Its not often that you find a hard-core bush pilot who is also an active online blogger, but that's exactly what Mathew Keller is. Fortunatley for us wannabe bush pilots stuck behind a computer screen, Matt regularly posts stunning photos and video of his flying adventures. Flying roughly 130 hours last month, Matt is a busy guy, but he was generous enough to give us a few minutes to talk about who he is and what he does.

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SF: How did you start flying and what led you bush flying in alaska?
MK: My dad was in the Air Force and then Air National Gaurd flying C-123's all over the state.  I knew my dad was cool so I always wanted to fly too.  After dad got out of the service he bought a Cessna 207.   I was just a baby but I grew up in Alaska loving airplanes, and the outdoors.  I got my license when I was 18 with the college money I had saved, but could not afford to fly after receiving it.  I wanted to go overseas and help people, so I decided to become a missionary pilot.  I applied and was accepted to Moody Bible Institute and after 5 years of extensive training I received a Bachelor of Science in Missionary Aviation Technology.  The school was specifically geared towards flying in the bush with small airplanes.  We spent hundreds of hours in cessna 206's, 210's, 185's and the like.  We landed on strips all over the western united states and flew small planes back and forth across the continental US twice with nothing but a sectional, a plotter, and a wrist watch.  

I also got my A&P certification and have used it extensively.  After graduation my new wife and I went home to Alaska.  Samantha's dad owns a small air taxi called Meekin's Air Service.  I wrote her dad a letter to see if I could pump gas for the summer and do maintenance on the planes.  One thing led to another, and after a couple of years of practice and instruction in the bush, Mike put me on the insurance policy so I could fly.  The rest is history.  I went on to buy a plane and get my own 135 certificate.  I do LOTS of contract work for Meekin's Air Service.  Mike is my best friend and a great man.  He has more than 18,000 hours in the same serial # Super Cub.

 

SF: How many hours do you fly a year?
MK: I personally fly 500-750 each year.

SF: What is your job/business?
MK: We haul hunters, climbers, residents, miners, geologists, biologists, glaciologists, kayakers, skiers, and thrill seekers into the Chugach and Talkeetna Mountain ranges and a little bit in the Wrangells and the Alaska range.

SF: What's the favorite part of your job?
MK: Landing.

SF: What's the least favorite (or hardest) part of your job?
MK: Dealing with clients who don't understand that they are in the wilderness, and that we are not their mom.

SF: Any flight related stories you want to share (e.g. funny load, scary situation, interesting passenger, etc.)?
MK: Several years ago I was dropping off a client in a slushy location during spring break up.  I buried the one ski while taxiing, and it took 4 us nearly an hour to dig it out.  I carefully explained how to push on the wing strut and then we gave it a go.  As I accelerated out of the massive hole I felt a strange tug on the controls.  I crawled out to see what was going on, and was shocked to see that my elevator was destroyed and one of my clients was limping towards me.  The balanced portion of the elevator had caught him square in the back and badly damaged my tail section... not to mention him.  He decided to stay in the field.  Of course he did not have much choice because I was grounded too.  His back healed, but my poor plane took some serious $$$ to fix  :o)

SF: Tell us about your airplane.
MK: I own and operate a 1962 Piper Super Cub, stock wings, 160 horsepower, gross weight 2000 lbs, empty weight 1200 lbs.  I am equipped for 8.50's, 29's", 31's", 35's", straight skis, wheel skis, belly tank (fuel) and I have weight and balance sheets for all of them ... it's horrible :o)

SF: Anything else you want tell us?
MK: I feel incredibly blessed to have been given the opportunity to fly my favorite airplane in my favorite state.  I did not set out to achieve this, but rather it was handed to me when I was not looking.  My father-in-law is an amazing man who has built an incredible business and allowed me to be apart of his life and helped me build my own.  I was trained by Mike's chief pilot Gar Pessel.  Gar is 74 years old and still flies with us but considers himself as having passed the torch to me.  He is an awesome teacher who has spent countless hours teaching me how to stay alive in the mountains.

Mathew Keller is an Alaskan bush pilot and owner of Blue Ice Aviation. In his own words, "I transport people into the Alaskan Wilderness. Get lost for a month, or an afternoon in my backyard of Waterfalls, Granite Peaks, High Meadow Lakes, and Glaciers. Guided, or un-guided it will change your life."

For more information on Matt and Blue Ice Avation, visit his website and blog at: BlueIceAviation.com.