AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2024 - 70

" So, this is a 1956 Douglas DC-6. It had
flown in Vietnam. It has flown all over
the world and spent a lot of time flying
fuel in Alaska, delivering supplies and
fuel to remote villages here. And now
it is in its final resting place here at Fly
Eight Alpha-Mike Pilot Lodge. You can
fly in here, land on the 1,900-foot-long
runway, tie down your airplane right
in front of the house. Sit back, relax on
the couch, watch TV, hang out on the
wing deck, enjoy the heated floors, and
really, hopefully appreciate the history
you're sitting in. "
Next up is the DC-9, boasting its
livery as a DHL cargo airplane. It was
still under construction when we were
there; learning from the challenges of
the DC-6 project, Kotwicki and his
crew are vastly improving the space.
It will be a three-bedroom, two-bath
house with hot tub, sauna, a special
kid's room in the belly cargo accessed
through a trap door, and will rent for
$849 per night. Also under construction
is a Boeing 727, which will have
lodge-style accommodations; a 60-foottall
control tower that will have an
all-glass geodesic dome on top for stargazing;
and plans for the conversion of
the Fairchild C-119 to become a handson
museum or learning library.
How he did it
You may have seen his footage on
YouTube and television showing how
Kotwicki had the aircraft towed up
the road and to his property. The wags
embellished the story and criticized
him for closing traffic, but it really
was a lot simpler and a lot less difficult
than the media and his critics claimed.
Kotwicki is not immune to criticism.
He is an unusual guy and works with an
energy and passion seldom seen. He is
also undeterred by naysayers (remember
his mother?).
The project was started with thengirlfriend,
now just friend, Stephanie
Blanchard. She is also a pilot and instructor
and championed Kotwicki's vision.
For two years after he left Florida the
pair traveled around the country in an
RV searching for a good place for a flight
70
AOPA PILOT / November 2024
school. He'd done well, he said, working
for the airlines and then instructing and
producing training videos.
" We bought some property in Utah,
started going through the process of
having a flight school there, but the
bureaucracy and regulations...well, and
the fact that every night we'd sit down
and soon be watching some Alaska show
because we missed it so much. We realized
we just needed to be in Alaska.
As fate would have it the real estate
prices went through the roof, and we
were able to cash out of there and this
place became available. At about a million
bucks for 115 acres, which honestly
was probably below market value, " he
says with complete honesty. " Do I ever
look at this and think what was I thinking?
Yeah, I do, but I do know what I
was thinking. I don't regret it. This is
me doing the very best with what I
saved up. This isn't the first time my
bank accounts have been very low, and
it won't be the last. It's a labor of love
and I do believe if you put enough into
something, good things can happen. "
He has put a lot into what he's doing.
From instructing to running a bulldozer
at 11 p.m. to producing videos to towing
a 24-foot-wide load (the 727) down
a road where the bridges were just 24
feet wide, he is indefatigable.
" I like doing a million things at
once, " he says. " And here in Alaska, the
support you get from people is great. It's
all a bunch of crazies here. Crazy loves
crazy. I love being here with the other
crazy people and they love the crazy
stuff we are doing. And they are supportive
of it and don't get in your way. "
State of awe
Kotwicki says that Alaska is " the epicenter
of amazing " and that he was
rendered speechless flying Alaska.
" You just have to have an aircraft
here. You have to see this by air, see
the untouched wilderness. When I
first came to Alaska, I was speechless
and flying around here every day I am
still speechless. I want people to have a
place they can come to and be even more
speechless than I was when I got here. "
Relaxing is not only easy, but encouraged
on the deck of the DC-6 airplane house
with swinging chairs a fun element on
the wing; Kotwicki is a jack of all trades
assisting with the electrical fixtures on the
DC-9 airplane lodge; the DC-9 airplane
lodge will sleep six comfortably; all the
needs of a traveler are met in the renovated
airplane houses.
He also believes Alaska is the best
place to learn to fly because of the wide,
open space and challenging weather
conditions. And his " Disneyland for
pilots " concept of having flight school
students stay in renovated aircraft and
cabins and to be able to walk out and
jump in an aircraft, is his best dream.
" To me, a big part of doing this is
the social aspect. I really believe flight
schools miss out on the social aspect of
aviation. You learn more sitting around a
campfire with a beer in your hand, talking
to other people, being honest, sharing
stories. It's awesome, you know. Flying
is a freedom like no other. It's also what
it does for you when you're not in the
airplane-the people you meet, the relationships
you get, the experience and
knowledge you have. "
Work is constantly taking place at
Kotwicki's campground, especially in
the long, long days of summer. As winter
approaches, he will take a lot of his
energy inside. He laughingly says he's
like a bear: He sleeps less than four hours
when the sun is out nearly 20 hours in
the summer but goes for nine hours or
more when it's cold and dark. " Hey, don't
tell people it's cold here! It's wonderful
and it's beautiful and amazing.
" It puts you in a state of awe, of how
amazing the planet is. Alaska is the
epicenter of amazing. It beats any other
country, any other place in the world. "
julie.walker@aopa.org
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2024

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