Across Alaska’s rugged, diverse and sparsely populated terrain, one sound can be heard almost anywhere: the distant drone of an aircraft. Only 20% of the state is accessible by road, and dozens of its remote settlements, predominantly Alaska Native communities, rely on aircraft for essential services including mail and groceries, medical care and emergency transport.
Since the first mail-delivery plane took off in 1924, small aircraft – capable of landing on short runways or on natural features like tundra, beaches, water or snow – have played a critical role in Alaska’s development. Today, flying is part of Alaska’s culture: one in every 78 Alaskans is a pilot, six times more pilots per capita than anywhere else in the United States.
