Danial Doty takes on Talkeetna
Doty grew up in Denver, Colorado, in the 1970s and was by her father's side working on cars from the very start. While other kindergartners were playing with dollhouses and toy trucks, Doty was getting into oily car parts and developing her mechanical mind before her sixth birthday.
Doty learned to fly in Colorado in the family Cessna 172. She earned her private pilot certificate by 1988 and rolled through the instrument rating and a commercial certificate while working as a mechanic in Leadville, Colorado. Mountain flying was part of her base work, and she learned how to keep out of trouble in a region where density altitude, winds, and weather all shape one's piloting skills.
| Name: Danial Doty Age: 36 Certificates: Commercial pilot with instrument and seaplane ratings, airframe and powerplant mechanic with inspection authorization Flight time: 3,500-plus hours Aircraft flown: Cessna 185, de Havilland Beaver, Piper Pacer and Super Cub, Helio Courier Home airport: Talkeetna Airport (TKA), Talkeetna, Alaska |
A mountain flying course in Chalice, Idaho, that focused on teaching techniques for landing on tricky backcountry strips made a big impression on her. Not long after the course, she flew to Alaska in a Piper Pacer with five other airplanes loaded for cross-country travel. They landed in Talkeetna, Alaska, for a fuel stop and the environment caught her eye. A majority of the air taxis are on skis in the summer, providing climber dropoffs on the glaciers as well as scenic flights to Mount McKinley. Other rugged adventurers rely on bush pilots to fly them "out there" for raft and kayak trips. This was a place where Doty could thrive, and fulfill her desire to become a bush pilot.
The following summer of 2000, she arrived at the Talkeetna Airport in her Pacer, packed with personal belongings and tools. She set up camp near the runway until she found her first job. She worked as a pilot first and mechanic second for a hunting outfitter, flying a Piper Super Cub and a Cessna 185 into backcountry strips. Most pilots wouldn't consider them strips, yet for the daring and skilled, they are indeed places to land--not just once, but again and again. Balancing adrenaline and knowing one's limitations is like walking a tightrope. For some, like Doty, the circus act of juggling the skills necessary for the demanding task at hand is irresistible.
Mechanical gifts are perhaps even more generously bestowed on Doty. It didn't take long for Talkeetna Air Taxi's owner, Paul Roderick, to take notice. She was hired as chief mechanic in April 2003. Maintaining three de Havilland Beavers and three Cessna 185s on skis may seem overwhelming, but with proper planning and the energy of the midnight sun, the airplanes are maintained meticulously to fly thousands of people into Denali National Park each year. Breakdowns happen, sometimes at the least desirable times.
Once, a Beaver made a precautionary landing on the Parks Highway because its engine ran rough. Doty flew out in her Pacer with her tool bag, quickly completing repairs and appeasing the passengers--who were still sitting in the airplane. A grizzly bear had wandered to just a few feet away moments earlier. Other fixes take more time, and during the summer, it is not uncommon to put in 90-hour weeks. Coffee breaks? She has been seen on the Whistler Glacier napping under the wing of her ski-equipped Pacer for her idea of "refreshment."
Doty has a fancy for building unusual homes, including a tree house that is 35 feet in the air, out of wood she milled nearby. One day a moose and its calf paused underneath the airborne structure, not quite able to detect their new neighbor.
Last and certainly not least is Doty's huge heart and willingness to give a hand to others. She keeps a smile on her face and on all the airplanes she flies; she painted smiley faces under the wings of $500,000 airplanes just to remind everyone of the right attitude.
Katie Writer is a CFII in Talkeetna, Alaska, for Alaska Floats and Skis. She is a freelance writer and photographer and can be found trekking around the mountains on her skis in the winter.
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