Adam Weiland was my pilot on this fantastic scenic tour of the fjords....He is a skilled pilot and very informative, friendly and knowledgeable. It was a pleasure...be sure to ask for Adam...and tell him Victoria sent you... : )
These planes are such a great part of history and very well maintained- I loved the views and the pilots talks- the music in the headphones was great too- I would do this every chance I could- don't miss it!
We booked this as a shore excursion on our Alaska cruise. The meeting instructions were clear and not far from the ship. Ketchikan has loads of jewelry shops and it is easy to be detained in one....luckily we kept our eye on the time. There were 4 passengers in our flight, the views were amazing, the plane landed in the lake briefly.....the whole thing flew by. Well it was our most expensive excursion but it created memories never to be forgotten
Did the floatplane tour to Misty Fjords as a cruise shore excursion. It was wonderful! Felt very safe in the plane and the views were phenomenal!!
Our pilot, Mike, and the fantastic folks at Taquan Air helped Scott and I plan our perfect wedding at the Misty Fjords! The flight out was thrilling, especially from the copilot's seat, and Mike's narration was interesting and informative. We landed out in Rudyerd Bay and taxied to a large floating dock. In this beautiful setting, our pilot became our officiant and we exchanged vows (Mike helped with those too!) We spent a little time celebrating and taking in the stunning views before heading back. The return flight was equally amazing, ending much too soon with a perfectly smooth landing.
I can't thank Taquan Air enough for all they did to make our event so perfect. Special thanks to Forrest who did photos, Faith & Deandra, our witnesses, and Mike, our pilot/officiant/planner extraordinaire!
We booked this tour through Holland America and it was the highlight of our trip. Larry was excellent as a pilot and guide and his playlist was varied and awesome. He broke through the music to point things out and was very considerate of the passengers who had a tendency toward air sickness. Happy to say there were no incidences! Never thought I would stand on water but he carefully guided this old lady onto the pontoon and I can check one more thing off my bucket list.
Our pilot was very competent and we had great confidence in his ability, especially since he informed us that he served in the Middle East and worked on his own plane. I was given the privilege of riding up front.
Despite a fear of heights and, therefore, a degree of pre-flight nervousness this was an experience I would not have missed for the world. A sunny, clear day, magnificent scenery and a great pilot in John.
I can see that Larry has already been mentioned in previous reviews, but I have to add another because he’s quite simply a lovely man and excellent pilot.
I wasn’t the most confident flyer in my group but Larry’s approach was reassuring, kind and courteous. All in all a tip top gentlemen.
Oh the sights were pretty awesome too.
Excellent tour to Neets Bay and salmon hatchery. Saw bears, eagles, seals, and other wildlife in their natural habitat. Beautiful scenery on flight and at tour location. Knowledgeable friendly and professional staff, guides & pilot. Highly Recommend!
Great experience. We took a float plane to Neets Bay to a salmon hatchery. There were plenty of Bald Eagles to see and we got to see a Black Bear within about 25'-30' of us. S/he wasn't bothered by us and did some fishing before ambling off into the forest. The scenery was spectacular and the staff was knowledgeable and friendly. Our pilot was Mike O'Brien and our trail guide was Joshua. Both were great hosts and had a lot of knowledge. I recommend this tour.
Our pilot Larry did an awesome job with the flight, narration, and landing in an isolated bay. Getting out and standing on the pontoons in the bay was the best!
We booked very last minute through our cruise ship (Norwegian) because we hadn't really planned anything for Ketchikan and boy are we glad we did!
In reading the reviews I see a lot of complaints about waiting for the bus. I'll be honest and say that the tour had a "meetup" time of 10:30am, but the bus didn't show up until 10:45 or maybe even closer to 11, but I assumed that was deliberate to allow for stragglers/late-comers to make the pickup.
Once we got to the docks it was a pretty quick and efficient process. We were broken up into groups and assigned a pilot and then loaded onto the planes within 15-30 minutes. Our pilot had been flying for 40 years and provided both music and commentary as he flew us from Ketchikan through the mountains to their floating dock. We had a solid 15 minutes to admire the view and snap photos and then we loaded up and flew back.
My husband and I have both spent time in small planes working on our private pilot licenses and the pilot was quick to notice and offer us the front seat (one on the way out, one on the way back). Even though the plane is only rated for VFR, the pilot had the "glass cockpit" terrain/attitude and a collision avoidance TCAS (or something similar) displays as well which made me feel really good about the company's commitment to safety especially when flying so close to the terrain and with so much competing air traffic (there were 2 other planes that took off at the same time and another 2 to 4 in the area on our flight out).
The Havilland Beaver is the perfect aircraft for these sorts of tours given its capacity and they use the modified versions which include additional trapezoidal windows behind the rear windows so that everyone has a view. Such an incredible experience, hauntingly beautiful and very professional/safe. I recommend it!
Tour of Misty Fjord by float plane (arranged through the cruise ship). Arrived at facility, received a safety briefing from the pilot. Recorded commentary provided on the flight as well as information from the pilot. Landed on a “lake” in the fjord. We were able to step out on the floats for a brief time (10 minutes) for pictures. Then we headed back to Ketchikan. Felt quite safe all of the time. Flight stayed at about 800 feet, good enough to see a flying eagle.
This was an excursion booked through Holland America Cruise Lines and our first time on a floatplane. Our pilot Jim was filling in for one of the regular pilots due to the increased demand... and now we know why: Jim's timely narration combined with an awesome music selection provided the perfect backdrop for this wonder of nature. Everyone on the plane has a perfect window view for the scenery and a headset for the audio. The take offs and landings are some of the smoothest and coolest you will ever experience. We went on a warm and sunny day, so no special clothing needed. A floatplane adventure is simply a "must do" in this area and Taquan Air is amazing.
Fabulous flight with Larry! Incredible views and lots of laughs. Loved every minute of our tour from take off to landing!