Spernak Airways

04/19/08

Spernak Airways, Great, Reliable service

by ChiTownBoy

This place was recommended to me by a local while I was visiting Anchorage on my summer vacation. I asked a guy at F-Street Station (a local bar) when I first arrived there where I could go for a good fishing charter. He said "Beluga River and the Chuitt River are the best. You'd need to catch a flight over there and hook up with a lodge. There are a few good lodges, and Spernak has the best, and cheapest flights."

So I took down the info, called Mike at Spernaks and and set up a flight for the next day. The local taxi's knew right where the lace was, which is good because it would've been pretty hard to find. When he dropped me off I couldn't even tell where the front door was. Turns out the front door is out by where the airplanes pull up to get fuel. Makes sense since it's at an airport. I found my way in by following the regular passengers through the cargo area and right away the place struck me as, well, cozy and with a fair helping of Alaskan charm. Small, friendly, and like it hadn't changed in 50 years. Mike, a friendly, quick whitted fellow lets say, was right there to greet me and his ramp staff helped me with all of my gear.

I asked where the plane was and he pointed out the window to a little cessna type and my jaw just dropped. Being used to the large jets I had only flown on in my life, this seemed a little small and scary. Jared, the pilot came in after getting the plane ready and introduced himself. A skinny, intelligent, twenty something kid who instantly let me feel at ease about the flight.

We were off in no time and instantly I saw the granduer of "The Great Land" from the air. I easily saw Mt McKinley easily from the route which took us no where close to it. A half hour later we were at the river where my guide met up with me and took me on the rest of my adventure. Which was also awesome, but that's another story altogether.

Reliable and cheap, I would definitley recommed Spernaks!

• Pros: Friendly, Reliable, Uniquely Fun
• Cons: Hard to find