I've been flying in Alaska for the last five years and have really enjoyed it. Definitely learned a lot, both about flying and about the majors. The flying insights are too many to list, but I can share the key takeaway about the majors: each has its own culture, and some cultures are more appealing than others. I am really drawn to the culture at Alaska Airlines: they seem genuinely committed to providing good service and treating everyone like gold. I've been really impressed by them.

These days we see hoards of low time pilots who come up to get their 1000 or 1500 hours. Honestly, they're sort of leeches. They are constantly playing the angles to maximize their flight time, they p1ss and moan when they miss out on a few hours here or a few hours there, and the moment they get the hours they need they quit. They make no contribution to the company or the passengers. What we need is more guys who want to stay in Alaska for a longer stretch - guys who want to become company instructors or check airmen, who want to make the company better, and who want to build good relations with the villages we serve.

On another note, the observation that the guys getting themselves killed are the experienced ones is valid. You wouldn't think it would be that way, would you? And it's also odd that in recent memory there have been two CFIT accidents in planes equipped with Capstone technology. We have a lot of technology to keep us from smacking into hard objects, but we keep doing it. Go figure.