Success in Alaska flying is relative. Just yesterday I received a call from my last buddy who was still flying in Alaska. He quit his lodge job after 15 years in AK. He averaged 40 to 50K at the end and is glad that it is over. He tried for many years to break the Alaska cycle to no avail. Now he is finally free.

I started out as a flight instructor in Anchorage and kept track of all my coworkers career progress over the last 18 years. Most went on to air taxi flying after a few years of instructing. Since then nearly every single ex-coworker has quit flying altogether or has been killed on the job. I lost four good friends who were killed in Alaska or while employed by an Alaskan operator. I do have a friend who is at a regional and an ex-coworker who is still flying in AK, I am told, but I lost track of her more than a decade ago.

It is not hard to find gainful employment in Alaska as a pilot. The work is satisfying and fun. The pay is better than what you could find in the lower 48. However, in my experience it does not really help much in the pursuit of a prosperous career that leads to a normal and happy family life. The pay is good when compared to other pilot jobs however when compared to other jobs in Alaska it is not all that great. The flight time has little value to the outside world and often employers in the lower 48 have a difficult time understanding the demands of the job. It is a hard life and it wears on you after a while.

My goal was always to try and build a successful airline career. I went to Alaska because I had no other options at the time. I got stuck in the ALaska rut and had a hard time getting out. In the end I spent 7 years up there and left with little to show for it. Thousands of hours of piston Alaska VFR time really is useless to the rest of the world. I had a good time and made some money however as far as helping my career it was a total waste of time. The contacts that you make only serve as leads to more Alaska jobs.

If success means advancement to the airlines or fancy corporate flying then I would not go up there unless you got a job in an IFR turbine twin. As far as making a living and supporting a family as a bush pilot my suggestion is to get a job at UPS as a delivery guy. You will make far more, get good benefits and be able to retire instead of merely flying until the end came. The guy who took my place at one of the air taxis that I worked at moved into my old shack with his wife and three kids and then killed himself and five passengers during his first winter there.

I am told that things are not as bad now however it still is a dead end in my estimation. Success is relative though.

SkyHigh