Flying Wild Alaska - Discovery Channel

[DarrenL]

Not watched it, just the trailer and a couple of mins the other night when I was bored. It's about an Alaskan airfield and a family who run it (I think). Think Axe Men (oh look a tree, oh look a tree etc...) and Ice Road Truckers (drive down road that's made of ice Ad infinitum) only this time it's small planes landing at the airfield in difficult conditions and the air-headed ground marshaller below who doesn't even know what she does is called, and repeat.

But the daughter, said ground marshaller above...Ariel I think. She's going to learn how to fly but I wouldn't let her within 100ft of a cockpit. She sounds unbelievably thick anyway but also describes the cockpit as "so many fickin' buttons and rotator things".

Are they filming anything these days for the lowest common denominator reality TV generation?

[Kevin Farnell]

I've been watching this series, and love it.
The series is both entertaining and informative and is much better than a similar series about Alaskan pilots being aired on National geographic.
I had the same opinion of Ariel from the trailer, but she turns out to be the star of the show. She's a real character and you can't help but like her.

Hope you enjoy the series as much as I do.

Kevin

[Molyned]

I watch the series and also enjoy it. It's not really about a family run business operating out of an out of the way airfield, it's about Era Alaska whos fleet include the following -
17 Beechcraft 1900C
3 Beechcraft 1900D
15 Cessna 207
15 Cessna Caravan 208
5 Bombardier Dash 8 100
11 Piper PA-31-350
2 Shorts 330-200s
1 Cessna 180
4 Reims/ Cessna F406
They fly to 78 destinations in Alaska.
To provide interest for the general viewing public, the series does major on the family of the C.E.O. - whos daughter is a little potty but afterall is a teenager - aren't they all ?.
Cheers
Dave M(oly)

[Tonks]

I have to say that I enjoy it and the series in Alaska... mainly for the flying and the ac (not much of a reality show person!)... the flying certainly looks a lot more fun than flying a modern airliner from a-b!

Tonks

[Molyned]

Yes Tonks - I bet you don't slow your aircraft to touchdown speed by dipping your wheels delicately in the water.
I was a bit miffed watching the other series where they kept swapping between shots of a radial engined D.H. Beaver and Turbo Otter whilst giving the impression they were the same aircraft well,they were the same colour.
Cheers
Dave M(oly)

[DispatchDragon]

ERA has been around a long time, they used to fly CV580s, during the winter they would operate them in the lower 48 flying basketball teams around

Leif

[Chris Trott]

Yes Tonks - I bet you don't slow your aircraft to touchdown speed by dipping your wheels delicately in the water.
I was a bit miffed watching the other series where they kept swapping between shots of a radial engined D.H. Beaver and Turbo Otter whilst giving the impression they were the same aircraft well,they were the same colour.
Cheers
Dave M(oly)

Don't get Flying Wild Alaska (about Era Alaska) and Alaska Wings (or whatever it's called) mixed up. Alaska Wings is the one that gets the Beavers mixed up.

ERA has been around a long time, they used to fly CV580s, during the winter they would operate them in the lower 48 flying basketball teams around

Leif

It was a sad say when they retired them and the simulators. Last passenger CV580 operation in the US (Nolinor still has them in Canada). I think IFL got the sims. Saw and fueled the birds on a couple of occasions while in Denver flying the HS B-Ball teams.