Wrangell-Saint Elias Wilderness: Bush Pilot's View

“How do you describe something as majestic as what we flew through? That’s the thing. I don’t really have the words for it.” Join Alaskan bush pilot*, Lynn Ellis in breathtaking Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve, home to the largest protected wilderness in America. The Wrangell-Saint Elias Wilderness protects over nine million acres of steep mountains, winding rivers, glaciated valleys, and countless wildlife species. Lynn’s family homesteaded in the area before it became a national park. He has been flying in these mountains since he was 16 years old and has a unique and intimate connection with the land. He now brings his years of knowledge to the NPS, providing access for the biologists and rangers that care for this special place.
*Note: The landing of aircraft in NPS wilderness, like the plane featured in this video, is unique to Alaska and is not typically allowed in other states that have NPS wilderness. For more information, read about the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Areas Act: www.nps.gov/locations/alaska/upload/ANILCA-Electronic-Version.PDF
Produced by Sarah Gulick
For audio description: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aonclXV-o5KGoMk

[@akbushpilot]

Lynn is one of the best bush pilots around. He helped me fly crews into my property in the Wrangells back in the 90's. When he owned Gulkana Air Service, he showed me where he hid the key to his office so I could spend the night there and how to turn the pumps on to fill up my plane. I wrote down the gallons used on my tab and squared up once a month. That is how old time Alaskans did business :-)

[@michaelhuget2253]

Lynn is awesome man and has a rich history in the state Very lucky to have the pleasure of knowing him

[@drmang3907]

You are lucky to have grown up here and to be able to do this for a living. Thank you for sharing the views you get to see daily. Absolutely beautiful!!!!!

[@sunetraCHI]

See you soon. Headed there in June. It’s my gift to my husband (75th birthday). He was a small plane pilot in the late 70s. Looking forward to this. Reddy’s from Chicago

[@RussonFilms]

The National Park Service has a "commercial filming" permit system, and if you don't jump through the hoops and pay the fees for that permit, then you are in violation of their rule if you upload that content to anything that is monetized, even if not monetized by you (technically speaking, your content is making money for the social media platform!) Filmmaker Gordy Price sued the NPS for violation of his First Amendment rights to film on public land, and he WON in 2021. The National Park Service then put an interim rule in place, allowing filming/photography in parks for FREE, no permit required, with gear limited to one tripod and to what fits in your backpack. HOWEVER, the NPS appealed, and the appeals court reversed the original decision. In October 2022, the National Park Service put the original rule back in place, and this time, they included "KZbin and TikTok" in the verbage of their overreaching permit requirements, making sure to include social media. This affects literally everyone that takes video or photos, with their phone, GoPro, etc., and then posts it to social media. These are our public lands, and while we understand the need for some regulations for large film projects, We The People should be allowed to freely take our photos or film our vlogs in our public spaces. It is our First Amendment right!!!!

[@avoidingtrees6692]

Merci beaucoup... Cheers from France, beautiful America!

[@DoctorDARKSIDE]

FlightChops should go meet Lynn and film something together! This is aviation at its purest!

[@bobbycorbell]

I couldn't agree with you more, Lynn, on all of the points you make. Sending you love from your Texas family!

[@sunilsatawlekar3972]

Fantastic film on an amazing career! Thanks for bringing to us the rich experience.

[@karigunderson5284]

Wrangell-Saint Elias Wilderness is high on my bucket list. Alaska is truly the last wild frontier.

[@dragnet12]

Did anyone else see the shooting star in the background travelling right to left just under the prop at 1:20-1:21? I had to replay and pause, but it's there!!! Very cool.

[@TheNick85]

That was a plane, just looked like that because the video was sped up

[@DRivers277]

Thanks for filming and sharing. We just had the opportunity to fly over the Grand Canyon and can't wait til we can do the same at your park.

[@debraconlon4645]

Beautiful and awesome, still missing Alaska.

[@MichelleAgee]

Amazing is the word! So beautiful and wonderful.

[@sripathiraok.7854]

Super camara work nice flying journey

[@galovillagomez6242]

What a great landscaping, thanks for sharing this incredible video

[@IjukeYOUout]

I really really want this to be my life, it will be one day, I am planing on attending aviation school within the next 4 months, and I will eagerly be looking for this exact position in this exact part of Alaska which I was fortunate enough to visit this past summer. Wrangell St. Elias. Anywhere and all of Alaska is pure beauty. NPSWilderness, you will hear more from me in the next 1-3 years

[@Choconillaaa]

How did it go?

[@ChrisWorksCreative]

Awesome story and great video! Thank you for sharing it.

[@bobherron4573]

Thankyou , Ive only been to Alaska once, wish i could have stayed Alsaka is Awasome Amazing and such a wonderful place Wish i could come back

[@BetterAircraftFabric]

They snuck some Knik Glacier Gorge footage in there; at 1:42 minutes. They should have said that General Aviation ("Small Planes") is the ONLY way to really see and get around in Alaska; 82% of our Villages have no connection to the national road system, flying is the only practical way to get there!!! The 82% is an Official AK-DOT number, I did not make that up. Regards from Anchorage!

[@endwood]

That was great, we are but such a small part of this planet, almost insignificant we are!

[@codycheno]

Beautiful and awesome

[@dr.shawneelazore-sacredflower]

Absolutely Divine!

[@chrysalide_aero]

Superb !

[@felsenpanzer]

So damn good 👍

[@sadbucket]

c-185 ;) great bush plane

[@AKorigami]

I recognized a few of those places!!!

[@sadbucket]

+AKorigami you recognize everything up there xD it doesn't stop looking the same until you live there for 5 years xP

[@AKorigami]

+chip5620 My thoughts exactly, been here since 59...

[@sadbucket]

AKorigami oh lol, in that case you probably did recognize some xP

[@ronnyopdebeeck8467]

thanks, nice nature.

[@garychynne1377]

GREAT LIFE STYLE. HAVE FUN GARE

[@robertoler3795]

fly safe my friend

[@eeros4192]

Divine.

[@Paolo-qe7lc]

I have my helicopter raring working on airplane rating. There is just something about bush flying like that. I'd take that over a 747 any day!

[@pkrangersf3072]

There's still about 22 million acres of eligible wilderness left in the National Park System waiting to be designated.

[@troyottosen8722]

Jason, hears a fact for you, Alaska has approx 75% of the total national parkland of the USA, then realize how much more acreage of true wilderness we also have as state parkland and wildlife refuges of “real wilderness “, look it up!

[@davidlewis9572]

Cool

[@dougmouton2309]

Nice

[@stephensauls59]

dream job

[@tyreekmurillo4524]

is it just me or does that look like jim tweto's plane

[@sadbucket]

+Tyreek Murillo its the same plane xD I mean same type

[@tyreekmurillo4524]

well jim's is a modified 180 that may be a 185

[@sadbucket]

+Tyreek Murillo +Tyreek Murillo didn't know that, ya that is a 185 :/

[@rogerhockemier9904]

Good video thanks for not putting in the shitty fruit music

[@johnbuitron9225]

This is what I would love to do. FAA test here I come.