TIKCHIK NARROWS LODGE
AIRCRAFT: We operate 3 DE Havilland Beavers on floats along with a Cessna 206 on floats. The C206 is on Aerocet floats and has an IO 550 Continental engine. The Beavers are Kenmore rebuilds. We will be maintaining our aircraft according to Part 135 standards.
SAFETY: Safety is our top priority in all circumstances. We do not expect our pilots to operate unsafe equipment, nor to fly in unsafe weather conditions. We don't have a schedule to meet and the fish will always be there tomorrow. We do however expect our pilots to be competent bush pilots and able to handle high winds and lower visibilities and ceilings within safety minimums.
We fly Bankers hours, off the dock at 8:00, back and done fly by 5:30, latest 6:00 PM.
Many lodges leave very early to get the fishing fishing location before it is crowded. Tikchik’s fishing locations do not require us to race in the morning.
DAILY SCHEDULE: Breakfast is at 6:30 AM every morning. As soon as breakfast is over our pilots and guides are preparing for the day (pre-flight the aircraft and loading the aircraft). Usually we are in the air by 8:00 AM with the guests heading for our fishing destinations.
Most of our fishing destinations are less than a 50-minute flight from the lodge. Many days our pilots will not fly over 2.0 hours, and very rarely will they fly more than 4.0 hours per day. The exception is in the spring when we are flying in food, supplies and fuel.
Each day we return to the lodge with the fishermen between 4:30 and 6:00 PM. Dinner is usually at 7:00 PM.
Most of the flying is with our fishermen to and from the various fishing locations. In the spring we put in some long flying days hauling groceries, fuel, building materials and supplies. About once or twice a week throughout the summer we will drop the fishermen off at our camps and use the aircraft to haul supplies and fuel from Dillingham to the lodge.
WORK WEEK: The job is 7 days per week. There is a lot of down time during the day after and before dropping anglers off.