Anchorage Flotplane Excursion - Help

[Lawingnutz]

My vision and desire while in Alaska is to board a float plane, fly off to some remote lake, land and dock at pier. Get off the plane, walk along the pier to a bar/restaurant overlooking the lake. Have a few drinks, take in the scenery and then get back on the plane for more scenic viewing. Land back at the starting point. Sounds interesting, doesn't it?? :D:D:D

 

Now, I need your help on who or where to do this. I would love to do this on a free day in Anchorage. Suggestions??? Sure hope I don't have to take out a second.:rolleyes:....oh, I mean third:mad: The second was for the cruisetour itself.;)...

[Budget Queen]

There are plenty of floatplane options out of Anchorage. Look at Rust's tours, and listings http://www.anchorage.net

[georoc01]

I was looking at rusts tours as a potential plane tour to view Denali while we are in Anchorage (only have one day, so can't really drive up).

 

Has anyone used them?

 

Also found an option through Alaska Denali tours

[greatam]

My vision and desire while in Alaska is to board a float plane, fly off to some remote lake, land and dock at pier. Get off the plane, walk along the pier to a bar/restaurant overlooking the lake. Have a few drinks, take in the scenery and then get back on the plane for more scenic viewing. Land back at the starting point. Sounds interesting, doesn't it?? :D:D:D

 

Now, I need your help on who or where to do this. I would love to do this on a free day in Anchorage. Suggestions??? Sure hope I don't have to take out a second.:rolleyes:....oh, I mean third:mad: The second was for the cruisetour itself.;)...

 

You could probably just go to Lake Hood and find someone to take you. Largest float plane base in the USA. LOTS of people around all the time in the summer.

 

You can certainly do this in Homer Alaska. Go to the Lake, find someone, pay them for fuel and time and they will fly you most anyplace. A trip to Halibut Cove or Seldovia provides the "few drinks with scenic viewing".

[AkSusan]

I was looking at rusts tours as a potential plane tour to view Denali while we are in Anchorage (only have one day, so can't really drive up).

 

Has anyone used them?

 

Also found an option through Alaska Denali tours

I've done Trail Ridge Air and a coworker has done Rust. Boy give a great trip.

 

Our trip was you took off from Lake Hood, we lucked out and it was an absolute beautiful day, blue skies all the way, flew up to McKinley, saw the Mountain (it was actually so clear you could see some of the climbers), left there landed at a lake (no facilities, just got out and stretched our legs), back onto the plane and home.

 

Susan in Anchorage :)

[Lawingnutz]

You could probably just go to Lake Hood and find someone to take you. Largest float plane base in the USA. LOTS of people around all the time in the summer.

 

You can certainly do this in Homer Alaska. Go to the Lake, find someone, pay them for fuel and time and they will fly you most anyplace. A trip to Halibut Cove or Seldovia provides the "few drinks with scenic viewing".

 

 

What would you think is a fair price...per hour?

[mytime53]

You could probably just go to Lake Hood and find someone to take you. Largest float plane base in the USA. LOTS of people around all the time in the summer.

 

You can certainly do this in Homer Alaska. Go to the Lake, find someone, pay them for fuel and time and they will fly you most anyplace. A trip to Halibut Cove or Seldovia provides the "few drinks with scenic viewing".

 

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding this post...are you recommending someone go with a pilot that doesn't hold a license for (can't think of the correct terminology right now, but you get the idea) carrying paying passengers? I come from a family of private pilots, and you would NEVER go up with someone you don't know well or have reason to believe has a LOT of experience, unless it was some kind of emergency situation and you had no choice.

Book with and pay a regular flight taxi service.

Rust's and Ketchum are 2 I can think of off the top of my head out of Anchorage...they could maybe take you to Lake Creek, where you could actually get a drink at a lodge. They aren't going to sit around waiting for you, though...it would be a drop off, and return to pick you up...expensive, unless they let you get a reduced fee for filling a backhaul both ways.

[redhummer96]

No clue what rates are in Alasaka, but I am currently working on my private pilot. Around here (central North Carolina area) you pay around $150 ish an hour for the plane and flight instructor (this is for a small 2 seater with a fairly decent gph rating). I am sure that you should expect to pay more for the sight seeing tour. I would think you would be in the $250 range.

[greatam]

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding this post...are you recommending someone go with a pilot that doesn't hold a license for (can't think of the correct terminology right now, but you get the idea) carrying paying passengers? I come from a family of private pilots, and you would NEVER go up with someone you don't know well or have reason to believe has a LOT of experience, unless it was some kind of emergency situation and you had no choice.

.

 

Guess I should have made myself clearer. As you well know, there are all kinds of instructors and air transport companies out of Hood that MAY take someone out for the day OR are actually going someplace fun (to deliver something) and they would take you for a passenger. Air transport companies are US DOT licensed as common carriers. A lot of those people/companies don't advertise for tourists. They haul freight and sometimes tourists/photographers, but often geologists and surveyors for the pipeline and other Alaska industries.

 

This is EXACTLY how I got to ANWR out of Prudhoe and a couple of times down the Katmai Coast.

 

Went to Lake Hood and asked around. Went to different places asking questions, talked to pilots and others. Alaska Air Taxi, JIM Air, Bell Aviation, Tubac Air, Ingram's-just to name a few. None have a high presence on the tourist web sites.

 

Rust's would be easy and a very competent operation. But as you said, they probably won't wait for you unless you pay for the time.

 

Figure about $200 per hour average.

[bottom-dragger]

No clue what rates are in Alasaka....... . I would think you would be in the $250 range.

 

just checked my vendor rates:

 

cessna 185 (3 passengers) $430-450 per hour

dh beaver (6 passengers) $625-730 per hour

 

standby time is typically one third.

 

these are rates to state govt.

http://www.state.ak.us/admin/dgs/cam/pdf/12Passenger%20Charter%20Rates.pdf

where cessna 185 is $400/hour

 

 

but my company and the state also have minimum requirements on how many hours in alaska they have flown.

[Lawingnutz]

Thanks to all....I just looked at Rust's website and they charge $275/person for a 2.25 hours along with a lakeside landing on Lake George.

 

Sounds like fun.