On 30 March 2022, Section Leader SW Americas Penelope Cornwall organised a zoom meeting with IFFR member Al Clayton from Anchorage, Alaska, speaking about his life, work, hobbies and flying in Alaska. Some 40 participants enjoyed his illustrated story.

Al was born and raised in Alaska. As a teenager, he was once allowed to fly in a Super Cub and that was the beginning of his pursuit of wings. He trained in Oregon to earn enough money to buy them. His wife Beth gave him a logbook for Christmas 1993, not realising that this $10 booklet was a “money gobbling monster”…
Al now has four planes: a Cessna 180, 182, 170B and an experimental Super Cub. He pays for the fuel with earnings from his private law practice representing private individuals and companies since 1992.

Al is something of a jack-of-all-trades in terms of positions: he is a member of the Pioneers of Alaska, the Alaska Airmen Association, the Alaska Aviation Safety Foundation, the Lake Hood Pilots Association, the Seaplane Pilots Association, the IFFR, AOPA, RAF (Recreational Aviation Foundation) and EAA. He is president of the Dairy Airpark Homeowners Association who own an airstrip on the west… bank of the Kennecott River. He has been a member of the Achorage Hillside Rotary Club since 1992 where he held various roles such as Youth Exchange Officer and President.

His adventures consist mainly of flights to the airports in Wrangel-St. Elias National Park near McCarthy, lakes and large ponds of southwest Alaska and a narrow landing strip near Skwentha, home of the leopard-spotted rainbow salmon. Flying on skis (and skiing himself), floats and bush tyres is his great passion and the anecdotes about special landings made his presentation extremely fascinating.

Everyone is welcome to enjoy the presentations via our IFFR ‘sister’ sections and I can heartily recommend it.