Tag: alaska

SMAC039 – Behind the Scenes of Flying Wild Alaska with John Ponts – Part 1

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First and foremost, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Because of your support and listenership 2012 was a record breaking year as we out grew ourselves nearly month over month. Thank you from the bottom our our props for tuning in week in and week out. We couldn’t do it without you! Cheers 🙂

Welcome to one of our favorite editions of the Stuck Mic AvCast! Today we had the distinct honor of interviewing ERA Airlines Captain and co-host of the Discovery Channel’s Flying Wild Alaska show, John Ponts. In a chance encounter in late 2012 co-host Carl Valeri bumped into Ponts at the Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, NJ which lead to this interview opportunity. At the time, Ponts was traveling to Germany for vacation but not before agreeing to come on the show and talk about his passion for aviation.

This audio interview is Part 1 of a 2 part series with Ponts as we cover everything from his desire to be a professional athlete to his transition into flying. Join us for this tell-all show as we get down and dirty with the real John Ponts!

Pre-Flight

Women of Aviation week is March 4 – 10, 2013 and Victoria is still looking for volunteers in the United States to host events. As the US team leader she’s currently responsible for managing such events in over 30 states so far! To get in involved or request information on how you can host an event in your city or state visit: Organizing A Women of Aviation Event.

Cruise Flight

Stay tuned for Episode 40 and Part 2 of our interview with John Ponts including listener questions answered by Ponts on the air!

***UPDATED JANUARY 15, 2013***
Now Available: Part 2 of Behind the Scenes of Flying Wild Alaska with John Ponts

After Landing Checklist

~ Picks of The Week ~

No Picks of the Week were included in this interview episode.

Cruising the Alaska Talkeetna Range in a Super Cub on Skis

This video is for sure a long time coming. Some of you may recall that back in February of 2012 I spent some time up in Alaska flying in my friends Super Cub. This trip was particularly more special than my last visit because the airplane had it’s bush wheels removed and replaced with a set of skis for winter fun and flying. So when CJ told me about the skis on his plane, I knew I had to get to Alaska ASAP!

My previous visit was in August 2010 where we did some summer style bush flying landing on gravel bars, mountain tops, and even camping out on a glacier overnight. Yup, a glacier! You can do that kind of stuff in Alaska. Actually, funny side story here… while snow mobiles are NOT allowed within Denali National Park during the winter months, airplanes ARE! How cool is that?

But I digress so back to the story at hand. Arriving in Anchorage in February, we drove north to Talkeetna where we stayed in a cabin at the Meandering Moose Lodge. Oh the memories! Middle-of-the-night walks from town, intoxicated on good times and local microbrews, trekking through snowmobile trails in the darkness of a the Alaskan winter sky. But you’re here about the flying and not my social exploits, of course.

In this particular video we depart from Willow, AK and headed easterly out to the Talkeetna Mountain Range for some sightseeing. HOLY SHIT what a view! Most spectacular flying experience I’ve ever had hands down. Cruising down the valleys, crossing ridge lines, and coasting downslope were some of my favorite parts. But you can see all that for yourself in this video above.

Now I know this video is kind of long pushing the 40 minute mark BUT it’s worth EVERY MINUTE for the spectacular views and cool flying experience. Skip around if you have to, you won’t regret it. My friend Chris told me, “Just awesome! Watched it with my kids. It’s the first time they sat through a aviation vid without any complaints! 4 and 6 yr old. Great job!” If kids like it, so will you.

One last thing, if you want to hear me talk more about the the aspects of ski plane flying including my flight lessons and jumping out of the airplane to stop it from colliding into other objects on the icy taxiway then listen to Episode #21 of the Stuck Mic AvCast about Fly It Forward Recap, Planes-Trains-Automobiles, & Alaskan Ski-Plane Adventures.