KTUU.com | Alaska's news and information source | Students fly to school

Students fly to school

by Angela Blanchard
Friday, Sept. 12, 2008

ANCHORAGE, Alaska-- Every morning most children get to school by bus, bike, car, or on foot.

But the kids in South Naknek do it a little different.

On the south side of the Naknek river six pieces of precious cargo wait patiently for pilot John King.

"This has been going on since the middle sixties," said King.

 Back when King was a kid another pilot did his job.

But for the past 20 years, every morning around eight he has been a "bus driver" of sorts for South Naknek.

There is no school in South Naknek; it closed a few years go when the town's population dwindled to less than 80.

"One year we were hauling up to 22 kids a day and this year I think we're down to six," said King.

Those six students don't really think this whole flying school bus thing is as cool as others do.

Most of them say it is fun, but it is pretty normal to them at this point.

Maybe that's because they do it on most of the 180 days of school when  weather is permitting.

"So they get excited when they don't get to go home or they don't get to come over for some event because of the weather.  But the flying part doesn't thrill most of them," said King.

But it's got to beat that boring yellow school bus right?

Student Amy Angasan says she flies to school all the time.

"On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday," said Amy.

The students are picked up by a bus, flown from an airport, and then taken to school on another bus.

This is done so all kids from the other side of the river can get to school.

The Bristol Bay School District says flying the students back and forth costs about $140,000 a year.

Contact Angela Blanchard at ablanchard@ktuu.com