WEBVTT 1 00:00:04.938 --> 00:00:08.742 - [Narrator] This is the team of Tanalian Aviation. 2 00:00:08.742 --> 00:00:11.311 Every day they risk everything. 3 00:00:13.246 --> 00:00:16.750 Alaska's treacherous terrain and wicked weather 4 00:00:16.750 --> 00:00:20.920 make this the world's most dangerous place to fly. 5 00:00:27.727 --> 00:00:31.898 These are the tales of Alaska's Ultimate Bush Pilots. 6 00:00:37.470 --> 00:00:38.838 - It's not until you fly 7 00:00:38.838 --> 00:00:41.775 and go places that you can't access by road, 8 00:00:41.775 --> 00:00:43.810 then you see Alaska. 9 00:00:43.810 --> 00:00:47.247 - Being a bush pilot is hours and hours of boredom 10 00:00:47.247 --> 00:00:49.349 broken by seconds of sheer terror. 11 00:00:49.349 --> 00:00:51.651 - Man, there's drama in doing this. 12 00:00:51.651 --> 00:00:55.088 There's a lot of stuff that happens, a lot of tragedies, 13 00:00:55.088 --> 00:00:58.858 but when you land on a mountain out there, 14 00:00:58.858 --> 00:01:00.326 and you get out of the helicopter 15 00:01:00.326 --> 00:01:04.297 and look at what is in front of us, it's amazing. 16 00:01:09.202 --> 00:01:11.638 (rock music) 17 00:01:13.606 --> 00:01:15.542 - You got the fuel valve on? 18 00:01:15.542 --> 00:01:17.077 - No. 19 00:01:17.077 --> 00:01:19.813 - [Narrator] Tanalian Aviation is a new breed of bush pilot, 20 00:01:19.813 --> 00:01:21.981 flying helicopter charters and tours 21 00:01:21.981 --> 00:01:24.084 out of Anchorage, Alaska. 22 00:01:24.084 --> 00:01:26.753 - The forecast is gusts between 30 and 40. 23 00:01:26.753 --> 00:01:27.887 - [Narrator] Owner, Joel Natwick, 24 00:01:27.887 --> 00:01:30.223 started the company in 1992. 25 00:01:31.424 --> 00:01:33.726 - [Joel] We go all over the state. 26 00:01:33.726 --> 00:01:37.897 - [Narrator] Their fleet consists of three R44 helicopters. 27 00:01:38.965 --> 00:01:39.799 An R22. 28 00:01:41.835 --> 00:01:46.005 A Bell 206 JetRanger, and a Piper Super Cub Fixed-Wing. 29 00:01:49.342 --> 00:01:51.611 (phone ring) 30 00:01:51.611 --> 00:01:55.248 - Tanalian Aviation, this is Kerri; how may I help you? 31 00:01:55.248 --> 00:01:56.382 - [Narrator] With five pilots 32 00:01:56.382 --> 00:01:58.651 and countless dangerous jobs weekly, 33 00:01:58.651 --> 00:02:02.555 manager, Kerri Erwin, keeps operations running safely. 34 00:02:02.555 --> 00:02:03.823 - I get to do everything 35 00:02:03.823 --> 00:02:05.725 in the office that needs to be done. 36 00:02:05.725 --> 00:02:09.195 Scheduling, coordinating our flights with our pilots, 37 00:02:09.195 --> 00:02:11.498 checking weather, the routes they're going to go, 38 00:02:11.498 --> 00:02:15.368 and really help take this business to the next level. 39 00:02:15.368 --> 00:02:19.672 When are you looking to do an ice climbing adventure? 40 00:02:19.672 --> 00:02:21.808 So I just got a call from three ice climbers. 41 00:02:21.808 --> 00:02:23.877 They wanna go out to Knik glacier. 42 00:02:23.877 --> 00:02:25.245 I'm gonna set them up with Josaih 43 00:02:25.245 --> 00:02:27.280 because he is the perfect pilot 44 00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:28.681 to take them out ice climbing 45 00:02:28.681 --> 00:02:31.751 because he's an avid ice climber and outdoorsman himself. 46 00:02:31.751 --> 00:02:32.619 - Hey, guys! 47 00:02:32.619 --> 00:02:33.920 - Hey, how's it going? 48 00:02:33.920 --> 00:02:34.787 - Ready to go ice climbing? 49 00:02:34.787 --> 00:02:35.622 - Yeah. 50 00:02:35.622 --> 00:02:36.723 - Alright. 51 00:02:36.723 --> 00:02:38.324 Five. - Yeah! 52 00:02:38.324 --> 00:02:40.193 - [Narrator] Originating in the Italian Alps, 53 00:02:40.193 --> 00:02:42.328 the sport is similar to rock climbing, 54 00:02:42.328 --> 00:02:44.564 but ice axes and crampons are used 55 00:02:44.564 --> 00:02:47.367 to ascend the frozen surface. 56 00:02:47.367 --> 00:02:48.902 - So it's your first time in a helicopter? 57 00:02:48.902 --> 00:02:50.203 - Yeah, super excited. 58 00:02:50.203 --> 00:02:51.771 - Oh, it's gonna be the best. 59 00:02:51.771 --> 00:02:52.605 - [Passenger] Cool. 60 00:02:52.605 --> 00:02:53.540 - What could go wrong? 61 00:02:53.540 --> 00:02:55.241 - Yeah, well, hopefully nothing. 62 00:02:55.241 --> 00:02:56.376 (laughter) 63 00:02:56.376 --> 00:02:57.277 - Let's go! 64 00:02:59.546 --> 00:03:00.413 Okay, everybody ready? 65 00:03:00.413 --> 00:03:01.247 - Yeah. 66 00:03:01.247 --> 00:03:02.682 - Let's go flying. 67 00:03:02.682 --> 00:03:04.417 - [Passenger] Awesome, awesome. 68 00:03:04.417 --> 00:03:06.920 - [Narrator] The group is flying to the Knik glacier, 69 00:03:06.920 --> 00:03:08.688 about 50 miles east of Anchorage, 70 00:03:08.688 --> 00:03:11.591 on the northern end of the Chugach mountains. 71 00:03:11.591 --> 00:03:13.893 - [Josiah] Ah, that's a great valley up there. 72 00:03:13.893 --> 00:03:15.828 - [Passenger] Oh, yeah! 73 00:03:19.532 --> 00:03:20.533 - [Josiah] Flying around up here, 74 00:03:20.533 --> 00:03:22.802 it's just, it's incredible. 75 00:03:23.870 --> 00:03:26.639 The wilderness is so big here, 76 00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:28.675 and the beauty and a lot of times 77 00:03:28.675 --> 00:03:31.044 I'm kinda in church up here. 78 00:03:31.044 --> 00:03:31.978 - [Passenger] Yup. 79 00:03:31.978 --> 00:03:32.912 - [Josiah] We're in Alaska. 80 00:03:32.912 --> 00:03:35.782 This is dangerous, it's scary, 81 00:03:35.782 --> 00:03:37.250 but we get to go to some 82 00:03:37.250 --> 00:03:40.186 of the most amazing places on Earth. 83 00:03:46.759 --> 00:03:48.628 - [Worker] Let me get a couple wrenches. 84 00:03:48.628 --> 00:03:51.698 - [Narrator] Back at the hangar, chief pilot, Mark Barker, 85 00:03:51.698 --> 00:03:53.433 is performing routine maintenance 86 00:03:53.433 --> 00:03:56.402 on one of Tanalian's helicopters. 87 00:03:56.402 --> 00:03:59.105 - This is a 2,200-hour overhaul, 88 00:03:59.105 --> 00:04:02.008 so we're making sure all the wiring's good. 89 00:04:02.008 --> 00:04:04.978 We just have ended up putting in the transmission, 90 00:04:04.978 --> 00:04:06.446 the main rotor gearbox. 91 00:04:06.446 --> 00:04:09.682 The big thing we're waiting for now is the engine. 92 00:04:09.682 --> 00:04:10.984 When we do these overhauls, 93 00:04:10.984 --> 00:04:13.886 we sorta do them in a component fashion, 94 00:04:13.886 --> 00:04:16.356 and then bring the whole component in. 95 00:04:16.356 --> 00:04:17.824 I know it looks like it's all apart, 96 00:04:17.824 --> 00:04:21.828 but it's actually pretty close to being done. 97 00:04:21.828 --> 00:04:23.796 - [Narrator] The overhaul means the helicopter 98 00:04:23.796 --> 00:04:27.967 is completely disassembled, inspected, and reassembled. 99 00:04:29.435 --> 00:04:31.471 It can take months. 100 00:04:31.471 --> 00:04:32.739 - Proper maintenance on these things 101 00:04:32.739 --> 00:04:36.476 could be the difference between life and death. 102 00:04:36.476 --> 00:04:39.979 - [Narrator] A reality Mark knows all too well. 103 00:04:39.979 --> 00:04:41.648 - If you fly in Alaska any time at all, 104 00:04:41.648 --> 00:04:43.049 you're gonna have close calls 105 00:04:43.049 --> 00:04:46.653 whether it's a mechanical issue or whatever. 106 00:04:46.653 --> 00:04:50.757 My buddy, John Eshelman, he was a high-time pilot. 107 00:04:50.757 --> 00:04:54.193 So they have this big cargo airplane, C-123, 108 00:04:54.193 --> 00:04:56.929 kind of a Vietnam-era airplane, 109 00:04:56.929 --> 00:04:59.532 and he's flying to Fairbanks. 110 00:04:59.532 --> 00:05:01.567 When you fly from here to Fairbanks, 111 00:05:01.567 --> 00:05:03.336 there's about a 10-minute period 112 00:05:03.336 --> 00:05:06.039 that there's just nowhere to land. 113 00:05:06.039 --> 00:05:07.840 River's at the bottom of a valley, 114 00:05:07.840 --> 00:05:10.043 and the highway hangs on the side of the valley. 115 00:05:10.043 --> 00:05:12.679 There's just nowhere to go, 116 00:05:12.679 --> 00:05:16.582 and we really don't know to this day what happened. 117 00:05:16.582 --> 00:05:19.052 It appears either one engine went bad, 118 00:05:19.052 --> 00:05:23.523 or one engine failed, a propelor failed or something, 119 00:05:23.523 --> 00:05:27.694 and they ended up crashing right in Denali National Park. 120 00:05:31.097 --> 00:05:32.031 - [Narrator] Alaksa averages 121 00:05:32.031 --> 00:05:34.734 100 aircraft accidents annually, 122 00:05:34.734 --> 00:05:37.770 more than any state in the US. 123 00:05:37.770 --> 00:05:39.839 - A lot of the accidents could have been prevented 124 00:05:39.839 --> 00:05:43.810 if people would have done more maintenance 125 00:05:43.810 --> 00:05:45.945 because if something happens, 126 00:05:45.945 --> 00:05:48.548 yeah, it could be catastrophic. 127 00:05:51.751 --> 00:05:52.985 - [Narrator] A big reason 128 00:05:52.985 --> 00:05:56.422 for Alaska's many plane crashes, the weather, 129 00:05:56.422 --> 00:05:57.857 - [Josiah] It's a little windy. 130 00:05:57.857 --> 00:05:59.659 - [Narrator] which Josiah and his crew 131 00:05:59.659 --> 00:06:02.829 of ice climbers are experiencing right now. 132 00:06:02.829 --> 00:06:03.963 - [Radio Operator] Keep it down, 133 00:06:03.963 --> 00:06:05.098 that's for turbulence here locally. 134 00:06:05.098 --> 00:06:06.232 - [Josiah] Okay, thank you. 135 00:06:06.232 --> 00:06:07.700 - [Passenger] What's that? 136 00:06:07.700 --> 00:06:09.502 - So normally, when we head out to Knik glacier, 137 00:06:09.502 --> 00:06:11.371 we'll start climbing right away 138 00:06:11.371 --> 00:06:13.239 and go up and over the mountain, 139 00:06:13.239 --> 00:06:16.309 but today we got high winds 140 00:06:16.309 --> 00:06:17.877 and some cloud cover up in the mountains, 141 00:06:17.877 --> 00:06:21.481 so we kinda have to go around a little bit. 142 00:06:23.583 --> 00:06:25.451 - [Narrator] Flight plans are frequently changed 143 00:06:25.451 --> 00:06:27.587 due to threatening weather. 144 00:06:27.587 --> 00:06:31.958 A seemingly safe route one minute can quickly turn lethal. 145 00:06:31.958 --> 00:06:33.793 - [Josiah] This is usually the worst spot. 146 00:06:33.793 --> 00:06:37.029 It is more dangerous to fly in Alaska than other places. 147 00:06:37.029 --> 00:06:38.731 It's the unknowns, it's the weather 148 00:06:38.731 --> 00:06:40.600 and the wind and the mountains 149 00:06:40.600 --> 00:06:44.470 and all the things you encounter that you can't predict. 150 00:06:44.470 --> 00:06:46.472 We'll get a few bumps here crossing this ridge line, 151 00:06:46.472 --> 00:06:48.608 and then we'll drop down out of the wind. 152 00:06:48.608 --> 00:06:49.942 It's just nasty. 153 00:06:57.617 --> 00:06:59.419 - Alaska is not a tame lion. 154 00:06:59.419 --> 00:07:03.356 Beautiful, majestic, but not to be messed with, 155 00:07:04.524 --> 00:07:07.026 so we fly with the right mixture 156 00:07:07.026 --> 00:07:10.630 of let's get the job done, but with caution. 157 00:07:17.170 --> 00:07:18.104 - [Narrator] While taking a group 158 00:07:18.104 --> 00:07:20.706 to ice climb on Knik glacier, 159 00:07:20.706 --> 00:07:23.142 - [Josiah] I'm gonna approach into the wind here. 160 00:07:23.142 --> 00:07:25.111 - [Narrator] Josiah runs into high winds 161 00:07:25.111 --> 00:07:27.013 and extreme turbulence. 162 00:07:28.448 --> 00:07:30.349 - [Josiah] It's pretty windy out here today, pretty bumpy, 163 00:07:30.349 --> 00:07:32.618 so I'll just take it nice and easy. 164 00:07:32.618 --> 00:07:35.288 I think being a bush pilot in Alaska 165 00:07:35.288 --> 00:07:37.657 kinda covers a lot of areas. 166 00:07:37.657 --> 00:07:39.559 It's everything you have to deal with. 167 00:07:39.559 --> 00:07:42.762 The weather, the mountain flying, the wind, 168 00:07:42.762 --> 00:07:46.532 so flying in Alaska brings unique challenges. 169 00:07:48.067 --> 00:07:49.936 Actually it looks a little better here. 170 00:07:49.936 --> 00:07:52.772 Let's go see if we can check out if it's good or not. 171 00:07:52.772 --> 00:07:53.840 - [Passenger] Alright. 172 00:07:53.840 --> 00:07:55.274 - The glacier's always changing, 173 00:07:55.274 --> 00:07:58.511 so we don't have a specific spot we always go to. 174 00:07:58.511 --> 00:08:01.013 Sometimes you'll see a spot that looks good from up high, 175 00:08:01.013 --> 00:08:02.281 and you'll get down low, 176 00:08:02.281 --> 00:08:04.417 and it's not as good as it looked from up high. 177 00:08:04.417 --> 00:08:05.918 - [Passenger] Hey, there's some ice. 178 00:08:05.918 --> 00:08:07.119 - Yeah, I don't know, guys, 179 00:08:07.119 --> 00:08:09.455 I don't think I wanna land on this ice. 180 00:08:09.455 --> 00:08:10.957 I don't trust it. 181 00:08:10.957 --> 00:08:14.193 It's just been so warm, and the ice could be rock 182 00:08:14.193 --> 00:08:18.831 We just don't know, so we're not going to land on it today. 183 00:08:18.831 --> 00:08:20.299 If you land on a glacier in the wrong spot, 184 00:08:20.299 --> 00:08:22.535 it can be a million-dollar mistake. 185 00:08:22.535 --> 00:08:23.736 The worst thing that could happen 186 00:08:23.736 --> 00:08:25.304 is you land on the ice and break through 187 00:08:25.304 --> 00:08:27.073 and go in the water. 188 00:08:27.073 --> 00:08:28.274 Actually, let's turn up here 189 00:08:28.274 --> 00:08:29.709 and check out Hunter's Creek real quick. 190 00:08:29.709 --> 00:08:31.143 - [Passenger] Oh, there's some ice back there. 191 00:08:31.143 --> 00:08:32.945 - [Josiah] Yeah, look at that. 192 00:08:32.945 --> 00:08:34.413 - [Passenger] Could you land on that type 193 00:08:34.413 --> 00:08:35.882 of shrubbery stuff there? 194 00:08:35.882 --> 00:08:38.284 - [Josiah] No, I'm looking for a spot right now. 195 00:08:38.284 --> 00:08:41.153 Apparently there's a place on top of this thing to land. 196 00:08:41.153 --> 00:08:42.555 Oh, look at this. 197 00:08:42.555 --> 00:08:45.458 Okay, guys, I think I got a good spot here. 198 00:08:45.458 --> 00:08:48.394 Nice and level, looks like some good climbing here, guys. 199 00:08:48.394 --> 00:08:49.962 - [Passenger] Yeah. 200 00:08:54.367 --> 00:08:57.403 - [Josiah] The glacier in the winter can be pretty tricky. 201 00:08:57.403 --> 00:09:02.074 The snow will mask the crevasses and holes on the glacier, 202 00:09:02.074 --> 00:09:03.309 and you could end up falling 203 00:09:03.309 --> 00:09:06.479 right through the snow into a crevasse. 204 00:09:08.114 --> 00:09:11.017 - [Narrator] Ice thickness can be determined by color. 205 00:09:11.017 --> 00:09:12.718 Blue is the strongest. 206 00:09:12.718 --> 00:09:15.888 Light gray to dark black, the weakest. 207 00:09:22.495 --> 00:09:25.398 - [Josiah] Yeah, this looks good here. 208 00:09:25.398 --> 00:09:27.233 - [Narrator] While Josiah and his group search 209 00:09:27.233 --> 00:09:29.635 for a good climbing wall... 210 00:09:29.635 --> 00:09:31.971 - Woah, that's good right there. 211 00:09:31.971 --> 00:09:34.206 - [Narrator] Flight instrcutor, Johnny Lukens, 212 00:09:34.206 --> 00:09:38.544 and owner, Joel Natwick, are gearing up for a training day. 213 00:09:38.544 --> 00:09:40.246 - [Joel] Okay, we got the door clear? 214 00:09:40.246 --> 00:09:42.014 - [Johnny] Yeah, you're clear. 215 00:09:42.014 --> 00:09:45.151 - [Narrator] Commercial pilots must be reviewed annually, 216 00:09:45.151 --> 00:09:47.753 - [Staff Member] Watch your head. 217 00:09:47.753 --> 00:09:50.356 - [Narrator] so frequent practice is essential. 218 00:09:50.356 --> 00:09:51.757 - Joel and I are gonna go out to practice 219 00:09:51.757 --> 00:09:54.193 for his 135-check ride. 220 00:09:54.193 --> 00:09:56.629 - [Narrator] One major component of the exam? 221 00:09:56.629 --> 00:09:59.732 How to recover from engine failure. 222 00:09:59.732 --> 00:10:02.468 - We'll go ahead and fill the main up first. 223 00:10:02.468 --> 00:10:04.070 - [Joel] We'll top off. 224 00:10:04.070 --> 00:10:05.237 - [Narrator] Today's test has Johnny 225 00:10:05.237 --> 00:10:07.740 in an uncomfortable position. 226 00:10:07.740 --> 00:10:09.976 He'll be training Joel. 227 00:10:09.976 --> 00:10:11.410 - It's a little weird training your boss, 228 00:10:11.410 --> 00:10:12.878 but we have a good enough relationship 229 00:10:12.878 --> 00:10:15.615 to where we can put aside the 230 00:10:15.615 --> 00:10:18.918 employee/employer relationship and change it 231 00:10:18.918 --> 00:10:22.221 into a instructor/student relationship. 232 00:10:22.221 --> 00:10:23.956 - [Joel] Johnny will make me sweat. 233 00:10:23.956 --> 00:10:26.459 Johnny will try to ruffle my feathers. 234 00:10:26.459 --> 00:10:28.694 Johnny will put me under simulated stress. 235 00:10:28.694 --> 00:10:30.630 - Yup, that's the idea. 236 00:10:31.864 --> 00:10:33.299 - And he's gonna see how I do. 237 00:10:33.299 --> 00:10:36.302 It's kinda tough because I'm the boss. 238 00:10:36.302 --> 00:10:37.970 - I think what we'll do today is work 239 00:10:37.970 --> 00:10:41.641 on a little bit more advanced stuff. 240 00:10:41.641 --> 00:10:43.309 We're gonna do some zero-airspeed autos. 241 00:10:43.309 --> 00:10:44.443 - Zero-Airspeed? 242 00:10:44.443 --> 00:10:45.277 - Yeah. 243 00:10:45.277 --> 00:10:46.779 - Okay. 244 00:10:46.779 --> 00:10:49.248 - What he needs to work on today are autorotations, 245 00:10:49.248 --> 00:10:51.250 which is the maneuver that we do to practice 246 00:10:51.250 --> 00:10:54.220 for engine failures in a helicopter. 247 00:10:54.220 --> 00:10:56.155 - [Narrator] During autorotation, 248 00:10:56.155 --> 00:11:00.259 the engine is put into idle, and the helicopter falls. 249 00:11:00.259 --> 00:11:03.262 On the way down, the pilot must keep the aircraft angled 250 00:11:03.262 --> 00:11:08.100 to allow airflow upward, which keeps the blades spinning. 251 00:11:08.100 --> 00:11:09.535 - We probably got some turbulence in the Knik river valley. 252 00:11:09.535 --> 00:11:11.604 - We got some weather coming in, yeah. 253 00:11:11.604 --> 00:11:13.706 - The only thing that's tricky today 254 00:11:13.706 --> 00:11:15.408 is that the winds are scheduled to pick up 255 00:11:15.408 --> 00:11:17.143 to gusts up to 30 knots, 256 00:11:17.143 --> 00:11:19.578 and that makes things a little more hectic, 257 00:11:19.578 --> 00:11:23.082 but let's go, man, let's see what happens. 258 00:11:24.250 --> 00:11:25.484 - [Johnny] Helicopter, seven zero eight three. 259 00:11:25.484 --> 00:11:27.253 Mike, we are 1,000 feet and below, 260 00:11:27.253 --> 00:11:31.290 just two miles to the west of the old Glenn Highway bridge. 261 00:11:31.290 --> 00:11:33.092 I always get my east and west mixed up. 262 00:11:33.092 --> 00:11:34.360 - And you're one of my pilots? 263 00:11:34.360 --> 00:11:36.629 (laughter) 264 00:11:38.064 --> 00:11:40.232 - [Narrator] Joel and Johnny are heading 40 miles northeast 265 00:11:40.232 --> 00:11:42.668 of Anchorage to the Knik river valley, 266 00:11:42.668 --> 00:11:46.605 about the same place Josiah battled high winds. 267 00:11:48.040 --> 00:11:49.875 - We're gonna be in the lee of this big mountain. 268 00:11:49.875 --> 00:11:51.711 The wind is gonna be spilling over. 269 00:11:51.711 --> 00:11:53.145 That's gonna add to the turbulence 270 00:11:53.145 --> 00:11:54.980 that we're gonna get when we get in there, 271 00:11:54.980 --> 00:11:59.452 so you're gonna have to tighten your controls a little. 272 00:11:59.452 --> 00:12:01.053 Even that's much better. 273 00:12:01.053 --> 00:12:03.022 You keep everything within tolerances. 274 00:12:03.022 --> 00:12:05.524 - You always need to pay attention to the wind. 275 00:12:05.524 --> 00:12:06.959 You're flying along every single day. 276 00:12:06.959 --> 00:12:08.661 You better know where that wind is coming from 277 00:12:08.661 --> 00:12:10.062 and have an idea how strong it is 278 00:12:10.062 --> 00:12:14.033 because it makes the difference between life and death. 279 00:12:14.033 --> 00:12:15.601 - Go ahead and pick up, fly on board, 280 00:12:15.601 --> 00:12:17.603 get ourselves up to about 1,000 feet. 281 00:12:17.603 --> 00:12:20.339 RPMs are good; airspeed's good. 282 00:12:20.339 --> 00:12:22.241 - Okay, we're at 1,000 feet. 283 00:12:22.241 --> 00:12:23.943 - Alright, give it a shot, ready? 284 00:12:23.943 --> 00:12:27.780 - Engine failure, three, two, one, here we go. 285 00:12:29.215 --> 00:12:31.150 - Suddenly, we're dropping straight down to this spot. 286 00:12:31.150 --> 00:12:34.553 It was very intense, and I was a little scared. 287 00:12:34.553 --> 00:12:37.656 (onboard alarm tone) 288 00:12:42.394 --> 00:12:43.929 - Flying helicopters and airplanes 289 00:12:43.929 --> 00:12:46.932 in Alaska brings challenges that a pilot 290 00:12:46.932 --> 00:12:50.069 in the lower 48 might not have. 291 00:12:50.069 --> 00:12:53.639 Some good, some bad, so you always wanna be prepared 292 00:12:53.639 --> 00:12:55.007 for an emergency. 293 00:13:00.279 --> 00:13:02.181 - [Narrator] Joel and Johnny are simulating 294 00:13:02.181 --> 00:13:06.585 helicopter engine failure above the Knik river valley. 295 00:13:06.585 --> 00:13:08.320 - Your airspeed is gonna be fluctuating a bunch 296 00:13:08.320 --> 00:13:09.989 because of wind gusts. 297 00:13:09.989 --> 00:13:11.323 - [Narrator] The high winds don't make 298 00:13:11.323 --> 00:13:14.527 the complicated task any easier. 299 00:13:14.527 --> 00:13:16.962 - We've got wind coming straight down the valley. 300 00:13:16.962 --> 00:13:18.831 - We're kind of in the lee of the wind a little bit, 301 00:13:18.831 --> 00:13:20.366 - Yeah. 302 00:13:20.366 --> 00:13:21.600 - When you're trying to estimate, 303 00:13:21.600 --> 00:13:23.035 "just how strong is that wind, 304 00:13:23.035 --> 00:13:25.070 "and what should I do here," 305 00:13:25.070 --> 00:13:27.306 you got your work cut out for ya. 306 00:13:27.306 --> 00:13:29.875 - Because of that head wind, we're just gonna drop. 307 00:13:29.875 --> 00:13:32.111 - [Joel] Okay, I'm gonna watch my altitude really closely. 308 00:13:32.111 --> 00:13:34.280 - [Narrator] The wind pushes against the helicopter 309 00:13:34.280 --> 00:13:38.684 with such force, their descent angle will be aggressive. 310 00:13:38.684 --> 00:13:39.952 - Autorotations can be dangerous 311 00:13:39.952 --> 00:13:42.988 because normally, when the engine is on, 312 00:13:42.988 --> 00:13:45.891 the helicopter regulates the speed of the rotor disc. 313 00:13:45.891 --> 00:13:48.828 When we practice autorotations, we roll the throttle off. 314 00:13:48.828 --> 00:13:51.330 The pilot is responsible for keeping the speed 315 00:13:51.330 --> 00:13:53.766 of the rotor disc where it needs to be, 316 00:13:53.766 --> 00:13:55.501 and if he doesn't do that properly, 317 00:13:55.501 --> 00:13:56.735 we fall out of the sky, 318 00:13:56.735 --> 00:13:58.204 and there's no way to recover from it. 319 00:13:58.204 --> 00:14:02.041 - Engine failure, three, two, one, here we go. 320 00:14:06.412 --> 00:14:09.481 Man, it just feels so weird that we're coming in this steep, 321 00:14:09.481 --> 00:14:10.349 but we gotta. 322 00:14:10.349 --> 00:14:11.884 - [Johnny] I know. 323 00:14:11.884 --> 00:14:14.520 We kinda came almost straight down, maybe a 75-degree angle. 324 00:14:14.520 --> 00:14:16.922 Normally, you'd come down at a 45-degree angle, 325 00:14:16.922 --> 00:14:19.091 and you'd have a longer ground run. 326 00:14:19.091 --> 00:14:23.529 This time we came straight down like an elevator. 327 00:14:23.529 --> 00:14:25.431 - [Narrator] With the steep descent angle, 328 00:14:25.431 --> 00:14:27.833 any mistake could be deadly. 329 00:14:27.833 --> 00:14:29.902 - [Joel] I can tell right now we're short. 330 00:14:29.902 --> 00:14:31.470 Look at that, we're not going to get our spot at all. 331 00:14:31.470 --> 00:14:33.539 We've got alarms going off. 332 00:14:33.539 --> 00:14:38.143 I'm seeing the effect of the wind on your descent profile. 333 00:14:38.143 --> 00:14:39.879 - [Johnny] Yup. 334 00:14:39.879 --> 00:14:41.347 - [Joel] That shows you how important it is 335 00:14:41.347 --> 00:14:43.916 to always (radio beaks up). 336 00:14:43.916 --> 00:14:45.451 - [Johnny] Yeah, exactly. 337 00:14:45.451 --> 00:14:49.755 - We saw fluctuations in our airspeed going 15, 20 knots, 338 00:14:49.755 --> 00:14:54.126 and so flying in those conditions with the engine uncoupled 339 00:14:54.126 --> 00:14:55.294 is nerve-wracking. 340 00:14:55.294 --> 00:14:57.596 - Alright, man, let's try that again. 341 00:14:57.596 --> 00:14:58.564 - Okay, here's 1,000 feet. 342 00:14:58.564 --> 00:14:59.398 - Alright. 343 00:15:01.166 --> 00:15:02.835 There's that turbulence again. 344 00:15:02.835 --> 00:15:05.004 - [Joel] We're gonna go super steep this time. 345 00:15:05.004 --> 00:15:06.739 - Give it a little bit more time. 346 00:15:06.739 --> 00:15:09.742 - Engine failure in three, two, one. 347 00:15:11.310 --> 00:15:13.512 - Nice, oh, yeah. 348 00:15:13.512 --> 00:15:14.914 Looking good now. 349 00:15:16.048 --> 00:15:17.883 I'd say that was a darn good one. 350 00:15:17.883 --> 00:15:18.884 - [Joel] That's pretty good, though. 351 00:15:18.884 --> 00:15:19.718 - [Johnny] Yeah. 352 00:15:19.718 --> 00:15:20.920 - [Joel] With the spot. 353 00:15:20.920 --> 00:15:22.121 - Right where, right there, alright. 354 00:15:22.121 --> 00:15:23.355 Yeah, we've made it. 355 00:15:23.355 --> 00:15:25.257 We entered the max glide to get us to our spot. 356 00:15:25.257 --> 00:15:29.328 You landed right where you wanted to be. 357 00:15:29.328 --> 00:15:30.562 You got it. 358 00:15:30.562 --> 00:15:31.664 - I felt like it went really well. 359 00:15:31.664 --> 00:15:32.932 I felt like I learned a lot. 360 00:15:32.932 --> 00:15:34.867 He told me I did great. 361 00:15:35.734 --> 00:15:36.902 - This is probably 362 00:15:36.902 --> 00:15:38.704 the most realistic training we've done yet. 363 00:15:38.704 --> 00:15:40.072 We would have walked away from all of those. 364 00:15:40.072 --> 00:15:40.906 - Right 365 00:15:40.906 --> 00:15:42.908 - That's the main goal. 366 00:15:44.643 --> 00:15:46.245 - Gotta stay alive. 367 00:15:47.212 --> 00:15:48.781 I'm glad we got that in. 368 00:15:48.781 --> 00:15:50.616 - That was great, man. 369 00:15:57.056 --> 00:15:58.757 - [Narrator] On the other side of the valley, 370 00:15:58.757 --> 00:16:02.728 Josiah and his passengers are climbing Knik glacier. 371 00:16:02.728 --> 00:16:05.297 It's one of the largest in south-central Alaska, 372 00:16:05.297 --> 00:16:09.468 with an ice field 25 miles long and five miles wide. 373 00:16:12.972 --> 00:16:14.740 - [Male Climber] How about just this hole, all of us? 374 00:16:14.740 --> 00:16:16.976 - [Female Climber] It's pretty steep, but... 375 00:16:16.976 --> 00:16:20.612 - It's steeper than you'll get on most any waterfall. 376 00:16:20.612 --> 00:16:24.783 While you're climbing, watch out for ice breaking off. 377 00:16:25.951 --> 00:16:27.286 What we don't want is to get underneath 378 00:16:27.286 --> 00:16:30.522 one of these overhanging blocks of ice. 379 00:16:31.890 --> 00:16:33.826 - [Narrator] glaciers are frozen rivers. 380 00:16:33.826 --> 00:16:35.094 They're always moving. 381 00:16:35.094 --> 00:16:37.396 Overhanging ice can break away, 382 00:16:37.396 --> 00:16:41.200 a very real danger that often kills climbers. 383 00:16:41.200 --> 00:16:42.434 - [Climber] It's gonna be hard 384 00:16:42.434 --> 00:16:45.004 keeping your feet on the wall and with the ice. 385 00:16:45.004 --> 00:16:46.005 - [Climber] Climbing. 386 00:16:46.005 --> 00:16:47.773 - [Climber] Climb on. 387 00:16:50.909 --> 00:16:55.447 - [Climber] (mild scream), yeah, this... 388 00:16:55.447 --> 00:16:56.715 - [Climber] Keep your toes pointed straight. 389 00:16:56.715 --> 00:16:59.918 There you go, don't turn your heels in. 390 00:17:01.186 --> 00:17:03.789 This glacier ice is really hard right now. 391 00:17:03.789 --> 00:17:05.357 Makes it tough. 392 00:17:05.357 --> 00:17:07.326 - [Climber] It's a lot harder than it looks. 393 00:17:07.326 --> 00:17:11.497 (unsettled yell) This is not... (yell) 394 00:17:12.431 --> 00:17:14.800 - [Climber] Oh, boy. 395 00:17:14.800 --> 00:17:17.036 There's a lot that could go wrong ice climbing. 396 00:17:17.036 --> 00:17:20.606 Anchors can pull out, gear can fail. 397 00:17:20.606 --> 00:17:22.207 You have to know what you're doing. 398 00:17:22.207 --> 00:17:23.142 Be careful. 399 00:17:24.009 --> 00:17:27.646 - [Climber] (groans, sighs) 400 00:17:33.385 --> 00:17:36.121 - Being a pilot in Alaska, I'm all about an adrenaline rush, 401 00:17:36.121 --> 00:17:38.557 and my job gives me that every day, 402 00:17:38.557 --> 00:17:42.628 so I could not be happier with my job; I love it. 403 00:17:49.301 --> 00:17:50.569 - [Narrator] Josiah and his climbers 404 00:17:50.569 --> 00:17:53.472 are attempting to tame Knik glacier. 405 00:17:53.472 --> 00:17:58.243 - [Climber] (groans, exhausted sighs) 406 00:17:58.243 --> 00:18:02.448 - [Narrator] But right now, the glacier is taming them. 407 00:18:04.216 --> 00:18:06.085 - These are holds, they're not... 408 00:18:06.085 --> 00:18:09.521 - [Josiah] It's steep; it's really steep. 409 00:18:15.327 --> 00:18:17.196 - Ice climbing can be tough. 410 00:18:17.196 --> 00:18:21.266 The ice we had on this climb was really hard, 411 00:18:21.266 --> 00:18:24.103 so your picks aren't going in very deep. 412 00:18:24.103 --> 00:18:27.473 Your crampons aren't sticking into the ice very deep. 413 00:18:27.473 --> 00:18:29.842 - Oh, man. (yells) 414 00:18:29.842 --> 00:18:31.009 - [Josiah] Oh! 415 00:18:32.010 --> 00:18:33.545 Yeah! - (strained yell) 416 00:18:33.545 --> 00:18:36.348 - [Josiah] Don't pull the axes toward you. 417 00:18:36.348 --> 00:18:37.983 Just pull down on them. 418 00:18:37.983 --> 00:18:39.184 - [Climber] Oh, man. 419 00:18:39.184 --> 00:18:42.121 - [Josiah] It's really hard. 420 00:18:42.121 --> 00:18:45.224 Uh oh; watch the anchor; watch the rope. 421 00:18:45.224 --> 00:18:49.495 - [Narrator] One wrong ax chop could sever her rope 422 00:18:49.495 --> 00:18:52.498 and send her crashing to the ground. 423 00:18:56.802 --> 00:19:00.139 - [Josiah] There you go, just like that. 424 00:19:03.142 --> 00:19:04.843 Man, she's cruising. 425 00:19:04.843 --> 00:19:05.777 Nice! - Woo! 426 00:19:08.714 --> 00:19:10.382 - [Josiah] Nice work! 427 00:19:10.382 --> 00:19:11.917 You got it! - Woo! 428 00:19:11.917 --> 00:19:13.452 - [Josiah] How do your forearms feel? 429 00:19:13.452 --> 00:19:17.389 - I can't feel; I'll let you know when I can feel them. 430 00:19:18.924 --> 00:19:21.160 Ah, that was a struggle. 431 00:19:21.160 --> 00:19:22.561 Totally worth it! 432 00:19:23.762 --> 00:19:25.097 - Jillian, are you ready to come down? 433 00:19:25.097 --> 00:19:26.265 - Yes, please. 434 00:19:26.265 --> 00:19:28.500 (laughter) 435 00:19:33.805 --> 00:19:35.207 Thanks, Ben. 436 00:19:35.207 --> 00:19:39.044 - I can't believe you kept moving on that. 437 00:19:39.044 --> 00:19:42.114 - I like doing tours because I get to show off the state, 438 00:19:42.114 --> 00:19:43.549 and we get to go to some 439 00:19:43.549 --> 00:19:46.018 of the most amazing places on Earth. 440 00:19:46.018 --> 00:19:47.152 - Josiah's a awesome pilot. 441 00:19:47.152 --> 00:19:49.421 We feel safe with with him. 442 00:19:49.421 --> 00:19:50.989 - You can definitely tell he knows what he's doing. 443 00:19:50.989 --> 00:19:53.325 This is not his first rodeo. 444 00:19:55.561 --> 00:19:57.162 - [Narrator] One of the reasons 445 00:19:57.162 --> 00:20:00.132 I feel really good about Tanalian Aviation 446 00:20:00.132 --> 00:20:04.570 is that we have a lot of depth and a lot of experience, 447 00:20:04.570 --> 00:20:07.472 and everybody who's out doing the hardcore flying, 448 00:20:07.472 --> 00:20:09.174 the bulk of our flying, 449 00:20:09.174 --> 00:20:12.844 are very aware that they could be next. 450 00:20:12.844 --> 00:20:14.112 - [Narrator] Though they fly some 451 00:20:14.112 --> 00:20:16.215 of the most dangerous skies on the planet, 452 00:20:16.215 --> 00:20:20.052 Tanalian's experienced pilots are not risk-takers. 453 00:20:20.052 --> 00:20:21.553 They aren't daredevils. 454 00:20:21.553 --> 00:20:24.289 They're just Alaskans who love to fly. 455 00:20:24.289 --> 00:20:25.791 - This is a dream job for me. 456 00:20:25.791 --> 00:20:27.626 People spend thousands of dollars to come up here 457 00:20:27.626 --> 00:20:31.196 and experience what I experience every day. 458 00:20:32.598 --> 00:20:35.234 - [Mark] Watch your head, Josiah, coming around. 459 00:20:35.234 --> 00:20:36.335 - Do you know what you're doing? 460 00:20:36.335 --> 00:20:38.103 - No; I have no idea. 461 00:20:39.271 --> 00:20:40.939 We're trying to make this fun, 462 00:20:40.939 --> 00:20:42.608 and sometimes you're busy, busy, busy, 463 00:20:42.608 --> 00:20:44.109 and you just go home, 464 00:20:44.109 --> 00:20:45.244 and you're sick of flying this stupid helicopter, 465 00:20:45.244 --> 00:20:47.279 and you just want to go home, 466 00:20:47.279 --> 00:20:49.314 but it's a chance of a lifetime, 467 00:20:49.314 --> 00:20:52.818 and we get to do it every day; it's crazy!