Date night on the Delta

Eric is a bush pilot in Western Alaska. Bush planes are the life line to the villages. This is how villagers receive everything from mail to food. That trip, Eric's plane was full of soda pop. No diet pop to my dismay! Bush planes also carry villagers to and from places. That is one of the only ways villagers can get where they need to go. Remember, there are no roads here, and there are very few cars in the villages. Most villagers get around by 4 wheeler, or snowmobile. In the summer time, villagers will travel to and from by boat, since all of the villages are on the river. The Kuskokwim and Yukon Rivers are the lifeblood of this area since most villagers live a subsistence lifestyle. That means they hunt, fish and gather for food. It is really quite amazing.

I enjoying flying around with Eric. It's a great way to see the vastness of this area. It is also a great way to meet interesting people. On this trip, I met a woman who drove her snowmachine from Marshall (where we are) to Bethel. They traveled the 150 mile journey during the winter and temperatures dipped down to 30 below zero. She also said they know this area so well, that they don't use a GPS. The journey took almost 12 hours. She said it was a bit cold, but not too bad. I am amazed at how tough the people are here. You have to be, or you will not survive.

Bush flying is not for the faint at heart. It can be very dangerous and the weather can change in an instant. Eric only has me fly on nice weather days, so that I will continue flying with him.

Winter Flying

Here is what the YK delta looks like in the winter. I went flying with Eric as he made his rounds delivering mail, food, and passengers around the delta. The date was February 16, and the weather was pretty mild. I believe it was around zero to 10 below, but with no wind, that feels pretty balmy during that time of the year.

Eric dropped off over 1,500 pounds of soda pop to the village of Kongiginak. The entire plane was full of soda. The town was excited since they were out.... The most popular soda flavors are Pepsi, Orange Crush, and Mountain Dew. Since there is no running water in most of the villages, children and adults go crazy for soda. So how do people get water you ask? Well, most villages have a "washeteria" which holds washing machines, and it also has a water tank for people to bring buckets to fill. A lot of people just gather rain water in garbage buckets and use as needed. Many go to the ponds for their water.

As you can see, the runways are very short, and gravel (or snow covered for the winter). Some runways have lights, and some do not. The runways are not maintained, so Eric must be very careful when he lands. A few weeks ago he was flying, and since it is "spring" here, everything has turned to mud. Eric got stuck in the mud, so he told his passengers to get out of the plane and push it out of the mud. You just can't get this experiences in the lower 48!

Another thing Eric and I did that day was fly a girl's basketball team from one village to another. Since there are no roads out here, planes are the "cars". In order for teams to play against each other, they must be flown from one place to the next. To me it is pretty crazy!

Since it is so cold here in the winter, Eric must cover the prop every time he lands in a village. Even if he only stops for 15-20 minutes to unload his plane, he must put blankets on the prop, or it will freeze, and that is a very bad thing. At the end of each night, the plane must be plugged in so the engine doesn't freeze, and wing covers must put on. Eric said when it's 50 below, and blowing like crazy, it is very painful to stand out there to put the plane away for the night.