pull of Talkeetna brings her back several times a year.
Some people have never left. Many of the pilots flying from Talkeetna live here year round and the rest are returnees, year after year drawn back by the lure and beauty of Mt. McKinley, and the enjoyment of flying passengers who often say that the flight was the highlight of their vacation.
Kitty Banner, one of the first female pilots flying from Talkeetna and the originator of K2 Aviation, returned recently to spend some time visiting and reminiscing. She was impressed with the growth of the airport and then amount of activity. In the late 70's, there were just 2 or 3 hangars and about 20 small aircraft on the tarmac, most of them privately owned. Hudson Air had just moved from the Village Airport into the old Susitna Air Service hangar; Larry Rivers had just completed the log building at Talkeetna Air Taxi which was then owned by Lowell Thomas, Jr., Talkeetna Aero Services was starting their hangar, and Doug Geeting was a young red-haired pilot, just starting his career in Talkeetna.
At present, there are at least seven air taxis operating from the State maintained paved airport at Talkeetna. An FAA Flight Service Station is maintained by 3 Air Traffic Control Specialists, and there is a full-time Airport Manager. The air taxis operate year-round, flying mostly climbers in April and May, then visitors through September. Winter flights still include the daily mail run and Bush support, but more and more visitors are learning that Alaska in the winter is a terrific destination. Day trips to follow the Iditarod Sled Dog Race mushers are becoming increasingly popular, and a trip along the Trail can include having lunch at a remote roadhouse and rubbing elbows with the mushers.
Talkeetna State Airport still maintains the atmosphere of a small Bush airport. People can imagine what it must have looked like back in the beginning of aviation history. With the advantages of safety improvements and modern technology, combined with the professionalism of the pilots, mechanics and personnel, people can experience safe and enjoyable flights into the heart of the Alaska.
|
|
|
