Flying Wild Alaska

in several of the weekly episodes they speak of how much money the airline makes at each hub, Who pays for all the money that they make? Do the native American make that much to afford these prices?
 
mikea said:
I think I counted three(?) companies. Era Alaska is Jim Tweto's charter(?) There's Hageland in Anchorage, too.

My question: Jim Tweto is "COO." That means there is a separate CEO and chairman?
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Yup. To quote

"HoTH, Inc, an Alaskan corporation owned by John Hajdukovich, Mike Hageland, and James Tweto, and the parent holding company of Frontier Flying Service, Hageland Aviation Services,Arctic Circle Air Service and Era Aviation, Inc., announced today the rebranding of air carrier operations. Effective January 1, 2010, “Era Alaska” will represent the airline brand for consumers for in-state travel, with individual carriers operating under their own certificates doing business as Era Alaska."

Hajdukovich is CEO.

Hoth, Inc
5245 Airport Indus Road
Fairbanks, AK 99709-4468
 
murphey said:
Yup. To quote

"HoTH, Inc, an Alaskan corporation owned by John Hajdukovich, Mike Hageland, and James Tweto, and the parent holding company of Frontier Flying Service, Hageland Aviation Services,Arctic Circle Air Service and Era Aviation, Inc., announced today the rebranding of air carrier operations. Effective January 1, 2010, “Era Alaska” will represent the airline brand for consumers for in-state travel, with individual carriers operating under their own certificates doing business as Era Alaska."

Hajdukovich is CEO.

Hoth, Inc
5245 Airport Indus Road
Fairbanks, AK 99709-4468
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I found this interesting article (has an audio interview with their assistant chief pilot Jason Wilson):

http://oddballpilot.com/2011/02/interview-jason-wilson-era-alaska/

Article author notes: "I worked for Hageland for more than a decade, beginning in the mid ‘90s. I always liked working for Jim, Mike, and Ron (Ron Tweto was Jim’s brother and died in a plane crash in Arkansas). "

With regard to ownership, it claims:

"Era Alaska is now owned by Mike Hageland, Jim Tweto, and the Hajdukovich family."
 
Ah to be perptually happy and light hearted like that. Bet her BP is really low!:D
 
AdamZ said:
Ah to be perptually happy and light hearted like that. Bet her BP is really low!:D
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She has had low times like in this episode when she couldn't name the altimeter and realized she was way over her head, and when they had to deal with the kid's suicide.

Yeah, she'd be fun - and IMO has a good future - as a media personality but I just kept shaking my head saying she's a bubble brain. Obviously, that's not a liability in the fame business.

C'Mon. The family business her whole life has been flying and at 24 years old, after how many flights, she thought she could just get in a plane and pick it up and be awarded her certificate when she had the 35 hours? Don't want to hafta to do messy stuff like reading a book or nothing.

She does need to try business where that works.
 
I tried -- tried -- to watch this show.

Just can't do it.

:no:

Here's how I experienced the show:

  1. Cut to cinema verite camera moving around people doing ordinary stuff
  2. voice over about impending doom
  3. Cut to shot of airplane taking off or landing
  4. Cut to cinema verite camera moving around people doing ordinary stuff
  5. voice over about impending doom
  6. Flash cut of moment during airplane taking off or landing
  7. commercial
  8. commercial
  9. promo
  10. commercial
  11. commercial
  12. Flash cut of moment during airplane taking off or landing
  13. voice over about impending doom
  14. Cut to cinema verite camera moving around people doing ordinary stuff
  15. voice over about impending doom
  16. Cut to shot of airplane taking off or landing
  17. Cut to cinema verite camera moving around people doing ordinary stuff
  18. voice over about impending doom
Yeah, sorry -- just not interesting.
 
dmccormack said:
I tried -- tried -- to watch this show.

Just can't do it.

:no:

Here's how I experienced the show:

  1. Cut to cinema verite camera moving around people doing ordinary stuff
  2. voice over about impending doom
  3. Cut to shot of airplane taking off or landing
  4. Cut to cinema verite camera moving around people doing ordinary stuff
  5. voice over about impending doom
  6. Flash cut of moment during airplane taking off or landing
  7. commercial
  8. commercial
  9. promo
  10. commercial
  11. commercial
  12. Flash cut of moment during airplane taking off or landing
  13. voice over about impending doom
  14. Cut to cinema verite camera moving around people doing ordinary stuff
  15. voice over about impending doom
  16. Cut to shot of airplane taking off or landing
  17. Cut to cinema verite camera moving around people doing ordinary stuff
  18. voice over about impending doom
Yeah, sorry -- just not interesting.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much the universal "reality show" formula. Except in Ice Road Truckers where they have to dub-in a doppler-shifted air horn blast into every shot...
 
dmccormack said:
I tried -- tried -- to watch this show.

Just can't do it.

:no:

Here's how I experienced the show:

  1. Cut to cinema verite camera moving around people doing ordinary stuff
  2. voice over about impending doom
  3. Cut to shot of airplane taking off or landing
  4. Cut to cinema verite camera moving around people doing ordinary stuff
  5. voice over about impending doom
  6. Flash cut of moment during airplane taking off or landing
  7. commercial
  8. commercial
  9. promo
  10. commercial
  11. commercial
  12. Flash cut of moment during airplane taking off or landing
  13. voice over about impending doom
  14. Cut to cinema verite camera moving around people doing ordinary stuff
  15. voice over about impending doom
  16. Cut to shot of airplane taking off or landing
  17. Cut to cinema verite camera moving around people doing ordinary stuff
  18. voice over about impending doom
Yeah, sorry -- just not interesting.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but ... I highlighted the reasons why I watch the show. I can filter out the rest, even if it makes me cringe a little. Hey, where else are you going to see a bird strike as it happens?

At least it's better than Celebrity Apprentice!
 
OK...I have a dumb question for the CFIs...

When you introduce a new student to stalls, particularly one who has done no theoretical book work, do you let them handle just the rudder? That seems awfully close to an intentional spin to me.
 
Trapper John said:
That's pretty much the universal "reality show" formula. Except in Ice Road Truckers where they have to dub-in a doppler-shifted air horn blast into every shot...
Click to expand...

Yep, which explains why I have wasted a grand total of 22 minutes of my life watching "reality" shows.

I see now Coal miners have a reality show coming. What's next?

"Cube Farm!" The reality show about the tortured souls fighting for survival in a morass of carpet and computers!"
 
JeffDG said:
OK...I have a dumb question for the CFIs...

When you introduce a new student to stalls, particularly one who has done no theoretical book work, do you let them handle just the rudder? That seems awfully close to an intentional spin to me.
Click to expand...

Nope -- I demonstrate and explain, then let them "ride along once (if they have *no* clue), and then allow them to control it.

Really -- you have to work very hard to spin most trainers, and my feet are on the rudders anyway until I have some confidence in the student.
 
JeffDG said:
OK...I have a dumb question for the CFIs...

When you introduce a new student to stalls, particularly one who has done no theoretical book work, do you let them handle just the rudder? That seems awfully close to an intentional spin to me.
Click to expand...

I demonstrate one. Then demonstrate one with them feeling the control inputs. (Their feet and hands lightly on the controls) Then let them do one with me monitoring their inputs. Then they are on their own.
 
EdFred said:
I demonstrate one. Then demonstrate one with them feeling the control inputs. (Their feet and hands lightly on the controls) Then let them do one with me monitoring their inputs. Then they are on their own.
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That sounds a lot more similar to my experience...

Could have been editing, but I swear the CFI guy had her to a stall and said "You just worry about the pedals"...this after she misidentified the DG as the altimeter...

My thought was "OK, so you have someone who's just demonstrated they have not a clue, now you're going to give them the rudder while you stall the plane." Didn't sound like standard procedure to me!
 
I won't put down the instructor because it is not fair to him when they edit down a whole lesson to 90 seconds for the purpose of reality TV. (I think the promo for the episode said something like "Ariel's lesson turns disastrous"). Earlier in the lesson during takeoffs she is not using enough right rudder, so letting her concentrate on rudder alone to keep the plane straight while he pitches up is actually not a bad demonstration if it is introduced and explained right.
 
JeffDG said:
That sounds a lot more similar to my experience...

Could have been editing, but I swear the CFI guy had her to a stall and said "You just worry about the pedals"...this after she misidentified the DG as the altimeter...

My thought was "OK, so you have someone who's just demonstrated they have not a clue, now you're going to give them the rudder while you stall the plane." Didn't sound like standard procedure to me!
Click to expand...

Sounded more like the producers saying "Do this for TV"
 
Dave Theisen said:
... Earlier in the lesson during takeoffs she is not using enough right rudder, so letting her concentrate on rudder alone to keep the plane straight while he pitches up is actually not a bad demonstration if it is introduced and explained right.
Click to expand...

What worked great for me was "making a square with the nose' where you pitch up, rudder left with opposite aileron, pitch down right, up...

My point is even in Alaska they could have ordered a Jepp, FAA or Rod Machado student pilot book. I have the feeling that Ariel is not one for reading a book.
 
EdFred said:
Sounded more like the producers saying "Do this for TV"
Click to expand...

Could be... This is an entertainment show - not a "how-to" documentary. In that vein, I do like it! Too many commercials, and repeats, but can just fast forward through them. It is fun to watch - as entertainment. I'm sure we see a small portion of what is actually shot and it is out of context.

Gary
 
As far as I'm concerned, the show is 45 minutes of heaven. I like getting to experience a type of flying that I am not likely to do myself, and I like the fact that the viewing public gets reminded in every episode that small planes can be absolutely necessary for some. I don't care about the formulaic aspects. The part about minor challenges being "disastrous" is no more than a minor irritation for me.
 
mikea said:
She has had low times like in this episode when she couldn't name the altimeter and realized she was way over her head, and when they had to deal with the kid's suicide.

Yeah, she'd be fun - and IMO has a good future - as a media personality but I just kept shaking my head saying she's a bubble brain. Obviously, that's not a liability in the fame business.

C'Mon. The family business her whole life has been flying and at 24 years old, after how many flights, she thought she could just get in a plane and pick it up and be awarded her certificate when she had the 35 hours? Don't want to hafta to do messy stuff like reading a book or nothing.

She does need to try business where that works.
Click to expand...

Well it is TV who know what they edited and cut.

JeffDG said:
OK...I have a dumb question for the CFIs...

When you introduce a new student to stalls, particularly one who has done no theoretical book work, do you let them handle just the rudder? That seems awfully close to an intentional spin to me.
Click to expand...

See the editing and cutting thing above.

Dave Theisen said:
I won't put down the instructor because it is not fair to him when they edit down a whole lesson to 90 seconds for the purpose of reality TV. (I think the promo for the episode said something like "Ariel's lesson turns disastrous"). Earlier in the lesson during takeoffs she is not using enough right rudder, so letting her concentrate on rudder alone to keep the plane straight while he pitches up is actually not a bad demonstration if it is introduced and explained right.
Click to expand...

EdFred said:
Sounded more like the producers saying "Do this for TV"
Click to expand...


Exactly!
 
Trapper John said:
That's pretty much the universal "reality show" formula. Except in Ice Road Truckers where they have to dub-in a doppler-shifted air horn blast into every shot...
Click to expand...

Don't forget the several-times-per-episode CG animation of a truck crashing through the ice (that's never actually happened on the ice road out of Yellowknife, BTW...)
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Don't forget the several-times-per-episode CG animation of a truck crashing through the ice (that's never actually happened on the ice road out of Yellowknife, BTW...)
Click to expand...

I took a sick day a while back and stumbled on a marathon of episodes. Got to see such riveting things as a young lady struggling to install tire chains, a guy changing a snow-plugged air filter and someone thawing trailer brakes. Oh, and there was a guy that was having problems learning the shift pattern of the truck's transmission...real edge-of-the seat stuff, I tell ya!
 
AdamZ said:
Well it is TV who know what they edited and cut.



See the editing and cutting thing above.






Exactly!
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He is probably a pretty competent instructor from the looks of it. Dad seems to be a bit of a hard-a$$ when it comes to flying (not a bad thing) and probably wouldn't let his kid learn from a second-rate CFI. Add in the fact that he has managed to handle himself up there while not being killed due to stupidity, and that's another plus. While they edit the guy to be a bit loopy (playing up the skateboarder bit) in a plane he looks alert and smooth on the handling.

Still the editing is what drives me nuts. I find it impossible to judge the hazards in most cases. Now I'm cautious by nature, my CFI says I'm one if the most cautious trainees he's run into, but even I'm not "scared" of a 20' wide gravel strip. "it's like riding a motorcycle into..." starts one guy.

No, it's not (and I say that as a motorcycle rider and trainee) bad at all. You just need to be calm.

Ah, television, conflating something to garner ratings. I still like the show for some of the flying stuff and continue to watch it. I just hope it excites more of the public about planes than scares them. Better than Ice Pilots NWT, IMHO.
 
Trapper John said:
I took a sick day a while back and stumbled on a marathon of episodes. Got to see such riveting things as a young lady struggling to install tire chains, a guy changing a snow-plugged air filter and someone thawing trailer brakes. Oh, and there was a guy that was having problems learning the shift pattern of the truck's transmission...real edge-of-the seat stuff, I tell ya!
Click to expand...

It wasn't just the young lady struggling with the tires chains. When ol' man Alex couldn't figure out how to get the chains on before tackling the climb, the veteran coot who was his partner screamed, "#$%!! this rookie Sh*!" and ran to his truck and drove off. After a few more runs Alex got it down.

What IRT has endlessly though is slow-talking Thom Beers, "mean while fif tee miles fur thur north in Yel low Knife nnn is...." Yeah, we get it. They go north and turn around and head back south.
 
mikea said:
It wasn't just the young lady struggling with the tires chains. When ol' man Alex couldn't figure out how to get the chains on before tackling the climb, the veteran coot who was his partner screamed, "#$%!! this rookie Sh*!" and ran to his truck and drove off. After a few more runs Alex got it down.

What IRT has endlessly though is slow-talking Thom Beers, "mean while fif tee miles fur thur north in Yel low Knife nnn is...." Yeah, we get it. They go north and turn around and head back south.
Click to expand...

The worst in my opinion is Gold Rush: Alaska. Half a dozen out of work flatlanders dig a hole in the tundra. Riveting! Also, every 3 seconds I get to hear the phrase "glory hole".
 
Jack Spectre said:
The worst in my opinion is Gold Rush: Alaska. Half a dozen out of work flatlanders dig a hole in the tundra. Riveting! Also, every 3 seconds I get to hear the phrase "glory hole".
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YES! I could barely take 10 minutes of that show. They were complete idiots doing nothing fruitful.
 
I like the show and will continue to enthusiastically watch it. There are alot of boring aspects of flying, I can't blame the show for distilling it down to the exciting bits. :hairraise:
 
I tried watching it, and generally, it seems good. Unfortunately, I can't get over all the falsehoods and inaccuracies about aviation in that show.

"Smooth throttle control on takeoff comes with experience"? Really? Isn't that one of the easiest thing about flying a plane?

"The Caravan requires a lot of additional _navigation_ instruments because it's a heavier plane"? Huh? That doesn't even make sense.

"The control tower has denied x's request to descend"? Oh no. IT'S NOT A CONTROL TOWER! I get really mad when they perpetuate myths that are so common amongst the general public.

"In order to fly legally, pilots need at least a 500' ceiling....". Better not tell that to the 100s of pilots flying through IMC every day!

And it goes on. Every minute or so. Ugh....is it really that hard to at least pretend that you've made the effort to learn something about the subject?
 
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dmccormack said:
I tried -- tried -- to watch this show.

Just can't do it.

:no:

Here's how I experienced the show:

  1. Cut to cinema verite camera moving around people doing ordinary stuff
  2. voice over about impending doom
  3. Cut to shot of airplane taking off or landing
  4. Cut to cinema verite camera moving around people doing ordinary stuff
  5. voice over about impending doom
  6. Flash cut of moment during airplane taking off or landing
  7. commercial
  8. commercial
  9. promo
  10. commercial
  11. commercial
  12. Flash cut of moment during airplane taking off or landing
  13. voice over about impending doom
  14. Cut to cinema verite camera moving around people doing ordinary stuff
  15. voice over about impending doom
  16. Cut to shot of airplane taking off or landing
  17. Cut to cinema verite camera moving around people doing ordinary stuff
  18. voice over about impending doom
Yeah, sorry -- just not interesting.
Click to expand...


Ever heard of DVR or TiVo? I absolutely refuse to watch a show live anymore from any network but this one is the worst. If you fast forward through the commercials and the first couple of minutes when the show returns (because it's all repeat stuff) then you can watch an episode in about 35 minutes. I watched the first one and was intrigued enough to record the rest. I put this on when my wife's out for the evening and she's been out a lot this week.

There's a lot of crappola for sure but the dangers of flying there I believe. I've only spent a week flying there but it was time spent on some revenue flights as well as float training in some pretty remote country. The word frontier kept coming to mind. The show I wish I had skipped was the one on the explosives and the russian airspace drama. Stupid melodrama. But the rest on authentic back country, off airport operations is pretty cool.
 
Regarding "reality shows" in general. Once the cameras are turned on, reality goes out the window. People change how they act and what they say when they know they are being filmed. Its just human nature. I don't watch any of them.
 
PittsDriver said:
Ever heard of DVR or TiVo? I absolutely refuse to watch a show live anymore from any network but this one is the worst. If you fast forward through the commercials and the first couple of minutes when the show returns (because it's all repeat stuff) then you can watch an episode in about 35 minutes.
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Yeah I just get my episodes off the Internet. Someone has already cut out the commercials, I can start, stop, pause, or fast forward the show and watch it at my convenience. :cornut:
 
sba55 said:
I tried watching it, and generally, it seems good. Unfortunately, I can't get over all the falsehoods and inaccuracies about aviation in that show.

"Smooth throttle control on takeoff comes with experience"? Really? Isn't that one of the easiest thing about flying a plane?

"The Caravan requires a lot of additional _navigation_ instruments because it's a heavier plane"? Huh? That doesn't even make sense.

"The control tower has denied x's request to descend"? Oh no. IT'S NOT A CONTROL TOWER! I get really mad when they perpetuate myths that are so common amongst the general public.

"In order to fly legally, pilots need at least a 500' ceiling....". Better not tell that to the 100s of pilots flying through IMC every day!

And it goes on. Every minute or so. Ugh....is it really that hard to at least pretend that you've made the effort to learn something about the subject?
Click to expand...
As I posted the other Alaska show did "He'll have to fly blind!" What pilot has even heard words like that? It went away with "Coming in for a landing!"
 
PittsDriver said:
Ever heard of DVR or TiVo? I absolutely refuse to watch a show live anymore from any network but this one is the worst. If you fast forward through the commercials and the first couple of minutes when the show returns (because it's all repeat stuff) then you can watch an episode in about 35 minutes. I watched the first one and was intrigued enough to record the rest. I put this on when my wife's out for the evening and she's been out a lot this week.

There's a lot of crappola for sure but the dangers of flying there I believe. I've only spent a week flying there but it was time spent on some revenue flights as well as float training in some pretty remote country. The word frontier kept coming to mind. The show I wish I had skipped was the one on the explosives and the russian airspace drama. Stupid melodrama. But the rest on authentic back country, off airport operations is pretty cool.
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I know, but there was probably 8 minutes of value -- simply not worth the effort, IMHO.

:dunno:
 
Well, I'd say the glass is half-empty for you guys, but for some of you it sounds like it's 7/8 empty or 9/10 empty!
 
I still like the show - it's the closest thing to showing 'real' aviation that I've personally seen on TV before. They have to dumb it down a bit to keep the general public interested - how many non-aviation people would be willing to sit through the voice-over guy saying "He's flying into a fog bank which isn't a big deal. He'll have to get a pop-up IFR clearance. He's flying a plane with a WAAS enabled GPS, so he'll be able to shoot the approach down to 2-400' AGL, where he will land without incident."

What's funny is when Jim is out doing his off-airport landings and they are trying to shed doom and gloom on it and trying to convince you that nobody has ever attempted anything like this before, yet there is a camerman on the ground videoing the whole thing, so someone (possibly Jim) has already landed to get the camera there. I keep waiting for editing to miss a shot of a helicopter parked in the background.

As far as Gold Rush... Wow, what a waste of time.. But it's like watching a train wreck - you know it's gonna be nasty, but you can't help but watch it just to see how bad it really is. I was bored enough to sit through the first two episodes and my wife said "I can't believe you're watching this!" By the end of the season, she was watching it beside me saying - "They're so stupid, I can't help but watch to see how the screw up THIS time!"
 
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CJones said:
What's funny is when Jim is out doing his off-airport landings and they are trying to shed doom and gloom on it and trying to convince you that nobody has ever attempted anything like this before, yet there is a camerman on the ground videoing the whole thing, so someone (possibly Jim) has already landed to get the camera there. I keep waiting for editing to miss a shot of a helicopter parked in the background.
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I thought about that myself. Amazing that those hikers/hunters/gold miners/fishermen have such amazing cameras on them while in the bush.
 
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