Who Should I Talk To - Merrill Field Walk Around

[MovingNorth]

Well I finally am going to bite the bullet and Fly to Alaska on Monday the 13th. From there I'm going to do the long walk around Merrill Field and try to find a flying job. I've got no Alaska experince and maybe i'll just be laughed at. That being said, are there any outfitters that i should stay away from, or any that are really good? Oh yeah by the way I don't have a float rating yet either. So maybe i'm just crazy, but at least I'm doing it haha. Thanks in advance to everybody.

[alaskadrifter]

Well I finally am going to bite the bullet and Fly to Alaska on Monday the 13th. From there I'm going to do the long walk around Merrill Field and try to find a flying job. I've got no Alaska experince and maybe i'll just be laughed at. That being said, are there any outfitters that i should stay away from, or any that are really good? Oh yeah by the way I don't have a float rating yet either. So maybe i'm just crazy, but at least I'm doing it haha. Thanks in advance to everybody.

I haven't heard much bad about the flight schools around merrill, good luck with this economy right now.

[MovingNorth]

Pretty bad up there too eh?

[Monguse]

Merrill Field

It's pretty much all wheel flying out of Merrill. There may be an amphib or two flying out of Merrill, but no straight float planes (no water there). If you're a flight instructor, try Take Flight Alaska, Aero Tech is another flight schools on Merrill Field. Both of them have been advertising for flight instructors recently on their respective websites.

Include Lake Hood in your job-seeking travels, as there are a few wheel plane operators there. If you can get up to Talkeetna, there are a bunch of them there, all flying McKinley tours and hauling climbers to the top of the Kahiltna Glacier. You'll see a lot of Cessna 185s on wheel skis there in Talkeetna along with a few beavers also on wheel skis and possibly a turbine otter or two.

If you can get to Talkeetna, (about 85 miles by road north of Anchorage) take a short side trip to the Palmer Airport to Artic's Air Academy and there may be a couple of other flight operations there as well. Stop at the Birchwood airport (before Palmer). Wasilla doesn't have any commercial operations based there that I know of, but further on, Willow has one or two.

If all of this fails, try to find out as much as you can about Bethel during your Alaska stay. It's way over on the west side and probably an expensive air fare to get there from Anchorage, but the first-Alaska-flying-job starting point for many Alaska pilots.

Checkout www.flyalaska.com
There is a directory of Alaska Flight Operations with addresses and phone numbers.

[MovingNorth]

Yeah I don't have a float rating like I said so I'd be just wheel flying, Thanks for the info, i might try to swing over to bethel, I'm a current airline pilot right now and we have jumpseat agreements on ERA and Alaska airlines as well as everts i think, so it shouldn't be to hard to hitch a ride over to bethel, but we'll see.

[markopolo50]

Flying

Movingnorth, sounds like you are in for an great adventure. Like alot of us from Michigan we want to go back ASAP. Keep us informed on how you do and where you end up, if you would. It sounds like a dream and would like to do the same but I am not ready to commit to moving there yet. To be able to fly in Alaska seems like an advantage. What kind of license do you have? Just wondering as I would like to start the schooling myself. Thanks, Mark

[jim in anchorage]

I would go straight to lake Hood and get the float rating. Only takes a few hours duel and looks good on the resume.

[Cresent Hills]

I would go straight to lake Hood and get the float rating. Only takes a few hours duel and looks good on the resume.

It will be darn hard to get a float rating on April 13th....

Tom

[MovingNorth]

Movingnorth, sounds like you are in for an great adventure. Like alot of us from Michigan we want to go back ASAP. Keep us informed on how you do and where you end up, if you would. It sounds like a dream and would like to do the same but I am not ready to commit to moving there yet. To be able to fly in Alaska seems like an advantage. What kind of license do you have? Just wondering as I would like to start the schooling myself. Thanks, Mark

Hey Mark, I have a commercial single and multi rating plus Instrument, with a saab 340 SIC type and a CL65 (CRJ) SIC, from that i think you can guess that i fly for an airline, Mesaba, I also have my CFI and MEI, where are you at in michigan? I'm currently in Traverse City. Talk to ya soon

[jim in anchorage]

It will be darn hard to get a float rating on April 13th....

Tom

I meant the well known lake Hood in FLA. of course...