Birds Of A Different Feather

With very few roads the airplane has always been important in Alaska. For many it's the only way they can travel - to work, to shop, to school, even for medical care and then there's all those tourists wanting to experience wild/remote Alaska. They all depend on the legendary Bush Pilot and his "bird" to get them there. A good number of these bush planes are equipped with floats that allow them to land and takeoff from the thousands of lakes and rivers in the state and on a gorgeous day today I camped out at the edge of the "runway" at Lake Hood which is the world's busiest seaplane base, handling an average of 190 flights per day. It is located on Lakes Hood and Spenard, next to Anchorage International Airport.

Typical floatplane

The ramp (parking area) nearly 1000 floatplanes are based here

The runway - notice it even has edge lights on the bank

and, of course, a windsock