Page 6 - flyak

A Soaring Legacy

It has been said that Alaskans went from and flight attendants took care of customers,
the dogsled to the airplane without skipping a whether they were flying people, a herd of
beat. In a state where 80% of the communities reindeer or a dogsled team. It was a company
are inaccessible by roads, Alaskans took to shaped by the Alaskan spirit—a rugged
the skies far sooner than much of the lower 48 blend of resilience, resourcefulness and wild
states. Bush pilots who survived on coffee and independence forged from working together
adrenaline emerged in the early 20th century, and surviving the long, brutal winters. In
particularly in Alaska and Canada. Known Alaska, survival isn’t just about toughness,
to be part daredevil, mechanic and lunatic, it’s about taking care of one another and the
they braved blizzards, mountains, and moose things you love.
on the runway in order to deliver people and The Berlin Airlift
supplies to the backcountry. They navigated After World War II, the new President
the varied topography by instinct, dead and CEO of Alaska Airlines, James Wooten,
reckoning and whatever landmarks they could bought used military planes, and the airlines
spot through the frost-covered windshields became the world’s largest non-scheduled
and if they landed with all their equipment carrier. Retrofitted with a new logo of a circle
intact, it was considered a successful flight— with a half earth, red sky and the north star,
even if the plane had to be pulled from a the airlines catapulted into the global aviation
snowdrift afterwards. scene carrying goods and people across the
In 1932, three bush pilots, Charlie Ruttan, oceans with their air freight service. Wooten
Steve Mills and Jack Waterworth, purchased used loopholes in the Civil Aeronautics Board’s
an open cockpit Fleet bi-plane in California deregulation of non-scheduled flights to make
and had it shipped to Alaska. They called many flights so regular they were essentially
themselves “Star Air Service” and their idea scheduled, infuriating larger airlines like TWA,
was to offer flight instruction and charter Northwest, and Pan Am. During this period,
services. However, money was tight and at many pilots said when they took off, they had
one point, Ruttan joined the fire department no idea when they would return.
so he could sleep there for free. A mishap
took their plane out of service, but an investor
loaned them enough cash to buy another
plane and suddenly they had a fleet, albeit
a small one. Through the early 40s, Star Air
Service acquired numerous small carriers and
changed their name several times until they
landed on a permanent name… Alaska Airlines.
The Early Years Even though the war had ended, there
From the very beginning, it was the was maneuvering and intrigue going on in
employees who made Alaska Airlines Europe. The Allies carved up Germany like a
exceptional. They were a tight-knit group who chessboard with the U.S., France and Great
kept together the cash-strapped company. Britain on one side of the board and the
When a plane part was unavailable, the Soviet Union on the other, which included
mechanics improvised or bartered with portions of the capital city, Berlin. In what
buddies at other airlines to obtain it. Pilots would later become a precursor to the Cold
answered the phones and booked passengers War, the Soviet Union imposed a blockade of

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