Q: I recently graduated from an aviation college and I find myself stuck with no place to go. I am curious if you know what the market is like in Alaska. Qualifications? Lifestyle? —Ed from Daytona Beach
If there is one place where aviation is alive and well, it is in the forty-ninth state. There is a very good reason: In many spots, you just can’t get from here to there without an airplane.
Alaska is very much on the to-do list for many, and each spring through fall thousands flock up north to experience firsthand some of Mother Nature’s best work. A good amount of flying business centers around tourism and, in particular, flights to backcountry lodges for hunting and fishing.
According to the locals, about the only way to land one of the seasonal jobs is to truck on up to Anchorage, Fairbanks, or Juneau and start knocking on doors. To a man, each pilot said, “Don’t waste your time sending résumés in the blind.” The best approach is to spend a week in Anchorage, rent a car, and make the trek around Lake Hood, Merrill Field, and Ted Stevens International Airport. Bring some résumés but forget the tie. Right now is the best time to make that journey. Waiting until mid-April or later is probably too late.
The guys in Alaska say that insurance requirements can be a sticking point. In many cases, those carriers require a minimum of 1,000 hours of Alaska time before anyone can serve as PIC. However, the Alaskans say that, for the right guy who has his head on straight and shows some initiative during the job search, operators have been known to stick someone in the right seat to build up that time.
There’s a good Web site to start on the research.
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