# Flying Wild Alaska



## BeanMeScot (Apr 17, 2002)

Anyone catch this? It is about the Tweto family who own Era Alaska airlines and service the Bering Sea coastline in Alaska. Places where the neares road is 250 miles away. 

It was pretty good. The father is the COO and pilots out into the bush. The daughters and wife work the airport.


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## tripmac (Oct 4, 2004)

I did I remembered Ariel from Wipeout as well.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

I Tivo'd it and was checking in here to see how people liked it. Haven't seen it yet, but I'm kind of an "Alaska Nut" so I'm sure it's probably going to be something I enjoy. Especially if they go into the really remote areas of Alaska. Very few places on Earth are more beautiful than natural Alaska. I HAVE to go there one day... :up:


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## BeanMeScot (Apr 17, 2002)

They were talking about one community where the temp is below freezing something like 320 days a year . Personally, I don't know how people can live like that. I hate cold winters!


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## BeanMeScot (Apr 17, 2002)

tripmac said:


> I did I remembered Ariel from Wipeout as well.


She seemed very immature for 21. But also quite cute in a Valley Girl kind of way.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

BeanMeScot said:


> They were talking about one community where the temp is below freezing something like 320 days a year . Personally, I don't know how people can live like that. I hate cold winters!


Yeah I'm a California kid so 45 degrees is cold to me. I think I like LOOKING at Alaska better than I would actually like living there.


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## rahnbo (Sep 12, 2010)

I liked it even though I'm starting to burn out on Alaska shows. Flying Wild Alaska, Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Wing Men are very good too.


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## hummingbird_206 (Aug 23, 2007)

Hadn't heard of it, but sounds interesting, so set the TiVo to record.


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

We watched it. It's an interesting show. And Barry will be happy that they do go to some remote places. Like some random ridgetop in the middle of the state.

Ariel was credited as a production assistant and if you look at IMDB there is an entry for her as a boom operator on a short film. I kinda get the feeling she is the reason they have a show.


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## maharg18 (Dec 4, 2002)

I thought it was interesting.. Kind of freaky about that one lady who lives out in the middle of nowhere year round. At least she's got a respectable toilet seat now!


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## BeanMeScot (Apr 17, 2002)

maharg18 said:


> I thought it was interesting.. Kind of freaky about that one lady who lives out in the middle of nowhere year round. At least she's got a respectable toilet seat now!


The freaky part is that 9 months out of the year she can't get in or out and is completely alone.


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## Dssturbo1 (Feb 23, 2005)

She and that Kavik hunt camp seems popular. Sarah Palin's Alaska show visited there too.


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## Frylock (Feb 13, 2002)

I thought it was interesting. I loved it when the Dad said that Anchorage was just way too busy for him with their 200K plus people. I guess when you live in these tiny little towns, Anchorage must seem huge.


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

I have been to Anchorage and it deserves the name Los Anchorage. I consider a 200K plus town to be pretty large and I live in California which hosts LA, San Diego, Sacramento and some other million plus towns. 
The Alaskans also say that Anchorage is the nearest town to Alaska meaning it is not really Alaska. I think Fairbanks was large enough to be livable.


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## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

Do they think we can't tell the difference between a radial and a turbine? They kept showing them interchangeably. Get in Beaver (radial round engine) show them flying in pointed nose turbine, then landing in radial. Lazy work. But all flying is great to me.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

you see that sort of thing all the time with other reality TV shows or scripted shows/movies. But you would think they would take a little more effort for a reality show that's actually about aviation. 


(Now I need to set the TiVo for this show!)


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

BeanMeScot said:


> She seemed very immature for 21. But also quite cute in a Valley Girl kind of way.


Actually she said she was 22  but I do agree she is rather immature. But in reality, her maturity level is about the same as many 22 year olds today, unfortunately.

She is rather ditzy but I do like her. Just keep her away from any sort of aircraft positioning duties


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

jsmeeker said:


> you see that sort of thing all the time with other reality TV shows or scripted shows/movies. But you would think they would take a little more effort for a reality show that's actually about aviation.


The problem is that the people doing the actual editing may not know anything about aviation at all.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

RonDawg said:


> The problem is that the people doing the actual editing may not know anything about aviation at all.


Possibly. That, or the logistics of filming the same plane in flight that was the one they show taking off is too "hard" for them to arrange.


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

Lemmie see, I don't think you have to know anything about aviation to see that the engines are noticably different.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

sieglinde said:


> Lemmie see, I don't think you have to know anything about aviation to see that the engines are noticably different.


I don't know about you, but I'm too busy admiring the scenery to be noticing stuff like that


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

RonDawg said:


> I don't know about you, but I'm too busy admiring the scenery to be noticing stuff like that


The airplanes aren't the scenery?


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

To some, perhaps. But if I wanted to see airplanes I can go out to Van Nuys or Camarillo. Alaska is a little harder to get to


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

sieglinde said:


> Lemmie see, I don't think you have to know anything about aviation to see that the engines are noticably different.


BTW are we talking about the same episode? I rewatched "Meet the Twetos" which is the only episode I have seen so far, and admittedly while I did a lot of FFw'ding I am not seeing any sort of continuity errors, if you're saying that you don't know have to know anything about aviation to notice.


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## vertigo235 (Oct 27, 2000)

tripmac said:


> I did I remembered Ariel from Wipeout as well.


Yup I immedietly recognized Ariel "Where's the pole" Tweto, and called my wife to the room, she also recognized her too.


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## vertigo235 (Oct 27, 2000)

BTW, here is Ariel on Wipeout.


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## vertigo235 (Oct 27, 2000)

MarkofT said:


> Ariel was credited as a production assistant and if you look at IMDB there is an entry for her as a boom operator on a short film. I kinda get the feeling she is the reason they have a show.


Looks like you are right about that.


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## hummingbird_206 (Aug 23, 2007)

Dssturbo1 said:


> She and that Kavik hunt camp seems popular. Sarah Palin's Alaska show visited there too.


Yep, I remembered seeing the Kavik camp on there, too.

Interesting show. I'll be keeping the SP.


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## billboard_NE (May 18, 2005)

From the 1/21 show they made flying IFR sound so dangerous. Flying a plane is mostly boredom. Flying IFR into a major airport is routine duty for these pilots. now the landing strip for the minors that ended into a 4000 foot mountain, that was a chalenge.


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## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

billboard_NE said:


> From the 1/21 show they made flying IFR sound so dangerous. Flying a plane is mostly boredom. Flying IFR into a major airport is routine duty for these pilots. now the landing strip for the minors that ended into a 4000 foot mountain, that was a chalenge.


No flying is boring in Alaska.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

Finally got to see this show after setting up the season pass last week.

This show is GREAT!! I've only seen one episode so far, but if it's all like this, it will be a great example of the "people with dangerous jobs" reality show genre. I didn't see ANY bull crap drama between the workers and the boss. All the drama came from the actual flying. As IJLT says, flying in Alaska isn't like the lower 48. Very, very challenging conditions. They have special rules up there that allow them to do things that would normally be illegal elsewhere.

As far as the continuity issues with planes? Sure. It's there. But they have a pretty diverse fleet and are covering a lot of different operations. Kinda hard to get inside and outside shots of each specific job/mission.

Sad about the teen suicide rate up there. But the guy that owns the operations seems like he does a whole lot to help out the community.


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## Bob Coxner (Dec 1, 2004)

It's a good show. Pilots there are a different breed. Even if you're good you can easily get killed. The pilot of the plane crash where Senator Stevens was killed was an ex-commercial pilot with something like 20 years experience as an Alaskan bush pilot.

Also, FWIW, I find the owner's daughter to be really cute.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

Really loved the latest one. So sad about the Teen Suicide epidemic out there in Rural Alaska. I wonder why? Lack of a future? Drug abuse? Really sad... I had no idea. 

Either way, I LOVE this show. Really like the daughter too. She's got a very bright light, just like her Mom. Dad is a hero in my book. It's a bit scary how much everyone out there depends on him showing up for work. If anything ever happened to him, they'd all be in a world of hurt. He has truly left his mark and you can tell, he does it as much to help people as he does for the money. I will definitely continue to watch this show. :up:


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## jbernardis (Oct 22, 2003)

According to the opening credits there are actually 2 daughters - Ayla and Ariel - but I can only recall ever seeing one of them (Ariel I believe) on the show. The one I am thinking of is the one "running" the ramp. She's got A LOT of personality.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

Watched another episode today.. One where they had to haul some explosives to a remote island and fly really close to Russian airspace. But my favorite segment was flying that guy and his wife back to his cabin in the ANWR. Runway with a dog leg. Nuts.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

The pilot of the explosives run made me chuckle when he said that he thought his co-pilot seemed nervous about flying with those explosives on-board, and at the edge of Russian airspace...YOU THINK?


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

billboard_NE said:


> From the 1/21 show they made flying IFR sound so dangerous. Flying a plane is mostly boredom. Flying IFR into a major airport is routine duty for these pilots. now the landing strip for the minors that ended into a 4000 foot mountain, that was a chalenge.


You mean ..he had to *fly blind* and he had to go where air traffic control told him and *he couldn't fly where he wanted to?* (Oh no!) Dunn...duhhhnnn....duhhhn... _[Commercial break.]_


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## rahnbo (Sep 12, 2010)

RonDawg said:


> The pilot of the explosives run made me chuckle when he said that he thought his co-pilot seemed nervous about flying with those explosives on-board, and at the edge of Russian airspace...YOU THINK?


"See any MiG's?"


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## tcristy (Feb 11, 2005)

There is a good hour-long documentary on Heimo's life in ANWR available online.






It's well worth watching.


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## vertigo235 (Oct 27, 2000)

tcristy said:


> There is a good hour-long documentary on Heimo's life in ANWR available online.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing, that was indeed a good watch.


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

jsmeeker said:


> Watched another episode today.. One where they had to haul some explosives to a remote island and fly really close to Russian airspace. But my favorite segment was flying that guy and his wife back to his cabin in the ANWR. Runway with a dog leg. Nuts.


Runways with doglegs are not entirely rare where terrain dictates. They also commonly will have steep inclines.

What gets me is these folks like the Heimos and the isolated lady at the hunting stop who have no contact with the outside world for half a year or more. They could be cold dead and no one would know for years. I hope they have Personal Locator Beacons.

I wonder how they arrange to get the flights in. I guess you can have a satellite phone if you can keep the battery charged.


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## rahnbo (Sep 12, 2010)

netringer said:


> What gets me is these folks like the Heimo's and the isolated lady at the hunting stop who have no contact with the outside world for half a year or more. They could be cold dead and no one would know for years. I hope they have Personal Locator Beacons.
> 
> I wonder how they arrange to get the flights in. I guess you can have a satellite phone if you can keep the battery charged.


But, but, they have a yellow tent with a wood stove! I guess they could use their cabin as a giant smoke signal should it come to that. Actually, I would love to try that lifestyle for a while but something tells me I couldn't hack it for long. They must have some kind of satellite phone, HAM radio, or something like. Perhaps some flights are prearranged with the pilot before he/she leaves?


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## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

jsmeeker said:


> Watched another episode today.. One where they had to haul some explosives to a remote island and fly really close to Russian airspace. But my favorite segment was flying that guy and his wife back to his cabin in the ANWR. Runway with a dog leg. Nuts.


Meh, that's nothing. Check out the last entry on this page, Swope airport.

http://members.tripod.com/airfields_freeman/WV/Airfields_WV_SW.htm

Try to imagine flying a Baron off that. I know someone who landed there.

To wet your appetite, here is a picture from that site.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

netringer said:


> Runways with doglegs are not entirely rare where terrain dictates. There also will have steep inclines.
> 
> What gets me is these folks like the Heimo's and the isolated lady at the hunting stop who have no contact with the outside world for half a year or more. They could be cold dead and no one would know for years. I hope they have Personal Locator Beacons.
> 
> I wonder how they arrange to get the flights in. I guess you can have a satellite phone if you can keep the battery charged.


Yes. Especially the lady who lives ALONE. I'm a pretty brave guy, but that would spook the HELL out of me being out there by myself. 

More power to 'em (or should we say no power to 'em). I think I could do it if I had my wife there with me, but not for long... I can't even handle a power outage. We always pack up the kids and get a Hotel room.


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## DanB (Aug 14, 2001)

That episode was dedicated to one of the pilots(?) that died of cancer. Was it the co-pilot of the bomb mission or the one that had the bird strike?


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## jbernardis (Oct 22, 2003)

DanB said:


> That episode was dedicated to one of the pilots(?) that died of cancer. Was it the co-pilot of the bomb mission or the one that had the bird strike?


I think it was the explosives mission


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## rahnbo (Sep 12, 2010)

On Discovery's site it said Eric age 37 and didn't elaborate further.


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## vertigo235 (Oct 27, 2000)

netringer said:


> Runways with doglegs are not entirely rare where terrain dictates. They also commonly will have steep inclines.
> 
> What gets me is these folks like the Heimos and the isolated lady at the hunting stop who have no contact with the outside world for half a year or more. They could be cold dead and no one would know for years. I hope they have Personal Locator Beacons.
> 
> I wonder how they arrange to get the flights in. I guess you can have a satellite phone if you can keep the battery charged.


In the documentary that someone posted in this thread, they show that they actually have gas generators, as well as 2 satellite phones (he has a spare in a metal drum in case the cabin burns down). They also showed them running a laptop computer as well as a small TV with a DVD player.

I believe that he makes money by selling the furs from the animals that they trap. Given that most of their food comes from the land, I'm sure he doesn't have to make too much money to make a living and buy gas/airfare/etc.


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## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

rahnbo said:


> On Discovery's site it said Eric age 37 and didn't elaborate further.


I don't know if it is the same Eric but that was the name of the copilot.


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## vertigo235 (Oct 27, 2000)

It was definitely the co-pilot.


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## Swirl_Junkie (Mar 11, 2001)

I wonder what a satellite phone, or beacon could actually do to help them , if it was -50 below? Could a medivac or other means get them out?


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

IJustLikeTivo said:


> Meh, that's nothing. Check out the last entry on this page, Swope airport.
> 
> http://members.tripod.com/airfields_freeman/WV/Airfields_WV_SW.htm
> 
> ...


At least that one is paved and free of snow.


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

Swirl_Junkie said:


> I wonder what a satellite phone, or beacon could actually do to help them , if it was -50 below? Could a medivac or other means get them out?


People have gotten rescued by the military at the North Pole. If you can hang on long enough, something will fly in and get you out.

The newer Personal Locator Beacons will send your GPS-derived lat-long with the distress message the satellites pick up. The problem there is is the same one as with sat phones. If the battery freezes, you're toast.


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

jsmeeker said:


> At least that one is paved and free of snow.


Which brings up how the ANWR runway remains usable for their return if they aren't there to keep it clear of snow. They need a pilot with a plane with skis or tundra tires like on Jim's who will risk a landing in loose snow.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

netringer said:


> Which brings up how the ANWR runway remains usable for their return if they aren't there to keep it clear of snow. *They need a pilot with a plane with skis or tundra tires like on Jim's who will risk a landing in loose snow.*


Did I hear right that those Tires are TWO GRAND each? No wonder a lot of them use ski's...


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## vertigo235 (Oct 27, 2000)

bareyb said:


> Did I hear right that those Tires are TWO GRAND each? No wonder a lot of them use ski's...


Yeah but didn't he also say they were like 15 years old too?


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

vertigo235 said:


> Yeah but didn't he also say they were like 15 years old too?


Now that you mention it, I think he did. Considering the amount of use they get, and the environment they get it in (I can't imagine too many scenarios that would be worse) that's probably not a bad investment.


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## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

netringer said:


> People have gotten rescued by the military at the North Pole. If you can hang on long enough, something will fly in and get you out.
> 
> The newer Personal Locator Beacons will send your *GPS-derived lat-long with *the distress message the satellites pick up. The problem there is is the same one as with sat phones. If the battery freezes, you're toast.


So will a 406 Mhz ELT beacon which I'm sure they have. They have very well equipped plans. Multiple GPS units with an MFD in all planes speaks well of their investment in technology. I'm sure they also have ADS-B in the planes as well.


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

I would love to know more about the woman who runs the hunting camp and lives by herself but really couldn't find much about her except the vague mentions in the Palin reality show.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

bareyb said:


> Did I hear right that those Tires are TWO GRAND each? No wonder a lot of them use ski's...


Skis for planes won't be cheap, either. Really, anything for a plane is expensive. Way more expensive than you might think if you aren't familiar with aviation.

Speaking of his tundra tires. I too caught how old they were. I was surprised they would last that long. But then I noticed something, but wasn't sure if I really saw what I saw. I could have sworn I saw that plane take off from Unalakleet, it was on what appeared to be a grass or dirt runway. But looking at some details on the airport, I don't see anything other than paved runways.

http://www.airnav.com/airport/PAUN

Did anyone else see that or was I seeing things? It makes sense to me because if he used a paved runway a lot (he is based out of that airport) then the tires would ware out MUCH faster.


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## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

My guess is that he just uses the grass next to the runway whenever possible. It' s not like a conventional gear 180 is gonna be on the ground for very long.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

jsmeeker said:


> *Skis for planes won't be cheap, either. Really, anything for a plane is expensive. Way more expensive than you might think if you aren't familiar with aviation.
> *


I was thinking Ski's would probably last longer, but that was before I found out they were getting 15 years of use out of a pair of those Tundra tires. Now I'm thinking the tires may actually last longer. I bet those ski's get busted up fairly often.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

bareyb said:


> I was thinking Ski's would probably last longer, but that was before I found out they were getting 15 years of use out of a pair of those Tundra tires. Now I'm thinking the tires may actually last longer. I bet those ski's get busted up fairly often.


the issue with skis, I think, is that they are pretty much only useful for snow. He's operating that plane in all sorts of terrain. And it seems frequently without snow.

Of course, when it IS snow, I am guessing skis are ideal. But the tundra tire seems to be a pretty good tradeoff and gives a lot of flexibility.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

Another good episode last night. Really cool to see the places these guys land. On the sand/gravel bar in the middle of a river, touching down in the shallow water first to help slow the plane down. 

Also, my first time to see the other daughter, outside of the opening credits.


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## Bob Coxner (Dec 1, 2004)

I love the show but the sight of the Eskimo food made me gag. Speaking of "Eskimo"...I thought the politically correct term was "Inuit" but everyone keeps saying Eskimo.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

Bob Coxner said:


> I love the show but the sight of the Eskimo food made me gag. Speaking of "Eskimo"...I thought the politically correct term was "Inuit" but everyone keeps saying Eskimo.


I think Inuit is but one tribe.


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## maharg18 (Dec 4, 2002)

jsmeeker said:


> Did anyone else see that or was I seeing things? It makes sense to me because if he used a paved runway a lot (he is based out of that airport) then the tires would ware out MUCH faster.


I noticed that too... It looked like the camera crew was actually on the runway and he was taking off from the grass/gravel on the other side of the lights from the runway.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

maharg18 said:


> I noticed that too... It looked like the camera crew was actually on the runway and he was taking off from the grass/gravel on the other side of the lights from the runway.


I saw that too!


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## Bob Coxner (Dec 1, 2004)

jsmeeker said:


> I think Inuit is but one tribe.


After reading Wikipedia it appears to be more complicated:

The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada (Northwest Territories, Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, Nunavut, Nunatukavut), Denmark (Greenland), Russia (Siberia) and the United States (Alaska). Inuit means the people in the Inuktitut language. An Inuk is an Inuit person. The Inuit language is grouped under Eskimo-Aleut languages.

In Alaska, the term Eskimo is commonly used, because it includes both Yupik and Inupiat, while Inuit is not accepted as a collective term or even specifically used for Inupiat (who technically are Inuit). No universal replacement term for Eskimo, inclusive of all Inuit and Yupik people, is accepted across the geographical area inhabited by the Inuit and Yupik peoples.

In Canada and Greenland, the Natives prefer the word Inuit. As they consider "Eskimo" pejorative, it has fallen out of favour. In Canada, the Constitution Act of 1982, sections 25 and 35 recognised the Inuit as a distinctive group of Canadian aboriginals, who are neither First Nations nor Métis.

======

So, Eskimo is fine in Alaska but it's the N word across the border in Canada.


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## billboard_NE (May 18, 2005)

Bob Coxner said:


> In Canada and Greenland, the Natives prefer t
> he word Inuit. As they consider "Eskimo" *pejorative*, it has fallen out of favour.


Informative post, I was lost on one word. Thanks to Marriam-Webster:

Definition of PEJORATIVE
: a word or phrase that has negative connotations or that is intended to disparage or belittle


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

still loving this show.


Didn't realize people did the "shirt tails" thing for anything other than a TRUE first solo (i.e. a first solo as a student pilot)


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## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

jsmeeker said:


> still loving this show.
> 
> Didn't realize people did the "shirt tails" thing for anything other than a TRUE first solo (i.e. a first solo as a student pilot)


It's been years since I saw anyone do that. Besides, his explanation was incomplete. In a Tandom the CFI was in the rear and tugged the shirt tail when he needed to get the students attention. Once he soloed, he didn't need the reminders anymore so it was not needed.


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## hummingbird_206 (Aug 23, 2007)

Just finished watching the final ep of the season "Goodbye Sun". I've really enjoyed this show. Hope it comes back for a second season.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

hummingbird_206 said:


> Just finished watching the final ep of the season "Goodbye Sun". I've really enjoyed this show. Hope it comes back for a second season.


Me too

I wonder how much of their business drops off once the sun sets and stays set for a long time. A lot of what we saw was "off airport" operations. Those places aren't lit and are day time only things.


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## vertigo235 (Oct 27, 2000)

Id say most if it. 

I hope a second season happens too.


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## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

I completely agree. I really hope they come back. One of the more interesting reality shows out there.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

IJustLikeTivo said:


> I completely agree. I really hope they come back. One of the more interesting reality shows out there.


The best part of the show was 100% of the drama was with the actual work/job. There was no drama between people, and I think every single person working for Era seemed to all be good people that worked hard and did their job well and got along well.. There was ZERO bull *****.


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## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

jsmeeker said:


> The best part of the show was 100% of the drama was with the actual work/job. There was no drama between people, and I think every single person working for Era seemed to all be good people that worked hard and did their job well and got along well.. There was ZERO bull *****.


I give credit for that to the decision to edit it that way. I imagine it would be pretty easy to play up people having a bad day but I'm personally really sick of the "people behaving badly" edit style on reality TV. Most people in life learn to interact in a normal fashion even with people they don't like. Watching the exception on TV has grown old. This is much more interesting as it shows life the way we have to really ( how's that for reality TV? ) live it.

Mostly, it helps that the Tweto family all seem to be genuinely nice people.


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## Frylock (Feb 13, 2002)

My guess is that BS doesn't get accepted very long there. That's definitely a SMALL, TIGHT community, and I imagine they keep themselves in check.

The ratings seemed to be good, so I'd hope there will be a second season. It was definitely enjoyable.


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

I agree with the no BS thing. Very little homelife was shown. I liked the music and want some native Alaskan rock fusion but don't know where to buy it.


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## vertigo235 (Oct 27, 2000)

I really like everything about the show and the family. Gotta respect Jim Tweto, the guy runs the company and flys full-time.

There has to be a second season, how else will we get to see is souped up Cesna 180!


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## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

vertigo235 said:


> I really like everything about the show and the family. Gotta respect Jim Tweto,* the guy runs the company and flys full-time*.
> 
> There has to be a second season, how else will we get to see is souped up Cesna 180!


There's a guy I have to deal with in the Federal Gov who says, with a straight face, "I'm a manager, I don't do things, I review and decide." Sadly, the agency he works for is so messed up, He'll probably get promoted for doing nothing.


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## changk (Feb 20, 2002)

Not sure if the spoiler tag applies. Anyway, on the _ Goodbye Sun _ episode, did anyone else notice



Spoiler



that the producers forgot to blur out the Barrow station manager's F*** CANCER coffee cup, about 15 minutes in to the show?


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## JMikeD (Jun 10, 2002)

A second season has been announced.


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## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

JMikeD said:


> A second season has been announced.


Cool. I was just googling and found that. Can't wait.


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## Mr. Soze (Nov 2, 2002)

JMikeD said:


> A second season has been announced.


:up: I really enjoyed this series, and I have major respect for Jim.
And NFW would I eat seal flipper. :barf:


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## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

Mr. Soze said:


> :up: I really enjoyed this series, and I have major respect for Jim.
> And NFW would I eat *stink* flipper. :barf:


FYP. Sure sounds properly named. Looked nasty as heck!


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

changk said:


> Not sure if the spoiler tag applies. Anyway, on the _ Goodbye Sun _ episode, did anyone else notice
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I noticed that. made me smile.


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

I like to try exotic foods but the native food in Alaska provides too much of a challenge for me, especially stink flipper.


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## hummingbird_206 (Aug 23, 2007)

JMikeD said:


> A second season has been announced.


Yippee. Here's the link saying both Flying Wild and Gold Rush are getting second seasons.
I haven't watched Gold Rush: Alaska. Will have to give that one a try.


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## Bob Coxner (Dec 1, 2004)

If you enjoy the Alaska series you might want to try Alaska State Troopers on NatGeo. Think Cops in Alaska.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/alaska-state-troopers


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## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

hummingbird_206 said:


> Yippee. Here's the link saying both Flying Wild and Gold Rush are getting second seasons.
> I haven't watched Gold Rush: Alaska. Will have to give that one a try.


I'll be honest, I don't get Gold Rush. Mostly it seems like stupid people with no skills looking for a free fortune. 99% of the People in the Yukon gold rush got bupkis. It's hard work and it requires a lot of skills and equipment.


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## hummingbird_206 (Aug 23, 2007)

Bob Coxner said:


> If you enjoy the Alaska series you might want to try Alaska State Troopers on NatGeo. Think Cops in Alaska.
> 
> http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/alaska-state-troopers


I don't like this show at all. Too sad...poaching animals, smuggling alcohol, etc. I know this stuff happens, but I don't want to watch it for entertainment.



IJustLikeTivo said:


> I'll be honest, I don't get Gold Rush. Mostly it seems like stupid people with no skills looking for a free fortune. 99% of the People in the Yukon gold rush got bupkis. It's hard work and it requires a lot of skills and equipment.


I'm not up for a bunch of idiots being, well, idiots. But I'll give the show a look see. Might not be for me, but worth a shot.


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

Gold Rush was good also. After being burnt by TRU (should be called FALSE) TV and its reality shows, it is nice to see some realistic ones.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

Bob Coxner said:


> If you enjoy the Alaska series you might want to try Alaska State Troopers on NatGeo. Think Cops in Alaska.
> 
> http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/alaska-state-troopers


I actually enjoy that show. The scenery brings back memories of my own Alaska vacation. It also makes me better appreciate working conditions down here in the Lower 48, such as the availability of backup.


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

I am going to try Mounted Alaska. I was hoping it was about some mounted rescue patrol but instead it is about taxadermy, something I know very little about but looks like it could be interesting.


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## Jayjoans (Jan 23, 2003)

sieglinde said:


> I am going to try Mounted Alaska.


Isn't that the Sarah Palin DVD I read about a few years back?


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

sieglinde said:


> I am going to try Mounted Alaska. I was hoping it was about some mounted rescue patrol but instead it is about taxadermy, something I know very little about but looks like it could be interesting.


That sounds interesting. I'll probably give that a shot. Anything in Alaska gets a shot from me. I love to look at the scenery... From my nice warm living room.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

bareyb said:


> Anything in Alaska gets a shot from me. I love to look at the scenery... From my nice warm living room.


As pretty as Alaska looks on TV, it doesn't compare to seeing it in person.

If you go in summer, you'll still be nice and warm.


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

Been twice. I meant Mounted in Alaska (which makes the Palin joke funnier)


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

BTW for those not following, Ariel



Spoiler



successfully did her solo flight. The skies of Alaska will never be the same  

Seriously, she pulled off that crosswind landing. You can tell she was SCARED too.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

That was awesome. I really enjoyed that episode. :up:


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## Bob Coxner (Dec 1, 2004)

Great episode. That had to be terrifying for Ferno. I was surprised that Jim wasn't there for it. We also had Ponts flying into the box canyon.

Ariel has a MySpace account but she hasn't been active there for a long time. Here's her blurb from it:

About me:
I am from Unalakleet, AK but now live in good ol' california. I am going to school at chapman university but am trying to pursue a career in Hollywood!!! I love being in front of the camera, meeting people, traveling, and trying new things.I was recently on ABC's show Wipeout and hope to be on another show soon. I have 2 sisters...and 2 parents...duh!!....or i guess that isn't a dumb comment considering the world we live in today. i love being random and spontaneous and will try everything and anything atleast once. I love getting lost and not knowing where i will end up. well, that is me in a nut shell. oh yes...and i LOVE my family and friends!!! they are the best!!! oh ya, and i LOVE sports!!!!!!! especially basketball and football

Here's her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/people/Ariel-Tweto/573292259


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## ngsmith (Jan 18, 2002)

First solo flights are often sprung on the trainee by the instructor, usually because there's the idea that if the trainee doesn't have too much time to worry about being solo, they won't psych themselves out with worry. And the weather was pretty nice for a first solo, with the wind right down the runway. At least initially.

Makes me wonder why she didn't switch to the crosswind runway. Yes, it's short and narrow, but a C150 should have been able to land easily.


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

sgsmith said:


> First solo flights are often sprung on the trainee by the instructor, usually because there's the idea that if the trainee doesn't have too much time to worry about being solo, they won't psych themselves out with worry. And the weather was pretty nice for a first solo, with the wind right down the runway. At least initially.
> 
> Makes me wonder why she didn't switch to the crosswind runway. Yes, it's short and narrow, but a C150 should have been able to land easily.


 Ferno: "Is she going to land in this?" 
No, Mom, she's going to stay up until somebody goes up to get her.

Crusty said, "We haven't left anybody up there yet."

The main thought in your head when you solo - and I knew it was going to happen - is "OK, idjit, now you're free to kill yourself." and I had lots more hours at the point. (I also wasn't flying a 150.)


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

That was fun to see.. Too bad it wasn't Ponts was the one to solo her.


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## JMikeD (Jun 10, 2002)

Bob Coxner said:


> Ariel has a MySpace account but she hasn't been active there for a long time. Here's her blurb from it:
> 
> <snip>
> 
> ...


Curious that the third sister has never (to my knowledge) been directly mentioned on the show or any of the promo materials. Her sister Ayla has been mentioned a lot and has been on the show. I believe Ariel said she was the only one in the family without a pilot's license, so it's a bit curious the third sister hasn't been mentioned on the show.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

JMikeD said:


> Curious that the third sister has never (to my knowledge) been directly mentioned on the show or any of the promo materials. Her sister Ayla has been mentioned a lot and has been on the show. I believe Ariel said she was the only one in the family without a pilot's license, so it's a bit curious the third sister hasn't been mentioned on the show.


I read somewhere that the Twetos' older daughter is named Elaine and lives in Washington.

ETA: Yep. Here's her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/people/Elaine-Tweto/1324449360?sk=photos


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## vertigo235 (Oct 27, 2000)

I hope they do another season.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

vertigo235 said:


> I hope they do another season.


Me too. I like the Tweto's but part of why I like them is because they seem so real. Part of that being real probably means they think all this notoriety and the film crews are a PITA.

Anyone catch the episode where they showed a photo of a very young Ferno and Jim? Ferno was actually quite a good looking lady back in the day.

I'm always curious to see what the heck these people do when it's dark outside in the Winter. Do they just hang out in the house? The airport's closed so what do they do all day? One reason I was thinking they probably go somewhere warmer (and lighter) for the Winter.


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

bareyb said:


> Me too. I like the Tweto's but part of why I like them is because they seem so real. Part of that being real probably means they think all this notoriety and the film crews are a PITA.


We pilots hate the ignoramous narration and editing. Ariel took off on runway 5 only to call for landing on the opposite runway 33. Somehow all of the planes have turbine engines. The malfunctioning tach was blipping the stall horn. They take off in a green plane and land in a red one.

"Runway number sare based on the runway heading. Runway two-seven faces two-hundred-seventy degrees. Unakleet's runway three-three points to _thirty-three_ degrees."  No it doesn't, goofball.

This when Jim says he insisted on final edit authority. They ran that by him.



bareyb said:


> Anyone catch the episode where they showed a photo of a very young Ferno and Jim? Ferno was actually quite a good looking lady back in the day.


I thought that, too. "Aint' nothign wrong with the way I look _now_, honey."



bareyb said:


> I'm always curious to see what the heck these people do when it's dark outside in the Winter. Do they just hang out in the house? The airport's closed so what do they do all day? One reason I was thinking they probably go somewhere warmer (and lighter) for the Winter.


They stay inside a lot. There's a reason the state has a high suicide arte.

I get seasonal affective disorder in the winter without having to put up with 3 solid months of darkness.

Note the opposite where Pons said they hopped in the plane at Noon and were still flying in daylight at 10 PM. That's exhausting, too.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

sgsmith said:


> Makes me wonder why she didn't switch to the crosswind runway. Yes, it's short and narrow, but a C150 should have been able to land easily.


Considering her troubles with landing, Ariel probably felt that runway 8/26 (per Wikipedia, only 1900' long, vs. 5900' for 15/33) wouldn't be long enough for her.

I've noticed in many of the shots that there is a cemetery right next to the airport. Nice reminder what could happen if you screw things up


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

bareyb said:


> I'm always curious to see what the heck these people do when it's dark outside in the Winter.





netringer said:


> They stay inside a lot. There's a reason the state has a high suicide rate.


And extremely high alcohol abuse, especially in rural towns and villages. That's why many of them are "dry" and it's illegal to bring alcohol into them, though people still sneak them in.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

netringer said:


> The main thought in your head when you solo - and I knew it was going to happen - is "OK, idjit, now you're free to kill yourself." and I had lots more hours at the point. (I also wasn't flying a 150.)


I was VERY surprised to hear she was being allowed to solo with only 20 hours in her logbook, especially considering her difficulties in training. It's not like she was a "natural" at it.


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

RonDawg said:


> I was VERY surprised to hear she was being allowed to solo with only 20 hours in her logbook, especially considering her difficulties in training. It's not like she was a "natural" at it.


Yeah. Some of the comments were edited in afterwards, in fact they spotted that she's wearing a red shirt and likely was talking from L.A. They might have put some pressure on to have her solo as the season ender - and she may have had more hours.

As I remember you had to to pass a pre-solo written test from your CFI, on emergency procedures and such.

Being that she was just telling Dad how she just read about airspace and such there's no way she passed her pilot's written test yet...and I doubt she will in the near future. Imagine her trying to grok engine operation, flight planning, fuel consumption, and navigation by VORs and ADFs.


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## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

netringer said:


> *Us* pilots hate the ignoramous narration and editing. Ariel took off on runway 5 only to call for landing on the opposite runway 33. Somehow all of the planes have turbine engines. The malfunctioning tach was blipping the stall horn. They take off in a green plane and land in a red one.
> 
> "Runway number are based on the urnway heading. Runway two seven faces two hundred seventy degrees. Unakleets runway three three points to thirty three degrees."  No it doesn't, goofball.


WE pilots hate it. IF they passed it by Jim, I'm sure he told them 330 but they added the dubbing wrong.



RonDawg said:


> Considering her troubles with landing, Ariel probably felt that runway 8/26 (per Wikipedia, only 1900' long, vs. 5900' for 15/33) wouldn't be long enough for her.
> 
> I've noticed in many of the shots that there is a cemetery right next to the airport. Nice reminder what could happen if you screw things up


Seriously, if you can't land a 150 in 1900 feet, you shouldn't solo. I wasn't allowed to solo till I could lank on a 2000 x 25 ft runway in a 172.



netringer said:


> Yeah. Some of the comments were edited in afterwards, in fact they spotted that she's wearing a red shirt and likely was talking from L.A. They might have put soem pressure on to have her solo as the season ender - and she may have had more hours.
> 
> As I remember you had to to pass a pre-solo written test from your CFI, on emergency procedures and such.
> 
> Being that she was just telling Dad how she just read about airspace and such there's no way she passed her pilot's written test yet...and I doubt she will in the near future. Imagine her trying to grok engine operation, flight planning, fuel consumption, and navigation by VORs and ADFs.


You have to pass a "phase" check. It doesn't have to be a written test.

FWIW, I doubt she soloed at 20 hours. I think they just used that number for plot purposes. I was a better pilot that she is and I soloed at 24 hours. Could I have done so earlier sure. But I would have required perfect conditions. Same as her. FWIW, I think that she landed like anyone in her situation. You use accelerated sink and plant it. What she should have done is use less flaps, land hot and brake but she wouldn't know that.


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

Jim may have approval rights, but he might not be getting the final version. I could see him getting an early edit and vetoing certain scenes and maybe a script, but there is a good bit of change possible during the VO recording.


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## voidptr (Feb 8, 2002)

RonDawg said:


> I was VERY surprised to hear she was being allowed to solo with only 20 hours in her logbook, especially considering her difficulties in training. It's not like she was a "natural" at it.


She may not be the most natural pilot on the planet, but part of her "lack" of skills may be just as selective editing as everything else on that show to create some tension.

I solo'd in 11 and took the checkride at 42 though; I wouldn't personally call 20 hours pre-solo a shockingly short time.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

voidptr said:


> She may not be the most natural pilot on the planet, but part of her "lack" of skills may be just as selective editing as everything else on that show to create some tension.
> 
> I solo'd in 11 and took the checkride at 42 though; I wouldn't personally call 20 hours pre-solo a shockingly short time.


It could be editing. But considering her overall ditziness (earlier this season she nearly walked into the spinning propeller of the very airplane she just got out of, and my earlier comment about keeping her away from aircraft positioning duties) I don't think her difficulties were faked by the producers.


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## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

voidptr said:


> She may not be the most natural pilot on the planet, but part of her "lack" of skills may be just as selective editing as everything else on that show to create some tension.
> 
> I solo'd in 11 and took the checkride at 42 though; I wouldn't personally call 20 hours pre-solo a shockingly short time.


oooohhhh.....

Time means nothing. There is no standard syllabus. time to solo and checkride means nothing. No one is taught the same stuff. And all DEs are clearly hot the same. One in my area is called Easy A. She has notfailed an applicant in 10 years.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

are people still navigating with VORs and ADFs? 


The 152s I flew didn't even HAVE an ADF. And really, to solo and fly around in the pattern at a local airport, you don't need a VOR, either. 


I can understand why she would not have tried to land on a cross wind runway. I bet dollars to donuts she had never done it with an instructor. The "picture" of it all would have been different. Different on downwind and cross wind legs. Even a different "look" on final. I think sticking to a runway you know was the better choice in this specific situation.

Heck, it seems like they NEVER use the cross wind runway. We have seen LOTS of landing in stiff crosswind on the main runway. Landings where they came in with some serious crabbing going on. They never used the cross wind runway then.


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## vertigo235 (Oct 27, 2000)

I think ponce used it once.


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## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

I have two VOR's in my plane but the ADF was removed when it died. Not good reason to keep it. No one will use a circling approach when you have WAAS GPS in the plane.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

Do you use the NAV radio for anything other than localizer and glide slope these days? I really am totally out of what people do in 2011 in small planes. Back when I was flying, GPS for IFR was fairly new. And for my training and flying, I really didn't use the VOR much even on cross countries. When I moved up to a C-172 or Warrior, they usually had a GPS.. So, I would use those when I could.


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

jsmeeker said:


> are people still navigating with VORs and ADFs?
> 
> The 152s I flew didn't even HAVE an ADF. And really, to solo and fly around in the pattern at a local airport, you don't need a VOR, either.


What that does that have to do with the price of AvGas? The pilot written test has 3-4 questions from a list of dozen various questions on ADF nav and 3-4 more on VOR - which means ya gotta know it besides the *ANSWER IS B!*



jsmeeker said:


> I can understand why she would not have tried to land on a cross wind runway. I bet dollars to donuts she had never done it with an instructor. The "picture" of it all would have been different. Different on downwind and cross wind legs. Even a different "look" on final. I think sticking to a runway you know was the better choice in this specific situation.
> 
> Heck, it seems like they NEVER use the cross wind runway. We have seen LOTS of landing in stiff crosswind on the main runway. Landings where they came in with some serious crabbing going on. They never used the cross wind runway then.


That occurred to me, which is another sign that she wasn't ready. If the wind really had kicked up to 25 knots it's not like they could have talked her down or sent her to another airport.

I would have said I soloed on a clam clear day, but as I recall she started out with light to now winds down the runway - as far as the editing told it. Again, they took off on 5 (prolly earlier footage) but she was landing on 33.


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## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

jsmeeker said:


> Do you use the NAV radio for anything other than localizer and glide slope these days? I really am totally out of what people do in 2011 in small planes. Back when I was flying, GPS for IFR was fairly new. And for my training and flying, I really didn't use the VOR much even on cross countries. When I moved up to a C-172 or Warrior, they usually had a GPS.. So, I would use those when I could.


I always have both tuned to something near by. A useful crosscheck.

GPS is not close to infallible. When you know some of the details as I do from my work with the FAA, you know that even more to be true. I never used a GPS till I had a license, my CFI wouldn't allow it and most of the planes didn't have one. I still don't use the GPS for more than enroute since I haven't gotten around to finishing my IFR ticket.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

netringer said:


> That occurred to me, which is another sign that she wasn't ready. If the wind really had kicked up to 25 knots it's not like they could have talked her down or sent her to another airport.
> 
> I would have said I soloed on a clam clear day, but as I recall she started out with light to now winds down the runway - as far as the editing told it. Again, they took off on 5 (prolly earlier footage) but she was landing on 33.


I remember reading somewhere that mom Ferno learned to fly not in Alaska, but Everett, WA. That led me to think: as much time as Ariel spent in SoCal, and probably still does (she hates the cold), why didn't she learn to fly here, and get her basic skills mastered before flying in Alaska's challenging conditions?

Then I remembered the producers wouldn't have a story if she did that.


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## Worf (Sep 15, 2000)

VORs and ADFs are used, especially if you fly in a country called "Canada" that annoyingly separates Alaska from the lower 48. Though, honestly, people use GPS more often, but it's nice to have backups (as long as you know how to use them). And have flight instructors that like to inop the GPS for the flight (they turn it off, and slap your hand if you get close, which leads to a lot of false slaps if all you're adjusting is the audio panel).

And heck, being Canadian, it means the ADFs are almost universally tuned to the local AM station broadcasting the hockey game (fringe ADF benefit). Sometimes that's all the inflight entertainment available.


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## vertigo235 (Oct 27, 2000)

I think they also said at some point that GPS doesn't work that well up that close to the NOLE. Which sort of makes sense because you would think they would try to saturate what gps sats we have closer to the 48.


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## JMikeD (Jun 10, 2002)

vertigo235 said:


> IGPS doesn't work that well up that close to the NOLE.


And NOLE is...?


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

Im not a pilot, but I'm gonna guess North Pole?


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

vertigo235 said:


> I think they also said at some point that GPS doesn't work that well up that close to the NOLE. Which sort of makes sense because you would think they would try to saturate what gps sats we have closer to the 48.


The poles have nothing to do with GPS. It's more the number of birds that are on your horizon.

Dick Rutan showed his handheld GPS going to 0.0 when they landed at the North Pole (and the plane sank into the ice. )


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## vertigo235 (Oct 27, 2000)

netringer said:


> The poles have nothing to do with GPS. It's more the number of birds that are on your horizon.
> 
> Dick Rutan showed his handheld GPS going to 0.0 when they landed at the North Pole (and the plane sank into the ice. )


True, i thought maybe they had more satellites along the equator etc than swooping around the poles, since more people are around the equator and all.


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## vertigo235 (Oct 27, 2000)

Check this out.

http://activityworkshop.net/gps/satellites.html


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