Night Flying in Alaska

I have seen the Northern Lights a few times, but not bright enough to actually capture them on film. They are like a living wave of color and energy. However, the one thing I have been able to get on film is the longest lasting sunsets. When we reach an altitude of 2500 feet and it is a clear night, we get these sunsets that last FOREVER. I wanted to share the pictures that I got the other night on flight. If you look, you can notice that there is a star in the upper left hand corner of the picture. This lasted the entire 2 hours that we were in the air!

Flying Low in Alaska

This last week I had a most incredible experience! One of our pilots was on a mission to find some Musk Ox so asked if it was ok if we could take a bit longer to get to one of the villages. Never having been through this experience, I didn't realize what he was asking. When you are at a lower altitude when flying, your air speed has to be slower. It makes sense when you think about it, but I had not really ever thought about it. You see all these wild pilots flying low over hills in movies and then popping up over the edges of cliffs and hills....
That is exactly what we got to do! What a rush! The views were spectacular and the feelings were hard to describe! At moments it felt as though we were barely skimming across the earth and at other moments, it was like we were going to crash into it! I was never scared, I completely trust my pilots! It was truly an experience to remember.
Oh, and another thing I found out this week is that flying with pilots you know, is somehow so much more comforting than flying commercial jets with pilots I have never met. That was something I had never considered before. The pilots who I fly with know me and I certainly have more and more faith in their skill each time they safely bring me into very rocky landings. At times I have felt like a little cork in a blender and yet my pilots always manage to get us safely down and even comfortably so! Alaska bush pilots are truly an elite class!
Here are a few of the pictures we got flying at about 300 feet. Pretty amazing shots!

The changing of the season

Mostly just blogging this week to add this picture. Isn't it incredible!

The moon is just so neat right now! Remember my fascination with the sun 's movement? Now the moon has my undivided attention! It is staying at about the same height in the sky but rotating around through the day in an amazing orbit! It is probably because it is full right now that it is so noticeable. This picture was take out next to our hanger. It is around midnight when this picture was taken.