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Reality check: New TV series seeks ‘bush pilot’

When is someone going to search for a rugged, outdoorsy general aviation pilot to play a part in a TV reality show?

Someone has.

You may be just the pilot the casting crew is looking for—and with apologies to The Beatles, all you’d have to do is act naturally.

You might even get to fly an airplane on TV.

The call has gone out to cast a bush pilot—loosely defined—to become one of 12 people who will be brought together “in a remote area of Alaska,” where they will rely on their own resourcefulness while collectively building a homestead in a new Discovery Channel series tentatively called The Frontiersmen. At the end of the series, the top operator in the group gets the homestead.

Executive producer for the “social experiment” series is Thom Beers’ Original Productions, known for the reality shows The Deadliest Catch, Ice Road Truckers, and The Colony, said Los Angeles, Calif.-based casting producer Hilary Manners of Metal Flowers Media.

“The participants will live together on a remote piece of land in the Alaskan wilderness. Here, they will reâ€�imagine their lives, and have the chance at a new life. Participants must be willing to engage fully in this experiment for the entire 30 days of filming,” said a news release. “The reigning craftsman will be given the title to the homestead, where he will start his new life.”

This cast will include “a wide range of professionals, each with a different skill, and all motivated to create a new life for themselves.”

A bush pilot came to mind because that’s someone “used to being in that kind of weather” and comfortable meeting challenges head-on, said Manners.

Alaskan bush pilots take note: You may not need to apply. What the show wants is a person who wants to be you, but right now can only be a weekend bushwhacker.

In any case, possible cast members are “people who want to move to Alaska, who enjoy the outdoors, and who can use a hammer,” she said.

With filming scheduled to begin next spring, finding the right individuals is on the fast track, with all cast spots to be filled by the end of December.

Interested bush pilots—especially those with an aircraft to match—can contact Manners by email.

Dan Namowitz
Dan Namowitz
Dan Namowitz has been writing for AOPA in a variety of capacities since 1991. He has been a flight instructor since 1990 and is a 35-year AOPA member.
Topics: Media, Aviation Industry, Weather

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