No Fishing

Ken and Chris Day operate a nine passenger Otter and do mainly bear viewing trips. Chris is the naturalist and guide. She gives a 40-minute briefing. Ken is a 13,000-hour pilot with all the ratings, CFII etc. mechanic and AI. Together they operate Emerald Air Service, since 2000. They fly together and do the bear tours as a team. Chris was a dietitian from California turned bear naturalist. Ken once operated the FBO at Front Range Airport in Denver. There is some excitement about the rebuilt round motor, a P&W 1340, that will now have fuel injection, an improver super-charger and a full authority ignition computer.
Ken tells the story of falling into the lake while docking in high wind, his passengers looking on from the windows. He was asked if he put on a show like that for all his passengers.
There is always a bear story. This one is called no fishing. With the Beaver tied to a sandy beach, Ken hiked up the waterway by the falls in Kaflia Bay, fishing rod in hand. He came to a deep hole filled with salmon when out of the bush charges this very large bear. Ken backs up and signals his passenger to back up as well when the bear does a short bluff charge from the water with serious eye contact. Much later another hike up into the same stream is met by the same bear with the same message, “This is my pool.” A third time Ken is caught next to the rocks when the same bear charges out of the bush chasing another bear out of the pool. Ken climbs to get out of the way, thinking a bear would not climb such a steep slope, but looking around there is bear scat all around. He calls once again for passengers to retreat. The bear once again recognizing Ken ponds his paws on a large rock right below where Ken has climbed. As the bear moves down towards the passengers and the plane, Ken leans out holding a branch in order to see down stream. Of course, the branch breaks and he falls but recovers. The bear returns and once again pounds on the rock. The message, “No fishing here.” Recovering his fishing rod, he retreats to the plane.
Ken believes that bears can tell which plane is flying in by the pitch and sound of the engine. Planes that do not harass them the bears ignore while they run to the bushes at the sound of a marauder.
Chris makes a point of mutual respect and behavior for separation from the bears. Chris once carried a shotgun while conducting tours for passenger reassurance, they called her Anne Oakley, but she has long since advocated behavior as the key to safety. One such strategy is to form up shoulder to shoulder giving the profile of a very large opponent to be left alone. She describes an event in which two female bears teamed up against wolves that were after a cub. The two females formed up back to back with the cub between and successfully faced off the wolves.
Ken’s suggestion to any pilots contemplating flying in Alaska to not over-fly yourself, not over-fly the aircraft and not to allow anyone to direct you to do either.
I would call Ken the ace of the base, but that designation could apply to them all. What really sets them all apart is their mutual cooperation and professionalism. http://emeraldairservice.com